The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-02


. best known through the quaint. print
| ed cards which he has circulated peri
: odically about the streets for a number
5 Of years past. In these tracts Taerkel-
, sen. announcing himself % II, ]. ]. a
: Spirit" proclaimed the tenets Of his Pc
cuuar creed. Just what his religious
: doctrine 10 Is a whole has always been
} difficult matter 20 determine. He is
, opposed to the Sunday Sabbath. insist
ing that Friday should be the day Of rest
and religious observation: he dislikes
the wearing OF bangs by women. es-
ohews pork as diet, 10 BITTERLY opposed
} 20 ali religions but the one Of his own
invention, and In season and out of sea-
; sen declares himself 70 be the only di-
rect representative on earth of The Lord.
i While he confined himself to these
theological limits. Therkel$en's religious
Examinations and antics were mostly
harmless But Of late he has conceived
the notion that food does no, conduce 10
\ mis- spiritual welfare, and that water Is
an abominaiion. For the past week.
with this exception Of q few nouthfuls
OF buckwheat cake and . little milk. no
nourishmen: Of any kind has passed his
lips
He is being cared for at lat Third
street by Norwegian nephew. one
Chris Albert. This care consists Of LEI
! ting him aione-so Albert admitted last
evening-to pursue his whims to the top
OF his bent. my uncle has been sick
about a week" said the nephew Of
spirit" Therkelsen. land las; Saturday
he told me TO tell DR.. Perry. on Sixteenth
street, about il. I saw the doctor and
he said my uncle must not touch water
and must not est too much. He hasn't
eaten anything. anyway. fer a week but
just mouchful Of buckwheat cake. He
also took little milk. but s1ncs I saw
DR.. Perry he won't touch water"
why DOM you bring doctor &c ses
him?" was asked.
IF did that he'd get right after me-"
answered Albert Hes q very set man
in his ways and won't see anybody.
Yes. I suppose he'll die il he don't eat.
but can't help that. hll be all over in
few days. I expect. He thinks that
he has some disease and when IL reaches |
his heart he'll die. I'm Just watching |
him now to see how things Will turn out |
my uncle is very queer man." pro- |
ceeded Albert 'In the summer time he |
hghta a big frs IN the stove. closes the
doors and windows to keep out the air |
then sits by the stove with his overcoat
on. He never speaks much lately. I
have not seen him since this morning
and may not see him again until tomor-
row evening. He's up stairs now with
MOI a biz of air in the room. You see,
about twenty years ago he started re-
ligion out near Clear Creek. the most
Of which was some foolishness abou;
spirits. and he has kept II up ever since
He used 20 Brighten all the young girls
who wore their hair hanging down.
Whenever he saw a girl with her hair
that way he'd run after her and try to
cut 1t of. He don't do that lately,
though.
lone thing that gave him his queer
notions is that he lived alone for num-
Der Of years in dugout He has a lit
tie printing press and tin sword and uni
form hidden away in his room. but new
er lets me see them He don't talk much
10 me about the spirits, either. Since he
got sick and don't eat have been run
ming his shoemaking business. It's my
own belief that he can't live much long
er without eating. but as he wants his
own way I can't do anything for him."
Since Therkelsens disappearance from
public view a number of strange stories
about the cause of 1t has been circulated
among his neighbors. II IS generally J
known that he is not taking food. and 1t
Ia also rumored that his confinement is
not self-sought. Last evening his nep- ]
hew declined to allow anybody TO see
him. Therkelsen owns the house in :
" hich he live. and is also said TO be pos
sessed Of other property. Chris Albert
being his only known heir.
Here is Peter B, Therkeisen's autobi- J
ography as it appears on one OF his I
cards:
About Peats spirit Before p. Il. \
rherkelsen received the Holy Ghost he 4
second Boss on tho u. P. rail road $
yard But evere Saturday he went out q
o clear creek 10 church az school ba-
~. Either he hade ben tech by the n
,pirit Of God years. no received the I
Holy Ghost And entered toe body OK o
,hris,. Cor IL. He received his lamp
n 7years he received oil enough to put
n H. So Pete was all right. q
He blowed the trumpet Isa: 5S-l.. n
nd the battle begen. Ask those young d
,en who was living near 81 and we u
"a ter street in 1880. How they like ii 10 G
ave Pete's spirit 90 blow on them Ell: q
l-3l. When they were throwing stones D
/. his huse One by name DouldnIls got y
lex. He told Pete spirit to shut up it's &c
;od D-M mouth. The doctor could do q;
othinG Pete's spirit healed him. An n
Their boy said wasn't bind weary ions. re-
mother cried he he ne biowed on me. u
In 1882 Pe,a moved out in q cave on p,
yer bank Highlands. Hi paid the Den %
er Republican S. for a few lines about a,
is spirit. One day two women came 10 ar
Is house. They had seen that place in
lie D. r. p. ahut Pete's spirit Bouth OF
lem hath spirits. One OF them wanted
cast out Pe,es spirit. She lad bangs. o'
ete's spirit told her With . houd voice
eeo your hair out OF your face. And
hen Pe;e'e spirit begen to speak with 90
sw new tongues that ,:her lady's spin, =
.gan TO speak. These two spirits spoke ID
their own language what language
,n't know. V'
Pete went 10 prayer meastng II
'eacher wanted Pete 60 bow down % a Go
lair SO that he could pray for him. 81
e;e's spirit said pray for yourself. ed
oman with a Mormon ep.rS po, her
IND on Pee aud said Lord reoute Tia, .
irit. Pete's spirit blowed On her. She -.
ouldn't do Ell again. They had no oil -,
their lamp. Pete vent TO Salvation
my meating When the lady captain
ard the voice Ok Pete's spiri: shs
mped. Pete went 20 q Catholic B.sa-