Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-11-16

III VI tiiHu tlldt lie DelleVed tnat IL
suit could be maintained against the
Kingdom Tor obtaining money under
false pretences."
Governor Cobb read a report from
County Attorney Crockett of Andres
cogGin county which is in part as fol-
lows:
The report Of Ralph w. Crockett.
Esq. county attorney of Androscoggin
on conditions at Shiloh is as follows:
while I agree with the physician
and the nurse as to the apparent con-
ditions existing at Shiloh at the time of
the first visit, l am satisfied that the
true conditions can never be asce"-
tanned from such visit or from a
series of such visits. My connection
for the past two years with the various
trials and hearings upon matters reiat-
ing to this society has convinced me
that it is not in the physical but in the
mental conditions existing in the COM
munity that the real dangers Of Sand
fordism exist. Only those who have
awakened from the nightmare, assert
Cd themselves and broken away can
describe the horrors of the place.
Every persons who joins the So
ciety is expected to turn over to Sand
ford whatever property he has. Many
have turned in large amounts, reduc-
ing themselves and those dependent
upOn them. to want.
"Men and women have been sub
iectcd to the most severe and humilat'
ing treatment both in public and in
private. Strong men have been ter
rorized till they were thoroughly sub
dued and women treated with cruelty
almost beyond belief.
"Sandford has several times ordered
fasts covering from one to three days.
during which times all adults and chill
dren. sick and well. and even nursing
babes, have been required to complete
| " abstain from nouriShment. On one
| occa sion the community lived on one
| meal IA day for II days.
HE teaches healing by the prayer Of
| faith. and allows no medicines to be
| used. In the winter of 1904 Leander
bartlett, boy of IA. was a member of
! the colony living there with his moth
| or. During one of the faStS he was
ill with diphthcria. Sanford claimed
| that he had been rebclliouS and denied
to him the prayer of faith. saying to
the congregation assembled i'll the
| chapel. L wouldn't care if / saw
Loandcr Bartlett's dead body stretched
out before me- The boy died. as
Sanford told his people. a lost soul.
| dies without food without medicines
and without the prayer of faith.
| parents have been compelled by
| Sandford to give their children severe
| floEgings for the most trivial offences.
and in some instances the punishment
has been inflicted by the elders of the
| society or by others outside the family,
all at Sandford's order or under his
direction. On one occasion Sanford
| told a father to whip his son and he did
so. Sanford thought the boy wasn't
whipped hard enough and told the
| father to take him out and whip him
again He Obeyed. On his return
| Sanford enGuired if he had done a
good job and the father replied that he
had.
''Thus We find at Shiloh all Considera
| lions made secondary to the teach
| ines Of Sanford. who claims to be the
representative of God. Ruling his
people with fear, as with a rod of iron,
/ lteN IoiloN lIIlHlitltly l.iS IiitItSt 'Nut>
| gcstion Family fellowship is destroyed,
natural tics superseded by what is
falsely claimed to be a more spiritual
condition. Living in an atmosphere OF
unrcality, these people become untitled
for the affairs of every day life. AM
bton is bliEhtcd. manhood and wo-
manhood is stunted and warped; the
natural affection of parents toward
their offspring weakened and the
healthy development of the young child
and the youth arrested.
Stamford and his institution arc a
menace to the people of AndroScoggin
county and the state Of Maine. His
dpludod victims deserve our pity. for
they are dominated by his mind and
captive to his will They deserve our
pity the moro because they are honest.
for they must be honest, else they
would not be there
They even imagin. that they are hap
py as thos" tell us who have broken
away from the subtle snlrc that held
them"
The following letter written by Or. Err
nest a. Crockett Of lewiston on condi-
tons at Shiloh was presented:
| - LEWISTON. NC. NOV. u. l.ffi
| Hon William J.. Cobb
Dear S.r:-At til" request Of Ralph w
| Crockett. county attorney of Andres;
c"ECin county. / visited Srloh with HIM
Thu %day. Novcmbs r first. to learn Of tn.
health Of the inmates. their general ply
steal condition, and whether they wcr,
rcC' living sufficient and nolirShing food
| fund them to be generally healthy ~
far as J could determine without makina
a thorough physical examination. al
| though all Of the adults whom saw had
a weak. cHprcsSionless appearance, which
Indicated TO m" an abnormal mental
state. They appeared simple i'll speech
and manner. filed with the ono idea OF
Sandfordism and knowing and caring fol
nothing else.
Visiting Bethesda, the hospital. l fount
but four patients. In company with :
nurse, Miss McGunr of Lewiston. | Wis
itcd and talked with each one Mr.. NJ Il
Ter, who had been i'll for four weeks WITT
typhoid fever. was ccnvals scent and hi:
| nurse said that she would allow him t,
| sit Up for awhile on tn" following dlN
The treatment. such a., cold baths. noir
iShment. and sanitation 7w&s carried on,
as yearly as | could dctrrm.nc in abou,
| the same manner as in other rommuni.
ties, with the exception that no drug
! were administered. The nurse however
admitted that she had not taken the pa
ticnts temperature or pulse for two
| weeks.
The next patient was Z woman who had
lrecently been confined. Both mother and