Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-12-13
WILL WIPE OUT
Shiloh COLONY
ELiIaH sANFoRc's HOLY GHOST
SOCIETY Will SOON &c a
THING OF The PAST.
PLAGUE spot OF Maine
Governor Cobb and Couneii Hold a
Meeting 10 Determine Whether In
reference Is Constitutional.

~%%%
Ing ut Governor Cobb and his counCll4
h. being held today and h Ii gener.
ally believed thai the first steps viii
BE- taken TO wipe ost the plague spot
of Maine-Elitah sandford's Holy
Ghost society colony 4, Shiloh. SUI.
fieient testimony has already been
presented TO the governor TO eternal
IIy dam the infamous Shiloh tnstttu.
ton. and the only QUESTION TO be- de-
clded at t0day's meeting Is whether
Executive interference Will BE- consti.
tutionaL Prominent local attorneys
declare that any objections 0f this
character can easily be- avoided and
II IL expected that decisive action
will he taken q
Disease and famine. depravity and
Insanity. have been the rewards of
faithful who have joined the Rev.
Frank W. SandfOrd's Holy Ghost and
Us colony, The mad house and The
grave have already claimed sc0res OF
victims. The terrible white plague.
eaused by exposure and insufficient
food and clothing. Ia prevalent In the
village. Polluted water and unsanit.
airy buildings are responsible for
many cases Of typhoid fever, The
gloomy religious teachings Of Sand.
ford have ruined many minds and
brought about the incarceration OF
his victims In the insane asylums.
Family ties have been sundered and
immortality placed at a premium by
the founder Of the Holy Ghosters
sect. Numerous instances Of cruel
and infamous treatment OF infants
land children are included In the In
ldictment,
In the face of all this the willing
; dupes remain true To their master.
even though he is absent ON a tour
of the Holy land. Seven hundred Of
these shattered. starving and half
crazed fanatics are crowded together
on Shiloh Hill, devotlng their entire
time Ia prayer and the study Of the
Bible. Constantly throughout the
day and night some member Is pray
ing in the turret of the temple. Men
women and children are huddled 10
gether In the bare buildings on thu
barren. sandy hilltop, with a toal alb
sence of all distinctions of sex. fam
liz and age. No physicians are al
lowed in the village and fasting AM
prayer are the universal panacea'
for all the illness due To the prevail
ing filthy and ~unsanitary conditions
The Holy Ghosters believe that sick
ness la due to having violated sori'
OF the rules and preCepts Of Sand
ford and the patients at the colon.
hospital are starved to drive out tn
devils" Scores of children and babe
have been made to fast for days an
many deaths have resulted. One q
these victims was Ieander Bartlett
q IA year old boy. who was !iterail'
starved to death for disobeying Sand
ford's commands. The leader of IN
Holy Ghosters was indicted for man
slaughter In connection with thi
case. Int 1t was finally dropped. Lat
i ct sSdItuItlh ""S hHt
with cruelty to n Of his own chi
dren. and was found guilty and fine
s100 and costs. Numerous deposition
alleging cruelty to children have bee
filed with the governor. and it i
mainly on these that the state wi
base Its case.
One OF the causes Of the prcsen
action against the Shiloh colony va
the publicity given to the attemp
made by Mrs. Alice Phelps. OF kansa
City. TO regain her two daughters
who had become members of tn
Holy Ghost society. The girls. Be:
sic and May Phelps. had been pops
lar teachers In the public schools {
Kansas City before their cOnyersio
TO the Holy Ghost cult by one {
S%andford's lieutenants. After comm
here no message was received frot
the girls by the broken hearted pr
rents. The silence was maintaine
for many years, and after the deaf
of the father, George Phelps, the vie
ow came to Maine In search of he
daughters. At Shiloh the bereave
woman was refused admission by tn
elders. With the aid of an office
however. Mrs. Phelps succeeded /
gaining admission. and in the insan
ward of the Shiloh hospital. houn
hand and foot to the vermin-infeste
cot. and covered with a filthy bla,
ket, the mother found Bessie Phelp
a raving maniac. After a long leg;
fight with Sanford the insane gi
was removed to the insane asylum
where she Is 10Y confined, Mr.
Phelps is nov engaged in an attemI
to v her other daughter. May, tn
girl. while almost III. poorly clad an
on the verge of madness. ohstinateI
refuses to leave Shiloh. and viii nj