Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-09-05
THE JERKS.
Strange Manifestation of One Hundred
Years Ago.

Strange Manifestation of One Hundred
Years Ago.
During the winter of 1903 and 1904
there was a great revival in East Ten
nessee. One of the original free lance
evangelists of that day, Lorenzo Dow
by name, was filling his regular ap-
pointments in Tennessee. He passed
through western North Carolina and
into Tennessee At Newport he heard
Of the Jerks" or Jerking exercise"
as quite common in that part Of the
state, and he investigated the singular
manifestation. At Marysville he found
about fifty people exercised by the
jerks while he was preaching to a
large crowd. He lodged in Quaker
home and a daughter had the jerks
so she could not hold cup at the ta-
vile February 19, 1904, and there he
saw about $50 thus exercised and
amongst them a circuit preacher. He
found that Methodists, Baptists, Epis-
copalians, Presbyterians and Quakers,
the rich and poor, the old and the
young were thus affected. He could
not account for 1t. He made this OBJ
servation: Il believe that those who
are most piouS and given up to God
are rarely touched with it; also those
naturalists who wish and try to get 1t
to philosophiZe on 1t are excepted |;
but the lukewarm, the lazy, the half
hearted, indolent professor Is subject
to 1t; and many Of them l have seen
who, when it came upon them, would
be alarmed and stirred up to redouble
their diligence with God; and after
they would get happy and were
thankful 1t ever came upon them"
He stated that outbreaking sinners
were more afraid of it than they were
of small poX or yellow fever. There
was no pain attending the jerks ex-
cept when they resisted 1t.
In passing a meeting house he no.
ticed that the ground had been clear
ed off for a camp meeting and from
fifty to one hundred small trees had
been so cut as to leave stumps four
to five feet high. He asked why that
was done and was informed that they
We're left that way for the people to
jerk by. He examined them and
found that the ground around them
looked as If the horses had been
hitched to them in fly time. A Pres
byterian minister informed him that
while he was preaching some had the
jerks and a young North Carolinian
mimicked them i'm derision. He was
soon seized as were many others.
This young man attempted to mount
his horse but could not do 1t without
hal no
remain in his seat till some friend
got up behind him and held him in
place.
After making a tour in New Eng
land and then through Mississippi
and Ohio and Kentucky, he returned
to Tennessee. He attended a camp
meeting at Liberty where he found
that they not only had the jerks but
danced. They did not seem able to
resist the involuntary exercise. If
they did they seemed in great pain.
While dancing there was a heavenly
smile on the countenance and the
eyes were turned upward as though
most beautiful visions were seen.
Tradition says that the jerks pre-
vailed in Rutherford county, North
Carolina, and there may have been
some manifestations of the unac-
countable exercise at the Rock
Springs camp ground in its early
days.
We have given this sketch so that
young people may know something of
the strange manifestation amongst
the churches in Tennessee one hun
dred and seven years ago. 1t was not
confined to the ignorant people. for
all classes of society and members of
all the churches were equally affect
ed by the involuntary and uncontroll-
able power.-Spartanbur Journal.