The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-15
THE DORRIIITES;..-
INTERESTING FACTS CONCERNING
THIS FANATicAL SECT.


An ignorant and Incorporate Impostes
Who vicsimised Many Members Of Re-
spscsabls Families In Connections and
Massachusetts,
An article published In The Republican
concerning certain fanaticai sect In Con-
necticut brought to the minds Of some OF
the older residents in this vicinity another
sect Of religious, or, better, irreligious
fanatics who once existed in the adjoining
town Of Guilford and in Leyden Mass.
the descendants of whom are members Of
respectable families in those towns and In
Brattleboro and other towns near by. The
followers of the sect in question were
called Dorrilites, from the name of their
leader, William Dorril, and their conduct
during the few years that the sect existed
forms an independent chapter In the his
tory Of local organizations
William Dorril was an Englishman, and
is said TO have been born In Yorkshire,
England, March Is, 1859, although some of
his grandchildren fix the date of his birth
from four 10 six years earlier He enlisted
in the British army under General Bur
goyne, but deserted in the march across
country, and after spending a number of
years in various places he went to Leyden
about 1894, where he got possession of the
farm known as the Dorril farm on Frizzle
hill This farm is now owned by the
widow of James Shattuck, and is situated
just south of the Guilford line. Dorril
was powerfully built and was fluent
speaker, and although he could neither
read nor write he had a wonderful MEM
DRY, and after hearing his wife read the
Bible he could quote Scripture by the
yard.
Soon after going TO Leyden he began
preaching the doctrine that man should
not eat of flesh and should not cause the
death of any living creature or make use
of anything procured at the expense of
life. He proclaimed himself to be the Mes
siah of his generation and set at naught
all the doctrines of the Bible. He pretend
ed to be possessed of supernatural power,
and that as he was armed with attributes
of the Deity, it was beyond the power of
human arm to do him injury. He gained |
followers from the start, and soon num-
bercd among them respectable people from |
all sections of the country round about. |
They put off their leather shoes, which, |
contrary to Dorril's teaching, were made |
at the expense of life, and had others made |
OF wood or cloth. Dorril's shoes, made |
from solid blocks of wood, are now ON ex-
hibition at the museum at Deerfeld.
Meetings were held once week, at |
which worship consisted in eating, drink
ing, singing dancing, fiddling and listen
ing TO the PRONUNCIATION of Dorrils
confession of faith. " The Dorrilites'
WINS common orI ,,.,..
placed in the hands of the treasurer, Amos
Burroughs. Concerning the mesmeric
power of this arch impostor the interest
ing story is told that at one of the meet.
ings Dorril declared to one of his followers
that he was able 10 crawl through solid
log from one end TO the other Having mes
merized his victim he proceeded TO crawl
along the top of the log, when his victim
seized with sudden desire to strike the
log presumably TO watch the effect of the
sound upon the man inside, grabbed a
club which lay at hand and brought it
down with terrific force upon Dorril's
back. Dorril never repeated the operation
OF crawling through log The adherents
to Dorrils doctrine were scantily clad,
and when upon one occasion march
through several towns was planned the
who had by this time become
thoroughly disguised, armed themselves
with beech withes, and the march was
speedily abandoned
The influence of Dorril over the more
respectable of his followers began to wane1
about l79S, principally because of his in
temperate habits, and the last meeting of
ihe sect took place during that year. Dor.
ri opened with music, and at length be-
gan to proclaim his immunity from bodily
stating that no arm could hurt
ais flesh. AT that point one of his hearers, |
Captain Ezekiel Foster, of massive frame,
'ose indignant at this blasphemy, and
With one blow of his fist knocked Dorril
20 the ground and repeated the operation
rs often as the blasphemer arose. Dorril
begged for mercy, and at the command of
captain Foster he renowned his doctrine |
before his astonished followers. Chagrined |
md ashamed 10 be thus duped, the latter :
departed 60 their homes, and Dorril prom |
sed upon penalty of his life never again to
impose upon them.
For nearly so years after Dorril con-
inued to live in Leyden, but he drank I
liquor habitually, which so increased his
nhrlnitles that for many years he was one
Il the town S paupers AT regular inter
ais no would go to the middle town of |
1eyden and procure quantity of liquor,
'ecome intoxicated on the way home and ,
rawl into a hole in the side of the noun /
ain and go to sleep So often was he seen
here by passersby that the place was called
)orril's cave, and it is known as such to ,
he present day. The wooden bottle of one
,allon capacity in which he carried his
liquor is still a valued relic owned by one
I his grandchildren. Dorril died Aug. ,
8, 1916, of starvation having tasted with
y few hours of 40 days. Springfield
republican.
The Salt Sea.
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