The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-13

Incidents of the Watch Kept Forty Year
Ago-Pranks OF the Boys.

Incidents of the Watch Kept Forty Years
AEo-Pranss OF the Boys.
Lewiston tMe.) Journal
The accounts of the eccentric perform.
sLces Of the Latter Day MIllerities in Eastern
Maine have revived a number of anecdotes
OF the equally curious performances OF the
believers IN the immediate coming OF the
Lords chariot in days gone by.
An old resident OF Canaan tells OF a prank
he and several other young men perpetrated
on band Of fanatics who gathered in that
town to await the blast OF GsbriePs trunpet
thirty or forty years ago. 1t had become
Doised through the town that theee disciples
were TO assemble in a certain barn with
their ascension gowns on, and there with
last dread summons. Sd there youngsters, by
dint OF great exertions, secretly raised q
heavy leg to the ridge pole of the barn.
When the Millelites were assembled and all
was hushed the Iogues rent the log rolling
down the roof of the barn With terrific
rumble. The wsiling and grooming and
shrieking which came from the bsrn indi-
Gated that the believers thought the chariot
really coming, but were not so ready TO get
aboard es they pretended to be-
Richmond was one of the towns to which
the excitement spread at this time. It is a
well preserved chapter of local history that a
certain old lady was made crazy by constant
dwelling on the theme, and had an ambition
to fly up q abort distance and meet Gabriel
before he had blown his horn. She wished
to 60 early and avoid the crowd. On the ap-
pointed day she climbed on TOP OF the barn
yard fence and, tapping her arms, essay ed
TO fly. She lost her balance, fell down, broke
one of her arms, and Gabriel didn't come af-
ter ALL but it was not long before the world
came to an end for her.
There Is touch OF agricultural realism in
Renaissance OF q Lewiston eX.MayOr, who
says: "At the time of the old Millerite ex-
element was Ct work on farm for man
who became a thorough believer On the
morning of the day designated for the end
OF the world be tod me to let the cattle into
the moving field, and discharged me. 1 did
not let the cattle into the moving field, but
hired out with another farmer. The next
day my old employer tried to hire me back,
but / would not Co."
An old citizen of Topsham says that in
that town the MiIJerites proposed to well
come Gabriel with full stoinschs, and made
preral ations to spend the night before his
coming in feasting. A wealthy farmer, who
had been converted to the belief, dedicated
all his live stock and provisions to the cause
and held great barbecue on his premises
He invited everybody for miles around to
come end cat rarting meal with him. The
crowd came. Oxen, steers, lambs and pigs
were roasted whole. Cider barrels were Sc.
aIuDniDg. Great pots of beans and brown
bread were baked. The next day he was
alive and the sun was shinRing, but his barn
and cellar wore empty. He had less prop
eTiy, but m ore sense. The smell of singed
~cei fingered in the neighborho3d for sew.
eral days.
l remember having attended camp.meet-
ing held by reviveIs of the Millerite theory
fifteen years $50 The services were held in
a canvas tabernacle in grove, and the raith-
ful pitched their tents around it. In the
evening, when the loud draw of the Elder
echoed among the trees, often interrupted
by groans and shouts OF enthusiasm from his
hearers as he depicted the significance of the
dragons and many-horned monsters that
were drawn on his chart, and told of the ter
rors Of the judgment day, when 200 excited
voices shouted their peculiar hymns, or two
or three deiuded men and women were ex
hortipg in as many different KEYS at the
same time-it seemed like an unearthly con-
vocation.
One night several young men introduced
goat into the camp meeting. While the
services were we'll under way in the taber-
nacle and the elder was discoursiDg on the
vision Of the monsters that came up out of
the sea. this goat was let into the tent among
the crowd OF men and women absorbed 10
the talk of the prophet. The goat upset two
or three chairs and bleated, and then went
on q general rampage through the tent. At
first the disciples thought that they had
been granted a vision from one of the mys.
tic beasts OF the dreanland of Daniel, but
they soon discovered that the goat was of
earth, very earthly.