St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-16
CHRIST is HERE.
At Least That Is What
Charles C. Whitney
Claims.
He Sets Himself Up as a
Chosen Apostle Of the
Savior,
And Deals in Roofing Paints
and Collects
Rents.
South Minneapolis the Camp
South Minneapolis the Camp
ing Ground Of Strange
Set of Fanatics.


In South Minneapolis the people are
terribly excited over the actions of
man who has set himself up as disci-
pie of Christ. Threats of tar and
feathers have been freely made, but the
man has attended quietly to his bust
ness of converting souls. and,
so far, he has suffered no bodily
injury. Less than three years
ago Charles Clement Whitney
came to Minneapolis. AT that time he
did not claim to be the authorized agent
of Christ, but contented himself with
the humble business of peddllng. Then
he went to Rockford, ILL.,, and met
George A. Schweinfu nth, who claims to
be Christ, the sou of God, who has made
his appearance the second time upon
earth. Whitney, for some reason OF
other, became follower of the alleged
Christ and was appointed one of the
twelve apostles ana sent to MinneapO-
lis to build up following. He sue
ceeded in his business admirably, and
to-day the
1.-THE DISCIPLE OF CHRIST"
is pretty well fixed in this worlds
goods. One of the principles taught by
the Beekmanites is that such thing as
individuality must be entirely UNI
known, The disciple who is the head
of the colony must be implicitly obeyed.
No one must work except for
the Lord, and the Lord is
the disciple of Christ, who
has charge of that particular
district, but Christ, Who is personified
in Schweinfurth, is the Supreme Being,
and every one is taught that unless he
implicitly follows his teachings, not
his example, he stands no chance what
ever of ever going to heaven. Men and
women are taught that since the second
coming of Christ, or Schweinfurth,
there is no such thing as marriage,
and the marriage tie is something en-
tirely too worldly to be taken into con-
slderation when the disciple makes all
order. The positive orders of Christ
are not many, although much is left for
the disciples to work out according to
their own pleasure or desires. The
fundamental teachings are: First, self
denial, ana, second, perfect obedience
to the commands of the Lord and His
chosen apostles.
HOW HE LIVES.
Whitney lives in a comfortable and
cOmmodiOus looking frame dwelling,
surrounded by picket fence. at 3245
Sixteenth avenue south, and, besides
having his time taken up as one of the
chosen apostles, has found time to in
vent patent roofing material,
out of which he manages to
make a comfortable income. He
is also engaged in the real estate
business, and has succeeded in obtain
ing control of the property of his con-
VertS, who, strange to say, are mostly
women. He has also been the means of
breaking up at least one family, where
the man and wife had lived happily to-
gether for twenty-eight years, and has,
according to the Stepmother's state
ment, kidnapped a young girl and sent
her to Zion" where her parents have
so far been unable to reach her, al
though repeated attempts have been
made to do so. That the strong arm of
the law has not been invoked against
him is due to the fact that the parents
of the girl, who, by the way, is only
thirteen years of age, did not have the
money to spare with which to employ
an attorney and to pay the necessary
court charges. While Whitney may not
have the deeds of the property owned
by his dupes in his own name, that he
CONTROLS ALL OF IT
and collects the rents there is not the
shadow of a doubt. Some time ago he
Informed his people that Christ was
coming to Minneapolis, but before His
arrival a number of his converts left
him, and for some reason the coming of
the Messiah was conveniently post
poned. So far he has not put in an
appearance, and it is not eX-
pected that he will until after
palatial residence which Whitney is
now erecting on Fifteenth avenue, be-
tween Thirty-first and Thirty-second
streets, is completed. The house is now
ready for plaStering, and contains TWEEN
tv-three rooms and has large barn in
the rear, which will accommodate about
fifty head of horses. Yesterday the
on the place told a GLOBE reporter
that Mr.. Whitney was going to
live in it himself. The ''house of God,'
OF rather the abiding place of the al
legged only genuine and authorized
apostle of the son of God, at 9245 Six
teenth avenue south, contains queer
family" of which
WHITNEY Is THE FATHER.
OF head. The house is leased in the
name of Irvine g. Thrall, whose BUSH
ness is given in the city directory as
In all his time for Whitney in the roof
ing business. Thrall is married and has
two children, who live with him. Then
there is Mrs. Bushnell, a widow, who
has passed her sixtieth birthday,
and who owns or did own when
she took up her residence there consid-
cradle real estate; Mrs. Morgan, who
has been led to separate from her hus-
band after having lived many years
with him; a Mrs. Osborne, who is
younger and handsomer than the rest
of the female inmates, who is separated
from her husband and who exercises
considerable influence over the apostle;
man named Barnes, who peddles
cough drops and assists Whitney:
Mrs. Whitney, and, last but not least,
Charles Clement Whitney, 1.-THE chosen
apostle of Jesus Christ" Never in the
widest Imagination could even Bel
lamy's 'ELooking Backward picture a
more complete social revolution than is
Che life practiced by the little colony
controlled by Whitney, according to
the various stories told about 1t. Its
members are vegetarians in the strict
sense of the term, and never Is an
ounce of
MEAT OR FISH
allowed in the house. Nc butter or
milk is permitted, and in cooking the
smallest possible quantity of lard is
used, No tea or coffee is ever Thought
of. and water drawn from well Id the
ward is the only beverage. Such a
thing as Individual property is I'M
known, and everything belongs to the
Lord. and, of course, as Charles