The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-13
HANCOCK COUNTY RELIGIOUS SENSATION
The Remarkable frances Experienced by
Enthusiastic Attendants Upon Revival.

For some weeks religious wave has been
gathering in Hancock county, the strange feat
ure of which is the trance condition that has
been so frequently reported of late from other
parts of the State This was started at the camp
meeting lately held at Willow Branch, where Mrs.
Woodwork, the evangelist. appeared and
!abored. This trance condition was a common
occurrence at this meeting. At the adjournment
of the camp-meeting above, Mrs. Woodwork was
brought to the colored camp.meeting then holding
at Greenfeld, where she continued her work for
about week. Here number of persons were
In the trance state. On Sunday last, at
the close of p sermon by e. w. S. Hammond
the colored divine a number of persons fell
under the Influence of this strange force. The
camp-meetingss adjourned last Sunday, and i'm
mediateiy revival services were begun in the
Greenfield NJ. E. Church, and here again the
trance appears. This meeting is under the
management of the local pastor. Rev. j. ".
Weleh, and Rev. Harvey, of Charlottesville.
In the case of young colored girl the trance
condition lasted nearly eleven minutes At the
end OF the time twtching of muscles began at
the corners of the mouth and eyes, rigors passed
over ner, mainly in the hands and arms. Her
hands were clasped and raised during all the
tlme. When she came to she appeared greatly
exhausted, being scarcely able to speak, but her
effort was fall of effect as she
broke down in tears in her attempted appeal to
the audience Her frances were all similar. A
young lady, on last Sunday, who went into
trance during Rev Hammond's sermon de-
scrioes her condition The audience was worked
up with intense and noisy enthusiasm. She
says: II first found my eyes fixed on Brother
Hammond. L closed them, rubbed them and tried
TO turn them away but could not. then noticed
tingling sensation in my hands and
feet l then folded my arms and this
tlngiing spread ell over my body. | folded my
arms and tried tohold them So but soon found
them pulling apart and my eyes were raising so
was compelled to look up Soon my arms were
outstretched. and l could see and recognize per
~sons when they came in front, and could
hear them talk. heard one say, let her fall I
will catch her. The next sensation was that
was rising: l could see large white objects
without definite form floating with me.
Then felt some one rubbing my hands,
and felt heavy wind blowing
on my face. This wind, when L recovered
consciousness, was caused by FAM On recov-
cry she was weak exhausted, and without feel
ing She was unconscious bat few moments.
Another lay close to her who perfectly
rlSld' ner expression was deathly, her eyes
were rolled upward, We're open, and there was
no sign of life about her. The pupils of the
eyes were very much dilated. She remained SO
for full thirty minutes. On recovery she was
much exhausted and showed no signs of feeling.
THESE cases were very similar, except in degree.
A medical authority, in the Xenis Times has
soho over the tEhuce conulLlonS carefully, ana
recognizes it as one of the manifestations of the
many diseases called hysteria And in the cpl
demic character of the emotional outbursts at
such revival meetings the influence of similar
abnormal conditions is perceived To the physi-
clans apprehension there is in these violent
physical phenomena no question of mental con-
vlctlon or conversion, no evidence of any intel
lectual process whatever, but solely and simply
an involuntary and irrational nervous CONFUSION,
propagated by contagion, truly epidemic in it's
character, and inviting treatment by medicine
like any other physical complaint.
Mrs. Woodwork, now eminent in this species
of hysteria, is subject, from a catamenal de-
rangement, to epilepsy and catalepsy Her
frances are not mysterious to the student of
medicine.