The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1901-01-22
NEW SECT MAKES POOR
lNFATUATlON OF AN OHIO WOMAN
FOR THE roll FLYERS"

one OF the strangcet stories in the
history of the state is revealed in Il
dozen and one lawsuits which have
been instituted i'm and among the fum-
lily of Ephraim Shanabarger. who. Il
few years ago. was one of the WEALTH.
est men i'm Wood County.but is now an
outcast without sufficient ready mon
ey to buy Tor himself a bcu. says the
Bowling Green ohio correspondent
of the Chicago Record.
How Shanabarger became a pauper
is also revealed to some extent in the
various legal acknowledgements into which
the man, now seycnty-two years of
age. has been plunged either by him
self or some member OF his family y
strange religious infatuaton ON the
part of his wife accounts for it all
Ephraim Shanabarger came early to
Wocd County and took a large tract of
land He was industrious. AS was his
wife and four SONS and IN a 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
so turn 10 money. They built for
themselves n fine home near Cygnot
on one of their farms i'm this county
and there they were content to live
and till the soil.
Some years ago oil was found be-
meath their lands and i'm a 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.
\ 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 ill fortune to Ephraim Shauabarg-
er. Business ventures proved unfruit-
full and disaster followed disaster. Sdn
the wife hung to the strange religion
which had been discovered 10y a per-
son considered an adveuturcr by all
save believers. He claimed to have
found the teachings advocated by him
and believed by a dozen or more. i'm
roll shown TO him i'm a dream The
roll was found in the hollow Of tree
WHAT ROLL REVEALED.
This roll revealed TO him story of
the destruction Of the world 10y fire.
together with all its people. save
few. who would be gathered upon
tract of waste land in a deSolatc coun-
try. The members of this singular
sect were ridiculed by the people of
the ncighborhood, who called them
roll flyers"
Finally after long study of the al
legged charts ana rolls, one of the So
ciety had pointed out to him the spot
where this piece of land lay. Ii was
in Texas and thither the members of
the society went. Finally tract of
land about five miles from Livingstone
was thought to be that referred TO i'm
the charts and here they stopped. Mrs
Shanabarger accompanied them ON
this pilgrimage. leaving her husband
10 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 roll
flyers increased, the we-lth of the
Shanabargers decreased, though oil i'm
large quantities still gushcd forth ever
and anon a piece of land would have
to he disposed of to get funds with
which to keep alive the people i'm the
heaven as they called IT,
y church was hewn out of the logs
found convenient and q few huts were
erected by the angel habitants of the
place. This was the only sign of inn
provemcnt about the country. as the
land is generally considered of mo-
value whatever for the raising of
crops or for other mOncy-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.
Lawsuits wee begun by the wife for
Ia partition of the property in order
that She might bee able To- gct hold of
more money with which TO sustain the
people OF the sacred spot So one
outside of those who inhabited tine
strange place were permitted To- enter
it. and y. r. Harrington am attorney
from Bowling Green. Ohio. who went
there tO get dispositions Zoo order ihat
tine wife nigh. Doe able t0 500. mo
claim for her share of tine property
was lhc first outsider admitted This
was done only that tho "heavcu"
might bc longer Keep. ur Mr. uauiug
ton found Che rudcly constructed huts
md church ass above stated He gI-o.
found there fourteen people. aU of
whom believed they bad doGuH.