THE "PROPHETS" AGAIN.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 228, 13 June 1872, Page 5

THE "PROPHETS" AGAIN.

Victoria appears likely to earn a notoriety ef a very unenviable nature from the colonies as the birthplace of a large number of sporadic religious manifestations. The district of Crgswick especially has for a long time been troubled by the presence of some people afljicted by reljgfous mania, who call themselves, or arc called Jpy others, "New Lights," and seenito live in expectation of some speedily forthcoming interposition of Providence, and general wind-up of the present regime. A curious tale was supplied to the papers th« other day, illustrative of the sad consequences to society that are constantly arising where a disturbing element such as this principle of fanaticism exists in its midst.

A respectable farmer named Boyes, living at Smeaton, fell into the snares of some of the apostles of this new faith, and was gradually stripped of his property for the benefit of the church. There would be little reason to sympathise with-JBoyes, who serenely bore the consequences of his blind .credulity and trust in a lot of -pious sharpers, but r :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 periodically visited the farm, and Mrs Boyes noticed that they loaded their cart with flour, oats, bacon, nrheat, or anything that was food for man and hone. 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 Lord and his Faints." Poor Mrs Boyes now saw that the villains, as she called them, had fairly woven the toils round her husband, and appealed to her clergyman and to Boye3'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 to prayer and to reading books the Prophets had left him ; but before he forsook his honest and estimable wife a matter occurred that shocked her sadly, One of the two imposters went into her bedroom one day and deired to give her what he termed '• the kiss of peace in the name of the Lord." She resented the insult, '.but on complaining to her husband of the dastardly act, he recommended he should . coept the kiss, as he knew it was the Lord's wll. Mrs Boyes and M.s M'Gregor now saw that the poor man was lo»t to them beyond redemption and began to consider what was best to be done, when they suddeuly found that matters had reached, or were about to rea°h a climax as Boye* intimated his intention of selling off everything he had, giving the proceeds to these saints of the Lord, forsaking his wife and childien, and leaving them penniless and unprotected, and of going to join the saints at or near Ararat. Mrs Boyes -finding herself about to be deprived of her husband, her children of their father, and all his substance, besought her clergyman and all her friends, but it was in vain. An auctioneer who had been let into the secret was procured by the saints, and the consequence was that about L 250 worth of stock, &c, passed into the hands of the buyers for about L4O. The implements and other things of no use to Mrs Boyes realised good prices, and the infatuated man placed the whole of tne amount he received in his pocket "to give it to the Lord's saints" without ever thinking to ask whether his wife wanted or needed anything. Before the sale finished, the neighbors got wind of what the saints had done ; and their treatment of them is thus described :— A clergyman who was present was so incensed at their conduct that he laid hold of one of the fellows by the beard and threatened him with personal eh istisement. Few of the more demonstrative of the crowd got hold of a pot full of blue oil-paint and a brush, and laying violent hands on the prophets, smeared their faces aud beards with it, but not a murmur escaped their lips. Boyes only exclaiming, it had no effect on them, "it was all for the good of the cause of the Lord." Two men each seized one of the prophets by "thescruft of the neck," and hustled them off to the creek, the crowd Koing with them. Though his wife had iainted he took no notice of her, but walked stolidly after the crowd, exclaiming, " They never can hurt them, the Lord is with them." Arrived near the creek, the prophets were lifted very unceremoniously over a fence, and one was first "chucked" into the water which, luckily, was not more than 3ft. 6in. deep when cries arose " Chuck in the other Jiluebeard," and in he was thrown ; but as they both seemed to keep their legs too well to please their tormentors, a few stalwart farmers jumped into the water, ducked the " prophets " thoroughly, throwing one on top of the other, and finally rolled them in the mud at the side of the creek, leaving them, like half-drowned rats, to their own reflections. Boyes then went to their aid, and what with clean water and handf uls of grass, he managed to groom some of the dirt off them, and then, with then}, lefjb for ever his once happy home.