Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-09-15
A BIG CRANK.
END OF THE WORLD AS PREDICTED BY
REV. WILLETS, :0F MIDWAY, Pa.
The Startling Announcements Of Sermons Hung Up
in the POstfice-Says He and His Flock
Prayed for the Earthquake.

A Pennsylvania crank comes to the front
and predicts the end of the world. He
seems to be a very genial sort of crazy
ecclesiastic, and the following will no
doubt be of interest to those who are afraid
of earthquakes and other little disturb
ances of that nature. Midway is small
place of 800 inhabitants, near Washing
ton, Pa.
The following placard, printed in home
made red ink in characters of various sizes
and proportions on a pasteboard poster,
adOrns the front of the ~postOtfice in the
town
SCIENCE INVESTIGATED.
"Darwin's Huxley's and MemboddOS' Theories
of Evolution.
"TYNDAL's PRAYER GAUGE.
Sir Isaac Newton Picking up Pebbles and the
German Professor Who Made a Chicken.
SABBATH AFTERNOON At $50,
by the
sBOSS CRANK"
There is no mistake about the genuine
ness of the placard. The latter is a work
of art and will be framed by the postmas-
ter after it has out-lived its usefulness as
an enunciatOr of alarming truths. Besides
the posters, Rev. J. S. Willetts, who per
sonates the Boss Crank" dashed of an
other clever legend which reads rs follows:
Monday night subject:
PRINCE JEROME NAPOLEON
The future Anarchist, will soon arise 10y Flattery
and Deceit,
CONQUER THE WORLD
And lead il with the Catholic and Protestant
Churches
To FIGHT AGAINST JESUS y HIS
Saints the last great Battle this World shall ever
see;
TUESDAY NIGHT:
The time of these things TO be proved by Bible
Figures. TIL end 10 be about 1890.
Having thus billed the town on Satur-
day, Rev. Willetts withdrew TO the seclu-
sion of his boarding house ut Jumbo Mines,
where he was found with his Bible in one
hand, his commentator in the other, his
pen above his ear and q broad trimmed
straw hat, farmer style, Oh his head. Mr..
Willetts is q small man with an abundant
growth of hair and large eyes, which, when
they are agitated by visions of Jerome Ma
poleon leading his hosts to write with their
blood the story of the last ecclesiastical
revolution on earth, become wild ana
teverish looking. When asked by u repor-
ter on Saturday why he bulletined his ser
mons in such IN astounding manner Rev.
Willetts said:
'Well | must do something. The peo-
pie are trying to suppress me, but | have
come to stay and to assert myself. have
used all manner of strategy to make my
self know to the public. Sometimes sue
coed, but often | don't. | have written
pages and pages OF articles for the papers,
but they tail to appear. / wanted to get 4
church or hall or a vacant lot i'll Pittsburg,
where | could tell what | know and how |
know it, but they wouldn't
let me have even 4 pasture
field in the suburbs. | have been cast
out of the Methodist Church like a Jonah,
or rather refused admission to it, because
of my faith cure doctrine, which the con-
ference said was not Ort hOdoX. But will
show these people where they are wrong
some day. If | cannot attract their atten-
ton by Sam Jones methods I'll do it some
other way
When asked how many invalidS he had
healed by faith during his practice Mr..
Willetts replied: "Oh, forty or more, but |
am not much in that line now. I'm going
in more for earthquakes and the end Ofth
world
"You predicted the recent earth
quake. of cOurse?n was asked.
'Oh, certainly. Why we have been
PRAYING for it, that is my little bant of
faithful followers and myself, ever since
August :. In fact we surprised ourselves
with our success. We met every day in
our humble little chapel in Midway and
prayed that the Lord would send some
sign to put to confusion the theories OF
these cOnceited scientists who profess to
know everything. We knew something
would happen but could not tell exactly
what it would be.
FINALLY Sister Edna became so fervent
that she prayed for IN earthquake and we
all said amen, though We did not cspec-
tally care for the quake near home. 1t
would have answered vi purpose just rs
well in Africa or Mexico. However, il
came and we knew it was coming. We
saw a black dangerous-lOOking cloud hang
ing about Midway, and felt that it was n
messenger bringing our answer to Il pray
Ter. CapOn, the scientist predicted the
quake August II from geological and
meteorological deductions, but then on
the very night it occurred he was writing
IA postponement Of it. We prayed for it
nine days before his prediction, and rs we
did not set any specified time for it to oc-
cur, of course we did not have to make
any pOstponements, and hence were nearer
right than Capon.'
Mr.. Willets said that there will likely
be more earthquakes between now and
1895. the time set for the end Of the world.