The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-06-14
A New England Mob.

We have a notion that some bright
Southern contemporaries of ours are
going to get a lot of amusement-and
Comfort, too-out of the recent tribu-
lations Of GLIDER George w. Higgins,
Of the village of Levant, in the State
Of Maine. They have been lectured
for years past, and with quite insutter-
able airs Of moral superiority, upon the
outbreaks Of mob violence in their part
of the country, and it has made them
pretty tired. This story from Down
East gives them the chance to 90 a
little lecturing and m0ralizing IL their
return; small blame to them 1t they
gleefully improve It,:
Levant is post-village of Penobscot
County, on the south branch OF the
Kenduskeag, nine miles from the city
of Bangor. Higgins first turned up
there six or seven years ago. He was
then Methodist local preacher, or
perhaps exhorter. In 1895 he began to
preach about "sanctifcation." The
1evant people did not take kindly, as
rule, to his doctrine. They consid-
cred him wool-gathering fanatic.
or worse. They say now that his
rantings drove excitable women to the
edge OF insanity, and across it. They
accuse him of having made discord IN
families, having counselled the beating
of young children to "drive the devils
out Of them," having procured the
deciding to himself, OF his new sect, OF
valuable property, and so on. The
story is as old as religion" with hys-
terics in it-and that's one of the old
est things in the world. In spite OF
Levant's disapproval-of course he
called it observation-disclosures went
ahead with his propaganda, made con-
verts, and has retained some OF them
unto this present.
Monday Of this week Selectman John
White, a leading citizen, advised him
to get out of the village without delay.
According to report, the selectman
threatened the preacher with watery
grave in the Kenduskeag if he tarrled.
Higgins said he would quit when di-
rected by the Lord to do so and not
before.
That night, along toward 12 o'clock,
between one hundred and two hundred
citizens-some with masks and some
without-surrounded the house of the
disciple (Ruel Clement) with whom
Higgins has been making his home.
The "elder" came to the door with 4
lantern. "Hold up the shining light" :"
he shouted, "that we may see the faces
of our enemies" He didn't see their
faces long. He and Clement were
Knocked down, and dragged by the
heels into the road. There the disciple
was turned loose. He went back into
the house and Immediately started q
prayer meeting, which lasted until
Higgins's return. When the 'elder'
got back he wore close-ftting suit OF
tar and feathers. He had had long
ride on rail and q warning that it he
remained in Levant worse would be-
fall him.
10 the Portland Press local cores
pondent writes:
"Public sentiment is overwhelmingly
in favor of the mob.
sBut this resurgence of the mob
spirit in Penobscot County, Maine, and
in the year 1899, is a surprise. 1t is
also lesson in humility. Human ma
ture doesn't vary materially with the
parallels Of latitude. New England is
not yet inhabited exclusively by just
men made perfect. Before operating
on the South's eyes, we'd better per-
haps attend to our own"