Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-12-26
BlG0TRY NEAR HOME
ADVENTISTS IMPRISONED FOR
WORKING ON SUNDAY.
LINKED TO The CHAIN GANG
Tennessee Laws That Saver OF Intoier-
ance United for the Present Age
Adventists Looked upon as Hereti-
cal Undergraduates Not Yet
Ended

Eight leading citizens of the town O
Graysville, Tenn, prosperous mar
chants and farmers, men OF acknow3
edged prObity, are at this time work
ing with the chain gang of common
criminals on the public highways. sui
fering the utmost indignity the state,
penal laws can inf1ict, and all for con.
science sake. True, they are properly
convicted under the laws Of Tennessee
and the supreme court of the state has
upheld the construction of the law I'm
der which the convictions were has
and the punishment inflicted. But il
is also true, as the judge who tried ana
sentenced the unfortunates frankly
stated at the trial, that the plain in
tent OF the law was apparently not to
punish such people. The statue in
VOWED is f1agrantly and openly VIC
lated IN some parts of the state, in the
large cities and elsewhere. and il
seems clear that the old blue law was
invoked in these cases by religious in
tolerance and bigotry.
The cOnvicts are members of the
Christian sect of Seventh Day Advent
lists, and are all prominent members
OF their church, one being the presid-
ing elder, man nearly 70 years old
with the one radical exception of the
point of belief from which the church
takes its name, it's creed is almost
Identical with that of the Baptist
church. It's members believe, how
ever, that the seventh day of the week
is properly the Sabbath and should be
kept holy as such; and that the first
day. accepted by all other Christian
sects as the Sabbath, is simply one of
the work days Of the week. Apart
from the point of belief, the accused
AdVentists claim that although they
worked on the first day of the week,
they did nothing to disturb others in
their religious duties or meditations.
The elders crime consisted in digging
a well on Sunday. But in vain ne
pleaded that he was working forty
feet under ground, and neither by
sight nor sound disturbed his orth0-
dox neighbors
The root OF the trouble seems TO be
that the Adventists are new arrivals
in the neighborhood and are looked
upon by the old inhabitants as
heretlcal interlopers. Graysville.
where all the convicted men have their
homes, is now a village of about 500 in
habitants. 1t is in the southeastern
corner of Tennessee some thirty miles
from Chattanooga. Up TO three years
ago it had only about 300 inhabitants
and was a somewhat sleepy little
place. The 200 inhabitants who have
come to Graysville since 1892 are all
Seventh Day Adventists, and thew
have wakened and worked up the vii
lage until now it is one of the most
progressive and prosperous in the re-
gion. The pioneer of the new sect was
G. W. Colcord, who established a
school there in 1892, and, assisted BY
a few other well-to-do and educated
Adventists from various states. set
about forming an Adventist colony.
The school and the scheme were sue
cessful and the attention of Adventists
all over the country being attracted to
the new colony, 4 tide of Adventist
immigration set in and has continued
and increased ever since. Battle
Creek, Mich, is the Headquarters Of
the sect, but at the time the prosecu-
ton, or persecution, Of the Adventists
began Graysville babe fair to become
I % Of
1t is likely that the events of the last
year will tend to attract new converts
to the colony rather than repeI them.
for the AGyentists have at least the
virtue of being entirely firm in their
belief.
The old residents of Graysville Gid
not welcome the Adventists. 1t is not
known that the original inhabitants
were in any way noted for puritan
like piety or were particularly strict in
the observance of the accepted Chris
tan Sabbath, but the Adventists
their wrath by observing Sat
urday as their Sabbath, going about
their ordinary work-day business, in
day. Last fall the orthodox folk took
action against the newcomers, and
charged them before the grand Jury
with violating the old state law which
commands that the Sabbath shall be
kept holy, and that no work whatever
shall be done on that day Nineteen
were found against thir-
teen members of the sect, and nine
were convicted. The judge RENTED
the fines provided for in the law. but
assessed the state costs against the &C.
cused. The amount was small, but the
refused to pay any money
Whatever as a matter of principle.
They were imprisoned because of this
refusal, and remained in Jail for six
weeks. The case created a great deal
Of interest all over the state and
the country, and petitions
for executive clemeucy were largely
signed. After six weeks the prisoners
were released on a pardon by Cover
nor Turney.
The men returned home to Grays-
vile and resumed their religious OBJ
and again the old inhabi-
-ants accused them before the grand
Jury of violating the Sabbath blue law.
The grand jury returned indictl aents
against eleven members Of the sect.
and their trial occurred the first week
Of this month in the Rhea county cir
cult court at Dayton, before Judge
James G.. Parks.