By that afternoon he had disrupted services at 10 churches, ranging from a small East End mission church to St. Peter's, one of Chillicothe's two Catholic mainstays. The latter visit was described by parishioners as "electrifying" as the itinerant evangelist rattled the giant wood doors of the church and threw them open, running in with arms outstretched as the visiting administrator of a big city seminary school was delivering his sermon.
The local police chief and one of his officers put an end to Brant's tour that afternoon, having waited for him at the local Salvation Army church, the only one still conducting services at that hour. Brant was taken to the local city jail, and within days had been found insane by a local judge and admitted to the State Hospital (read, "mental asylum") in Athens. Mr. Brant's subsequent whereabouts and later exploits are unknown.
The account given the day after Brant's rant about town is quite interesting and mildly humorous in places, so I'll leave it to the Chillicothe Scioto Gazette's reportage of the day to fill in the details.
“WORKER
FOR GOD” HIRES TAXI BY HOUR ON TRIPS TO DISRUPT CHURCH SERVICES
Chillicothe
Scioto Gazette, June 13, 1938
"They gave me a padded cell at Syracuse,
N. Y.," explained Clifford Brant, 42, self-styled "worker of God,"
as he nonchalantly swung his legs from his iron bunk at city prison, Sunday,
where he was taken after making a spectacular appearance at approximately 10 Chillicothe
churches during the morning services.
Hiring a taxi by the hour, and telling the
driver, Ross Draher, 680 East Main street, he intended to visit every
Protestant church, in town, Brant almost achieved this goal. He offset
omissions by a visitation to St. Peter's Catholic church, where he interrupted
the 10 o'clock mass.
"Praise
the Lord, thank God He's on fire," and similar expressions were delivered
in a loud voice to the consternation of worshippers at every church, Chief
Russell Poole stated.
Brant was arrested at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, just
as he was about to enter the Salvation Army hall on North Mulberry street,
where services were going on. He was apprehended by Chief Russell Poole and
Officer Jesse McKee, who lay in wait for him there because, as the chief put
it, "the Salvation Army was the only place that was having services at
that time of day."
Personal calls were made on some of the
ministers earlier in the morning, Chief Poole said he was informed.
"I thought there was something queer
about him after I had taken him to three churches, and he had come hurrying
back to the cab after staying only a minute or so at each," Draher told
the chief. He said he let him out the cab finally at Holiness Mission on Monroe
avenue, where he collected $2.25 from him.
"I am working for God," argued the man
as police attempted to put him in a cell at headquarters. He calmed down when
given his Bible, which he had carried with him, wrapped in a paper.
He was turned over to the probate court for
examination Monday.
Chief Poole said the man had been residing at
a Ewing Street rooming house for nearly two months, working out of Chillicothe
as a salesman. His home, apparently, is Hamden, N. Y. He caused a commotion at
the rooming house about midnight Saturday when he insisted on holding a prayer
meeting.
Peregrinations of the "worker for God"
apparently began last Wednesday night, when he attended prayer service at the
First United Brethren church on East Main Street. Mr. August Wagner
reported that the visitor requested the singing of certain hymns, then spoke at
length, predicting that "something awful is going to happen in the east
end of town before long." The Rev. W. L. Kuhen, pastor, finally reminded
the speaker that another meeting was to convene shortly. On his way out the
visitor tapped Mr. Kuhen on the shoulder and told him, "You'd better ask
forgiveness or God’s going to punish you."
Early Sunday morning, Brant called on several
pastors at their homes, asking for time on the morning service programs. Among
these was the Rev. J.W. Morehead, pastor of Quinn Chapel A.M.E., at which the
man did not, however, appear.
At
Free Holiness
He called on the Rev. Katherine Hixon, pastor
of Free Holiness Church, said he had "a message for the churches of
Chillicothe", and was given permission to offer prayer at the Sunday
school service. He arrived at Free Holiness about 10:30 a.m., inquired of Mrs.
Hixon what time he should speak, then ran full speed out of the church. At 10:45
he returned. Mrs. Flora Graves, Sunday school superintendent, prevented him
from offering prayer with the comment, "I beg your pardon, brother, but
the Lord wants us to repeat the Lord's Prayer" -- which was done in
unison. The visitors then took the platform, read the Ten Commandments, and
declared, "Jesus is coming, get ready! Say a prayer and you'll be
saved." Mrs. Hixon interrupted the address to remind her congregation that
"repentance is also necessary" whereupon the men dashed out of the
church through the back door.
Little Mary Doerres was delivering a
Children's Day recitation at the First Presbyterian church, about the time
Brant came in the front door. She spoke straight on, despite the interruption.
Shouts
His Thoughts
Observers said Brant threw his hat to the
floor, made a megaphone of his hands and shouted (according to varying reports)
"Down with the Presbyterian church!" and “Jesus Christ has not yet
been born." Earlier, Brant had come to the church and asked the Rev. Dr.
P.B. Ferris for permission to take up a collection and make a speech. Dr.
Ferris declined to grant either request.
At Trinity M.E. church, Brant approached the
Rev. Dr. A. J. Kestle and asked permission to speak and pray at the Sunday
school service. Dr. Kestle explained the program already was arranged and time
would not permit a speech, but allowed Brant to offer a sentence prayer
(customary at several types of service other than formal morning worship). The
visitor's petition included a general invitation to the congregation to hear
him speak that evening at Trinity, and to bring their friends, for "it
might be the last time."
“Ran
Real Fast”
Brant sought the Rev. August L. Schneider,
pastor of Calvary Lutheran church. at the W.O. Greathouse residence near the church
on West Main, where Mr. Schneider often goes between morning services. The
pastor was not there; Brant then returned to the church looking for Mr.
Schneider. Just at the close of Sunday school he appeared at the rear of the
auditorium, shouted a message, and "ran real fast", observers said.
He called the Rev. Theodore Schlundt outside
of St. John's Evangelical church, to ask permission to speak on the second
coming of Christ. Mr. Schlundt explained that this method of approach was not
in accord with practices of the church, and Brant quietly departed in his cab.
“Turning
God Down”
At Salem Evangelical church, Brant found the
Rev. E.H. Wierth upstairs and asked permission to speak and pray. Mr. Wierth replied
that the work was organized and the program was full. "You're turning God
down and not me," retorted Brant, who, according to Mr. Wierth,
"seemed to be in a great hurry and left."
The voluntary missionary made three calls at
the Church of the Nazarene, Monroe Avenue. He asked the Rev. W.W. Loveless to
let him take charge of the services, and announced he would come in the evening
to speak. During Sunday school he approached Mr. Loveless again, while the
latter was teaching a class, declined an invitation to be seated with class,
and said "If the preachers would help me I could turn old Chillicothe
upside down." On his third visit he sat quietly in the church, Mr.
Loveless said.
Brant appeared at Walnut Street M.E. church,
during the Children's Day program, and spoke to several ushers, but made no
disturbance, it was reported.
Arms
Outspread
At St. Peter's church, the appearance of
Brant was electrifying, observers said. There was a sudden sharp rattling of
the handles of the outer doors. Then the inner swinging doors opening on the
center aisle burst open, and Brant stood with arms outspread, facing the Rev.
William J. Spiegel, of Pontifical College Josephinum, Worthington, who was delivering
the sermon. The congregation rose to its feet by sudden irresistible impulse,
and heard Brant shout between his hands, "Don't believe him! The word of
God hasn't been born!" Two men nearby, anticipating violence, dashed up
the balcony stairs to the choir loft, where the sound of their approach created
a stir.
Brant rushed from the church, ran up and down
the sidewalk looking for his cab and shouted, according to witnesses: "The
second coming is at hand. Great balls of fire!"
Get
License Number
Mr. Edward A. Keller took the cab license
number as Brant drove away. Members of the congregation later sought and
identified the taxi, elsewhere in the city.
Meantime, police were acting on repeated
telephoned complaints. Brant realized he was being sought. He was seen in the
early afternoon darting across East Fifth street lots, and stopped on one porch
for a chat. "He said the police were after him," the resident
reported, "and wanted to know if there was any way he could get away
without the police seeing him. We told him we didn't think he would be bothered
with the police around there, and finally we had to say we had another
engagement. He said then that he would have to go, too, and he walked on down
the street."
 |
| Cincinnati Enquirer, June 14, 1938. |
 |
| First Presbyterian Church, where Brant interrupted "little Mary Doerres's" Children's Day recitation. To the right stands Brant's eventual destination in Chillicothe, the city jail (now the county records building). The church burned in 1956. |
 |
| St. Peter's Church, scene of Brant's "electrifying" outburst. |
No comments:
Post a Comment