ter, in the same room, was esteemed unfaithful. A man present felt a gift to cast the Devil out of her. He spoke to her in a very plain and pathetic manner about lust, and its consequences; upon which she retreated and scuttled under a bed. But all her efforts to fly from the mighty power of God were in vain; for he, the brother, was determined to follow her and bring her out to the light. So great was his zeal, that he would not desist, until he had exerted his power to pull her from under the bed.

I might fill many pages with relations of conduct, shocking to modesty, and piety; as sisters turning heels over head, their mock preaching, their mock praying and singing, their sport and contempt of all religious sects; but I forbear.

The Shakers may call on me to prove that such things, such madness and folly ever existed among them. If they should, I say that Matthew Houston and his wife, in their own house, together with others, were present, and saw as clearly as myself, these wonderful operations of the old ghost of darkness. Should they urge me to give the names of those thus exercised, they shall have them. But as personal slander and invective are not the design of this narrative, I forbear. But such like improprieties have been frequent among the Shakers, at different times and places.

The Shaker ministers, for two or three years from the commencement of their society, said but little about these things to their young proselytes. They taught them, if they felt a gift, that they must go forth in the exercise of it, When any would exclaim against these absurdities, the ministers would either try to justify them on scriptural grounds, or attribute them to the inexperience of the young proselyte. But what absurdities were we not prepared to do? Our reason was completely prostrated; and, as before remarked, we were taught to consider every impression right, which was crossing or opposed to carnal reason; and that acting in opposition to our carnal reason and sense, was the way to receive light and the spirit, which would lead us into all truth. Thus being cut loose from carnal reason, so called, we were left to act without reason in many respects. Instead of having the Devil cast out of us, we had our reason and common sense cast out by fanatical imaginations, which we never had before we found the Shakers; and instead of sitting clothed and in our right mind, like the man out of whom Jesus had cast the devils, we were more like him when possessed by devils, tearing off his clothes, and cutting himself with stones. At this time we were pests of civil society, and did many things, against which reason and decency will forever remonstrate.

Two or three years after we had joined them, we were taught,

that this was entirely a new dispensation--that the truth of God had been perverted by false teachers for more than twelve buñdred years and that according to prophecy and the promise of God, this last dispensation or revelation of Christ, was now more fully and effectually made known through a woman, named Ann. Lee, than it had been by the man Christ Jesus. They farther taught us, that the spiritual work of God, and the creating of souls anew, were as impossible to be accomplished without the revelation of God in a woman, as well as in a man, as it would have been for the first man Adam to have propagated his natural posterity without the correspondence of a woman; and that according to the same analogy, there never was any such thing as complete salvation, or of souls truly begotten, until there was a redeemed and spiritual mother, as well as a father, whom they now declared to be Jesus Christ and mother Ann, the bride and the Lamb's wife. As Eve was the mother of all living in the old creation, and as no natural man could be brought into the world without the correspondence of a woman with a man; so no son or daughter could be born to God without the correspondent doctrine, testimony and faith of the first man and woman in the new creation, they being the only true begotten, and express image of God, and having his nature.

From this it was inferred and understood by the Shakers, that the male and female spirit were in the existence of the one God, when he said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. They apprehended this expression to signify two, the male and the female in one God. As it required the male and female to constitute the man; and as the male and female were created in the image of God, they considered this to be the thing, in which the likeness existed. Farther: they taught us, that as God must be intelligent and wise, so in this the man resembled him; and that all the intelligent part of man was an emanation from God, and sprang out of his nature and existence, it (the intelligent part of man) being in his existence male and female. Thus far the Shakers inclined to go with these doctrines.

By this time we received all they taught for thus saith the Lord. This being our faith, we felt such condemnation for disobeying their instruction, that we had to confess to them transgression of this, as well as of other evil deeds, or feel miserable. We were exhorted to labour hard, both in the dance and in our daily manual work, in order to get the victory over our proud natures, which hated obedience, and was not subject to the law of God, neither indeed could be-that we should crucify our natures daily, and take the counsel of God, and be faithful in all things which were taught us. This doctrine, frequently inculcated, produced

hot times with the indolent and lazy part of us. Some worked and danced very hard, expecting to sweat the Devil out of them; while others went away, and walked no more with us.

In the fall of 1807, it was ascertained to be the mind of the ministers, that we, who lived at a distance from their settlement on Shawnee run, should sell our possessions and purchase near them, except Matthew Houston's family with a few others, who were to go to Warren county in Ohio, where was the beginning of their gospel in the West, and where all the good elders and elder sisters lived.

I sold my farm in Garrard, and moved to Mercer. James Gass and myself purchased a farm near the Saker settlement, intending to live there and support our families, until we received farther instructions. This tract of land contained about 112 acres, for which we paid 500 dollars each. As my wife had not joined the Shakers, it was considered the best plan to have the land deeded to Gass alone, and that he give me a bond for my half of the land-that this being done privately, would prevent my wife, should she go away, from holding her dower. To this I consented, believing that it was best to leave no ground of entanglement whatever, seeing the land was eventually to be appropriated to the sacred purpose of the church; so the deed was made to Gass, and I took his bond for half the tract. On this part I built a house, in which I lived with my wife and two little sons, James and Robert. Poor boys! they have had to drink of the bitter cup of my misfortunes, as will hereafter be seen. My wife, unwilling to join the Shakers, and being very unhappy, wished to visit her father. Thinking it my duty to consult the elders respecting this matter, and they having lost all hope of her ever joining the society; one of them, John Meacham, instructed me in the manner following: If she wishes to go to her father's, go with her and take the youngest child. Tell her she need never come back with any expectation of living with you again, unless she confess her sins and join the Shakers. This instruction gave me unspeakable distress; but believing my salvation depended on obedience to these good men, I was obliged to comply. Never did a poor creature travel with a heavier heart than I did to my wife's father's, about thirty miles distant from the Shaker settlement. Never shall I forget the heart-rending thoughts I had respecting my little infant, which I was carrying. Can I give it up? Shall I throw it away from a father's care? Shall I cast it upon a wide, wicked and unfriendly world? O that it were in a peaceful grave, that the impending storms might pass over it without injury! Eternal thanks to God! his kind providence has protected my son, and kind friends have nursed

and educated him. He is now grown to manhood; and I hope, feels the obligations he is under to God and his friends.

In the evening we arrived at Mr. Brank's, the distressed father of my wife. After frequent attempts, at length I summoned fortitude enough to communicate my dreadful instructions to my wife, at the hearing of which her distress arose to such a height that I apprehended entire derangement of mind must be the consequence. Fearing that I might be overcome by her grief and lamentations, I broke from her, turned my horse round, and rode off as quick as I could, with a burden as heavy as my nature could possibly sustain.

I returned home; and in a few days was advised to bring my property into the joint stock with Elisha Thomas's family, and live with them. James Gass having a little before moved there, and having been appointed deacon for the family, he, with Elisha Thomas essayed to have my property valued, and took possession of it. I went to work with the men, but was so enfeebled and worn down by distress, that I was unable to do much. Still I hoped that God, who knew my honest intentions, would yet bring my wife to feel the necessity of obeying what I verily believed was the right way; and if she should not, I humbly hoped that affections would cease to rest on her.

my

But the manner in which I last parted with her, I could not reconcile with my feelings; especially when I considered how dutiful and kind a wife she had ever been to me-how ready always to administer comfort to me in sickness or in health, and to lighten my distresses, burdens, and cares, in the most affectionate and tender manner.

After she had been absent three weeks, I felt a strong desire to visit her, and persuade her to return. But I knew I should be much degraded in the mind and feeling of the society, if I did not go in union with the Elder, E. Thomas. To him I communicated my wish, and he conferred with Betsy Banta, the Elderess of the family. At length it was deemed proper for me to go. I accordingly went, and found her in great distress; and as soon as she had an opportunity, she let me know that she wished to return with me. She was so debilitated by distress that with much difficulty she travelled back to Mercer. She, having ar rived there, and having found that the Shakers had possession of our property; and that if she stayed there, she must live in the large family of Elisha Thomas, confess her sins, and conform to the faith and economy of the Shakers, she despaired of ever being satisfied and therefore returned to her father's.

The manner of her going away renewed and increased my distress. At night, when all were asleep, she quietly rose, took

her infant in her arms, and by the aid of some neighbours, went to her father's. In the morning she was missing, aud we were apprehensive that she had terminated her earthly miseries by suicide. We were diligently engaged in searching for her till eight or nine o'clock, when we were informed where she had gone. This news partially relieved my mind, by removing my fears of her having destroyed herself.

The Shakers fearing that these afflictive circumstances might cause me to forsake them, Elder David Darrow, who lived in Ohio, and who was respected as the chief ruler of all the Elders and people of the west, sent for me to come and see him. In a few days I started. Having been so long depressed with distress, I frequently slumbered on my horse while travelling on, and through fear of falling off would often alight and walk. Having arrived at the end of my journey, I was very respectfully received and kindly treated; and after a few days Elder David informed me, that he wished me to come to Ohio, with my elder son James, and live among them; and that I should no longer distress myself about Jane (my wife) and my younger son, implying that he wished me to come immediately, and not to go near her any more.

I signified to him, that I knew not how to feel acquitted respecting her future means of support-that though she had done wrong in not obeying the Gospel, yet she had been a dutiful, industrious wife--that if he felt willing I would give her half the property we possessed, when we lived together. Of this he said but little; but acknowledged it to be generous on my part. As I found him entirely opposed to my seeing her again, I asked him whether he would approve of my writing to her respecting the matter, when I had returned to Kentucky for my son and clothes? He, finding that I could not be satisfied till something was done for her, replied, that I might write to her concerning the matter. This I did on my return to Kentucky, I informed her of my removal to Ohio, and wished her to come to Mercer, and get half of all our property, except two horses which my son and myself were to ride to Ohio. We started to that state, having taken nothing with us but our clothes, and the two horses we rode. When we arrived there, we were put to live in a house, intended to be of the first order, when the church should all be gathered. Of this family Amos Valentine had the charge.

After being there about two months I was advised to take a wagon, and a young man with me, and bring my moveable property to Ohio. We went to Kentucky, as advised; and there understood that neither my wife, nor any one for her, had been