The suburban citizen., 1900-12-08
NEW SECT MAKES POOR
lNFATUATloN OF AN OHIO WOMAN
FOR THE "RoLL FLYERS"

Husbands Fortune in support of a
"Heaven" in Wilderness.
One Of the strange-t stories in the
history of the State is revealed in
dozen and one lawsuits which have
been instituted In and among the fam
lily of Ephraim Shanabarger, who, a
few years ago, was one Of the wealth.
est men in Wood County, but is now an
outcast without sufficient ready mon
ey to buy for himself a beu, says the
Bowling Green (Ohio) correspondent
Of the Chicago Record
How ShanabargeE became a pauper
is also revealed to some extent in the
various legal entanglements into which
the man, now seventy-two years of
age, has been plunged, either by him
self or some member of his family. A
strange religious infatuation on the
part of his wife accounts for it all
Ephraim Shanabarger came early to
Wood County and took large tract of
land. He was industrious, as was his
wife and four sons and IN u short time
they began to accumulate money and
more lands. Shanabarger seemed to
be possessed OF a magic touch and all
of the things which he handled seemed
to turn to money. They built for
themselves a fine home near Cygnet
on one Of their farms in this county
and there they were content to live
and till the soil.
Some years ago oil was found be-
meath their lands and in Il short time
the fluid was pouring forth by the
hundreds barrels, at the same time
turning hundreds upon hundreds of
dollars into the Golfers Of the family.
A strange religious sect sprang up in
the neighborhood and the wife and
sons became affiliated with this sect.
With the coming of this religion to the
members Of the family came trouble
and i'll fortune to Ephraim Shanabarg-
er. Business ventures proved unfruit-
full and disaster followed disaster. Still
the wife hung to the strange religion
which had been discovered by a per
son considered an adventurer by all
save believers. He claimed to have
found the teachings advocated by him
and believed by dozen or more, in a
roll shown to him in a dream. The
roll was found in the hollow Of a tree.
WHAT ROLL REVEALED.
This roll revealed to him a story of
the destruction of the world by fire,
together with all its people, save
few, who would be gathered upon
tract of waste land in a desolate coun-
try. The members of this singular
sect were ridiculed by the people of
the neighborhood, who called them
roll flyers"
Finally after long study Of the al
legged charts and rolls, one of the So
ciety had pointed out to him the spot
where this piece of land lay. 1t was
IN Texas and thither the members Of
The society went. Finally a tract Of
land about five miles from Livingstone
was thought to be that referred to in
the charts and here they stopped. Mrs.
Shanabarger accompanied them on
this pilgrimage, leaving her husband
to follow the new prophet. No other
members Of the society had any money
and the support of the entire colony
virtually rested upon her shoulders
AS the religious ardor of the "rol
flyers" increased, the wealth of the
Shanabargers decreased, though oil in
large quantities still gushed forth, ever
and anon a piece of land would have
to be disposed of to get funds with
which to keep alive the people in the
heaven" as they called it.
A church was hewn out Of the logs
found convenient and few huts were
erected by the angel habitants Of the
place. This was the only sign of i'm
provement about the country, as the
land is generally considered of no
value whatever for the raising of
crops OF for otner money-making pur-
poses. Gradually the old mans prop
erty continued to slip away from his
grasp and ready money began to grow
more scarce, at the same time the
demands from "heaven" increased.
THE HEAVEN" WAS EXCLUSIVE.
G"N MO NCC bNSuu ny INC VIE LOI
partition Of the property in order
that she might be able to get hold of
more money with which to sustain the
people Of the sacred spot No one
outside Of those who inhabited the
strange place were permitted to enter
it. and n r. Harrington, an attorney
from Bowling Green, Ohio, who went
there to get deposltions in order that
the wife might be able to set up a
claim for her share OF the property,
was the first outsider admitted. This !
was done only that the heaven"
might be longer kept up. Mr.. Harring-
ton found the rudely constructed huts !
and church as above stated. He also
found there fourteen people, all of
whom believed they had definite
knowledge Of the time Of the destruc-
tion Of the world by fire. They never
leave the Dlace eyceDt TO get sunnIies !