The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-04-06
FANATIC FOLLOWERS
Oh. FANATIC GO MAD
Terrible Tale OF Privations INT
told Due to a Blind
Superstition

ST. rErl:EsnrnG. .April

! y. t'N- 'Nt. .Npiii
Nm ArchaAgcl correspondent sends
moving description OF the sumerings Of
the Moldavian peasants who in mid
winter followed lhc fanatical monk
lnnocontus over 1000 miles from tho
l'odolia government To the MGromsky
monastery. ON the Omega river, where
ie was baniShcd
Ragged. starving and frost bitten.
death threatened them all on the snowy
wastes when the Archangcl authori-
ties sent Il force OF rural guards TO
stop their march and arrest their
leader and telcgraphcd to the Red
Cross Society, urgently asking for med
ical aid. Some OF the pilgrims had
money in comparative plenty. for be
fore starting northwards they had sold
their belongings. but il was OF no avail
to them In the frozen Wilderness.
Their number VAS underestimatcd
in the first accounts; ii was Well over
1000 including II great proportion OF
women and children. They were sent
back To their homes by train in warmed
vans. The cores pondcnt witnessed the
departure OF one party from the sta
ton OF N!andoma. Frost bitten cheeks.
ears, fingers and toes were the rule
rather than the exception. Nearly all
the pilgrims were begrimed with dirt.
Many women and children were in hys-
tories. The occupants OF one van We're
suuattcd ON the floor praying with open
Bibles before them
The correspondent questioned the pill
Srims as to the hold which lnnoIcntius
had over them. Incredible as ii may
sound in the twentieth century. in "A
civilized country, the following is the
cist of tho replies he rcceivcd
The followers OF Innoccntius knew that
Jesus Christ had appeared in the Omega
region and not in Palestine. lie was
seized there. but was taken elsewhere for
crucihXion. Alpha and Omega" In the
Revelation of St. John designated our
Lord and Innoccntius reference has
been made iii kilograms to The confusion
Of tho peasants between Omega and
OneSa) Otherwise. why was there hous-
ing room for 1900 persons in the Murom-
sky monastery when The monks only
numbered 100? This was the work of the
Lord. They had been shown a picture OF
lnnoccntius portrayed as Jesus Christ
with a nimbus encrcing his head and a
cross and chalce in his hands
The arrest OF Innoccntius only served to
confirm their belief in his divinity, and
they rccounted how. when the rura!
guards came to arrest him, ana one of tho
guards tried 10 fire blank cartridge in
order 10 intimidate them. his rifle had
misilrcd three times.
y similar miracle had occurred previous
~ at Balta. in Podolia, when an ispravnik
tpoiice oniceT) insultcd lnnoccntius and
| advanced towards him threateningly In
noccntius looked straight into his eyes.
and said quietly. Neither thy hand nor
thy foot shall stir and the ispravnik
stopped dead. as though paralyscd.
Seeking a New Zion
On beng confronted by the rural guards
INC pilgrims gathered round Innoccntius
ana mad 10 be dragged away before the
monk could be arrested. The vice COVER
nor OF Archangcl approached Innoccntius
where arc YOU goinS?' he asked him
am going 20 seek the new Zion" was
me answer. and the crowd OF pilgrims re-
pcated in song. I'VE are going 10 seek the
new Zion
lnnoccntius followers 10 .hc far north
included his mother and five sisters When
ne was at Balta. he attracted thousands
OF pilgrims 10 the local monastery by the
power with which he was credited of cast
ing out devils. There is an appalling
amount. OF lunacy in that part OF Russia
generally ascribed 10 the peasantry eating
a paste Of unripe maize instead OF
lcavcned bread.
The i3alta district became an absolute
Inferno OF the mad. numbers of whom
were brought there In bonds. This seems
20 have been the principal reason of limo
contlus' Punishment. Several impartial in
vestigators maintain that there was moth
lns immoral in his teaching or his life