Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1897-09-09
THE HOLY ROLLERS.
a Curious Religious Sect O. East
ern Maine.
Some of Their Practices Are VERY
srrange-Reeenerat and the
Casting Out of
Devils.

Anything which Christ did can do
is the keystone of the faith Of the Holy
Ghost Evangelists, a sect organized il
Orland, Me-, about two years ago, which
is now springing all over eastern Maine.
The leaders of the faith are Mrs. Mary
Mcintyre, who came here from Waldo
county two years ago, and organized a
prosperous church, and Elder James
Woodwork, of Syracuse, y. Y, who has
been in Bangor and its vicinity about a
year. Though the members of the
sect lay great stress upon prayer and
laying on of hands, they are not Chris
tian scientists, and claim 10 affinity
with the faith healers. The new cult
begins where the other two leave off,
accepting nobody but hopeless sinners
and confirmed tnvalids, who are treat
ed for sin and disease free of charge.
Regeneration is effected in several
ways, the course of treatment including
prayer, bathing, rubbing and baptism
by immersion. When these have proved
vain the penitent is called before a Sc
cret meeting of the members and com
PEELED TO perform the ''holy roll" Ac-
cording to the stories told by back
sliders who have taken the fun num-
her of degrees, the person who makes
the holy roll lies down upon the floor at
one end of the building and rolls over
and over, like log, until every person
present Is satisfied that the last trace
of the Evil One has been taken out.
Sometimes the ceremony Is finished in
ten minutes, while in stubborn cases of
- -
o'clock in the evening until midnight.
AS the subject rolls past the kneeling
audience, every person has the right 20
ask such questions as he sees fit, and the
penitent must make ready and satisfac-
tory answers before he is allowed to
rise. The sins of a lifetime must be
confessed in detail. and the innermost
secrets made public. Having rolled
across the floor until everybody is salts
fed and have no more questions to ask,
the subject is assisted to his feet and
conducted to rostrum, where he Is
proclaimed the brother of Christ and
told to go forth and perform miracles.
The first suspicion of unusual con-
duct by members OF the sect came
about a year ago, when young man
who had taken up the holy roll was sick
md dizzy for week after his exercise.
Soon after this man recovered, a girl
who wished to Join the sect had the
holy roll administered at an evening
meeting, and the next morning she was
found on the piazza of her fathers
house in swoon. which lasted for
more than a day. When asked about the /
girls condition, the brethren said she |
was in a trance and was paying brief +
visit 70 Heaven, from which she would
shortly return again and take pos
session of her body. They fixed the /
time of her recovery at six o'clock the t
next morning, and when the time came
she began to revive, gaining strength !
and consciousness so she was able to sit +
up and talk before noon. Though the I
Holy Ghost Evangelists pleaded with I
her to tell them where she had been and T
what she had seen. she said she had no +
memory OF events from the time she
started 70 walk home until she re-
gained consciousness in bed more than
2i hours later The new evangelists
took her lack of illumination for sign
that she had not been wholly regen-
Grated, and caused her TO make a second
of the holy roll, which was
no doubt successful, because the girl IS
now full member.
While Mrs. Mcintyre exhorts and
gains new converts, Elder Woodwork
goes from town to town treating the
lame and casting out devils" as he
terms it. Some of the cases which
he has treated have been followed BY
unexpected results. Last winter he
was called ont TO Great Pond to attend
a Mrs. HurCl. who was in the last stages
of pulmonary consumption. AS soon
as he entered the house he began to rub
his hands and mutter prayers.
THE room is fun of devils" he said.
Throw up the windows and let them
out. cannot do thing while they are
here"
When the windows were raised, al
lowing n bleak wind to enter. he threw
all the mSCicine bottles out of the
room, and, kneeling down prayed for a
full hour, while the patient shivered
with cold. After the prayer he went
back TO Bangor. promising to return in
q week. The next morning Mrs. Hurd T
died from shock and exposure, 50 DR..
Patten made out the death certificate.
N. y. Sun.