The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1897-09-23
THE HOLY ROLLERS.
A Curious RELIGIOUS Sect o East
er, Maine.
Some of Their Practices Are Very
Strange-I. IS HcratiOn and the
Casting out Of
De gtls.

"Anythiug which Christ did can do
is the kC. =, stone of the faith of the Holy
Ghost Evanrclists, a sect organized in
Orland, Me-, all ut two years ago, which
is now springiug all over eastern Maine.
The leaders OF the faith are Mrs. Mary
Mcintyre, who came here from Waldo
county two years ago, and organized
prosperous eli rch, and L.ler James
Woodwork, o. Syrac use, n. Y, who has
been in Bangor and it's vicinity about
year. Though the members of the
sect lay great stress upon prayer and
laying on OF hands, they are not Chris
tian scientist, and claim no affinity
with the faith heaiers. The new cult
begins where the other two leave off,
accepting nobody but hopeless sinners
and confirmed invalids, who are treat
ed for sin aud disease frce of charge.
Regeneratio- Is effc ID in several
ways. the curse of treat .aent including
prayer. Lathng, rubbing and baptism
by immersion. When these have proved
vain the penitent is called before ID Sc
crct meeting of the members and COM
PEELED to perform the holy roll" Ac-
cording to the stories told by back
sliders who have taken the full num-
Der Of degrees, the person who makes
the holy roll lies down upon the floor at
one end of the building and rolls over
and over, like log, until every person
present is satisfied that the last trace
of the Evil One has been taken out.
Sometimes the ceremony is finished in
ten minutes, while in stubborn cases of
possession it is continued from eight
o'clock in the evening until midnight.
AS the subject rolls past the kneeling
audience, every person has the right to
ask such questions as he sees fit, and the
penitent must make ready and satisfac-
tory answers before he is allowed to
rise. The sins of u lifetime must be
confessed in detail, and the innermost
secrets made public. Having rolled
across the floor until everybody is salts
fled and have no more questions to ask,
the subject is assisted to his feet and
conducted to a rostrum, where he is
proclaimed the brother of Christ and
told to go forth and perform miracles.
The first suspicion of unusual con-
duct by members of the sect came
about year ago, when a young man
who had taken up the holy roll was sick
and dizzy for week after his exercise.
Soon after this man recovered, girl
who wished to join the sect had the
holy roll administered at an evening
meeting, and the next morning she was
found on the piazza of her fathers
house in a swoon, which lasted for
more than a day. When asked about the
girls condition, the brethren said she
was in trance and was paying brief
visit to Heaven. from which she would
shortly return again and take pos
session of her body. They fixed the
time of her recovery at six o'clock the
next morning, and when the time came
she began to revive, gaining strength
and consciousness so she was able 10 sit
up and talk before noon. Though the
Holy Ghost Evangelists pleaded with
her to tell them where she had been and
what she had seen, she said she had no
memory of events from the time she
started to walk home until she re-
gained consciousness in bed more than
81 hours later. The new evangelists
took her lack of illumination for sign
that she had not been wholly regen-
Grated, and caused her to make a second
application of the holy roll, which was
no doubt successful, because the girl is
now a full member.
While Mrs. Mcintyre eNhorts and
gains new converts. Elder Woodwork
goes from town to town treating the
lame and casting out devils" as he
terms it. Some Of the cases which
he has treated have been followed by
unexpected results. Last winter he
was called out to Gre Pond to attend
Mrs. Hurd. who was .. The last stages
of pulmonary consumDrioD. As soon
as he entered the house he began TO rub
his hands and mutter prayers.
The room is full of DEVILS" he said.
"Throw up the windows and let them
out. | cannot do a thing while they are
here"
When the windows were raised ~
lowing a bleak wind to enter, he threw
all the medicine bottles out of the
room, and, l;neeliEg down. prayed for a
full hour, while the patient ahivered
with cold. After the prayer be went
back to Bangor, promising to return in
a week. The next morning Mrs. Turl
died from shock and exposure" ," so DR..
Patten made out the death certificate.
N. Y Sun
The Modern Summer.