The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-11-06
HIS AMAZING GIFT.
MR.. raGrNAN is ENDOWED WITH A
REMARKABLE FACULTY.
breaches eloquent Sermons Only Under
the Influence Of "a Strange Power-Many
Thrilling and Dramatic Scenes Have
Taken Place During His Sermons.

|
is endowed with n faculty which is oil
the most remarkable order He is gifted
with the peculiar power of preaching
while in an apparent state of somnam.
bulism. This word does not quite ex-
press the phenomenon, for he is semi
conscious before he delivers himself of
his wonderful sermons. He has been in
the ministry over 20 years, being first a
Baptist, but his strange power dates
from the time when ut a great camp
meeting held near Terre Haute some
years ago he became a convert to Metho-
dism He attended this meeting regu-
larly and toward its close became won
derfully impressed with that faith-so
much so that he decided to Join the
Methodists He did so, but before the
close of the meeting his nervous system
gave way, and he was laid on bed Of
sickness for several weeks
When he arose from his bed, his
mental condition had undergone an Ell.
tire change He was transformed from
lively, active, matter of fact person
10 man of dreamy. ethereal cast of
mentality He would sit for hours
silently porting over the Bible without
paying the slightest attention to what
might be transpiring around him. Dur
ing these periods it was impossible TO
engage him i'll conversation Pulling
him by the arm or pushing up lightly
against him would not draw his atten-
tion from his dreamy study
During one of these reveries he re-
Gently astonished those about him by
launching forth i'll voice that was
strange to them He repeated his text
and then poured forth a sermon of great
power and beauty His naturally rough
tones were changed TO a voice of the
purest tenor. musical and flexible, and
his words flowed with the ease of a pol
ished orator
This first sermon. preached TO the
members Of his household, was broken
short by his falling forward as if shot
He was assisted to his bed. and physi.
clan was summoned who. upon making
an examination, found Mr. Kaufman in
a deep sleep, with heart beating reg
ularly. 1t twas impossible to awake him,
and he slept for several hours
Since that time his Sunday morning
sermons have been delivered under these
strange circumstances. A peculiar fea-
ture of his case Is that this power is ex-
ercised only in the morning In the
evenings his sermons are delivered in
rather coarse voice. and neither his
manner nor matter is up to the average
He Is we'll aware of his amazing gift,
but talks Of it only when forced to do
So He speaks of it with great reluc-
lance, as though it were something that
should not be discussed
When he rises to speak, he stretches
forth his right arm and assumes rigid
position He remains thus with closed
eyes for few minutes without uttering
q sound. His delivery at first is in q
slow and distinct voice. but as he pro-
crosses his utterance is more rapid, and
his voice searches every Granny of the
edifice like the notes of a clarion He
electrifies his congregation and brings
tears or smiles from his hearers at Will |
At one moment he seems to draw the |
screen which shut the divine mansion |
rom mortal sight and paints for his
hearers glimpse of the home of eter- !
lal happiness. At another he rolls |
back the ponderous gates of hell and ex-
libits with fearful distinctness the aw- |
nj abode of the damned. He is fervid |
n his pleadings, forceful in his exhor- /
ations and terrible in his denunciations
he claims rot to know upon what sub
ect he will speak at a given time.
The inspiration comes while he stands |
before the congregation with outstretch-
a arms and he sometimes speaks upon
he same subject consecutively, but
lever in the same terms. A note of
runs all through his discourses.
md he claims to be able to see great
alamities ahead for America unless the
,eople turn more sincerely to God. He
s especially severe in his condemnation
Il divorces. He likens the divorce laws
4 America to great road smoothly
,aved over which an ever increasing
hrong is passing to destruction.
He claims to be able to see this road
n his inspired moments, guarded by
ong lines of demons of horrible shape
nd hideous aspect He can hear their
atanic shrieks and view their mad Joy
8 they leap around the mouth of hell,
where this smooth road lands it's VIC
inns, and when he paints this scene the
lood Of the bravest sinner curdles in
lis veins. In fact, his pictures are some.
lines 80 terrible that many residents re-
use to hear him at all He has been
nown to preach powerfully for three
ours at a stretch, but usually his SER
lons are from an hour to an hour and
half in length.
When in this trancelike condition, he
} entirely insensible to the things
which take place about him. Nothing
an disturb him; nothing can wake him
rom it, He claims that the air is peo-
led with good and bad spirits, that he
an see them doing battle for the pos
ession of human souls, and at times he
escribes these battles as they take place
mid the congregation present. These
ortrayals of superhuman scene are so
ividly brought out that their realism
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