The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-10
QUEER WOMEN EvANGzLIsTs.
Strange Scenes in q Country Church.
Hypnotism Said to Be the Cause.

at intervals pass over certain sections of the
country is now raging in Mount Ebal, a
little Indiana settlement Under the influ-
ence of hypnotism or fanaticism people are
forsaking their homes to listen to the fren-
ned talk OF three women, passing, as they
hear the wild harangues, from mere
interest at first Into intense ex-
element, losing control over nerves
and muscles, dancing and shaking like
Indian dervishes, and finally falling into
frances hard 60 tell from death. The strange
craze has existed for weeks, and shows no
sign of cessation. It resembles the wild
work OF the notorious Mrs. Woodwork in
this city few years ago, but Is SO much
more severe that parallel must be sought
for further back in the dancing epidemic Of
the early years Of the century.
About ten weeks ago three women. who
said they came from Springfield, Ill, passed
through Bloomington, Ind. The oldest was
apparently about 60 years Of age and gave
her name as Mrs. Sarah Laughlin. Her
companions were unmarried Anna Huffiin,
about 20 years Of age, and Matte Tomlin-
son, about Is. The three moved on to Mount
Ebai, country church, ten miles south of
bloomington, and about midway between
Smithville and Harrodsburg. There they
settled down and began their meet
ever since. From the start famil-
lar hypnotic experiments were made,
both the older women using the
young girl as the subject. To the simple
country people those mesmeric feats were
very strange, and to them is due the first
credence given to the claims of the W omen
that they were overpowered by Jehovah to
make their miraculous manifestations, to
heal the sick and ID cast out devils. As
their subject fell into the hypnotic trance
they cried out that she was zone of the slain
of the Lord; slain by Him to te saved to
awake from the death purified and regen-
Grated" Converts came to the women
preachers speedily. One by one the people
became infected by their strange hallucina-
hons and now night after night aisles,
behches pulpit and rostrum in the little
church are packed with "the slain"
Those having the meetings in charge say
that the thing has only fairly started
and that they will be kept up all summer. 1t
was thought, one month ago, that there
would be subsistence of the interest and
excitement when corn blowing and plant
ing time arrived, but, instead of that the
meetings are still crowded every night, and
the interest is undated The manager now
say their big tabefnacle-a tented pavilion
large enough to seat more than thousand
| people-win arrive early next week, when
the campaign against the 'powers Of dark
| dess" will be begun in earnest, with in
| creased zeal and valor.
A few days ago the scene Of the strange
excitement was visited by representative
| of the Courier-J0urndL, and no exaggera-
| tion was found 10 the reports Of the craze.
| Many Of the converts, from the time they
| came in sight OF the chapel, began TO jerk
and twitch their hands, which increased as
| the meeting progressed; first tremulous
motion sidewise. then beating their bands
more and more vehemently. up and down,
and finally describing an elliptical or circu-
lar movement. When they lose conscious
ness in the trance many Of them look as II
they were dead. lying for twelve hours
sometimes, with the motion of the heart SO
| faint that it can scarcely be discerned.
It was impossible to find among all the
| converts at these meetings a single one who
has joined q church. 1t is not talked about.
Neither the managers nor any Of their
disciples ever indicate any UNCONVENTIONAL
preferences. The preaching consists of short,
| and at times incoherent aud disjointed ex-
hortations, harping always on the theme that
the preachers are possessed Of miraculous
| power, bestowed in the night time, by wis.,
| ions. Miss Hufflin stated before the meeting
that she had been informed in a vision,
| during the preceding night, that it might
be that they would shortly have to
leave these meetings and establish the
| tabernacle of the Lord at Avoca, in Law
renee county, near Bedford. This woman
| Is the best preacher of the three, but her best
exhibitions of oratory are furnished during
her loud vehement and very rapid prayers,
| during which she holds a handkerchief
aloft in one hand and shakes and thrills her
voice in an emotional way, we'll calculated
| to move and profoundly impress her litter
ate followers.
Among the singular features of these
| meetings is the fact that this woman seems
to devote herself to persons schooling them
selves against her, and certainly not yield
| ing a willing obedience to her commands
and exhortations. These are mostly young
men, one of whom, lad 10 years old, was
carried out of the church to shady place
near by, after he had fallen heavily to the
| floor about the center of the room. He was
in commissions when carried to the outer
air, frothing at the mouth, and a severe
| hemorrhage Immediately following from
| his mouth. His teeth were firmly set to-
| gether, and when young men about
him were shouting to him: ben,
Ben, ask the Lord to help you.
and he will help you-he helped
u.s." the poor fellow would shake his
head, indicating that though his eyes were
closed in sleep or trance, he yet had some
lsort OF knowledge OF what was going on
| around him. His grandfather. leaning on a
stout hickory staff, said: "Ben won't yield
| He cursed these meetings yesterday. He
came to this meeting this morning cursing,
and swore he would not yield obedience to
| the Lord. That's what makes it 60 hard
| with him." From others 1t was learned
that for more than a week this young man
had been equally affected, after an equally
| strong resistance. Gathered about hun, as
| he lay sleeping in the deep shadows OF the
grove his friends decided that after he came
| out of the slain condition, they would dis
| suade him from further attendance upon
the meetings.
Many such incidents occur at every meet
| ing, and the spread of the craze is becoming
| alarming. An explanation of the excite
ment was sought, and Prof. William l..
| Bryan, who has the chair of mental and
moral philosophy at the State University
| of Bloomington was asked his opinion Of
the Mount Ebal trance meeting.
mo careful scientist will profess to give
| an ultimate explanation of anything" he
replied. He only tries to group facts. l
saw nothing at Mount Ebal church In the
| way of trance which could not be
grouped with the relatively simpler cases
| Of hypnotism. One does not need to be a
| specialist In this field am not one my
self-te see these two thiugs-frst, that the
methods of the leaders are such as to induce
| hypnotism; and, second, that the
catalepsies, rigidities. motions, visions.
ETC., are all such as would be expected by
| a hypnotiseur under the conditions present.
As an illustration of their method | saw