The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-21
{ " ! DRIVE" IN SHILOH, NE.
HOLY GHOST AND US SECT GO
FOR OLD SATAN HARD.
They Have Been Suffering = High Death
,Rate-With Shields and Bucklers and
Beating Their Hands With Bibles
the Faithful S:hOO the Devil Away.

Beating Their Hands with bibles
the Faithful Shoo the Devil Away.
BANGOR, Me-, June 2o.--At the Temple Of
Shiloh, the grotesque tabernacle OF the
strange sect known as the Disciples OF the
Holy Ghost and Us, on Beulah Hill. in the
town OF Durham, a peculiar ceremony has
been In progress this week under the di-
rcction Of Elder Sanford. chief prophet.
The ceremony is called devil drive. y
and its purpose is the expulsion from the
temple OF the evil spirit, which has been
present for q year or more at Shiloh in the
form Of various diseases, including, latterly,
virulent smallpox.
Elder Sanford says he ia In direct COM
munication with the Holy Ghost, and re-
Gently, he says, he had a revelation to the
effect that the devil must be driven from
Shiloh before the smallpox could be checked.
Hence the devil drive"
Sanford. who formerly was Freewll
Baptist clergyman, organized the Holy
Ghost and Us sect eight years ago. and at
once began the erection upon what used
to be known as Sand Hill, in Durham. Of the
group Of queer-looking buildings which are
to-day ono OF the strangest sights In all
iuO SChlIhb tCIlIluO 80 WV iVCp
long, and shelters In it's $40 rooms several
hundreds Of religious fanatics gathered
from all parts of the country by SAM
ford's remarkable powers OF exhortation.
A condition Of reception into the fold OF the
faithful is that the convert must give up
all worldly possessions and turn over the
proceeds to Elder Sanford In this way
the chief prophet of Shiloh has gathered
large sums Of money, many Of the converts
having been well-to-do.
The life at Shiloh is one Of labor and
prayer, interspered with frenzied orgies
Of singing, applications and fantastic
manual exercises on special occasions, as
in the devil drive" Sanford says he
possesses the power to heal the sick and
even to raise the dead. and his control
over the disciples is absolute Ever since
August. 1902. however, Shiloh has been a
veri'ahe pest spot of contagion, and tn e
disciples have died at an alarming rate, so
that the chief prophets reputation for
power over all things earthly has lately
been in danger. Something had to be done.
and so the devil drive" was ordered. The
ceremony is thus described by one OF the
faithful:
In the upper hall of the temple. known
as the Armory Of David, the hosts of the
saints first armed themselves with shields
and bucklers that were hanging on the
walls in readiness for such emergencies as
this. They then descended in solid pha-
anx to the main hall OF the temple and met
the devil upon their knees.
1T was then necessary to dslodge the
evil one from each of these Individual saints.
When finally he was without cover where
he could hide himself. the saints moved in
body upon their knees, forcing the foe
before them TO the western door. Every
corner Of the temple was we'll beaten with
Bibles, that the devil might lurk nowhere.
-On their knees. and keeping solid front
TO the west, the saints descended the broad
steps, whacking their palms with their Bibles
and shouting apathemas at the fleeing
devil. During all this time saints were
stationed at the open windows In the three
stories Of the temple, each with Bible in
hand, to prevent the devil from eluding
his pursuers and reentering the tabernacle
The authorities, who have been consider
ing the situation at Shiloh. are not sanguine
as TO the effectiveness Of the devil drive"
and may have q drive on their own hook,
for with death rate exceeding that of
Bangor by 500 per cent. Shiloh, with all its
holiness, Is regarded as q menace to the
surrounding settlements.