Creffield and the Holy Rollers made page one headlines from 1903 to 1907. When I was researching Holy Rollers: Murder and Madness in Oregon’s Love Cult I spent months transcribing hundreds of articles. I’m not sure why I was so obsessive. Maybe it was my way of immersing my self into a cult without joining one. Anyway, I’m posting them all for those who are really interested in the story, or are interested the history of journalism, or are interested in how a scandalous story played out in the "media" in a by gone era. Since I no doubt made typos and unconsciously corrected papers' typos, these web pages should not be cited in anything serious (e.g. your dissertation). For such projects they should only be used as starting points and you should refer to the original sources. If you want a shorter version of the story, buy my book. Enjoy.
April 8, 1905: Life In Corvallis Returns to Normal
Corvallis Times 4/8/05 p4
--Frank Hurt is down from
Seattle for a week’s visit.
Corvallis Gazette 4/26/05 p4
--Lewis Hartley arrived
Saturday from Cottage Grove, accompanied by his daughter, Miss Sophia and
Warren Hartley and baby. Warren Hartley arrived yesterday.
Corvallis Times 5/10/05 p3
--A nine year old boy is ill
at the home of Louis Hartley with diphtheria. The child is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Winnings, who recently arrived from the East. The case was reported to the
police Monday morning by Dr. Farra, who had just been called in the case for
the first time. The attack is a severe one, but the chances favorable for a
recovery. It is not believed that there have been exposures. The place is under
quarantine. Mr. Hartley resides on Fifth Street between Washington and A.
Corvallis Times 5/24/05 p4
--The “Corvallis Holy Rollers”
and the Rock Hill team played a game of baseball near Lebanon Saturday. There
were 14 innings, and the score stood 6 to 5 in favor of Corvallis.
Corvallis Times 6/3/05 p3
--A Negro giving his name as
A. Swackhammer, is touring the country around Enterprise as a Holy Roller. He
claims to hail from Haiti and also claims to have assisted in holding the
meetings in the Willamette Valley when the Holy Rollers held high carnival down
here. Swackhammer is a mulatto about 30 years old, is six feet tall and wears a
coat reaching down to his ankles. His method is to secure a church in which to
lecture and then to open up a series of services which usually close the second
night. The first night a crowd attends through curiosity and the next night
people remain away through disgust. The colored Holy Roller takes up a
collection at his services, thereby enabling him to pay his way at the leading
hotels.--Salem Journal
Corvallis Times 7/12/05 p3
--Maud Hurt was granted a
divorce and the use of her maiden name at last week’s adjourned term of circuit
court.
Corvallis Times 8/12/05 p3
--Miss Maud Hurt is to go to
Seattle tomorrow for a visit with her brother, Frank, who is employed in that
city.
Corvallis Times 8/23/05 p3
--Miss B. E. Starr of
Portland is a guest at the home of Mr. and Mrs. O. V. Hurt.
Corvallis Times 9/20/05 p3
--O. V. Hurt and daughters
arrived Sunday from an outing at Yachats.
Corvallis Times 9/20/05 p3
-- A farewell surprise was
given Saturday evening at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Hartley in hour of Miss Eva
Myers, who left Monday for her home in Illinois. The evening was spent in
social conversation. Those present were Rev. Feese, Mr. and Mrs. Blackledge,
Mr. and Mrs. Underwood, Mr. and Mrs. Bane, Mr. and Mrs. Swan, Mr. and Mrs.
Wellsher, Misses Libbie and Lulu Rice, Maud and Belle Mattley, Mr. White, Mrs.
Hartley and Miss Sophie Hartley.
Corvallis Times 10/4/05 p4
--Maud Hurt arrived Friday
from a two month sojourn with relatives at Seattle.
Corvallis Times 10/27/05 p3
--Misses May Hurt and Attie
Bray arrived home Tuesday from a three weeks’ visit in Portland and Oregon
City.
Corvallis Times Tue 11/14/05 p2
Publisher’s Notice
Hereafter the publication day
of the Times will be Tuesday evening and Friday evening instead of Wednesday
and Saturday mornings. For 11 years the paper has been actually appearing in
the evening, though the following morning was given out as a publication day. The
change now announced ought to have been made 11 years ago.
Corvallis Times 11/24/05 p5
--Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hurt arrived Saturday from Seattle for a month’s visit with Corvallis relatives.
Corvallis Times 12/8/05 p4
--Born, Wednesday, to Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Starr, a daughter.
Chapter of Holy Rollers where these articles are some of the sources:
Chapter 13: Calm Before the Storm
***
March 22, 1905: Prison Life Of Joshua Creffield
December 12, 1905: Frank & Mollie Hurt Have a Baby Girl
***
Newspaper Articles about Creffield & the Holy Rollers
1897-1903: B.C. (Before Creffield)
October to December 1903:Holy Rollers Burn Furniture & Pets
January to March, 1904: Holy Rollers Tarred and Feathered
April to June 1904: Holy Rollers are Committed to the Asylum
July 1904: Creffield is Found & Arrested
September 1904: Creffield's Trial
April 1906: Men are Gunning For Creffield
May 1906: Creffield is Murdered, Murderer is Considered a Hero
May 1906: Holy Rollers Found Starving Near Heceta Head
June 1906: George Mitchell's Trial Begins
July 1906: Hurt Testifies of Debauched Wife and Debased Sisters
July 1906: Esther Mitchell Kills Her Brother
August to October 1906: Seattle Prepares for another Big Trial
November 1906: Maud Hurt Creffield Commits Suicide
April 1909-August 1914: Esther Leaves the Asylum
1953 Stewart Holbrook's Murder Without Tears
1951Startling Detective Magazine, Nemesis of the Nudist High Priest
***
Chapters from
Holy Rollers: Murder & Madness in Oregon's Love Cult
Part 1: The Seduction
Chapter 1: Trust Me, Brothers And Sisters
(Life Before Creffield [B.C.])
Chapter 2: God, Save Us From Compromising Preachers
(Creffield's Preachings)
Chapter 3: The Flock
(Profiles of the Holy Rollers Were)
Chapter 4: The Holy Rollers
(Things Start to Get Wild on on Kiger Island)
Chapter 5: Housecleaning
(There's a Sacrificial Bonfire)
Chapter 6: Community Concerns
(Officers Visit)
Chapter 7: Esther, The Chosen One
(Creffield Plans to Marry 16-Year- Old)
Chapter 8: Tar and Feathers
(The Men of Corvallis Act)
Chapter 9: Sane People Don’t Go Bareheaded
(Holy Rollers are Committed to the Asylum)
Chapter 10: More Beast Than Man
( Creffield is Arrested)
Chapter 11: God Will Plead Creffield's Case
(Creffield in Court)
Chapter 12: Scandal
(Shocking Testimony at the Trial)
Chapter 13: Calm Before the Storm
(The Holy Rollers Resume their Lives)
Chapter 14: Giving Up The Ghost
(Men are Gunning for Creffield)
Part Two: The People V. Creffield
Chapter 16: The Widow Creffield
Chapter 19: An Inherited Streak of Insanity
Part Three: The Madness
Chapter 23: Seeking Reconciliation
Chapter 24: Another Holy Roller Page One Murder
Chapter 25: What Can Papa Do For You?
Chapter 26: Human Life is Too Cheap In This Community
Chapter 30: The Final Chapter
(What Happened to Everyone Afterwards)
The Epilogue
(Heaven's Gate)