Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-10-12
"HoLY ROLLERS" ARE IN IOWA.
Strange Sect That Gets Religious and
Beats Heads on Pavement.

beats ueaQS On Pavement.
The Holy Rollers" have made
their appearance in Iowa. This pc
culiar sect roll upon the ground and
beat their heads against the pave
ment when they are worked up into
a frenzy of religious fervor, hence
the name.
The sect was formed about a year
ago in Oregon by Joshua Crelheld.
Creffield was formerly a captain in
the Salvation Army. A part of their
creed is the restoration of the Garden
Of Eden. Creffield preached to
them that they should wear no
clothes and should live together
without regard to conventional GUS
toms.
This religious sect was born in
the little town of Corvallis, Ore, and
soon numbered a hundred converts.
Havoc and ruin followed the forma-
ton Of the new sect. Wives left
their husbands; mothers left their
children; daughters forsook the low
ing protection Of their parents to
follow the unrighteous teachings of
this fanatic. In one case a whole
family. that of G. v. Hurt, was led
to embrace the faith.
The band took up it's abode at
Hurts home, men, women and chill
dren sleeping together. At this
house, on the outskirts of the town,
they INDUCED in the most frightful
orgies. Cats and dogs were burned
alive as sacrifices and Creffield an
nounced that live babies would be
offered up if necessary.
Finally the town people, stirred to
action, went forth in a body to the
house and took Crefheld and his
lieutenant, a man named Brooks, out
into the woods, where they gave
them coat Of tar and feathers and
warned them to keep away from the
town under pain of death. I'm
daunted by what he called his "per-
, secution," Creffield continued to di.
rect his following from lonely
hiding in the woods. Brooks has
+ never been heard of since, and it is
believed his bones are bleaching
under some lofty fir tree in the
: heart of the forest.
| firing of his exile at last, Crefielt
' went to Portland. There he broke
up the home of B. Z. Starr, making
, a convert of Mrs. Starr, Starr flee
criminal charges against him, ant
Q the opposite" fed.
/ Detectives secured the country il
search of him, but he had beef
whisked away by the devil.
- Four months later he was dis
covered in hiding under the Hur
Z residence by the l2-year-old son Q
Hurt. The man had existed 70
months in a little trench about 1,
= inches deep and just long enough t
lie in. Food had been supple,
!, by Mrs. Hurt up to the time tina
: she was committed to the insan
- asylum, which occurred a short tim
:. prior to his discovery. When tn
! man was dragged from his hidin
= place he was frightful object. H,
was entirely naked, his hair an
i beard long and matted, and he wa
- covered from head to foot with filth
d He was 30 weak from starvatio
If that he could not stand. Til
10 prophet was protected from violenc
q at the hands of the mob and take
III to Portland only with the creates
ot difficulty.
a He refused all offers of legal cour
Z sci, saying that he was in the hand
j. Of God and could suffer no harm.
ID The court adjudged him insan
Is and committed him to the asylul
ID where many of his victims had pre-
a coded him. A large number of thes
a however quickly recovered their sens
a when removed from Creffield' s ban,
a full influence and are once more Ii,
IN ing the sane, normal life which w;
~ theirs before the teachings Of IL
Or false prophet led them so far astra
All Of them ascribe Creffield's gre