The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-23
TO RISE FROM THE GRAVE.
FOLLOWERS OF MRS. MARTIN
AWAITING HER RESURRECTION.


Have Watched Her Grave since
May 26.
From the New York Herald.
Cineinnati.-In Spring Grove Cemetary.
five miles from the city OF Cincinnati.
lies all that is mortal Of Mrs. Hannah
E. Martin, who was the self-constituted
Messiah Of the extraordinary religious
sect known as the "Perfectionists." She
died on May 25. The grave OF this woman.
who in life was looked upon as an incar-
nate Christ by her band OF faithful fol-
lowers, is as yet unmarked by head or
foot stone. and no monumental marble
records the devotion which her believers
gave her.
Far from losing faith in their leader
because Of her death, which she frequently
claimed could never happen. her devoted
disciples may now be found at her grave
side at any hour Of the day or night, await
ing the resurrection she had promised
them. When one person becomes weariad
of long watching for some sign Of the dead
woman's return to life. his or her place
is taken by another of the devotees, and
thus throughout every hour Of the twenty
four her sepulchre is guarded by those
who adhered to her esoteric doctrine.
This has continued every day since her
interment. which took place on May &C.
and every member of Mrs. Martins sect
believes as surely as they do in the dawn
Of another day that at some moment soon
to come the heavens will be darkened. the
earth covering the lifeless form of their
dead leader will be removed by some In
visible hand, and she, bereft of all earth
ly qualities, will ascend TO the skies in a
chariot drawn by white horses, after the
manner described in the Book of Reveal
ton.
Mrs. Martin was formerly the wife of
John 3. Martin, a well known restaura-
teur Of this city She became leader of the
Perfectionists while married; but gradu-
ally the love for her husband dimmed in
the excitement Of her new role OF female
Christ, and separation was soon followed
by divorce. From that time on she devoted
all her time to the fostering Of her doc
trines, and the damage her decisions have
wrought has been almost incalculable
She had been III since November Of last
year; but even in her invaded condition.
she never for a moment relaxed control
over the members of her flock, and con-
tinued until the last to rule them with an
iron hand. She was attended by DR..
Julia Carpenter through the weary months
of her illness which eliminated, according
to the Doctors certificate, in heart fail
ure."
The woman nhNsiciaIT.. WAS among the
staunchest OF her followers, and refuses
pointedly to discuss the case one way or
another.
Among the evils wrought under this mar
velous woman's sway have been disrupted
families, deaths unattended by friends or
relatives. and several inmates added to
the local and state insane asylums Yet,
in the face of the utter falseness of the
creed and its actual basphemy. new mem
beers have been added to its ranks, and the
Perfectionists were never In a more -four
ishing condition than at the time of their
leaders death.
The home Of this strange mixture of
Oriental beliefs and modern huggermug-
gerry was in Walnut Hills, one of Cinein-
MATHS most fashionable suburbs, where
they practiced their tenets for twelve
years. Many efforts were made by the
local newspapers to root out the organi-
cation. or to expose it's evil, BY laying be-
fore the world its outrageous practices;
but every endeavor, until recently met
with the sternest rebuffs, and 1t has been
only by dnt of hard work, and the addi-
ton of one fact to another, that the COM
plete story has at last come out, and the
Herald correspondent Is now enabled. for
the first time, to lay bare the vagaries of
as sacrilegious band of fanatics as the
world has ever seen.
The Perfectionists believed in God. but
the belief in Mrs. Martin was far strong
er. She was Jehovah's earthly represent
alive. imbued with his spirit and filed with
his glory. From that it was but a short
step to proclaim that she was a second
Christ, living through God. But in their
form of worship the teachings of the Sa-
vior were never considered for a moment.
and Mrs. Martin took the Sons Mace in
the estimation of her disciples, to whom.
in their secret meetings in the sacred
ROOM" she would impart the things that
God had spoken to her, and her teachings
would be followed with the blind faith
that has marked fanaticism In all ages.
a dozen years ago a little band of peo-
pie, numbering no more than twenty-five.
were studying the Bible In the Walnut
Hills neighborhood, and defining its teach
ings in the orthodox way. While they
were, in measure, religious free lances,
there was then nothing bigoted or unnat-
ural in their methods of applying the d.
vine word, and they believed implicitly i'm
God the Father and Christ the Son. Soon.
however, they began to feel the need of
a leader to take charge of their little gath
tin to arrange their studies and assume
their guidance through the intricate laby-
rinths of religious instruction.
Perhaps Mrs. Martili had no thought
then of the influence she would finally
WELD over these people, and she accepted
their leadership willingly and even with
humility.
But after a time-at first, almost imper-
ceptibly-changes in their belief came
about The band grew in numbers. and
Mrs. Martin began taking greater liberties
with her congregation. She had mean
while wrapped herself in a mantle of mys-
terry, and began to see visions and hear
strange voices. Finally, she claimed to
hold converse with the angels. and then
came the startling announcement that she
had been divinely commissioned as the vi
car of God on earth. 1t was then but q short
way to claiming godlike attributes for her
self, and strange to say, the former band
of biblical students accepted her teachings
blindly, and became far more ardent In
their adherence to her bIasphemies than
they had ever been in orthodox worship.
The story of their daily life was not less
marvellous than their doctrines. The name
Of Mrs. Martin was never spoken in or out
of her presence. When speaking Of the pre-
tender, the simple designation "She" was
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