The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-05-21

at of his being paralyzed on the left sit
e. in 1883. He was never known
r. preach before then and he has nevt
failed to preach sermon every nigl
at since then save occasionally on Frida
IL night.
A test made by your correspondei
Q, revealed that Perry is very illitcrat'
l. being scarcely able to spell out th
:, simplest words, even with book i
e hand. He is extremely reticent on th
subject of his nightly preaching, an
2 If pressed will resent too close ques
+. tioning. Another pecularity notice
It able is that Perry can go to sleep SUI
d rounded by curious crowd as readil
o and as quickly as babe in its mother
d arms.
Thursday evening PerrY's wife ar
: ranged bed in the school building
I. here and at $40 the strange man un
9 dressed and "turned i'm" apparently
8 for the night. In fifteen minutes
D amidst the gaze and hubbub of th,
L crowd, he was sound asleep. Fou
: minutes later he commenced to sing il
low aud measured tones an old hymn
{ beginning "Come, ye that love the
Lord" After "linIng out" and sing
ing two verses he slowly turned ON his
right side and reverently repeated the
Ioro's Prayer, making but one change
in it, viz, inserting the word " all " be-
fore the words +" our trespasses. He
followed the Lords Prayer with an ex-
temporaneous petition, the logic and
language of ii being as good as that of
the average white preacher. AT the
conclusion Perry turned on his back
and after "a moments pause, stated
that the text would be found in the
18th chapter of Matthew and 28th
verse. This he quoted and a comparl-
son of the quotation with the original
shows that he repeated the words yer-
batim. His discourse lasted forty. five
minutes and the reading of stenogra-
phic report made by Mr.. Tadlock shows
closely reasoned (with some excep-
sions) G G>spel sermon, instead of beng
senseless negro harangue. Few
grammatical errors were made and
many of his citations from the Bible
were substantially correct. AT times
he was really eloquent.
For the most part he spoke in a
smooth, conversational tone but oc-
caslonally he became impassioned and
made the welkin ring.
Twice during the sermon he had
something like cOnvulsions, and when
ever seized by one of these he inn
mediately left off speaking, his heart
and pulse ceased to beat and, except
for the strange movement of his mus
cles, one would suppose life extinct.
These convulsions lasted but minute
and as soon as over he would COM
mence his sermon just where he left
off and in the same tone.
An examination. of the. eyes while
preaching showed the puplls motion
less and a bright light placed close to
his face while the lids were pushed
back did not cause him to move or
finch.
During his preaching period it has
always been found impossible to wake
him. Pins have been stuck into his
flesh, burning acids have been put
about his eJ es, but all to 10 effect, save
that he suffered from these expert
ments on awaking.
Perry is particularly severe in his
criticisms of the present-day preachers.
He stated that eve are told there
were twelve disciples or teachers, and
one of these was devil. But to-day
/ think about eleven and half out of
twelve are devils" In elaboration of
this statement he referred to the "man-
sent preacher I" and "the self.sent
preacher and "the money-making
preacher"
Perry made no gestures at all, but
when under the impression that he
was reading from scme book in the
Bible would run the fingers of his right
hand across the bed covering as if fol-
lowing the lines.
He closed his sermon with an earnest
exhortation and when the end was
reached lay perfectly still and slept
quietly until awakened by physician, ,
who closely watched him throughout.
On being awakened he appeared
frightened for the moment. Although
he had greatly exerted himself several
times during his sermon, he stated that
he did not feel tired or at all exhaust
ed; yet his pulse beat rapidly and his
breath came quickly.
Whatever else may be said of the
strange sleeping preacher" the per-
formance is no fake. Time after time
various citizens in this county have
gone to Perry's home after night and
secreted themselves TO detect the fake,
as they supposed, but invariably after
watching HIM through the cracks in his
house go to bed, and giving him time
to go to sleep, he would sing hymn,
offer prayer, announce his text and
preach sermon. He never uses the
same text and the body of his discourse
: is always different.
He rarely ever fails, however, to
give the preachers "Hail Columbia"
The effect of this strange pheno.
menon on spec tor cannot be i'm.
agined.
: Perry's father is sald to be white
man and he has Indian blood in him
. also. This he shows enthusiastically, az
does his wife, who of late years always
!. accompanies him to prevent the crue
experiments which were at frat prac
! tioed by some in trying 10 awaken hel
. husband while IN the midst of ser
! mon. Men of a scientific turn of inint
have all interesting subject in III,
"sleeping preacher," and Saluda Coul
= ty in his person possesses one of th
= mysteries of the new century.
Is The pearl industry of Arkansas ha
reached a point of prominent