Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-06-11
LIVE AND DIE UNKNOWN.

Vno 0exo0G0 COmmun1ty on h0R1oY4e0
Living In Pennsylvania. fr
One of tho strongeat sects In the United
States are the Hinkleyites, who occupy a
small settlement among Pennsylvania g
hills, a few miles from the New York state
line, not fur from tho city of Binghamton.
There, strange as 1t may seem, money N q
drug on the market, and yet the inhabit-
ants are oontentcd and happy, But II Is
doubtful, though, II all the money In the
entire community wero scraped together
that it would foot up more than $40 at any
ono time.
This peculiar settlement IL known as
Hink]ey's Corners. 1t consists Of a half
dozen houses, a like number Of barns and
other outbuildings and frame structure
used as place Of worship In cold weather.
As long as the weather will permit, the re-
Ngious riteso Of this strange sect are held in
tho open air, usually In q cave near the
woods. ..
The history Of this peculiar community
IL a strange one. About IS years ago a
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
Hinkloy's crusade was 80 much Of q
success, many prominent persons follow
Ing his standard, that the police suddenly
put a 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, tho sacrifice having been
previously prepared and laid on the altar.
Tho fire is then lighted, and If the smoke
arises in straight column both men and
women burst into songs of Thanksgiving,
but should the smoke hang in a cloud
above the altar weird, wailing song fills
tho air until the priest has replenished the
fire, prepared new Offering, and the smoke
ascends directly heavenward.
A strange weird and solemn sight is
funeral among these strange people. The
body Is carried to it's last resting place on
bier, the grave having been previously
lined with straw, and into this the un-
colf1ned 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
of the graveyard until only the sexton is
left to complete the work Of burying the
dead. e, /,
A wedding is an unusually quiet affair.
The contracting parties call upon the
priest, who requires them to sign IN agree
ment to live together as man and wife and
then performs a short ceremony, at 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 oou-
pie are accorded the rights usually be-
slowed upon man and wife-they are at
liberty to purchase q 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.