The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-04-27
SAINTS TROUBLE ILIHB.
LEGISLATIVE ACTION SOUGHT ON
The COLONY At SHILOH.

III
There by an Evangelist Who De.
can With Three Cents and . Wheel
barrow-tielman p. Days story Of
its Rise and Progress.
Conditions among the Saints OF
Shiloh and tho continued expansion
of their remarkable settlement In the
town of Durham. where. starting with
an old wheelbarrow and three cents.
Evangelist Sanford and his follow.
ers have erected buildings valued OF
n little less than quarter OF q mil
lion dollars. nave begun to arouse the
people OF Maine. The Saints are talk.
ing about having an electric railway
from the station at Lisbon Falls to
the gates OF their temple. Recently
Sanford has bought several hundred
more acres OF land In Durham. and
Il Ia surmised that he may purpose
establishing some sort Of industrial
enterprise there on the Dowie plan.
| A dozen Of the Maine boards OF
trade and the citizens OF some twenty
towns have petitioned the Legislature
for an Investigation OF conditions at
Shiloh. Sanford himself In awaiting
q second trial on the charge Of man.
slaughter In having caused the death
| OF q child through n seventy hour
fast he proclaimed In the settlement
He 10 also waiting the result Of an
appeal against conviction Of cruel
treatment OF mis- own son. n child Of
seven. In imposing a similar fast.
What will become OF the settlement
should he be removed is n problem.
Sanford Is head and front and inspir-
alton OF the movement--"the whole
thing" they say In Durham-and
those who understand best the inner
workings OF the colony and the In
fiuence he exerts In II predict disin.
tegration when he quits. In that case
the town OF Durham may find itself
saddled with some 200 or 800 paupers.
or one for every taxpaying citizen: so
naturally the community Is anxious.
Holman r. Day. the Maine poet
whom Sanford. In the beginning OF
things. impartially constituted ofiicial
chronicler OF the progress OF the
temple he had planned. tells In Les
lies Magazine the history OF the
colony and describes the spirit pre-
vailing In II. Mr.. Day happened TO
see the start OF the movement by re-
ceIving a hurry call TO show up Sand
ford. who had just busted the Quaker
meeting at Durham by converting TO
his faith two.thirds OF its members.
One had been go impressed that ne
had made over 10 the new prophet
the family homestead.
Mr.. Day found Sanford In this
tumbledown old farmhouse. He
pointed through the window 10 an old
blue wheeibarrow tilted up In the
yard. Then he turned out his pocket
and produced three cents.
"All the earthly capital ! have In
the world today" he said. you are
looking at A wheelbarrow and three
cents. Now come outdoors with me.
Look up there"
He pointed to the bare sandy poll
OF the hill.
Il am going to start tomorrow morn.
ing" he went on. to build n mighty
temple up there to the glory OF God,
I know just how Il Is going TO look.
God has shown Il TO me In n dream
and I have drawn II out on this piece
Of paper"
He had drawn II In colors and II
looked a marvellous place. On the
spot. he appointed Mr.. Day. as
typical doubter, the chronicler OF his
progress. The next day he and two
disciples began trundling dirt with the
wheelbarrow TO prepare for the foun.
dations. The farmers came around
and wondered. Next day some Of
them brought teams and offered TO
lend hand. Within n week hundreds
were nj work.
The $250.0O0 temple. which Sand
ford calls THE Gates OF Praise" Is the
result. A horse trader with a chariot
and four white horses and a printer
with his outfit were among the early
recruits. The colony soon numbered
200. Sanford never begged, took no
collections and received no salary.
When the temple was completed he
decided the land and all upon IL to
Lord God Almighty" and had the
transaction duly recorded on the An.
droscoggin registry OF deeds.
When the Saints want anything they
pray for IL. Sanford declares that
never yet has God failed to give them
money for the things he tells them
Through Sandford) TO do. Once
Sanford suddenly declared In the
temple that God had just instructed
him TO 90 TO Jerusalem. He started
that night with one disciple. Funds
were low and they had just $ll.l4 be.
tween them. The Saints were aghast.
but he assured them 1t was Gods COM
mand.
He returned three months later,
travelling first class. with n dozen coz.
verts in his party. That day the
Saints were dedicating their COM
pleted Bethesda. They had wanted
for nothing In his absence.
Another time there was no food In
the Mace Sanford instructed his