The 'Apostle' of Lona Lake

William Lewis came to the Lona Lake district three weeks ago and instituted a religious campaign. Lewis proved a fluent speaker and captivated his audience with tales of supernatural powers. When he had his listeners thoroughly aroused, he claimed to be an ordained apostle sent into the community to save souls. The meetings were conducted in the school house, and at last he succeeded in securing thirty or forty followers. He had them renounce their worldly possessions, and started a religious cult which resulted in his arrest, conviction, and sentence to jail. Being unable to pay his fine, he was sent to jail. He had previously established a camp at Lona Lake. He was empowered by his claim to heal the sick, cast out devils and raise the dead. He secured fifteen or twenty converts, who went through singular, delirious performances to his own profit. They were required to die a spiritual death, lying upon their backs upon the floor, closing their eyes and passing into a trance. Before they entered spirit land, Lewis reminded his converts that it was harder for a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, whereupon he required them to surrender their pocketbooks, rings, pins, watches, and valuables of every description.