Document text
1w4
AS Told To The V.riter By The
SAYVILLE, LONG ISLAND.
CHIEF OP 'POLICE;
Major T. (Father) Divine has become almost a legendary
figure in lower Lon Island where he first set up his cult
headquarters. Many stories about his peculiar religious doings
and subsequent tiffs with the law are told by native inhabitants.
The following is only one of many. The writer has taken the liberty
of changing names of persons and places.
The changes as they appear in the story:
itortikNomeimioa####MmOmvormo#
Major T. (Father) Diivine to Rev. Andrew Elijah Jones.
Polite Chief Tucker to Chief Decker.
Macon Street to _Pudding Hill Road.
Sayville to Hopeville.
Mineola to Salt Point.
Judge Smith
to Judge Walker.
r
L\
t,
Mhos they first came to town nobody pai muok attention to
tiota.•
tam.k. They were just axetker group of who kad moved in. They
wore a little dirferont from the others though. Ilastea4 of galliwas-
iit all #0;- the country -side at night, drinking %se mode hootok
ad date. 7'olly-Woll until almost slaws, they worked hard in t)he
white folks' kitchen's all day and, as soon as nit arms, hurriedly
finished up with thelr pots and peas and made a boo-lixo for Andrew
Elijah Jeses' little meeting house in the bask of Joe Kernel's
greeery store.
161;
,Beewposel.,oad 1
row Jokes, a squat. -kondsd, middle aged/ /1..64
•Lidejr 777471 51 5 A
Airsrir wi tit ..4 gleam in kis eye was their loader. In
the da,rtime he rem the Heparin* empleyment *wimpy for "eolored
domestios" but, at night, he was
MIRA of PO. In f.ot, many of lie
followers insisted that he was "God Xis self --in ;0'-eoe"; mad roiiifly
could til7simimp. Their odies elonged to the white folks
during tie day but their mils, both day and night, were the exclusive
)1-0XY)
property of theinpint-sised patriaok. They even slept with kin is a
big, r,mt'tP old house planted amosE a grove of elm trees at
tke end t;'. Flv
Road. They waled teeaselve:1 hi s disciples; is
des'
children. And they called aim "Father ---Father
the fewaspeople didn't mind this no muck but that business
of Ai t% worship le Esok of Xersaks store began to get them dowa,
W c
the sisters sAd brothers began to feel the spirit in earnest,
they whooped and hollered something awfhl. And their skous, la a
quiet, suburban plasm liks 'jasmine where evorone wont to bed early,
could beigaginess heard for Isiles around.
The toinsfolk rose up In arms and got togother to see what
"its
could be done about it. They finally decidod that that istji
Fathor Aadrer,.A td to go. A represenive lommittoe waitoo Wit kin at
his plow- v" 'risiness bright aK3 early ono mornimg and did what they
could te the good rovoredd to novo OA to greener pastures.
"Nothing doing!" or words to that offeot, answorod the right
reverond.
He was doing au i fight in Hopevillo and the idea of givixt
it up was tato last thing t4at over 000ured to him. Ii3 disoiplos
were all saployod as 000ks, maids, gardoners and ohauffors ii tile
homes of this oeuxtrysides woaltniost people and their brouekt all
their earnings home to him. Ally should no move? The 'tory- Ade& was
preposterous.
The natives retreated for agetkor war-oomIlt1 sfeA fittl-er
Andrew's discipleei colltiltuod happily, almost ecstatically, abou t
their work. kether they were in the midst of shopping for their
naployers or baking a op -dish apple pie, they unsweetedli used
4
t4 -'41"A with little exclamations of delight like "ponce"
"I t7111
.164,0
-,!radr,rfUll" Thank you Father!" and so or. Sven whoa
they stumbled and foil or accidentally upset a glass of water in
their master,' or mistrossos' laps, hoy said: "Thank you Father.
I'm sorry."
Well *TOM then, the employers couldn't find it ix thomtolvos
to be man.
"Meyers just great, big Children." they'd sayAlt, and smile
iadAlssatly.
The fact is, tke rolifjous satellites, who called them selves
suoh
/Amity names as "Happy Boy Job", "Patience, Delishe, "Eternal P.Site
St.. were honest as the day is loag and were exoellent sermats is
every ether reel:4*ot. In addition to that, they could h hired to r
4%64
natives
half the priee of the lazy, sullen, shiftless -Reposes who wer#41#00iii
Cr the tm-Ji.
—riii44
And so, Father AndreveA remained. And when the whit. house..
wives greeted tneir *ape ZOoka akd aikido with at eaucod,petronising;
"Good Aerats, Charity Light.. HOW aro you today?"
Charity Licht would answer in all eareestneesi
4
4411 -Ii.J4‘$iKhWFhfE-
P it wol,Q1orfAlt Father Aadrelii.o Gee tee
1
/e$Awant lateen tat •cgs ref brooking/1_3,11.s M 0/711 719
E... on Vale Street it warAttusual to hear ass of Father
Andrew's once. s, is a tone too ineladloas coin and n.' te ti,e el. 16.72
1 gzi;44.5
of the fanafie il nig eye, eirtgi "Father
ns: "Faer AndrowA1 The Light
Of T'tet ro:.1 d
rd.
Tito Jonssi4-es, ae tern called, eca qavd e,31gh to
by the two nouses a4jilaing their property oa 90###Pl i1113ad.
Alt OPLt e
ha,das ,ax •omvari-al i*te a sort of temple whore the
nishtly %Lags were held and Sunday -.'.inneirs served. Free ditners,they
wore, and sumptious. Feasts to rival those of Biblical times. We t may
the'angels participated. Everyone was invited ;4ot many outsiders sum
at first. They were a I still a little wary. A few of the bolder
tcwaspeoale veatured in, however, and 3AMO away with wild stories
of the huge banquet tables and savory (spoked meals. Mere sad nor e
people appeared as the Suedays passed. Came cams pill the way from the
hot
oity or the end of tie island. AAd tbey# wereAdisappolated. The banquets
wore as malorfUl and extravagant as they !Aid been p5 -hired. Put nest 44
who aie-- ‘Jr"
snaring as all was the Piot that, of all the huadreir of peoplei nobody
paid. Everything was free. The treat was ea ?ether Andree•Vja
povides everything for hOs people" some 3f the anpals
wero beare say, as-tht fro 6 Atoka', pork chops, roast browx du*
Juekling 5mb-flared
aad,pir, are..ri'-s and an asoortment of veretables, f uits and nute
were passed around 11 abundatoe.
y S ILadik '4
rs
Judging from the sire of some of their eyes, thel4 still did
sot believe it was true, eve fter they had sat darn at the tables.
With hundreds of
4t- 1(5
storming the quiet, beurgeous commuxity
in dusty, broke* dew* oars every Sunday 5fteraPex, musAins ever the
earefUlly tended lamas and tranpliag the municipal shrubbery, the ire,
bod,.,
of the townspeople was one. more aroused. They trouped down
to demaad that the polies do s ething about it.
"Oe gh-001).
Thief Becker, the apek smalAbegam, "Yo'le got to do X0MOtAillE
about these mirrors. They're ro,- n'y a auisanee but they're manning
„,..operty values down 47A -A cnthiag, tiley've ;„ot most of us crazy, whooping
and holleriag until all hours of the night apd riw.,tir on their war-
iatwas OY A lawx."
5
Wall, eleotier wa oonvin up. "gill' locker got busy. "7%.
7arkice Ia./As '-egan to appear everjW-ere I- of tke
Kiagdam, •fff AO OA6cl 1 reirember baviag pilipt;, ever &AAA
ono, Hoff in the VitrL, of poor wk5es
sc7- f„ 1,14 KtlitgAIN lettlee vitora park ',..e(Or
ta
oars at twenty five omit*
(7113ef Becker, iaJb to be Adloee,
beta* etoEpIat, al oars, lookiat at r.:IstraL.:** oertlfioas,nittl
JnIng &ceorally annoying tt all niggers soon iririaL a oar ix ti..
eftiz_k%arkeed. This 434 alt 1•:sp the orewis. 7.1 -Nat, tkey got
'Auer. Okief Becktq. .5o/seed a blue streak. 76) pulled kis kair out. _4. fl
what- he olio( or ;f/us coiAld ?lot be, slept( 1
DOI _cc natterAkow muck i.e raved amti raatedAet-itorb-Ittr-em*
e44 ky4s. /10/(4-0 ci 4e 1/c- Pi'
712
MOWNW#00#00
said te ci.tizensl
/.6-•
c1',• &"#WHIFINWIlt
"Ivte everytkiag *C,:14 tiisk f bwt
ai Tars keep comiat. It- 30%IpliaTierels notking else I isait
I.."
Ti.. towto.fatkers, more alarltad tkah
pet13eala "nod's" arrest on the grounds of
0#400,4Viad4114f#00i'ti'cAP50iL a Putll
fact ;kat t're populaoe was bewminE more
If
OTOri 604 tootasr aai
tot only maiatainiag
aulsasrovemmmmeS. Ti..
itore L:ttery tkrougk
lact- of' sleep mpused by MAO nogdaa's nigatly gaiags-a* was
speoificallj sigitted it tile :petition and Petker Asitroweas 4sawiate
unoeremenieusly Leto oeurt. Ti.. atmospkere there was so hostile,
towever, tkat tie deNnse *Amed for a Awe if venue and tie
preoeediags were resumed to tke little aeigkberiag tewa *f Salt
Peiat.
blitek.,tm21,1 after all.
The "nava." no4ot kop-skippiaz tkrc streotm skf.10.1-
JJ. Tai.mox7=Androw-Nllja'l God'. ria,c.! 440,4**1 Alitet
t
Allcirtwys
OliAnsiale rlimk cit. 4.4121,
d ittly
iort Sided it -6t
cel)-1.11S dlY(71
Judge Walker,Awke diim't 1t oiggers aitykow, 11.korally
jumped olt tkr good reveread with botk feet. He not oaly seatcasei
kin to a year ix jail but/ fixed ilia five kultdrei dollars to boot.
Thu c.4.7 sue' cc ity4. 7107741
Fort** days le-rJuigs ra'2.7ar ireppeddiad.
71,4 1.0tors said: "71ear,tr.eitb1e.W
Fatker Andrew -31%m%, a oly, izassiog look &ad
&Wolf" ='!4r all t3iic 1.11ce Alktt ow% 7,1tat swallowed 'Ike aattary Aim. imei;
ff########Mf#404P emu*
"Tke foi.Jo.. or nat_tro work
Is
Tito townspeople "talk ix Hopevillo slook# tkoir heads an gas
to weitior if tkert .w.sx '-k sevotk' o_ to tie *tor; of old Janos t
I
ifilife#
aot odArtvers.4 tit* late Juige lalkor's
die4111 *Ng Vitn the 'ira
rdallY Zet bo.Sisla not aigkb
lAtej &ME laiGw;r1.44nr---.02ler
Le tress, dowsed wilily arouai a
'vLg !4 taLl flui Moir arios niryward, babblod ix ultimo -vie
3 V
tiostuss wad sang, set ts lustily tints sten "rather Asinow-Elijah IS I 1/
light 1pf -ii; \gr14:1° t
1.1.;
`Pre'
--erar-sgsriireJ irorsiiva-- Kild.71.11
In Ott p, 116 n -6 cv- c WAS 1)(3‘t t
-t..:..--t----K---