The Winslow mail., 1899-06-22
A QUEER RELIGION.
Strange Beliefs of a Fanatical Sect
in Kentucky.
SATURDAY Is Observed as Their sab
bath and They Spend the Entire
Day in Violent Cere-
monies.

One of the most interesting trials
ever occurring in this county was ter
minated at the courthouse recently. 1t
was a prosecution against Henry
Brown, Granvil Brown, James Withrow
and Charles Bard. charged with dis
turbing religious worship. The story
brought out at the trial is a most in
teresting recital of the extent TO which
religious fanaticisnl. may easily lead Il
community of people.
The defendants, with certain of their
neighbors. some years ago left the
Methodist and Baptist churches in their
community and organized church Of
their own, teaching many GCctEires
not countenanced as orthodox Is ciGhSr
of the denominations to which they
formerly belonged Sanctiication w&s
among the least of the differences be-
tween them and their former church as
sociates. AS time went Cn tAcy be
came. more and more engrossed with
their peculiar method of worship. They
gave up association, with the rest Of
mankind. refraining from going TO
Town or anywhere else except urCn the
most urgent necessity, devoting al
most all their time to attending upon
The exercises IF their church. They
built house OF worship and employed
a preacher from among their own num-
beT. They neglected their farms until
within the past few months they have
come almost to utter want. What was
L few years ago one of the richest sec
tions of the country came 10 look like
a waste. The fences rotted down and
were oyeTgrown with bTiars, while the
men were singing their weird songs
and repeating over and over again their
peculiar forms of worship. The wom-
en- Joined in with the movement, and as
n part of their creed they did not use
any kind Of jewelry cr give any but the
most meager attention to their per-
sonal appearance. The women allowed
their hair % grow at will without coil
ing it upon the head as others do. The
men did not shave, and their per-
sonal appearance soon came to Fartake
of the general look of dilapidation sur
rounding the community. They OBJ
serve Saturday as their Sabbath, and
=
spend the entire day in the most gro
tesque performance ever seen in the
form of religious ceremonies in a civ
ilized land. They sing and dance and
shout and pray and jump until the
very hills resound with the noise Of the
gathering. They join hands and march
round and round until they grow into
nerfeot frenzy Of T1erVO11G. ia
To all of this and much that was new
in the doctrines taught some Of the
Gissenters did not agree. The result
was that part of those who aided in
organizing the church withdrew and
bought Il farm and erected { house for
worship. All went we'll for few months
until the more ent husIastic and IOuC,est
shouting party undertOOl1 to forci ;
evangelize the other crowd. Then re
Gtangtile tne 0tnGI Gl0OG Inen lEc
trouble began The quiet, sanctifed
brethren who did not approve CT the
new-fangled methods objected to be
ing aPtured by the new crusaders. The
enthusiasts then proceeded to do By
force what they had been unable 10
do by persuasive means. Then the
quiet congregation, or, as they are
called in contradistinction from the
others, the "Swine-eaters" (as they eat
meat, while the others are vegetarians),
demonstrated and undertook. TO con-
duct their own service. Their meet
ing was overrun. however, and their
minister was unable to preach. Then
they had the intruders arrested. After
a trial they were acquitted, perhaps
upon the theory that it is hard TO draw
the line at which the law may interfere
with ones religious exercises.
The parties all live in what is known
as the Equality neighborhood, which
IS one of the best parts Of the county.
Many Of the best people in the locality
are still true to the older doctrines
of the churches to which these dis
senters formerly belonged, and are, Of
course, much disguised with this whole
business. The law seeming to afford
no relief. it is whispered. that certain
of the more sensible people in the conc
munity will try moral suasion with a
club the next time their congregation
is broken up by an onslaught of these
fanatics-Hartford Herald.