Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-11-04
A Remarkable Case.

Shades of old Salem lowered around
the aged town of Old Lyme, Connecti-
cut, last Friday. A trial of religious
sect for torturing an old women under
the guise of guidance from on High,
engaged the attention of Justice of the
Peace Monroe in the town hall. A
breath of two centuries ago blew
through the hall.
The members of the Band of Holiness,
or Holy Ghosters, as the irreverent
call them, sat in one corner. There
were six of them. Prof" WILDER An
derson the leader bewhiskerad man
of 35, graduate of Wesleyan and va e
colleges; Postmaster Herbert NJ. Caukins
and Ella, his wife; Ansel Champion and
Lydia, his wife, and Charles Young.
s Mrs. Alvina Mather, the old women
victim of the band, had no complaint to
make She said so time and time again
Friday, but her sister, backed by the
public sentiment of Lyme, swore out
the complaint.
Racked by pain, on the verge of the
grave, her days shortened by six hours
of torture at the hands of her fellow
believers Mrs Mather testified unwill-
ingly.
When the case was called. Lawyer
Tanner, who appeared for the prosecu-
ton, told the defendants that they had
the right to postpone the hearing or
have counsel appointed for them. Law
yer Anderson said he did not want the
case tried before judge who had his
mind made up at the start, but he
would not ask an adjournment. AS a
counsel he said the Lord would appear
for them. The trial was then begun.
Lydia Howard testified that she be
lieyed the devil had been in the room
that night, two devils, in fact One was
that inside Mrs Mather, the other was
the devil who allowed here to get hurt,
the latter getting in by false pretenses.
The court adjourned to go to Flat
Rock to take the testimony of Mrs
Mather, The Court and all interested
then started for the old farm house,
which is nearby the house in which the
old women was tortured. In the old
fashioned, low w-ceilinged parlor sat the
subject of the trial She looked like an
animated deaths head, and not very
animated at that
Anderson, who looks like Schlatter
and other divine healers with the beard
never lacking, crouched in corner near
the stove A table was drawn up beside
the strange figure seated in the oldrock,
ing chair, the same chair in which the
old woman was carried to Neighbor
Young's house, and from which she was
flung by the holy Ghosters in the weird
but rough ceremony which nearly end
ed the poor, racked existence. Mrs.
Mather told of the meeting on the night
| of October II in Young's house; of the
gatherings there of the Holiness Band.
| 1t was to be a great night and Sister
| Mather, unable to walk for eight years
was to walk at its conclusion.
She said that they gathered around
and called upon the Holy Ghost. The
fervor grew, and she ask to be anUint
ed. This was done with olive oil
II asked Mr., Champion and Mrs
Caulkins to anoint me. she said. Mr..
Young fell upon the floor, Then Mr..
and Mrs. Champion rocked me, al
though begged them not to do so.
The others were singing hymns. The
Champions kept up the rocking and
! was pitched out of the chair, over Mr.
Young. lay there on the floor and
1 asked somebody to lift me up, as l did
not believe it was Gods way of healing
THE fall broke the joins Of my kneee
Ny body seemed numb, but it did not
relieve the pain. Nobody would assist
me to get up ] told them l was suffer
ing They said the Lord would not
allow them to lift me up. | asked fol
| water, but nobody would give me {
drink | lay there six hours, The mer
acted as if they intended to fall on me
Then they all rolled into the corner Of
the -oot1 Then Mr.. Anderson turned
me over with the toe of his foot and