The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1886-01-01
THE ADvENTlsTs IN MAINE.
Incidents Of tho Watch Kept Forty Years
Ago-Pranls of tho Boys.

Incidents Of tho Watch Kept Forty Years
Ag0-Pranks of tho Boys.
Lewiston, (Mc.) Times.
The accounts of the Latter Day Mil
ler;tcs 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 Il
prank he and several other young men
pcrpc,ratcd on Il band of fanatics who
gathered in that town to await the
blast of Gabriel's trumpet thirty or
forty years ago. 1t had become noiscd
through the town that these disciples
were to assemble in Il certain barn with
their ascension gowns on. and there
with solemn ceremonies make ready to
receive the last dread summons. So
these youngsters, by dnt of great en-
crtions, secretly raised heavy log to
the ridgc-pole of the barn. When the
MillcrtcS were assembled and all was
hushed, the rogucs sent the log rolling
down the roof of the barn with Il ter
rifle rumble. The waling and groan-
ing and shr.cking which came from
the barn indicated that the believers
thought the chariot was really coming.
but were not so ready to get aboard
as they pretended TO he.
Richmond was one of the towns to
which the excitement spread ut this
time. 1t is Il we'll preserved chapter
OF local history that u certain old lady
was made crazy by constant dwelling
ON the theme and had an ambition to
fly up Il short distance and meet Ga
bricl before he had blown his horn
She wished to go early and avoid the
crowd. On the appointed day she
climbed on top of the barn-yard fence,
and tapping her arms. cssaycd to fly.
She lost her balance, fell down. broke
one of her arms. and Gabriel didn't
come after all; but it was not long
before the world came to an end for
her.
There is Il touch of agricultural real
ism in Il "Reminiscences of II Lewiston
cX-mayor who says: AT the time of
the old Milicritc excitement was n!
work on Il farm fora man who became
Il thorough believer. On the morning
of the day designated for the end of
the world, he told me to let the cattle
INTO the moving field. and discharged
me. did not let the cattle into the
moving field, but hired out to another
farmer. The next day my old en-
ployer tried to hire me back, but l
would not go.
An old citizen of Topsham says that
in that town the Alillcrites proposed to
val. Il ..l III
and made preparations to spend the
night before his coming in fcasting.
A wealthy farmer, who had become
converted to the fa'th, dedicated I'LL his
live stock and provisions to the cause,
and held Il great barbecue on his prem.
Uses. He invited everybody for miles
around TO come and eat parting meal
with him. The crowd came. Oxen.
steers. lambs and pigs were roa ,tcl
whole. CIDER barrels were set a-run-
nng. Great pots of beans and brown
bread were baked. They ate him on,
of house and home. Tho next day he
WAS alive and the sun was shining,
lll. his barn and cellar were empty.
He had less property, but more sense.
The smell of singcd wool fingered in
wv iit Sii''p HpDi loI ScNef;tl uuSS.
rcmcm' er having attended Il camp
meeting held by rcvivers of the Miller
lite theory fifteen years ago. The ser
vices were held in IL canvas tabernacle
in Il grove, and the faithful pitched
their tents around it, In the even NO,
when the loud drawl of the elder
echoed among the trees, often inter
ruplcd by groans and shouts of cnthu-
slasm 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
tcrrors of the judgment day, when 200
excited voices shouted Their peculiar
hymns, or two or three dcluded men
and women We're cXhorting in rs many
different keys ut the same time--it
seemed like an unearthly convocation.
One night several young men intro
duced Il goat into the camp-mccting
While the services were we'll under
way in the tabernacle and the elder
was discourSng 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 absorb
ed in the talk of the prophet. The
goat upset two or three chairs and
bleatcd, and then went on a general
rampage through the tent. At first
the disciplcsthought that they had been
granted Il visit from one of the mys-
tic beasts of the dleamland of Daniel:
but they soon discovered that the goat
was OF the earth, very earthly.