Omaha daily bee., 1906-07-15
CRIME AND MISERY LINKED
Tragic elimination Of the Holy Roller
Craze in Oregon.
AVENGNG BROTHER KILLED BY SISTER
"a Modern Joshua" starts a Plague
which Wrecks Many Homes, Fills
Insane AsyIums and Causes
Two violent Deaths.

last Thursday opens another chapter In
the history Of connected crimes eXtraor-
binary in variety and shocking In origin.
day or two before a jury acquitted
Mitchell Of the charge of numbering Franz
Edmund Crefield leader OF a band OF
fanatics known as the Holy Rollers, whom
Mitchell shot to cath on the streets of
Seattle last May. In killing Crenleld.
Mitchell sought to avenge the honor Of two
sisters, Esther, single, and Mrs. George
Starr, both of whom were members OF the
Holy Rollers band. The younger sister. in
turn, avenges the death of Cref1eld by
killing her brother. Thus the madness of
emotional preaching and blasphemous pre-
tensions to divinity scores two murders,
plunges father and children into the depths
of grief and humiliation an puts In leop-
ardy the life of an erring daughter. Yet
the tragic fate of the Mitchell family Is
but link in the chain Of oregon homes
wrecked by the pernicious teachings Of
Creffeld prophet of the Holy Rollers.
Grimes Traced to Cremeld.
To understand the origin OF the crimes
back several years to the inception Of the
Holy Roller movement. 1t first attracted
attention in Corvallis, Ore, where Cref-
field established camp and sought fol-
lowers. He had no particular talent as q
preacher His success in gathering re-
cruits was due to the fears aroused by
claims of divinity. Invariably his recruits
were women. Mothers left their husbands,
children and homes to join the Holy Roll
ers. Daughters turned against their faith
ers and Joined the band. Il hate you,
adore Crefield," shouted one girl Of IS to
her father as she fed to the preachers
camp, eighty miles from her home.
While outwardly wearing the mask of re-
ligion, Crefield proved to be moral de-
generate, exercising despotic sway over
his dupes. Great secrecy was maintained
with respect to the rites of the Holy Roll
ers, but gradually the people of Corvallis
learned what was going on. They heard
Of shocking orgies. Of progressive moral
leprosy, and public indignation reached the
limit. Crefield escaped lynching by flight
at night Later he was apprehended, con-
victed and sentenced to a term In the Ore
gon penitentiary. AS soon as he was re-
leased he returned to Corvallis and gathered
the remnants of his following. among them
the two sisters of young Mitchell, in an
attempt to reorganize the Holy Rollers, but
he was again forced TO flee for his life to
escape the wrath Of the citizens. Mitchell s
two sisters remained loyal to Crefleld in
his trouble ana were among the first to
return to his leadership. Efforts of the
Mitchell family to sever their relations
were in vain Mrs, Starr, Mitchell's mar
ried sister, fed from her home and chill
dren for the Holy Roller camp one April
morning and left this farewell note: Il
cannot wait until daylight because the
babies would cry to go with me. l have
taken about $3.50 of your money, but
guess l have been worth that much to
you 1t is not enough to pay my fare, and
| ] will have to walk to the place l am
going" George Mitchell. the brother. read
this note and Creffields death in the
streets of Seattle followed
The trial OF Mitchell for the killing Of
Creffield brought to the court as witnesses
scores Of sturdy Oregonians, who not only
| applauded the crime, but related stories OF
| the infamies Of Crefield IN justification OF
! his taking OF. One of these witnesses was
o. V. Hurt father-in-law of Crefheld, a
| we'll known citizen of Corvallis, who
branded the Holy Roller leader as a fiend
Hurts home was wrecked by Crefeld, his
wife led astray and sent TO an asylum
one daughter became Creffield's wife and
younger daughter escaped contamination
by flight from the camp.
In his. testimony at the trial of Mitchell
Mr.. Hurt described some OF the scenes
enacted in the Holy Roller camp and tbs
power exercised by Creffied over his fana
teal followers. "Creffield," he testified
used to get his followers to lie on tht
floor and roll about, praying and shouting
He would keep telling them that God
would smite them unless they did as h,
said. He claimed to be the Savior. l hav,
known Cref1eld to keep them rolling abou
] N
twelve to twenty-four hours at one time
His power over his followers, who wer,
nearly all women, was something wonder
full They did whatever he said. The!
were dead to all human sympathles The!
left their children, their husbands and thei
parents go uncared for and without a kim
thought or word.
"Crefield would say, for example, as
Esther Mitchell. you do this and sh
would do It. He would tell my wife o
daughter 10 do a thing and It would b
done as he said.
when they got together for religion
services all would lie on the floor Cref
field would walk about among them an
sometimes he would roll about, too. Will
lying this way they were supposed to re
ceive messages from God. Crefield woul
I keep telling them to pray and shout witt
all their might or God would smite them
AT one time, as Crefield's power grew
they offered a sacrifice OF two dogs and
cat I heard there had been talk Of OFFER
ing up little girl as a sacrifice Creffel
made them turn the pictures of thei
homes to the wall. saying such thing
partook OF vanity and the world.
TT finally came to such a pass tina
crefheld made the women burn all thel
clothes as a sacrifice and wear nothin
but thin wrappers These garments eve
would be dispensed with during the roIlin
services.
Their doings eventually became sue
that the Rollers were examined as to the
, sanity and my family was sent TO the In
sane asylum"
Similar testimony Of wrecked homes an
ruined families was given by other victim
, OF the Holy Roller plague. It is not sur
prising that the infamy ended In TRACED,
The wonder is that It was delayed so loni
A New Train Tor Fort Dodge.
The CbfcagO Great --s,------