The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-06
They Have. Been Numerous IN the
: Past and Have Found
Followers.
Jersey Fanatics Who foilo"eo
the Biblical Narratives OF
the Messiah.
s,.,o,s or the Creduiity of the Negro
in 1SS0-The Illinois iin pos'or'
Schweinfurth.

eiah as numerous INSTANCES "ie va
~he1e. within the last two or tnfee years,
the more civilized and better eoucaSe0
.rb;ta men and black men of America have
.".afo..aa =, have received revelations, and
in some cases to be the CHRIST hlmseit' says
the New York Times.
Il was only in the summer OF 1888 thas
ono Patterson. of Tennessee, went around
,reacb;no that wonderful thing was to
happens; and when he thought the times
were ripe he declared that the second ad-
vent of Christ had come in the person OF
A. 7. Brown. who had served as iatterson's
assistant, These two fanatics secured
large following as they went forth preach
inc their new doctrine promising TO Tor
give sins and heal all diseases. 1t was
6nallv announced that Brown must go up
into the m cunt aims and fast for forty days
" pniphts in order that he might be lifting
his repaired for the mission lnttusteo 70
and hands, He suddenly disappeared, and
nothing was seen OF INN ior nlany lays.
\ Sabbath morning in June, his followers
went out toward the hills and suddenly ne
appeared before them clothed IN Wnlte,
With his hands uplifted. A great shout
vent up and the people rushed toward MN,
falling upon their knees ana Kissing MS
feet. Many who were Ill declared tnem-
selves healed by his touch. so great was
the fanaticism OF these people .lat one Elll
declared she was ready to die to prove ner
faith. and the non-beievers around the
town Of Soddy. where these things happen
cd. became SO fearful that human lie would
be sacrificed that they sent for the sherln,
at Chattanooga, and 1t required all us
power to compel Patterson and Brown to
leave the neighborhood, that q1let might pc
restored.
wear later. in 1889, occurred that re-
/, markable series of impositions upon the
credulity of the colored people, where one
man after another proclaimed himself as
the Christ, promised miracles, drew crowds
of excited men and women from their Ia
bors, and created CONSERVATION Ill those
portions of the south where their perform
ances were carried on. In one case man
nearly white, who gave his name as Bell,
went among the negroes who lived along
the Savannah river and proclaimed himself
as the returned Christ crying out that
those who hoped to be saved must give up
everything and follow him. Hundreds be-
lieved him, left the cotton fields, this saw
mills and the turpentne stills, and fol-
lowed Bell, obeying his lightest word and
ready to fall down at his feet in worship.
thorities were led to arrest Bell. and when
he was taken his followers would have
torn his captors to pieces and rescued him
had he given the word. He told them to
be patient, declaring that an angel would
come to him and break his prison doors by
night and that he could not be
harmed, As he had some money in his pos
although thought not to be in his right
mind was soon discharged from custody.
He then continued his preaching, followed
by even greater crowds than before; an
nounced that the world wonld come to an
end on Aug. Is: that all white men would
then turn black and all black men white,
and that he could supply all who wished to
ascend on the last day with wings at So a
paiR.
When Bell was finally sent to his proper
place-an insane northumberland James, a
colOred justice of the peace in the same
neighborhoOd, announced himself as the
messiah and proceeded TO put forward
claims rs extravagant as those of Bell. He
repeated the declaration of Bell that the
end Ct the world was coming Aug. 16.
preached that money was no longer OF any
use in the world and prevented the en-
ployers of labor in that section from OBJ
tanning needed help. James was finally ar
rested and sent to the state insane asylum
at Ailledgeville. Yet another negro ap-
peared in Cherokee county with the same
pretensions; another in Camden, and q
woman in Brunswick attempted the per-
Torrance of miracles. In each of these cases
the excitement was short-lived, but fanat-
ical ignorance was provided in sufficient
portions to make trouble while it lasted.
A very marked example of imposition mp
on the one side and blind credulity upon
the other, the basis being a claim of the
visible Christhood in the flesh. is furnished
in the career of George j. Schweinfurth at
Rockford. III. In the cases above cited the
claimants were obscure and ignorant men,
while the dupes were of the lowest among
the freedmen, who were guided only by
their emotions and had no help from cul-
eure and education either in themselves or
in the community around them. Vastly
different was the Rockford delusion, SPRING
ing mp in the most intelligent section of the
west at the behest of the wife of Congre-
own person were the attributes of the risen
Lord. 1t is some sixteen years since Mrs.
Dora Beekman advanced this claim, and
her followers were at first few in number,
but strong in faith, and they located their
church at Bryan, near Rockford, and went
zealously to work. Mr.. Beekman, not be-
lievinR IN the new doctrine. was torn by
conflicting doctrines until finally he found
relief IN insanity and an asylum.
Among the converts finally came Schwein-
furth. young Methodist minister of pleas
ing address and appearance, and of some
mental power. He was soon installed as
bishop and sent forth upon mission labor,
After time. as IN the case of Ann Lee. the
founder of Shakerisnl, Mrs. Beekman't
claim Of immortal life was disproved b,
her death, and the shrewd bishop steppes
into the breach. declaring that the diyin,
spirit had passed from their former leade]
TO himself. The claim was allowed. ant
to-day he is worshipped by hundreds no
merely as the Christ returned to the flesh
but - the maker and ruler of the earth a
we'll.
These claims, made in the open light o
the nineteentn century and allowed by PEG
pie Who have the means of finding the trnt
BY . little Investigation. show that men ar
about what they always have been. an
furnish an excuse for the wonderful spirit
ual impO6tures of the past The vnriou
performances of the Faith Curists Mol
also be cited in illustration of the sam
point.
The impositions and yaearies above men
tao00o nave Deen the performances of
Glass and to enumerate all the relirious {,
naticisms and decisions of jndiyidnals :,
corded In America in the last two YEA,
would demand an unreasonable amonnt T
space. One noted instance wns that ,
2rA Pauline King, the colored woman
OAkridge Park. ILL.,, who advertised tha
~ she he'd tasted for forty DAYS, She won
Qqp1cly sufn wafer into wine as had be,
60no at tho marriage feast at Cana of ff,s
Ne. whom the people had gathered ON ii
appOiptp4 day she had Jar filled vii
waAer AEom q neighborine we'll. lad n
hymn and pgayed, and then tested tho RI
tents ~ the jar and found no.hino h,
water; and her leadership was GONE ev
1honah her faith remained. e'
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