The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-17
SAYS HE HYPNOTIzED HER.
Trouble Brewing for Tccd, the FIOri-
da' COYOniSt.

From Jacksonville QTla) Times-Union
From the story Of Mrs. Matte A. Wat
son. trouble seems to be in brew for Cy-
rus Teed, the "Koreshan Messiah" who,
year or more ago. established Kore-
shan colony at Estero, Lee county, tnis
state. Teed is now at Chicago with an
Office on one Of the principal streets, US
ing his eloquenee to induce colonists 10
come to Florida. espouse the faith and
bow down and worship Teed. iced, it is
said, has secured number and wants
to leave, but members of his "Koreshan
Unity" Of Chicago. viii first insist on a
settlement
Mrs. Matte A. Watson, says Chicago
paper, is one of those who broke up her
home some years ago to join iced. She
is one Of the disaffected and declares that
he hypnotized her and that she was a
slave of the leaders for years.
Il was Of a deep religious nature" she
said, land was carried away by his prom
ises Of heaven on earth. gave up home,
fortune, ALL to join the community, only
to find that it was Imperialism run mad.
iced set himself up as God and installed
Mrs Annie q. Ordway as empress ce-
spite the fact that her husband ana son
in Chicago, month after month, used their
influence TO have her return to her home.
We were compelled to pray TO these two
people, and Mrs. OrdWay, once my neigh
Dor, is now Victoria Gratia Horesh. She
and iced taught us that we must work,
work, work, TO glorify them, and we be-
cred.
"1he terrible influence and suffering of
those years cannot be eifaced in a mo-
ment. 1t was seldom that l got food
enough, although they got my money
and j have been for moths suffering semi
starvation Even children were starved
until they became sickly, and, the most
cruel Of all, the children are now taught
that they have no parents, but must
worship iced as God, so that there will
be no cross lines of love, and he can have
strength TO raise himself from the dead
We are promised immunity from SICK
ness, but he often suffers from indiges ton
and other ills, and while he and Vic
toria Gratia are decked in silks and dia-
monds, his people have to pace the rail-
road tracks picking up coal to keep them
warm.
The mansion of Beth Ophrah is occupied
by Teed and what he calls the bon ton
The others live in cottages and have food
dealt out to them from the mansion, If
there is enough left over. Herded to-
gether like cattle, the poor folk are taught
but one commandment, to obey.
'reed makes the laws and Victoria is
left to execute them, which she does.
Those who disobey her are promised dam
nation and disgraced in open meeting,
nor can they approach too near the Beth
which gives over body and soul and for
tune to the emperor and empress of heaven
is signed, no one can leave the yard, even
and signing the following certificate of
Name of applicant
" Date of absence.
Where going2
" Purpose of going?
Date of return%
Then follows the Endorsement of the
empress, after which are the rules:
No person shall absent him or herself
from the ecClesia without the proper in
dorsement of this certificate. All appli-
cations shall be made prior to preparation
for absence
But the cOttagers are never allowed
expense money, no matter how much
they nave given over, and those of us
who intend prosecuting Teed for fraud
nave quite a list of people who have died
there There was EMS Moser, who died
OF consumption, having been kept in a
nreless room until taken to his home
Then there was Lille Shuster, a beau
tltul young girl, who fell in love with a
young man and was banished from Beth
Ophrah 10 a miserable little room, where
she was Kept prisoner in spite of her
iather's and mothers and brothers ap-
peals. Teed and Mrs Ordway never re-
Tented, saying that it was a mortal sin
for any one to love any person other
than the properly appointed gods
For two years Ella Guerber was
crowded with four others in small room
or the Brown cottage until she fell i'll
and asked TO go home. iced told her he
would make her child of God and she
died. Her mother hated him, but was
SO hypnotized that she thought he was
ing Elias illness she was worked in the
printing office.
Amanda Taylor died of starvation.
When l came back from a hospital she
was placed in room with me. Like the
others she was not allowed to have
physician. Teed employed a doctor, how
ever to sign death certificates. One lit
tie fellow of four summers died and his
mother was not allowed to see him until
after death. Yet SO great is the power
iced has over the people once hypnotized
that only last spring he made us give up
all our jewelry and TO make a sword
which, April 10, Nctoria's 51st birthday
was presented to her with great pomp,
and recently we were asked for our gold
watches to make her a crown.'