The "Prophets" Again.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 136, 18 June 1872, Page 7

The "Prophets" Again.

Victoria appears likely to earn a notoriety of a very unenviable nature among the Colonies as the birthplace of a large number of sporadic religious manifestations. The district of Cresv.ick especially has for a long time been troubled by the presence of some people afflicted by religious mania, who call themselves, or are called by others, "New Lights," and seem to live in expectation of some speedily forthcoming interposition of Providence, and total wind-up of the present regime. A curious tale was supplied to the papers the other day, illustrative of the sad consequences to society that are constantly occurring where a disturbing element such as this principle of fanaticism exists in its midst. A respectable farmer named Boyes, living atSmeaton, fell into the snares of the apostles : of this naw faith, and was gradually stripped of his property for the benefit of the church. There would be little reason to sympathise with Boyes. who serenely bore the consequences of his blind credulity and trust in a lot of pious sharpers, but that the foolish man had a wife and family dependent upon him, whom he was by his conduct reducing to a state of poverty. The commencement and progress of Boyes's infatuation are thus sketched: —The saints peiiodically visited the farm, and Mrs Boyes noticed that they loaded their cart with flour, oats, bacon, wheat, or anything that was food for man or horse. Mrs Boyes at first kindly expostulated with her husband on the folly of his giving these men such supplies when they were needed at home. Boyes, whose good temper had not changed with his folly, merely replied, "It will be no loss to us, dear ; it is all for the j Lord and his saints." Poor Mrs Boyes now j saw that the villains, as she called them, had \ fairly woven the toils round her husband, and appealed to her clergyman and to Boyes's most intimate friends to try and save him ; but it was all in vain, and poor Boyes at last forsook her society, though remaining in the \ house, and seemed to devote himself entirely j to prayer and to reading books the prophets I had left him. Bat before he forsook his | honest and e tim ibie wife a matter occurred | that shocked h:r sadly. One of the two imI postors went into her bedroom one diy, and j desired to give her what he termed "the kiss iof peace in the name of the Lord." She re-I | sented tie hj suit; but on complaining to her j ! husband of the dastardly act, he recommended' I that she should accept the kiss, as he knew! lit was the Lord's will. Boyes shortly after intimated his intention of selling off every I thing he hj id, giving the proceeds to these: saints of the Lord, forsaking his wife and children, and leaving them penniless and un-1 j protected ; and of going to join the saints at I |or near Ararat. Mrs Boyes, finding herself ! | about to b? deprived of her husband, her. | children of their father, and all his substance, I besought her clergym in and all her friends | for assistance ; but it was in vain. An aucj tioneer who had been let into the secret was [ procured by the saints, and the consequence I was thab about £25.) worth of stock, &c, pawed into the hands of the buyers for about ;£4'J. T..e infatuated man placed the whole j i of the a noiint he received in his pocket, " to (give it to the Lord's saint?," without ever | thinking to ask whether his wife wanted or needed anything. Before the sale linidied, the neighbours got wind of what the saints had done ; and their treatment of them is thus described :—A clergyman who was pre I sent was so incensed at their conduct that he | laid hold of one of the fellows by the beard. land threatened him with personal chastisement. A few of the more demonstrative of the crowd got hold of a pot full of blue oilpaint and a Irtish, and laying violent hands on the prophets, smeared their faces and ibeards with it; but not a murmur escaped J the lips of these "good men." Only | explained that it had no effect on them,—" .t I was all for the good of the cause of the Lord." | Two men each seized one of the prophets bv the "terutf of the neck," and hustled them off to the creek, the crowd going with them. Though his wie had fainted, he took no notice of her, but walked stolidly after the rrowd, saying, "They cm never hurt them ; the Lord is with them." Arrived near the creek, the prophets were lifted unceremoniously over a fence, and first one of them was " chucked" into the water, which, luckily j for the saint, was not more than 3ft Gin deep. ' | Presently cries arose of " Chuck in the other Bluebeard," and in he was thrown. But as 'they both seemed to keep their legs too well 'to please their tormentors, a few stalwart (fanners jumped into the water, ducked the 'prophets thoroughly, throwing one on the ' j top of the other, and finally rolled them in j the mud at the side of the creek, leaving them bko half-drowned rats to their own retlecjtions. Boyes then went to their aid, and what with clean water and handfuls of grass, he managed to groom some of the dirt oil ' them, and then, with them, left for ever his ' once happy home.