The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-01-23
NEW KANSAS SECT
CALLED "FIREBRANDS f"

(AHlene lkanD Letter TO Chicago Record1
Fire. Fire! Fire, Bless YOU bro
ther. was cry that startled the
townspeOple one afternoon a few
months ago 4 soberly dressed farm
er, wearing the plain suit and long
nalr OF the Quakerlike set Of river
brethren, met another Of the same ap-
pearance and this was their greeting
AtterWard came other experiences
when young woman in river brother
gaIb came to town, and going from
store to store declared in a despairing
voice:
Beware, Abilene will be destroyed
in ninety days."
One lay young man, having had
his abundant locks trimmed in a bar
Der shop, arose from the chair. and
stepping to the middle of the floor
announced to the crowd in waiting:
I feel called on to say that 1 have
been baptized by fire and am saved"
Then he put on his coat and went out.
These were but manifestations Of a
new movement that has caused the
sta1d river brethren more uneasiness
than anything that has occurred in all
their religious life, even from the early
part Of the century, when they settled
OF the banks Of the Susquehanna. in
Pennsylvania, and began to worship
in their own way without restraint.
And, by the way that was how they
AN--A - t-ACAA NAlASr Ayt LAANg WCAE Nv
err brethren, as distinguished from
other members of their sect. brethren
in Christ, who lived among the hills.
This new form Of religious zeal is
the product of somewhat sensational
preaching by leaders of the so-called
FIRE baptized association, or, as they
are Familiarity known, the Fire
brands" and it is the first schism that
has occurred in the river brethren de
nomination It has worried the elders.
Said one grave faced brother, shaking
his abundant beard and locks: I'VE
hardly know what to make Of it. but
we abide in faith. and think it will
come out all right
The 'Firebrands' began with the
coming to central Kansas Of an evan
gelist. b. II. Irwin, from Iowa, two
years ago He was taken in by the
river brethren and they accepted his
doctrines, which were OF the utmost
perfection through faith Finally he
undertook to change their form of
dress and they objected. Then he
started meetings of his own, and
preached the fire doctrine. He held
that the fire Of inspiration came to the
believers, and his meetings abOunded
in frances, screaming and other eXhib-
itiOns of the power" Long after mid
night. night after night, the little band
prayed and testified. all the time grow
ing in numbers. Finally Irwin adj
vised all the members to sell their
hogs. 8 they were unclean beasts,
and he was Obeyed. A score of farm
eTs took their swine to market at
great loss. He also attempted to cure
by laying on of hands, and found some
patients who thought they were helped.
One man declared ne was cured of a,
sort of palsy, but he was as bad as
ever the next day. One farmer be
lieved" and was pronounced cured Of
. sr, hit he IN
months.
Irwin returned last fall with a big
tent and two assistant preachers and
opened meetings with greater zeal than
before. The excitement drew people
from a score of miles distant and on
Sunday thousands gathered. The ser
vice consisted Of sermons, shouting
and exhibitions Of the power" Com
municants jumped up and down for
/ half an hour at a time, screaming
praises to God. Some went into frances.
These Irwin allowed none to touch. In
his address he abused the river breth-
rem. their form of dress and customs.
pointing them out in the congregation
and calling them by name Never in
he history of this country has there
been so strange and wild preaching
as that and the people wondered how
IL would end if the excitement con-
/ tinued to grow. They speedily found
out.
A party of young farmers, whose pa
rents, friends and sweethearts had been
maligned by Irwin and his associates.
: surrounded the tent one moonlight
night Suddenly they cut the ropes and
rushed for the preachers. They caught
/ two Of them, but Irwin. amid the con-
! fusion darkness and fright of the con-
I gregation escaped. The captives were
/ taken to a stock tank near by. The
windmill. driven by the prairie breeze,
/ had filed it with clear. cold water.
In with 'em, boys" cried a stall
! wart youth.
/ "One-two-threel SPLASH spIashl
/ The evengelists We're ducked three
times and then allowed to 60 Irwin
had already secured a horse and was
I far away. The others followed and
no more camp meetings were held in
that town. Irwin went TO Colorado
/ and no more has been heard of him
! The others went to Pennsylvania and
+ attacked in a series of addresses the
Z river brethren near Chambersburg
[ Pa, until they were driven out of thai
: section One youth. Harry SOlOnberg-
er. went to Philadelphia and started
| an orphanage. wherein healing was tS
be by faith and laying on Of hand:
/ alone One or two children died and
he was arrested
A girl Martha Zook. entered the