St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-07-08
RED-fgOT REVIVAL.
HOOsiers Brought to Repentance b.
Female Sam Jones.

HOOsiers Brought to Repentance by
Female Sam Jones.
Special to the Globe.
MARION, Ind, July 7.-Flinn's grove, a
mile west Of here, has been the scene of
thrilling spectacles, stirring incidents and
considerable excitement the past week.
The occasion OF this is series of revival
meetings conducted by Mrs. Mary Mershon
of Pendleton, Ind. Mrs. Mershon is a
disciple and convert of Mrs. Woodwork,
the noted trance evangelist, whose peculiar
methods have for the past two years been
the theme of widespread interest and specu-
lation. The lady who is conducting the
meetings at this place was converted two
years ago and was at once called to become
an evangelist. Although an invalid she
obeyed The call, and to-day is strong, Wig
srouS and energetic woman. She is about
90 years old, has broad forehead, black
hair and eyes and is of medium height. She
has pleasing and commanding presence
and graceful bearing. Her theology is of
the heroic order without any faint of mug
Wumpery. Her reasoning is not powerful
nor her logic faultless, but her powers of
persuasion are great, her earnestness
convincing and her sincerity beyond ques-
ton. The meetings were commenced on
Saturday, the 5th of June, but for time
they dragged. The evangelist says she
never conducted meeting where she con-
tended with greater difficulties at the start,
or where the indications gave as little prom
Use OF success 1t was next to impossible
to secure tent. The attendance was light
and the interest seemed dead. She was not
discouraged. He faith appeared to be of
that quality which will remove mountains
The plain, nnpretentious and eloquent
preaching had its effect. The attendance
increased. Her enthusiasm took hold of
her hearers. The fame and report of
the wild scenes enacted spread among
the people and the attendance
and interest were further magnified
and multiplied. Last Sunday witnessed
the largest attendance up to date. The
young converts are most enthusiastic and
demonstratiye. They crowd the space set
apart for seekers after divine favor, and
with singing. shouting, shreking and pray
ing, gradually work themselves into wild
| frenzy. Their hands are uplifted and their
faces are turned upward. Some shout and
yell III the eXuberance of their ecstacy,
others plead and cry for the rolling away
of their burdens. The spectacle at times
is wild, wierd and unearthly. The most
nervous and eXcitable soon succumb and
go under the power" They are stretched
out in every corner and in every
attitude. They become rigid and their
wide-open. staring eyes have a deathlike
and unearthly expression, as though gazing
upon scenes not presented to the eyes of
mortals. Sunday night witnessed the wild
est and most eXtravagant scenes yet enact
ed. Such shouting, such jumping, such
hallelujahs, such delightful, promlscuouS
and abandoned hugging of brothers and Sis
tiers in the Lord, presented a scene the like
of which has never before been witnessed
in this country. 1t was wild, unre-
strained saturnalia of unbridled passion and
emotion. The converts who were stricken
down 'by the hand of God" prior to
| their conversion relate wonderful
tales of being suspended by a
hair over the pit of hell, of being famed by
the sulphurous breezes from the internal
regions. of looking into boiling cauldrons,
of being nibbled at by the fiery serpents
and grinning devils, of being saved by the
outstretched hand of a plying Providence.
The meetings are still in progress and will
continue for at least two weeks. The
number of conversions to date is in the
neighborhood of 80. A very large number
OF those are people who would never have
| been reached by the churches.