Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-08
Odd Religious Sect

existed and been held together a band
Of women in Bolton, Bell county, Texas,
known as Sanctificationists, organized
and managed by Mrs. Martha McQuirter.
Mrs. McQuirter is an old resident of Bell
county and was for a number of years an
influential member of the Methodist
church, having a class in Sunday school.
Here she began advancing her thoughts
M ideas, which proved to be out of har-
mony with the theology of her church.
In course of time Mrs. McQuirter claimed
to have had a revelation from heaven, di-
recting her to separate from the church
and the world" and found an order, or
band of sancti1ed people.
This band must rank for age with the
earliest independent movement of the
present day among women, not only re-
ligiously but financially. for besides being
a body composed of religious enthusi-
asts and led and instructed in doctrine
by a woman only, they have also been a
stock company, supporting themselves by
labor and accommodating a property now
estimated at from 500. 900 to 5000. 900. Pro-
Tossing to be guided by revelation entire
ly. one of the first divine orders which
came to the leader was a command to
separate n completely withdraw the
members of the band from all unbe-
levers, no matter if the latter We're of
their own household. This brought about
the rupture of nearly all married relations
and most of the families of the band were
entirely broken up.
Whan the sanctifed people became
solidly organized Mrs. McQuirter re-
ceived another revelation. namely, that
they We're to go into the world as serv-
ants and toilers among the "unbelievers'
and live their lives and religion before
and among the scoffers, keeping entirely
unmixed socially. uncommunicative and
aloof. Mrs. McQuirter hired these wo-
men out as cooks waSherwomen. serv-
ants in any respectable place and posi-
ton. Her sincerity can hardly be Doubt
ed, for her own daughter was hired to a
family where but a few months before
she was always a welcome guest.
They hired out in the homes of the "un
regenerate' and without mixing or affil-
Eating let their light shine in these dark
places, doing all kinds of mental labor in
families where they had all been equal
socially. Some of the sanctified folks got
cows, sold butter and milk and did out
door work on a farm they soon purchased
near town. Then they established a
laundry. These enterprises We're finan-
cially successful. In all these employ
ments they held no communication with
outside men or women that could posi-
bly, be avoided. Their conversation with
the ~unconverted was literally the bible
standard Of yea and nay.
Modestly, silently. quietly. without a
single suggestion in all these years of i'm
prudence or rebellion. they held to their
belief and the work they had adopted.
They dressed very plainly with aprons
and bonnets. In Common parlance
they were called the sancitified people.
Their work was we'll done. Their butter
was good. Their laundry work excellent.
People, in a joking way, had begun at
first calling their washing %"sanctifed
washing" their cooking, 'sanctiied cook |
ing" their butter "sanctiied butter"
Mrs. McOuirter taught the "band"
from the Bible Of which she was quite a
student, and a new revelation from heav-
en- was always on hand for any emer-
gency.
The fanaticism Of peculiar doctrines
and the separation of several families
brought the sect into great d5srepute and
many threats were made against the
leader. A few men had Joined and one
of the foremost was taken out and Sc
verely beaten by a mob. AS he claimed to
be a British citizen, the matter assumed
for awhile some unpleasant complica-
tons, but nothing daunted or dismayed
the band"
That one woman could establish or con-
troll such a body in such novel religious
lines against such bitter disapproval and
for a quarter Of a century preserve her
authority with no falling away, no turn
ing back from the plCW handle, allie
glance or doctrine. and faithfully contin-
Uing, is hard to believe, shows at least
a marvel religious enthusiasm and faith
in the woman and head Of this singular
sect, and also confidence in her financial
ability. for all earnings were managed
and invested by her. That she is worthy
of the latter trust is shown by the solid
amount of property now owned by the
sanctified band"
Among other enterprises the sanctifed
people established the Central Hotel, in
Bolton. run entirely by women and known
to all travelling men and the public gen.
orally as one of the best kept houses in
the state. The nice ladies also boarded at
and stopped at the Central. Succeeding
so we'll in this enterprise, the band open
ed up another hotel in New York (Texas)
and lately the Hotel Royal in Waco. The
women are changed from one hotel to an
other. the ones in New York come down
here for several months and the women
here go UP to the New York work, thus
relieving monotonous ~drudgery of house
hold work.
People are never heroes to their VALET
vet these sanctified people have been daily
for over 25 years in close companionship
with this woman, serving her, cooking,
washing for her and under her direction
working for others in all forms of drudg-
cry and have chung to her and this
strange doctrine she promulgated Loyalty
and steadily.
Those who have all along held the
movement in disapprcbation call the
'band'' a fraud, a handfu of weak Wc-
men, held together by one strong, shrewd
woman: yet the members are many of
them bright, intelligent women.
That they should separate from hus-
bands who were n believers, leave COM
Portable homes and children, bear ridi-
cule and take up such d~rudgery as these
women have. out of doors and in kitchen,
not Just for a day but for over 90 years,
certainly cannot be cried down as a pass