New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-09

IN well known for It's schools ana seminafie'
md its high average of intelligence. Here ne
gathered about him large number OF dupes'
mostly women. He apparently found no dni-
culty in reconciling them, not only to the az
.urdities of his pretensions, but TO the strange
Inconsistencies Of bis life with that Of Christ
lie did not deem II necessary TO affect an mr.
difference to worldly prosperity or the pleas
,res Of this life. His community lived on
large farm made over to him by an infatuated
convert Here Schweinfurth and his disciples
bred horses. and lived in large and hand
somolv furnished mansion, while he dressed eIe-
cantIy showed excellent business capacity and
had several hank accounts All the property
Of the community was in his name. Extrava-
gant stories are told Of the amount Of property
he had succeeded in accumuiaang' IL Is Salu
that the growth of the sect has been rapid ana
that there are now branch churches In hall
dozen Western cities.
The utterances Of this man in claiming the
attrib utes of divinity and denying any part or
share In the weaknesses and sins OF humanity
reached the utmost limit OF blaSphemy, and
mi pht have been sufficient Of themselves to open
the ewes of his deluded followers. am"
he is reported as saying, more than Chr'S''
am the perfect man and also God possess
the attributes Of Jesus the Snless, ana nave MS
spirit and more than that | am the Almighty
himself The time Is not far of when snail
make such manifestations Of my divinity ana
power as shall Startle the world ana BRING ne
levers TO me BY the thousands and tens OF
thousandsn Speaking Of the fact that after
the death of the founder Of the sect he was
" only sensible that he possessed the attributes
Of Christ" he said: within the last year
there has been still greater knowledge, and !
can now declare that | am Tod Almighty My
name is am that amp The prepoSteronS
notion of a deity who discovered his dlvlne
powers only by successive stages ought to have
been enough TO shock the faith Of the least "a
tional OF his disciples, but II there is anything
which a considerable number OF men ana
women cannot be found to believe under the
inspiration of religious ianaticism, that limit
has not yet been discovered His utterances
were 30 extraordinary as TO arouse suspicion OF
his sanity, but the fact appears merely to be
that SChwenfurth was clever scamp and
good actor. lie played his part well, carefully
preserving, even under the most trying circum-
stances, a meek and passiOnlcss demeanor.
Whatever suspicious may have been entertained
of the purity Of his life, his most active OPP
ponents do not seem to have been able to prove
any weakness against him. There is general
testimony that he is q man Of decided intel
lecalal power with an exceptional gift OF
fascination.
1t is hardly likely that We have heard the last
Of him. however. lie is still young, and is not
likely 10 abandon a career Of religious fraud
having once entered upon It. We may yet hear
Of Schwelnfurtb as president OF the Mormon
Church, position for which he would seem to
be admirably qualified. and there are islands in
| the South Seas where he might tinker religions
70 his hearts content supported by a choir of
dusky angels"