Extraordinary Disclosures.

Cromwell Argus, Volume 2, Issue 87, 11 July 1871, Page 3

Extraordinary Disclosures.

Considerable excitement has been raised in Nana wading, Oakleigh, and that neigh-

borhood, during the last few days, by revelations made as to the impostures practised by one Fisher, a charcoal burner, in Nunawading, who claims to be the Messiah. One of his dupes, named Andrew Wilson, has charged him with obtaining money by false pretences. The following is the statement made by Wilson:—l am a member of the Wesleyan body, and one of those who look for the coming of the Messiah again as a man, and not in the clouds. For ten years or so past the claims of Fisher to be the Messiah have been talked of in Nuna wading, and about six years ago I was led to communicate with him with a view of ascertaining whether he was really the Messiah. Shortly after I came in contact with him, I saw enough to convince me that he was the Messiah. I now look upon him as a rank impostor, but he was certainly very lucky in the prophecies by which lie acquired his present ascendancy over the minds of many people. There are considerably raora than a hundred who believe in him implicitly—most of them residing in Nunawading, although there are some in Prahran, Ballarat, and other places. He calls himself the Son of God, Jesus Christ—and they all believe that he is. He says he will never die, and that none of those that believe in him will ever die, nor their wives and families, provided they are staunch in their belief. He does not mean only that their souls will never die, but that they will never die on this earth. All who follow him believe this, and that the millennium has commenced, during which the saints are to live until they are translated. When I came to have faith in him I believed that I would never die, nor my wife, nor any of my family. Once a child of mine fell ill. Fisher said, “The child cannot die, Wilson. Only believe.” Then he came to my house, poured some wine over the child’s face, and prayed. The child did get well, and that made my belief stronger j

I than ever. However, Fisher’s mother-in- | law died, and this set people inquiring, i Fisher said it was a judgment on her sent | direct from him, and that he had struck i her with the paralytic stroke which killed her. I asked him, why 1 ? and he said, “She is gone the way of Ananias and Sapphira. She told me she had no money, but I knew she had ; and after she died ,£IOO was found secreted in the house.” Fisher said once that a certain man who had scoffed at him would be struck in a mysterious manner within a year or two. Strange to say, the man went insane afterwards, and was sent to the Yarn, Bend. Once I had two cases in the comity court. Fisher told me I could not possibly lose them, for he would influence the mind of the judge with his power. Sure enough I won both the cases. Afterwards Fisher came to me and said, “ Wilson, I told you how it would be. When you thought Judge Pohlman was speaking, it was me. I entered into his spirit, and spoke through him.” All these things made me believe most implicitly. Fisher looked upon me as one of the faithfullest among his disciples, and indeed I had not a particle of doubt. He let me more and more into the secrets of the religion. Milk, he said, was for babes, and strong meat for men. While men who were yet young in the faith were only allowed one wife, those who were more advanced might have several. Fisher, himself, lives with three women, who are sisters, and their father is one of his devoutest believers. There is a fourth sister who is married. Fisher says he is bound to have her too, and that ! her husband will die when he wills it. j When I became a regular member of the church, Fisher hinted that I would have to I show my faith by giving him something. I gave him £lO at once, and for a considerable time paid him £1 a month. Altogether he has had about £35 out of mo, and it is on account of this that I proceed against him for false pretences. Now I will tell you some of the things which began to shake my faith in him. He met a man one day in St. Kilda, 1 think it was, and this man said he had I come from Denmark, as a representative | ef the great lodge of the F reetnasons, to i offer Fisher their allegiance as the true Messiah. He told Fisher that all the Freemasons would soon believe in him, and showed him a piece of parchment, inscribed with strange characters, as the credentials from the great lodge in Denmark. Fisher was taken in by this. The man told him that he would have to prepare garments of one pattern for his apostles, and Fisher did have them prepared. Afterwards ho met the man, and asked when the time would come. The man burst out laughing in his face, and said, |

“ That shows what an impostor you are. If you were Jesus Christ you would know that I had been gammoning you.” All this came out somehow, and I could not help wondering, among others, how it was that Fisher did not know it was a hoax. He was not in the least disturbed by the discovery, and said it was a trick of the devil, who, however, had but a short time. Another thing that shook my faith was the death of one of my children. It was taken ill, but Fisher came and prayed as usual. Early in the evening the child died. Fisher said he would try and briim the spirit back, and he would not give the case up any way until 9 o’clock. All his praying and waving his hands was without avail. Then he turned round and said that the child was struck for my sins. I said, “ Tell me what for.” “ Well, I will,” he replied, “ You have been praying to God to know whether I am the true Messiah. My Father is displeased at your want of faith,” I said “ I could not see any harm in asking whether you were the Messiah,” and he said then : “It was a great wrong to do me, and a sin, for which you have been justly punished. lam glad now that the child did die.” I turned this over in my mind after, and it did make me doubt a little. Another time he came arid said to me : “ Wilson you are sound in the faith, but you wife is not; the Spirit tells me so.” I replied that I was sorry for that, and he then said : “ Strive to make her love me ; the more you all love me, the better my Father is pleased.” I did talk in a kindly manner to my wife, telling her to be faithful to the belief in the Messiah, but I got to doubt more and more after that myself. One day I said to my wife : “ I will tell you what Fisher said to me about you some time ago. It w.is that, although I was strong in the faith, you were weak, and that I ought to persuade you to love him.” “ Whv,” said she, “that is just the opposite of what he has said to me. He tells me that lam strong, and you are weak, but that I must love him more and more, and he will intercede for you continually.” Well, that conversation just showed me what the man was. I said to my wife that I believed Fisher was nothing but a rogue; and she came to the same conclusion.