The herald., 1898-10-28

Williams did not explain whether he had
heid two pair or a four-card flush when he
saw" Minerva, with that money, but it is
very likely he could not come the cold deck
racket that Ellinger worked with the aid of
ms serenade. Williams was loyal to his
wife, even though he was a confessed back
slider to her religion, for he tried to help
her out of the blame for the death of Mrs
lhompson. He claimed that Nellie had sal,
to him that the Lord had told her to fast.
george wilkinson, mulatto, had had
some experience with Minerva, and he did
not mince matters relating to it, He ad-
mitted that he had done his utmost to "git
under de lnfiuens" of the priestess, but there
mad been hitch somewhere and he could
not make IT. One reason that he had turned
IRON the light of the priestess, was because
she would not allow her followers to read the
bible, and he kicked at this deprivation.
Wilkinson said he had heard Minerva tell
the thompson woman, six weeks ago, to fast
ana pray, and he also told about the de-
ceased's climbing the hilltops and wandering
In the wilderness Of the river bottom
frobably the most important witness of
the entire inquest was Prof. j. Milton
Combs, chiropodist in waiting to Chief of
Police Glass, and man of infinite parts and
much standing among the coiored people.
The professor frequently referred with eyi-
dent satisfaction to his acquaintance with
me chief, and spoke of the consultations they
had held regarding the present case. Combs
nad some experience, too, with Minerva
The priestess has called her place the
Church of the First Born" Who this re-
fers to is not made clear. 1t might have
been that Minerva attended Powers Chinese
play called The First Born" and, taking
fancy to the name, used it for her church.
IN any event, it has quite an awe-inspiring
effect on some of her congregation. Miner
va, unlike the goddess bearing that name,
breaches celbacy for all the members of her
Hook, and Mrs. Combs joined the happy cir
Gle. Instead OF staying home and cooking
her husbands meals, when he would return,
tired and weary from cutting corns in the
field of his labors, she would be in tile com.
pany of Minerva. Combs patience finally
came to an end when he thought he was
being Jobbed. He consulted with his friend,
the chief, about the matter. The chief
advised him to rescue Mrs. Combs by force
OF arms. Combs did so, and the details of
that assault are still famous in the annals of
the police courts, where Combs was tried for
disturbing the peace. On the Thompson
case, Combs said that Minerva had sent the
deceased out to pray and had been the cause
of the woman's fasting herself to death.
The jury returned verdict to the effect
that the deceased had come to her death by
starvation by fasting, and that she was of
weak mind; that one Mrs Minerva Williams
endeavored and urged her to FAST said Mrs.
Williams having assumed the position of
spiritual adviser to the deceased The case
was investigated by Humane Officer Clark
and Police Officer Harris, but it was de-
cided that complaint could not be issued
for the Williams woman. During the
course of this investigation Prof Combs
and Minerva had row, but no damage was
done.