The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-03-02
People of Cass and Henry COun.
ties Victimized Out of
Their Thousands.
The UNIQUE Manner i'm Which c
HI. Smith Took Them in
Out of the Wet.
A Description of the Man and the
Manner i'm Which He
Operated.
A Fine Narrative, Although Ii
Seems Almost Incredible
of Belief.

Gum City, February 25.-lSPecial. i
Cass county, esp cially that portion OF II
lying contiguous to Quinn City, Is just now
stirred to It's depths over sensation un'
eaualed since the shooting of the county
Judges at this place by mob AS yet, the
matter has not assumed the dimensions OF
a TRAGEDY, but in lying from the amount OF
bad blood engendered and the number OF
victims involved, the time is not lar dis
tant when tragic results will ensue
Strangest of ii, however, is the fact that
the author of all this commotion Is per-
son of such altogether comm n attachments
and inferior gifts as would in most loca j.
ties rend r the idea of his making
Jupes seem utterly preposterous'
Having heard SO much concerning the
matter your correspondent determined To
mae a thorough. investigation of the
whole affair, but at the very outset of the
undertaking found himself confronted
with an obstacle in the shape of a secret
organization, backed up by the strongest
dogmas and superstitiOnS, and as conse-
quence the task became very dlffid ult one,
for though indictments and b,cksliders
are as numerous as blackherIies In brier
patch, as a rule, either from ignoI ance OF
their own institution or superstitiOus fears
of the consequences of divulging the truth,
they give but little Information. As a
last E, sort visit was paid to the grand
mogul, and, as il were, the lion bearded in
his own den. He, however,
proved 10 be OF surly and
taciturn disposition, and absolutely
declined TO give any information, much to
the cI,agrin of the scribe, who had made
an all day ride through a terrific rain
storm to see this new apostle sf new doc
trine, which, according 10 his version, is to
axe the poor rich and the rich poor. He
was found among the businesses of Henry
county, domiciled in a dirt floor log cabid
with the family of his father-in-law, who
dwells in one OF the most inaccessible and
remote precincts i'm the county. In person
the new teacher is tall, thin and angular,
with hatchet shap face and a counte-
nance and sctiun which strongly reminds
one of very recently released penitintiary
convict.
The reporter introduced himself as q
citizen # the county anxious to
become a member of the Organization
but was met with the information
that his services ere not desired, and an
intimation that his real mission was legal
one, but that he could find no dupes there.
"Arrest me If you want to-" said The
apostle, lingering a revolver in his right
hand coat pocket 81 am ready to face the
world a defy all the courts in it. | am
not afraid of two such worlds as this, and
all the lawyers and officers In them. My
business is legitimate, AID only wish to
God they would take me into court, as they
did Jesus Christ before me-"
The scribe assured him that he was no
legal functionary, and had no desire to
question his uprightness, or doubt his mis-
sion, which assurance, backed by the plead
ings of his fatber-in-lsw, finally
induced the apostle to become
more gracious and agree to initiate
the scribe into all the mysteries of the new
faith, assuring him at the same time that
he would in a weeks time become one OF
his chief agents and that he would be GEL
tain to make not less than 500 pr day
honestly. With these assurances the scribe
was forced to depart to await the appoint
ed time of his installment as a member,
which is to take plaCe tomorrow Friday.
In the meantime and i'm order that the
BAzoo's readers may know all about this
new revolution in case the scribe should be
unable to survive his initiation into Its
further and deeper mysteries he has deter
mined to furnish the following history OF
the doings and dogmas of this strange
being so far as they have been learned.
CHARLES Ri. SMITH
is the unpretenltous name gwen by this
new leader. He first made bis appearance
in this section of the country last August,
when be turned up at Creton. Whence he
came, or what his former history, no one
seems able to state, and as he is absolutely
silent on that score himself, history at
present will have to commence at that
point. When he came there he was very
shabbily dressed in overalls, and presented
the appearance of a tramp who bad been
long upon the road. Here he attempted t.
introduce his doctrines, but with poor sue
cess, as he was considered q crank. In
september he wandered out into the creek
bottoms and brought up at the farm of
VIM. Emery, an old and honest farmer,
who quietly attends his little forty-acre
farm, and whose chief sin is his in
nocense and ignorance. Among
the family of Mr.. Emery is a
daughter of some twenty summers, re-
ma kdDl LOT DtT UOulll0ecS anu Oullue>e,
it being generally believed that she is but
half-witted. To her Smith paid his atten-
tions to degree to win her affections, and
shortly after his arrival he sent for his
trunk, and dressing himself in IS suit If
store clothes, announced to the family
that he was messenger sent by Jesus
Christ to found new sect and establish
an ordsr which was to be the forerunner of
the millennium, and that all who Joined
him would never see death or sickness, but
would live forever happy, and receive great
wealth. Strange as were these assertions
they yet found believers, and some two
weeks later Smith married Miss Emery
and had organized his first order.
THE PLAN OF ORGANIZATION.
Smith represents to his followers that he
has had revealed to him plan whereby
all his disciples can be enabled TO secure
wi bout money, or at least with very little
money, untold wealth, and in organizing
presents the following plan: Each appli-