Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1895-03-11
nrAunn1U OF INSANITY.
The Curious Mania Which Swept
Over q Texas Town.
Same People Organized 20 subduo tho
Craze Created by . Demented
Preacher Who Did Strange
Things.

You will dou btleSS feel incredulous
whom tell you that Texas town was
once afflicted with an epidemic of in
sanity" The speakers remarks were
addressed to a reporter for the Dallas
News. 1T was early in the '7Os, in the
beautiful little town of Point Isabel.
L resided there at thu time, and |
! know. of course, whereof 1 speak.
Among the four hundred inha bitants
OF the Point as we used to call it, was
MontencSran named Speero, who
went insane over religion. Speero in
Sisted that the second coming of Christ
was ut hand, and that the event would
be hcraldcd by the appearance at day
break OF white deer on little hill
near the cemetery. Speero like so
many of his countrymen, was Jack at
all trades. He could shoe q horse.
build boat, make suit of clothinm
cooblc old shoes and Single a roof
Thus useful his humble residence be-
came sort of rendezvous, and when il
became known that he claimed pro-
Phetlc powers all his acquaintance.
locked around him. He told abou;
Jesus and the bees and several other
parallels which, though not related in
the Bible, enter strongly into the re-
llgious tradition of the people of east
crn lands. Several of the more con-
slant visitors who first piticd the condi-
ton of Spcero gradually began to be-
.lcvc that he was inspired and finally
embraced his doctrines. some of which
were not strict: orthodox. An Italian.
who was prosperous grocer, closed up
his store, paid all his debts and insisted
on giving all his goods to the poor. A
Spaniard named Camisa lost his head
and commenced preaching hurricane
sermons from the hOusetops. Others
became similarly afflicted and twenty
or thirty bcTan to show DrclpoDiiioD.
OF the prevailing epidemic, which con
sisted in looking Tor the white deer.
walking through the streets in Il
gloomy mood and flying into passicJ,
when anybody denied or doubted tn:
Spccro was prophet In time the
people of sound mind became alarmed
and forbade their children to approach
Spcero's sanctuary.
"A climax was finally reached
Speero had vision that he must ta,.
his siX-months-old baby and b@Dt;",
Ill the river Jordan. Mrs. S>pr,.:
whose mind had not given wa.
Jectcd. Speero insisted in procvu,.j
according to revelation and Mrs. $50.
yelled and alarmed the ncirhbnr...
Spccro and one of his insane rr
panlonS slipped the baby into M cy
ter skiif, puShc the frail craft out in,
the LaTuna Mardc, set their l,r-,,T
mutton sail and squared away for q,
Holy Land. a party Of rcscucrs W
hadc up They started in lir,I
belonging to the Rio Grnndc Rails
c0mnn''T -" "v"rhHulcl SDnnr,'@ l.
as it was approaching the bar on viii.
the sea was breaking. They ovcrD,.,
cred Spccro and his companion ~.
broMght them and the baby bacl; (
Point Isabel. where Mrs. Spccro W..
found walking up and down the bcac.:
tearing her hair and crying about hcf
bahy. The Sane men of Point Isabel
now took immediate action. Thee IL,
paired to the custom house and Orra,,.
led An old politician who wro.
obituary notices when prominent c;i
HcnS died offered set of rcsolutio.
designed to end the craze. Then e.
meeting adjourned to round up the in
SANE and corral them in a box car.
SpcCro was the first run in and then
! ~ tr"Wblc commenced. Camisa, on
'r.'i'.:' that the prophet was Il pris-
%. 'fD"l hilnSclf with Il butcher
'.|'' started to carve the crowd.
stable John Whitaker succeed
:. !" "rlr"tmg, di%arming and Li:.din,
aim. There WAS no trouble il mara,
ing the others. Several Of ;;ir u,,fo,
tun2tC$ were sent to Il llInaLic a;yIu:u
~ cameron county was kO5 ,;.iH
zorro for being the originator of .!
\" trouble. and he was scntanrch
:" pcmi;cntiary at huntsville On H..
":'%r,rr of assault with intent ~ m,,r.
Ger. to which hc pleaded that nc va.
prophet sent to announce the scco,.
coming of his; Master. The attvntio,
of the Australian consul having hcc,.
called to his case. that authority inyc,.
tEatcd it, had Spccro released and
sent home to Montenegro. The action
OF the citizens broke the backbone of
thc epidemic and Point Isabel has since