The Okemah Ledger. (Okemah, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 19, 1917 Page: 2 of 8
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THURSDAY JULY U I7
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THE OKEMAH LEDGER
OKEMAH OKLAHOMA
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?EW RELIGIOUS SECT
WORRYING OKMULGEE
(Tulsa Democrat)
Claiming to be “The Partner of
Christ" WHtiam Ellison or Bill Elli-
son as he is called by the unrevering
3s the leader of a new religious fot-
' lowing which has taken root in Ok
roulge These people call thmsclves
-the “True Followers’ They practice
-certain peculiar rites which- have
made them and their leader whom
" -they call Elder Ellison distinctly ob
' noxious to the best citizens of this
lively city Organized charity thy
--city and the state are “up in arms'
-against them so to speak and it is
:not improbable that at an early dale
: there will be an expulsion of the
: faithful from the limits of Okmulgee
-with no land of Canaan for a refuge
- It has been said by an observer of
'liuman society that almost any man
may quit patronizing the barber cr
using the safety razor let his whis-
Jtcrs and his hair grow long stand
c'i a street corner and preach a new
-religion and get converts enough to
make a considerable following and
-jl he happens to be shrewd and
'brainy he can build up a cult that
- will keep him in luxury 'and make
'him a noted personage
Elder Ellison “Partner of Christ”
-does not appear to measure up to
-the latter specifications though he
Tbas fulfilled the requirements of the
-former He has said to the barber
' ?Taboo” and neither the shears for
this locks nor the safety blade dor his
facial growth has been employed
‘these many years The elder has
long reddish hair and a wild though
not wooly growth of sandy whiskers
He is a slim man of middle age with
a past which Okmulgee calls inyster-
- icus A mysterious past is essential
- to a man who leads an out-of-the-or-dinary
religious cult Most of blder
Fllison’s followers it is said hive
known him only a year of two Prior
-to that they have no knowledge oi
his past life though it is hinted that
Z his identity is veiled
- The True Followers live in shabby
'-tents in two sections of Okmulgee
When a man works hard for his mpney HE is the
'"one who ought th have it — not some smooth scheemer
iwhQ comes along peddling some valueless GET-RIGH-QUIGK
proposition
The one sure way to keep money is to BANK it
and let it PILE UP and before you dig into the pile
KNOW you have some safe investment right here at
home which you can watch and attend to YOURSELF
The BANK for
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
OKCMAH OKLAHOMA
A
The larger group occupies otherwise
vacant ground near Okmulgee creek
a few blocks north of the public
square A smaller group has pitched
its tents in the lumber yard district
several blocks south of the square
In this group lives “The Partner
Christ" with his wife and several
children
Ellison seeks to maintain his mys-
terious personality intact Like the
rest of his flock he prefers to have
nothing to do with outsiders In fact
according to the professed belief
these people all outsiders arc fodder
for the devil It is only the True
Followers who are headed for heav-
en Salvation for anybody ‘else ii
not in the ordered scheme of things
Before proceeding to describe th
characteristics and practices of these
True Followers which have caused
them to be taboo to the state the
city and the Associated Charities
Okmulgee it may be of interest
summarize what they profess to be
lieve Here are a few of their
liefs: s
They ' don’t believe in wearing
clothing
They don’t believe in taking baths
They don’t believe in shaving the
face or cutting the hair
They don’t believe in doctor
medicines
They believe "the Lord will pro
vide”
They believe in the “holy kiss
greeting each other '
They believe in mutual foot-wrsh
ing
- They believe in being what they
term "just natural”
With the exception of going naked
these people practice all the beliefs
set forth above They have some
followers in Oklahoma Shawnee and
other cities in the state' Chief of
Police John Lung of Okmulgee who
used to live in Oklahoma City de-
clares that some time ago a True
Follower at the state capital deter-
mined to follow out the no clothes
doctrine to the limit This follower
his wife and his two daughters left
their home in a state of nature and
were captured by the police after
walking a few rods
“It wouldn’t Surprise me” said the
chief “if some of Bill Ellison’s fol-
lowers should do the same thing
here in Okmulgee Well if they do
they won’t travel very far’’
Elder Ellison says that if God had
intended people to wear clothing he
wduld have had them born clothed
He uses the same argument as to
hair and beard— if God hadn t
wanted us to have hair and beajrd he
would have made us without them
There are a dozen famlies or tert
groups of True Follows in Oxmulgcc
The city authorities are not in-
formed as to whether each tent
shelters only one fatnily or a mix-
ture of seve-al That is one of the
problems which has become delicate
and perplexing In some of the tents
there are eight to ten children in ad-
dition to a man and woman supposed
tc be the parents
Family Division Not Clear
"Family divisions” said Mrs W E
Smith superintendent of the Asso-
ciated Charities “are not along clear
lines These people seem to live in
ALL the People
a mixed-up state The daughter cf
one of the leaders a girl of 19 or 20
I have had to send to a rescue home
in Oklahoma City This girl al-
ready has one child and she is not
married Stories that have been told
to' me concerning this case show a
most deplorable social condition
among these people’’
The "holy kiss” is the prescribe!
“religious" greeting When men and
Women of the sect meet they- kiss
each other Men kiss men Women
kiss women One man kisses ’ an-
other man’s wife’ 6ne woman kisses
another woman’s ' husband Family
relations are not considered in the
giving of the "holy kiss"
The True Followers hold occasion-
al meetings for a sort of ritualistic
service in the woods near the lum
her yards’ “The groves were God's
first temples" sang William Cullen
Bryant but these people probably
never heard of the poet' They use
the woods as their temple since- they
were driven out of - an old school
house in thijioorer quarters of the
city-
Mrs Smith of the Associated
Charities told me that she had at-
tended one of these meetings Out-
siders as a rule are prohibited
from attending but as there is no
door to the unroofed groves cf Ok
mulgee county an occasional out
aider gets near enough to witness
the-proceedings
According to Mrs Smith the foot
washing rite is practiced at these
meetings Men wash the feet of
women and vice versa ' This is de-
clared to be the nearest approach to
a bath that these people ever' enjoy
since it is a part of their religious
belief to oppose bathing the body or
washing the face One member of
the sect boasts that he has not wash-
ed his face in wo years and has not
had a bath in three years and then
he got one by falling into the South
Fork of the Canadian
The Snake-Handling Tat
Another “rite’’ 'practiced by the
True Followers apparently is entire-
ly original with them It is that of
the snake test
“Before you are a Christian and p
True Follower” Elder Ellison tells
his flock ‘ "you must have faith
enough to pick up a snake If you
have the true faith the snake won’t
bite you” '
At some of the meetings in the
woods a snake is one of "the impor-
tant things among those present
New members are initiated by pick-
ing up the serpent
One of the women who is known
as Sister Ella declares that she
handled a copperhead and that the
reptile sank its fangs in her arm but
she suffered no evil effects
"My faith made me safe from the
srake-poison” said Sister Ella “I
am one of the True Followers No
snake-bite will hurt a True Follow-
Mrs Smith told the correspondent
that she was through with the 'True
Followers and hoped the city or the
state would take action shortly to
rid Okmulgee of their presence She
said that for many months she had
endeavored to induce' them to live
like normal people ' £ut without re-
sult ‘ '
‘As they never bathe” said Mrs
Smith “you can imagine the condi-
tion of their perspns and their tents
They carry water for drinking and
cooking purposes from a negro’s
well not far away They do their
cooking on a stove outdoors They
have no screens and the flies art
simply eating them up
“Doctors they say are the devil’s
agents I have visited these people
when some of their children lay
deathly sick and they have refused
to let me call in a doctor or to ad-
minister medicine or take measures
for cleanliness
“Several of the children have died
and we have liad to bury them in
the city" cemetery at the expense of
charity Latterly we have been put-
ting them in Potter’s field Their
children multiply like animals and
die off like animals ‘This colony is
a human incubator”
It is the belief of many persons
here in Okmulgee that the True Fol-
lowers are misled by Ellis6n who
they aver possesses in a consider-
able measure hypnotic power which
he exercises over their minds Oth-
ers express the opinion that the
members of the sect are simply using
the cloak of an alleged religion to
cover goings-on which would not he
tolerated under ordinary circum-
stances “If I had my way" said a woman
prominent in local charity work
who has tried to make the True Fol-
lowers appreciate the fact that
cleanliness is next to godliness and
has been repulsed ’Td go to Mayor
Peck and have him order out the fire
department and I’d have the hose
filled with a cleansing draught and
turned on these people I believe in
soap and water”
Some of the mcn-folk of the True
Followers work for wages though it
it a part of their faith that “the Lord
will provide"
CAN All YOU CAN
AND DRY IHE REST
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE
EVAPORATION METHODS
NEW TO THIS STATE
SUCCESS TAXES OH CASE
Many Pruitt and Vagetablaa May I
Canaarvad In Thin Way— Writ
t A A M Callage far
Dlraetlans i
Drying ( vegetables and fruits tor
homa usa baa navar bean widely prac-
ticed In Oklahoma but with tba abun
danoe of garden truck grown thla year
and inability in aoaae quarter to get
sufficient Oaga for taking care of it
there la widespread interest la drier
and evaporator ‘ '
Thar are a number of commercial
evaporators on the market and de-
vteae have been perfected tor cook
tore drying apparatus but the bulk
of drying to bo done In Oklahoma this
year will probably bo done in the or-
dinary eookatort oven with (hallow
pan or Improvised tray Where
drying to done inthe oven It to necea-
aary to keep careful watch on the
temperature of the oven and to keep
the wen door ajar
Th following Information on dry-
ing vegetable la taken from a recent
bulletin of the U 8 Department of
Agriculture:
“Equally aa great care should -be
given to the aelectlon and preparation
of vegetable for drying aa for can-
ning To aecuro a lint quality of dried
product much depend upon having
the vegetable absolutely freah young
tender and perfectly clean Wash all
vegetable and Clean well If steel
knives are used in paring and cutting
have them clean and bright so as not
to discolor the vegetable !
“After vegetables areprepared prop-
erly they are blanched The blanch
gives a more thorough cleaning re-
moves the strong odor and flavor from
certain kinds of vegetables and soft-
ens and loosens the fiber Blanching
consists of plunging the vegetable into
boiling water for a short-time Use a
wire basket or cheese cloth bag for
this After blanching the required
number of minutes drain well and re-
move surface moisture by placing veg-
etables between two towels or by ex-
posing to the sun and air for a abort
time
“The vegetable ' thus prepared is-
spread in a thin layer on the trays
of the drier Thd temperature for dry-
ing should bo rather low to prevent
scorching the product' For most veg-
etables after surface moisture Is re-
moved begin drying at a temperature
of 110° F Increase temperature
gradually from 110° to 145° F and
complete drying in two or three
hours The time required for drying
vegetables varies however it : can
easily be determined by a little expe-
rience The material should be stirred
or turned several times during the
drying in order to secure a uniform
product :
“When vegetables are first taken
froiq the drier if completely dried
they are very brittle They are more
easily handled and are in better con-
dition for storing If allowed to stand
one to three hours to absorb enough
moisture to make them more pliable
before putting into bags or storing
otherwise It it Is not convenient to
store products immediately and they
are allowed to stand several days
they should be heated to 160° F to
destroy any insert eggs that might be
on them Care should be taken dot
to heat the vegetable higher than 160°
F
"Dried vegetables should alwaya be
stored in moisture proof containers
and in a dry place free from dUBt and
dirt The best container is a tin box
bucket or can fitted with a perfectly
tight cover Perhaps the most conve-
nient and cheapest container is the
small paper bag A small amount
should he put In each bag just
enough to use for one or two meals
This will prevent the opening of any
dried product that cannot be com
Burned in a short time The upper
part of the bag Is twisted to form a
neck The neck is bent over and tied
tight with a string The entire bag is
then painted with a coat of melted
paraffin using a small brush or a
frazzled end of a piece of rope This
makes the bag practically moisture
and Insect prpof To further protect
the Insect ravages label and pack
bags in a tin container with a tight
fitting cover A large number of bags
could be stored in an ordinary lard
can ' A glass jar wltn a tight seal is
a good container for dried products
Paraffin coated paper containers of v
rious sises can be found on the mar-
ket A list of companies from whom
auch containers can be purchased will
be furnished ‘by thla office upon re-
quest “All dried product should b ex-
amined occasionally Upon the first
appearance of insects spread i&’thlu
layers ha the sun until insects disap-
pear then beat at a temperature of
1M° F and re-store carefully"
For Information on drying any pan
ticular vegetable or fruit under Old
boms conditions write to Mias Emma
A Chandler Oklahoma A R If- Col-
lege Stillwater Okla ' r
For the Blue-Jackets
Dealers
Flags That Float
For Woman Suffrage
Flags of 12 nations waved before
the Senate of the United State oa
April 20th aa a visible reminder that
all these nations have given full or
partial suffrage to the women of their
Countrlea by parliamentary procedure
The countriee are: Great Britain in-
cluding England Ireland Scotland
Walea Canada Australia New Zeal-
and India-Honduras South Africa
Scandinavia including Norway Swe-
den Denmark ' Finland Iceland
France Rnaala Netherlanda Mexico
Porto Blco Hawaii Burmah
Mra Carrie Chapman Catt appeared
at the Senate hearing in behalf ot
the Federal Suffrage Amendment
flanked by these 22 flags as a con
crete Illustration ot the fact that fn
no country except the United Stntea
are women forced to seek political
freedom by referendum to h general
electorate
Since January 1 1917 the franchis
haa been conferred upon the women
of Ontario Canada by act ot the proj
vincial legislature
Municipal Suffrage for French and
Italian Women
After eleven year ot waiting
French rromen have this year seen
their municipal aaffrage bill favorably
voted on by the Universal Suffrag4
Committee of the Chamber of Depu-
ties This bill when passed will give
French women municipal franchise
and municipal eligibility Its reporter
Pierre Etienne Flandln deputy from
the Yonne believes that its chanceq
of passage are good and that ones
passed the vote for national -epre-sentatives
will soon be addc1
OnMay 6th Premier Boselll ot
Italy had this to say about the bill
for woman suffrage presented by
Deputy Muratelll to the Italian Parlia-
ment: “As far as the vote for mu
nlcipal elections la concerned I d
not think there can be either- doubt
or delay In giving It on the same
condition as It Is given to men”
' Our boys in the Navy enjoy their
Bevo The Navy Department has put
i ha official seal ot endorsement on this
triumph In aoft drinks by allowing it
to be sold and served on all- naval
’’ ' veeeeto '
- Ashore or afloat you will find in Bevo
a palate-pleasing refreshing and nu-
tritious beverage
Just the thing to take along for sail
or cruise— auto trip or camp and for
the ift-box at home
-“1 y — — - -
Bevo— the all-year-’round
soft dgink
Bevo li sold in bottles only and is bottled
exclusively by
ANHEUSER-BUSCH— ST LOUIS
OKEMAH ICE CO
Barry Bros Props
OKEMAH OKLA
I4L
ft
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ft J A KENNEDY
g Physician and Surgaan
Jfc Special Attention Given to
£ Diseases at Chlldrta
Office Over Thomson Hardware
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C M BLOSS M D
General practico of Modidno
Special attention to Surgery and Eye
' Ear Nose and Throat
: Offico Phono IS Re $44
- OKEMAH OKLA
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MOSIER PALACE BARBER
SHOP
FOR FIRST-CLASS WORK
- HOT AND COLD BATHS
Scissor Grinding a Specialty
OKEMAH OKLA
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H A MAY
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ft Physician and Surgeon
g Office over Postoffice :
OKEMAH OKLA
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ft HUSER A HUSER
$ LAWYERS
Office in McIntosh Bldg Boom M
OKEMAH OKLA
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A J STEPHENSON j
g Physician and Surgaoa
lat Door West Staaford Barber Shop
Phonos Office $2 Residence TT$
A Calls answered promptly at any hour
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ELECTRICAL WORK
AND HIGH-GRADE
Electrical Supplies
- Call on
ft JOHN TAYLOR
ELECTRICIAN
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to
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LOYALTY-first to
country then to
home
To cheer those who
cannot serve as you
seire but whose hearts
are with you— -your
photograph
That Han
FARNUM
and Wife
4
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j-
m
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Gaston, O. C. The Okemah Ledger. (Okemah, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 19, 1917, newspaper, July 19, 1917; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1861998/m1/2/?q=j+w+gardner: accessed June 27, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.