The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-18
QUEER RELIGIOUS SECT
THE "HOLY ROLLERS" WHO RESIDE
IN ONTARIO COUNTY, NEW YORK.
OId-FashiOned HeII-Fire the Staple of
Their Fervid Teaching-The story
of "a Boy Preacher.

powerful form the boy left home and
friends to join a band of religious enthusi-
asts styled the Holy Rollers. He preached
and reused his hearers to a frenzy. His
mothers efforts to induce her son to return
were futile. AT last the aid of the law was
necessary. The boy is now with relatives
at South Evansville, many miles from the
Holy Rollers camp
Save for occasional brooding. he led a
life such as most boys lead out in the open
air, free and careless. Then there came
into the neighborhood two persons who
were destined to exert upon him an in
fiuence stronger than that of friends or
home or mother. These persons were N.
L. A. Eastman and Emma Chase, leaders
of a religious sect known at the Holy
Rollers.
They spoke to Bradley of their belief and
urged him to be saved. In a few days
camp-meeting was organized and the eX-
ercises begun Systematically. Bradley at
tended. The influence OF the meetings was
great upon him. He learned to abhor the
acts of his past life and to live in a fright
full fear Of damnation and the fortunes of
a burning hell Two weeks ago he joined
the Holy Rollers, convinced that God had
called him to preach to his fellow-men-
Then Eastman and the woman moved
their camp to Bristol Springs, two miles
from Seneca Point on Canandaigua lake.
Here Bradley also took up his abode, liV
ing for a few days with d family in the
hamlet and then staying with Eastman at
Mill Village, a mile or SO away. 1T cost MN
with him when he left South Dansvllle, but
money was nothing to him in his spiritual
exaltation, and he gladly put it in the Holy
A ROW pREACHER
Then he preached. 1t seemed as if the
boy were outside and above himself when
he harangued the awestruck audiences
which crowded the tent. The people heard
him in wonder. They listened to his denun-
citation of the wickedness and selfshness Of
the life they were leading, and trembed
at his picture of the hell to which they
drifted. Many who had entered the tent
doubling on the night the boy preached
were converted by his words. Yet all agreed
that II was not so much what he Sald as
a mysterious something which was In mis-
manner and his gestures ana the tones OF
his voice. All the Holy Rollers believed that
the boy was divinely called and inspired.
Prayers of thankfUlnesS were continually
offered that he had been reclaimed from
the evil of the world to be the shining light
and exponent of the Holy Rollers faith.
Week before last Mrs. Bradley in Roches-
ter learned of what her son was doing.
She was also informed that the relatives
with whom he had lived at South DansVille
had already made one Intellectual attempt
to have him return. Mrs. Bradley ascer-
tanned where the Holy Rollers were in
camp and wrote a letter to John. Wheth-
Ell he received it or not she does not know.
There was no reply.
She wrote to n. A. L. Eastman, leader
of the band. She asked that her son be
sent to her at once
your boy is saved wrote Eastman in
reply How can you ask that he leave us?
Yourself are doomed to hell for trying 10
frYrp
Mrs. Bradley became desperate. She could
think of no other move than an appeal to
the law and she placed the facts in the
hands of justice of the peace, who wrote
a letter to Eastman himself, stating that
if young Bradley was not sent away there
would be trouble. The boy did not make
his appearance, and it was decided TO send
an officer with Mrs. Bradley to Bristol
Springs and take the young enthusiast
Eastman himself claims that after he re-
ceived Mrs. Bradley's first letter he aG-
vised the boy to leave. However 1t was
not until the news that police officers would
take a hand in the aff fair reached Br1stol
that he did leave, which was ono week ago
Yesterday Young Bradley is now with his
reia lives in South Dansville. His health
is shattered from the excitement and the
mental strain under which he has been 1or
so many weeks.
A CAMP MEETING.
Learning of the facts as given above
Union representative visited Bristol on
nounced an all-day meeting. 1t was to be
the last one of the series and Of especial
value. Incidentally it was communion
Sunday, which these strange people OBJ
serve by passing bits of bread among the
congregation in the fingers. All drink wine
from the same pitcher.
The meeting was well attended. Long be-
fore the hour for service arrived Holy Roll
lers rolled up in wagons ana carts 1hey
hitched their horses to trees near the tent
and made preparations for a tWelVe-hour
religious feast The tent in which the
meetings are held is about 40 by 90 feet.
Rude benches are laid on straw, which COW
ers the ground. AT one end or the IN
closure is a platform, raised perhaps two
feet, on which are placed chairs for those
who are to speak. The Bible, when is the
only material adjunct to worship USED, IS
placed on a stand made of a board laid
across two stakes. Beside the Bible, on
another and higher stake, is hung IAN
tern. No other light is allowed, ana, IN
deed, none is necessary, as no hymn book
or pSalterS are to be found.
The congregation assembled was q Gu
rious one. Old men dressed in the rough
garb of the farmland sat by the slde OF
the country "swels" from neighboring VIII
lagos: Young girls and women with babies
1sstsro there and on the back row was a
crowd of tittering boys, who hardly knew
whether to take the whole performance Sc
riOuslV or to consider it as huge Joke.
Leader Eastman was the central figure of
the meeting. He is u man OF medium
height, whose thin, pale race, Lghted by
black eyes of singular luster, would parallel
a description of SaVonarola, the Florentine
monk His voice is strong, but sympathetic
His gestures are earnest, ana, standing
with his right arm raised in remuneration,
his whole bearing is peculiarly Impressive.
He spoke vigorously at sunday 5 meeting.
What strikes one most forcibly IS the Won
derful intensity of the man and his personal
magnetism.
He held his hearers breathless from the
beginning of his address to the end, except
when some allusion to things of the unseen
world caused them to break forth with eX-
Carnations of Glory" Glory! THANK
heaven we are saved!'' and the like.
When Eastman finished there was song,
no musical instruments being used, but the
voices Of old and young blending with con-
siderable harmony. Then came an eXhorta-
ton from a member Of the congregation, an
old man whose palsied hand trembled as he
raised il aloft This prayer was long. He
was interrupted by shouting during its en-
tire length. At times the voice of the man
exhorting could not be detected, but he
went right on Women threw their cioaks
from their shoulders men hurled their caps
1t was religious intoxication. Self was for
gotten.
AN OLD-FASHIONED HE'LL.
He'll is the dominant note in the Holy
Rollers belief-a hell of real birthstone
burning with flames which eternalIy tor
ture but never consume the bodies of the
damned. For this hell is destined every
one who does not accept the faith. Yet it
is possible to check the course in the river
of death, even on the brink Of the awful
gulf Toward this river of death run thou
sands of tributaries, the vices and weak
nesses of humanity depicted in the accom-
panying chart, which the Holy Rollers dis