Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-12-23

Remarkable Power Exhibited by an lndI.
ana Preacher.


ana Preacher.
Rev. John kaufman, whore home Is
near Rappanee, Elkhart County, In
diana, Is said to be endowed with the
remarkable faculty of reading the sim
full thoughts of those whom he meets
He also breaches while In a somnam-
bulistic state and his sermons are at
tracing widespread attention. A cor
respondent of local journal says:
Kaufman Is an enigma to himself
and friends and many physicians have
studied his case without being able to
account for the strange faculty he
possesses. Before he delivers his won
derful sermons he Is in a semi-con-
scious condition and at their close he
collapses and goes into a profound
sleep. An attendant who stands near
him can generally tell when he is
about to need his assistance and
catches him as he falls forward in
sensible. He remains in this condition
for several hours. After regaining
consciousness he is unable to recall
single word of the eloquent discourse
he has given. neither has he the faint
est conception as to the time occupied
In its delivery. He uses the choicest
language in these inspired moments,
but when he converses he Is slow OF
speech and by no means pleasing in
manner. The change in his voice has
puzzled physicians as greatly as the
phenomenon of his preaching.
Kaufman has been in the ministry
over twenty years, being first Bap-
tist, but his strange power was first
manifested at camp meeting held
near Terre Haute few years ago
when he became convert to Method
ism. He attended the meeting regularly
and toward its close his nervous sys-
tenn gave way and he was confined to
his bed several weeks. When he was
able to walk about it was noticed that
his mental condition had undergone
change He was transformed from a
lively, active, matter-of-fact person to
| a man of a dreamy 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. During
these periods it was impossible to en-
gage him in conversation. Pulling
him by the arm or pushing up lightly
| against him would not draw his at
tention from his dreamy study, and
among his friends it was soon under
stood that while these spells were on
| him he was not to be interfered with.
During one of these reveries he as
| tonished those about him by launch
ing forth in a 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 fiex-
ible, and his words flowed with the
ease of polished orator.
THE first sermon preached to mem-
hers of his household was broken
short by his falling forward as if
shot. He was assisted to his bed and
a physician found him in deep
sleep with his heart beating regularly.
| 1t was impossible to awaken him and
he slept for several hours. Since then
| his Sunday morning sermons have
been delivered while in the trance con-
dition. He occasionally breaches
through the week, but he finds the
strain too great, and when he does go
is compelled to forego the following
Sundays sermon. A peculiar feature
| of his case is that this power is exer-
| cised only in the morning. In the
| evenings his sermons are delivered in
| a rather coarse voice and neither his
manner nor matter is then up to the
average country minister's. All his
mornings except Sundays are given up
to his dreamy studies of the Bible. On
Sunday he communes with himself
until the hour for going to church. He
is then accompanied by an attendant
| who waits close beside him while he
breaches. After he reaches the pulpit
his motions appear mechanical as Il
he were acting a part in religions
drama. When he rises to speak he
stretches forth his right arm and as
sumes a rigid position. He remains
thus with closed eyes for few min
utes without uttering sound. Some
times he prefaces his discourses by
singing a hymn, but usually he COM
mences by repeating his text. His de-
livery at first Is in a slow and distinct
voice, but as he progresses his utter
ance is more rapid and his voice
searches every Granny of the edifice
like the notes of a clarion. He cleo
trifies his congregation and brings
tears or smiles from his hearers at
will.
kaufman declares that he does not
know upon what subject he will preach
at given time. The inspiration
comes to him, he says, while he stands
before the congregation. He has
been known to preach powerfully fol
three hours, but usually his sermons
are from an hour to an hour and hall
in length. Occasionally he breaches
but ten or fifteen minutes. A note OF
warning runs all through his discourse
and he claims to be able to see great
calamities ahead for the country un-
less the people turn more sincerely tc
God, He is especially severe in his
c3hdemnation Of divorces. He likens
the divorce laws of the country to o
great road smoothly paved, over which
an ever-increasing throng Is passing tc
destruction. He claims to be able tC
see this road in his inspired moments
guarded by long lines of demons OF
horrible shape and hideous aspect. He
can hear their Satanic shrieks and
| Wow their mad inv as thew lean around