The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1911-12-15

ligious leaders in the
world. The colonists are called The
Saints, or the Holy Ghost and U.s."
The leader is called Elijah the Sec
ond To his followers he is the direct
representative OF God on earth; to
his detraetors he is a hypnotist; to
the casually interested, fanatic.
Always more or less in the worlds
eye through the adventures and mis-
adventures Of its energetic leader and
his disciples who rove the seas and
carry the word of God to all coun-
tries of the earth," the Holy Ghosters
seem TO have come TO the zenith or
their notoriety.
The yacht Coronet, one of a fleet OF
several craft belonging to the colony,
arrived at Portland recently, battered
and sea-fouled, her topmasts gone,
her sails torn to ribbons, and her
worm-eaten hull riddled with the bor-
ings OF the dread teredo worm OF the
tropics, leaking 1000 strokes an hour.
On board were Sandford, his family,
and fifty other members of the Holy
Ghost sect, most of them living skel-
etons from the ravages of scurvy and
weakened to the point Of exhaustion
from many days work at the pumps.
Soon after their arrival three men
were sent to the hospital by port Of
ficials. Sandford himself was arrest
ed on a civil suit brought by a woman,
who claimed that she had been Illegal
ly detained two years previously when
she wanted to leave the Holy Ghost
barkentine Kingdom, and after the
Holy Ghost leader had given $4,000
bail on this charge he was soon after
arrested again by the Federal author
tiles, charged with being responsible
for the death of one OF his flock who
had been buried at sea, and for the
illness of the others, both charges be-
ing based on the fact that he had kept
them at sea in a boat improperly pro
visioned when he might have made
port.
1t was fifteen years ago, in one OF
the quaintest and quietest Quaker
communities of Maine, for the tnhab-
itants Of Durham, outside of Shiloh,
are largely Quakers. that Rev. Frank
W. Sandford and his Saints OF the
Holy Ghost and Us" crusade estab-
lished the headquarters OF their re-
markable creed and started the erec-
tion of their Temple
When the first spadeful of earth was |
turned Sandfords sole capital and |
equipment was three cents, a wheel |
barrow, and a shovel. John Henry |
Douglass, whose name is now immor-
tallzed amongst Shilohites, gave the |
land of his home farm for the site. |
other farmers became converted by .
the young leader, then only eleven |
years out of college. They gave their |
time. their labor and their land, and,
finally themselves to the move
ment," as the Shilohites speak of their
work
Slowly a great white Temple, the
wings serving the purpose Of dor
mitory. was erected, fOur-story brick
hospital was added, and several cot
tages sprang up.
Sandford's original three cents, in
vested in the bank Of God" as the
Holy Ghosters would say, bore heavy
interest, and now an outlay Of $780,
600 or more is represented in the
buildings on the hill top"
The way in which money has at
times poured into the Golfers Of the
Shilohites has astounded the curious
outside world Sandfords method OF
securing funds is to pray. He declares
that God has never yet failed him
with money when it was needed.
The Saints OF Shiloh" say that God
himself ordered the erection of this
Temple and selected its site; that he
furnished the money with which to
build; that each successive stage of
construction has been marked by a
miracle in order that it might be
shown that God was directing; that is
to say, when It seemed, time after
time. that money and material were
nowhere to be had, when it appeared
that the work had stopped for good.
supplies were promptly furnished
through supernatural agencies.
The Saints also assert that Shiloh
has been commended from on high in
many other ways They claim that
one person, Mrs Olive Mills, died in
the Temple and was alterward raised
from the dead through the agency Of
Chief Evangelist Sandlord; that hun
dreds Of persons have been healed in
Shiloh's hospital Bethesda" OF all
manner Of bodily iuhrmities; that
demons have been cast out by the
score; that in short, every miracle
recorded in the New Testament has
been repeated and wrought there as a
sign that God approves this second
evangelization of the world
And as further proof Of the sincerity
of the faith all the good works OF
Shiloh are done without money and