The news & observer., 1905-12-17
HER EYES SPOKE
Eloquence of Counsel
Not Needed.
Mol Pros Entered in Case Against
Mrs. RegsdaIe and Her Husband
Whose "HoIy Jumping Prayed
High Point Nerves.
Especial to News and Observer)

(SpeClal TO News ana observer
Greensboro, N. c.. Dec. IA case
which attracted great dea! of inter-
est in the court house yesterday and
had attracted more in High Point
where it came from, was an indict-
ment against two sanctified preachers,
Rev j. ~ Ragsdae and wife. Rev.
Mrs. Ragsdale. They We're charged
with maintaining a public nuisance in
High Point by keening up such Il
racket at their services that people
could not sleep.
They were said to begin with prayer,
sing hymns. read the Bible, etc, with
reasonable Cuietude. but IS the meet
ing progressed and things got warmed
up they would beat on stove pipes,
tin pans. sling tin buckets with rocks
inside. raise benches on end and let
them fall. run a banjo, shout. scream,
Shrek, WhOCn. dance and jump One
witness said the lady defendant could
be heard threc-uuartcrS of mile,
One man testified that he had bought
a lot and built a house in a hundred
yards of the Holy Jumpers head
quarters and they made life so bur
densomo he had to leave his home and
live in a remote part of the city: that
it gave his wife such an aggravated
attack of nervous prOstration she had
to be taken out in the country to get
her nerves mended and that he had
at attack himself and never got up
till he was carried in an ambulance
from the scenes Of the religious en-
thusiaSts and got some sleep and rest.
Mr.. and Mrs Ragsdale both testified
before court adjourned. that they dld
not create so much noise as had been
related. They declared that all the
the assistants playing with their I'M
GERS on wash tins. symbolic of playing
on fine organs and pianos ana hddleS
in the rich churches and all the shout
ing done was when they were so re-
ioiced after long praying for mourn
cr to get salvation. he showed signs
| Of having got it. Ra@Sdalc. in reply &c
| the solicitors question as to what was
| Sanctification. said it was what Metho'
| diete and Baptists used to teach as he
would find by reading the history OF
their churches and the lives of Wesley
! and John Bunyan. Asked how his
/ church differed from ordinary religion
of the present day, he testified that tho
| ordinary religion of this day was no
saving souls or snatching brands from
| the burning.
An impressive Personality.
| Mrs. Ragsdale made a great impress
! sion on the large audience. When 80
Ilicitor Brooks asked her to descrlDC
| the noise they made when soul nae
Ereceived pardon, after such pleadings
! she claspcd her hands and with he
( eyes ahreJ with dancing joy, repleC
/ calmly and without attempt at erect
"Our JOY on such occasions Woul'
simply be outbursts of praise, thanks
! giving and jubilation. 1t was some
/ fa iIxr # I
| prodigaI son when ne came home
| They shouted and sang and jumped
! for 10Y. it is reasonable to infer. anC
we cannot help praising God when
! lost soul is saved
/ Solicitor Brooks looked like he hat
| all he could attend to before the rev
erend lady was half through, and sh'
! made Il solemn impression on all wh'
| had the good fortune to hear her, a
the sequel proved.
| This morning when court opened
! the solicitor announced that he rel
sure the defendants would not turthe
! conduct services which would ammo!
others and entered a mol pros. judge
| Bynum said that while he was salts
! fed his clients would be acquitted by
the jury. as they had a large number
! of witnesses present to testify tina
their religious services had been great
| ly exaggerated. and that they spen
their lives in deeds of charity and
| love to the poor and needy and lee
| Iirreproachable lives. he would accep
! the action OF the solicitor as his clients
had no hard feelings against any one
| in the matter.
Judge Ward said the solicitor haC
acted right in ventilating the case ant
in taking a mol pros; that he though
the jury would have acquitted defend
| ants and he would have done so him
self had he been a juryman; that some
! people in High Point no doubt though
these people didn't have the right sor
of religion and these people no doub
| thought the same thing about their re
| ligion. This very fact showed the grea
privilege of the foundation of Amer
can liberty. the basic principle, tn
| keystone of which. was the right o
every one to worship according to tn
dictates of ones own conscience.
| With a gentle courtesy from the lad,
| to the Judge, and dignifed respect
! full bow from the man they retired
| from the bar, the cynosure of TIVE
thousand eyes and in the wake OF a
least fifty High Point friends who fol
flowed them noiselessly beyond tn
portals of this Temple of Justice.