mooney] WILDERNESS WORSHIPERS 947 



and set up in tne woods a "temple" consisting of a series of circular 

 seats around an oak. The excitement became so demoralizing and 

 dangerous that Bell was finally arrested. His frenzied disciples would 

 have resisted the officers, but lie commanded them to be patient, declar- 

 ing that he could not be harmed and that an angel would come and 

 open his prison doors by night. As no specific charge could be formu- 

 lated against him, he was released after a short time, and continued 

 his preaching to greater crowds than before. At last he announced 

 that the world would come to an end on August Hi, 1S90; that all 

 the negroes would then turn white and all white men black, and that 

 all who wished to ascend on the last day must purchase wings from 

 him. (J. F. £/., 6.) He was finally adjudged insane and sent to the 

 asylum. Successors arose in his place, however, and kept up the 

 excitement for a year afterward in spite of the efforts of the authori- 

 ties to put a stop to it. One of these claimed to be King Solomon, 

 while another asserted that he was Nebuchadnezzar, and emphasized 

 his claim by eating grass on all fours. In addition to the " temple" in 

 the woods they set up an "ark," and were told by the leaders that any 

 persecutors who should sacrilegiously attempt to touch it would fall 

 down dead. Notwithstanding this warning, the officers destroyed both 

 ark and temple in their efforts to end the delusion. At last a wouiau 

 was killed by the enthusiasts, and a series of wholesale arrests fol- 

 lowed. King Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar, and others who were clearly 

 insane were sent to join Bell in the asylum, and the others were released 

 from custody after the excitement had waned. 



HEAVENLY RECRUITS 



Within the last live years various local revivalists have attracted 

 attention in different sections of Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri, by 

 their extravagances, among which prophecies, visions, trances, and 

 frenzied bodily exercises were all prominent. Particularly at the 

 meetings of the "Heavenly Becruits" in central Indiana, and at 

 other gatherings under the direction of Mrs Woodworth, cataleptic 

 trances were of nightly occurrence. The physical and mental demor- 

 alization at last became so great that the meetings were suppressed 

 by the authorities. 



From the beginning of history the dance and kindred physical ex- 

 ercises have formed a part of the religious ritual of various oriental 

 sects, while hypnotic powers and practices have been claimed for their 

 priests. This is especially true of the Mohammedan sect or order of 

 the Dervishes, of which some account is given in the appendix to this 

 chapter. 



