Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-05-13

FAen0mOn0n Wa noeur0 ore me excite
ment Of the nerve centers and the arousing
Of the patient through mental contact and
that IL was the most practiced and most suc-
cessful among barbarians and the ignorant
and credulous. 80 CLEAN Of glad hope for
her father came into the girls heart, but
died away in the same moment, a. she re-
membered the lamentable results that had
followed some Of these oilings and noisy
lamentations about the beds Of the feeble.
81 will see il father wishes II, /" she said,
and entered the other room. In moment
she came out, and, holding the door open,
Indicated by look and an inclination Of the
head that they might enter. Elchard arose
and stood near the sick man while they
came in, humping the floor heavily with
their thick boots and jostling each other awk-
wardly, but with the most solemnly stolid
Of countenances. The fnely-bred face Of the
young man took on q curious, questioning
look at this sudden influx Of blowsy Wis
ages, and some of the visages seemed quite
startled out Of their stolidity by seeing him
there.
Most of the visitors had been beyond the
sea, and were simple, credulous members Of
the peasant class. 1t would be unfair to say
that they were not men, as rule, aiming to
live lives that were not vicious, but it may
be stated truly that they were in the begin
ming that next thing to viciousness heavily
animal-and that their beliefs had only the
farther fed and fattened the original
fault. The outrages suffered by Elchard
and others, as recounted in this narrative,
it may be said, also, were hardly to be laid
to the Mormon people as a whole, but to the
system that made such conduct possible.
As body they had lived in social servitude
in other lands, and here, with the added
pressure of q religion admittedly copied after
early Hebraic barbarian, they were utterly
enslaved. They were a people in most part
born with poor spiritual and moral eye
sight, and were honestly deceived; the
coarse materialism Of the Mormon system
was plain to their perceptives and seemed
to bring God within the compass OF their
vision, but what they really saw with their
dim eyes was man posturing as his Maker.
When the men entered to pray with Burl
Hartman were fairly in the room, Elchard
turned to the bed and took the hand Of his
aged friend,
II must 20 now" he said. ~ will be
back tomorrow, and hope l may find you
better then. Goodbye"
The old man hold to his hand moment
and looked at him in a beseeching way.
eyes," he whispered, II want to see yo' to-
morrow. Think Of what I said, an don't
wait too long. Goodbye" and Elchard
passed out, followed, since that fine I'M
ainching face of his was turned from them,
by the general visual condemnation of the
healers.
When he had gone they gathered about
the sick mans bed, and each one in turn
took its feeble occupant sclemnly by the
hand and stood moment in silent prayer.
It was in a way very e-disturbing even
to the sound, but upon the enfeebled and
superstitious old man it was fairly trans
forming. A kind Of flush came into his
pallid cheeks, the pupils Of his eyes dilated,
and his hands Switched nervously. Trean
had parted with Elchard at the porch, and
came and stood by the window in her
fathers room watching him with alert and
sympathetic eyes. His look seemed to
trouble her before the first part Of the cere-
mony had ceased, and she made move
ment as if to interfere, but at that the suf-
ferer sank back upon his pillow with closed
eyes, and apparently calm, save that his
hands shook involuntarily and wave-ike
tremors now and then passed over his
emaciated frame.
At the close Of the silent hand shaking
and prayer, one Of the healers, with oil bot
tie in hand, began praying audibly for the
sick mans recovery, and amounting his
forehead, and temples, hands and feet.
Then four OF them, each with his right hand
placed upon the sick mans forehead, began
q sort Of mixed invocation and exhortation,
while the rest, upon their knees, were
groaning prayerful accompaniment. Sud
denly the sick man started up, aud with q
scream the daughter sprang toward him.
His eyes were protr2ding and wild, the
cords Of his neck were drawn, his lips gasp
ing, and his fingers catching at the air. The
heaSrs fell back from him, and one Of
them, lifting his hands toward Heaven over
the startling figure of the dying man, cried
with Q loud voice:
'Brother Hartman, in the name Of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,
command thee to arise and be wholep' and
the gasping, white-haired man, even In
death obedient to the power that brought
him to it, sprang forward and fell half way
from the couch and lay there limp and mo-
| tionless.
"He's savedl he's saved" shouted the
half-crazed men of prayer, crowding toward
him, but to right and left they were hurled
back IS their hands reached the insensible
| man. "Foolsi murderersl stand backp'
| cried Paul Elchard, and he caught the
dropping form and laid it back upon the
| pillow.
"Open that window!" he shouted. "Let
| in the airl Now leave the roomi You've
done your worst; you've killed himp'
| The men fell back aghast on all sides.
Trean was lying in faint at the edge of the
bed, with an arm reached out about her
| fathers body, and Mrs. Smoot came hasten
| ing In from the orchard, where, as with
Elchard, who had paused to talk with his
man at the gate, Trean's screams Of con.
| sternation had reached her.
! 1.-THE brandy from the cupboard, please
Mrs. Smoot," said Elchard, quickly, as the
lady appeared at the door "Now, you men
no, will not call you men," he cried, in
his hot ire; but the brandy was put in his
hand Is he spoke and he returned to the
| k,od NDlAoaA rob ~ no ~.