The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-15
SPIRITS LEAD TO A WAR.
1T Is NOW RAGING AMONG RED
KNOBBERs.
a Wild Tennessee Diss Debar-Old
Brant Vanquishss His Enemies,
But the Anti-SpirituaIists Are Stul
Active


Active.
From the Nel0 York Recorder.
SPRADLIN's BRANCH, Tenn, May 49,
Anything new in the way of a revolution of
thought. manner or established custom with
the Red Knobbsrs is always met by viole Mt
opposition, but never In the recollection of
Old Billy Tucker-end he can remember ss
far back as Hickory jackson and the Semi~
mole wer-has there been such general up
heaval of public opinion as the bitter cru
SADIE against Old Man Brant and his few
followers, who were trying to teach the
great truths Of spiritualism in the Red
Knobs. They wouldn't have it; they didn't
want no truck with no SIGH, an ye couldn't
make 'em swallsr it neither.
The Red Knobbers have their own pecuI-
lar. but always very effective way of doing
things. and it doesn't take long for them TO
make up their minds just what to do under
certain circumstances. He doesn't think
with meteoric rapidity-he doesn't pretend
to-but give him rope, and he will get there
at least on schedule time And so it was
that Ole Man Brant was having a hard row
to hoe.
He had been on a visit to some of his
nephew's folks at Knoxville not long before
They air rich folks an live In style
they've got q pianner an don't know what
all" he would tell the open mouthed Red
Knobbers. as they leaned on the top rail of
the fence, IAN Pm a-gwyin' over thar ter
spend spell with 'em. They amt axed me
ylt, an don't reckin they knows nothing
bout me, but they air the folks OF my
nephew's wife-her name was Coker-Mary
Ann Coker-'fore she married, an abe was
the spryest gal ye ever sot eyes on. fhain't
never been to Knoxville yit, but I'm
a-gwyin' over thar, an when tell 'em its
Their Uncle Elvin guess they'll be power
ful proud to see me, cause my nephew
thought sightso' me-"
So the old man discarded his red flannel
shirt, replaced it with one of brown do>
nestle, put on his shoes and his best coat
and hat, and started. 1t was thirty-two
miles 20 Knoxville but he walked 1t In day
from the cross roads.
It would have been all right with old
Brant if he had come back as he went away.
but he didn't. It's true he walked back, but
he wasn't the same man any more. He
talked of spirits and mediums and bringing
back the dead in a reckless and familiar
way that set the Red Kuobbers to thinking,
and the more they thought the darker it
looked for old man Brant. They gave him
wide berth at first and let him alone, but
the little knowledge proved a dangerous
thing for the old fellow, and he began to
try to influence the Red Knobbers to form
themselves into spiritualistic society.
I'm tell ye," he would say to them "Ill
tell ye what I've seed, an know right
now ye amt a-gwyiu tbleve it, but it's es
true es gospel When I was over to my
nephew's at Knoxville one night they says
to me, Uncle Elvin, how would you like to
tend a seeanceP And says /, What's a
| seeancer And they said it was to hear the
spirits rap an see the tables git up an dust
by themselves, an |, believing nothin', same
as you now, said yes I'd like to see the
spirits cut up. an they laffed an took me
over to Mr.. Daviss house. Mr.. Bob Davis
don't guess any of ye know him-an' they
all turned the lights down low-ye see they
don't burn no taller dips, it's gas, an they
can turn it up high or down low-an'
then they sot down, me along with 'em. and
put Their hands, an me too, on the table we
was round. Everybody was mighty still,
an purity soon that table commenced
a-jumpin' an a-bearin' round the room, an
we a-tryin' to hold it an couldn't. an then
it sailed right upstairs, an we turned loose
mighty nigh It skeered to death. / seed it
with my own eyes, or / wouldn't a-b'lieved
it nuther. Then they rapped-the spirits
mean-an' they told me how old l was an
how old Nancy was when she died, an l
don't know how many things, an | was
powerful glad to git away safe. AFTER that
we had a good many sceances, and l know
all about 'ena, an if ye'll come over to the
shanty tomorrow night we'll have one"
They thought old Brant was Off his base,
they didn't think there was any doubt about
1t, and they intended to set him right one
way or another. But there was Rube Cate
and Bob Badgett and two or three of the
Dover BOYS who sided with the old man
and went to the 'seances" regular. phe tales
told of the mysterious things seen and heard
around old Brant's cabin when one OF these
meetings was going on were too incredible
for belief.
Old Squire Jones, who kept the store
down at the forks, one dark night, to con-
vince himself, stole up to the old mans
cabin while meeting was In progress and
peeped through the chinks between the logs.
His description of what he saw stirred the
sluggish blood of those Red Knobbers who
tended church, and they pronounced these
| manifestations of the spirits the work of the
devil.
mo, man." they said, "what had any
sense would a-gone an done what Ole Man
| Brant had. He was not in his right mind
an he Yves a-leadin' other good people from
the right path mostly young unsas hadn't
| got their full growth yit, an that kind o.
! thing had to be stopped"
Things went from bad 10 worse, and to
cap the climax several women, among them
Elder 6OlOTIuS WlL0Y JOlHSQ cpAIAhu-
alists. and then howl of indignation arose
from the hills and valleys in the Knobs that
made the tall pines on old Chilhowee
| Uremble.
| The Rev. Calvin Millsaps had been down
on Citico creek laboring with the sinners
| for some time, but when he heard
how things we're going around in the
sulphur spring country be left his work un-
completed and hurried with all speed to the
scene, where he felt immediate and decided
action was required to save the people from
utter damnation.
They were holding a sort of indignation
meeting at Jones' store at the forks of the
road. and were discussing the best method
to be adopted, when, just as the sun dipped
down behind the pine-covered hills in the
west. in popped the Rev. Calvin, his WOODEN
| comforter flying in the wind and mis- bloated
mittens dripping with perspiration.
Never was reinforcement more gladly
received, and they gave the old man a
hearty welcome.
The Rev. Calvin had not been SO agitated
since he was chained up and carried to
| Marvville for trial, and he waded in and
preached them a sermon that was violent
and powerful The thing had TO be stopped,
| AM by the eternal it would be stopped.
When it came to question of whether the
| "deyilites." as be called them, or the church
should prevail. there was no doubt about
what ought TO be done.
! He advocated violence-"burn 'em, de-
ara . @.-r7