The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-06-21
LIVE AND DIE UNKNOWN.
The Strange Community of Hinkleyites
Living In Pennsylvania.


One Of the strangest sects in the United
States are the Hinkloyites, who occupy
small settlement among Pennsylvania
hills, a few miles from the New York state
line, not far from the city of Binghamton.
There, strange as it may seem, money is
drug on the market, and yet the inhabit-
ants are contented and happy. But it is
doubtful, though, If all the money in the
entire community were scraped together
that it would foot up more than $40 at any
one time.
This peculiar settlement is known as
Hinkley's Corners. 1t consists of a half
dozen houses, "a like number of barns and
other outbuildings and frame structure
used as "a place of worship in cold weather.
AS long as the weather will permit, the re-
ligious rites of this strange sect are held in
the open air, usually in a cave near the
woods
The history of this peculiar community
Is a strange one. About 35 years ago IA
man named Hinkley began preaching a
crusade in the city of Pittsburg. He
claimed that Christianity, by disregarding
the Mosaic laws, had violated one Of the
principles upon which it was founded.
Hinklcy's crusade was so much of q
success, many prominent persons follow
ing his standard that the police suddenly
put stop to the sacrifices. The result of
this threat was to cause Hinkley and a
few followers to emigrate to the noun
tains, there to start the peculiar settle
ment that exists today. While working
about the farms the men wear ragged
clothes that in the summer season scarcely
cover their bodies, but on Saturday, the
day set apart for public worship, they don
their best apparel. The services open with
an invocation, the sacrifice having been
| previously prepared and laid on the altar.
| The fire is then lighted, and if the smoke
| arises in a straight column both men and
women burst into songs of Thanksgiving,
| but should the smoke hang in a cloud
| above the altar a weird, wailing song fills
| the air until the priest has replenished the
| fire, prepared new Offering and the smoke
ascends directly heavenward.
A strange, weird and solemn sight is a
| funeral among these strange people. The
| body is carried to its last resting place on
| a bier, the grave having been previously
| lined with straw and into this the un-
coflned remains are lowered. Each person
| in attendance then sprinkles handful of
earth on the corpse, all the while chanting
| the funeral hymn and finally passing out
| Vi Unc graveyard unUll oiiiy tiIo sCAlth 10
left to complete the work of burying the
| dead.
! A wedding is an unusually quiet affair.
The contracting parties call upon the
! priest, who requires them to sign an agree
ment to live together as man and wife and
, then performs II short ceremony, ut the
conclusion of which he pronounces the
| couple united. Then at the next funeral
| or the next day of worship he announces
the wedding, and the newly married cou
| pie are accorded the rights usually be
slowed upon man and wife--they are al
!, liberty to purchase farm, and the com
munity will become security for the pay
| ment within five years. If at the end OF
that time the farm is not paid for, the
priest, who is the chief executive officer OF
the community, forecloses the claim, and
the couple are obliged to separate and
seek work where they can among their
fellows.-New York Herald.