The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1894-04-21
BAPTEING 4 LUNATTc.
The Novel and Nearly Fatal Ell.
perience Of a Mormon
Elder.
CONVERT WITH A FEW WHEELS.
He Turned the Elder Under the Water
and, Loudly Proclaiming the Anni-
hilation OF the 'sflesh and the Devil, (,
Held Him There Till He Was Uncon-
scious-The Elders Will Hereafter
Have Guards Stationed on the Banks
Of Jordan and Wear Life Preserv-
ers.

LEwIsBURG, w. VA, April 15.-
The Mormons, or members of the
"Reorganized Church of Jesus
Christ as they call it, have been
having great revival up in Poca-
hontas county, and yesterday was
baptizing day The Mormon elders
have been proselytizing in the conn
ty for nearly a year, and their efforts
have been eminently successful ap
parentiy. Since last fall thirteen
families have broken up on Green
brier river, the result of the women
becoming enamored of the faith pre-
sented by the elders. and the elders
themselves. Nearly all hese women
have left the country, and are sup
posed to have gone to Utah, though
there is no trace left behind to tell
what their destination was to be. In
every instance The husbands ofthose
women have been believers in the
faith, and have entered no protest to
their wives leaving. being thorough
ly imbued with the belief that it was
right for them to go 10 teach the
gospel to less enlightened people.
Non believers do not take any stock
in the stories of the women entering
the missionary field. and think that
they go away
FOR A DIFFERENT PURPOSE
Yesterday was baptizing day, and
converts from points all along the
Greenbrier river had gathered at
deep pool few miles above Glover
Lick. There was several hundred
of the faithful and converts on hand
to witness the ceremony. One old
fellow named Peterson was very
much enthused over his prospective
dip into the icy waters of Greenbrier
river He stood on the bank and
shouted glory at the top of his voice
till he was hoarse and exhausted.
Finally it came his turn to wade
into the dark and stormy Jordan,
as the elders called it. As he went
in he shouted at the people on the
banks for all the unsaved to come at
once Just as
THE ELDER DIPPED HIM,
he seemed to lose all control of him
self, and in minute be and the ell
der were struggling in each others
embrace. The elder was willing to
let go, but the old man held on to
him, evidently trying to drown the
elder For fully ten minutes the
struggle kept up, the elder seeing
that he had lunatic to deal with.
First one would be under the water,
then the other. Finally the elder
was apparently played ont, and the
convert got him under water for
good. He held him there shouting
that he had drowned
THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL,
for nearly a minute. BY that time
men on the banks had come to their
senses and several of them rushed to
the old man and forced him to let
the elder go. The elder was insen-
sible and did not "come to- for fully |
half hour and is in a critical con
dition from his severe experience
The convert was gotten out of the
river and is violently insane and will
have to be sent to the asylum. There
were many more converts to be dip.
ped, but none of the elders felt equal
to the task yesterday and the work
will be postponed for week The
elders say they will be careful to
have guards along the banks here
after to prevent religiously demented |
people from drowning themselves