By Barbara Engstrom
In July, I attended a program on the Holy Rollers Love Cult presented by Washington State Law Librarian Rob Mead and retired history professor George Edmonston. While the events described by George and Rob happened over a century ago, so many of the themes touched upon in the story still hold currency today. Female autonomy and agency, the “unwritten law” that encourages turning a blind eye to illegal actions meant to protect a woman’s “honor,” unchecked vigilantism, and sensationalist “journalism” being allowed to bleed into court proceedings all resonate in our current time.
In this article, I talk with George and Rob a bit about the story behind the cult and the fascinating legal proceedings that ensued. Please join them at KCLL for a free CLE webcast on the Holy Rollers Love Cult — more information at the end of this article.
George and Rob, could you each describe how you learned about the Holy Rollers Love Cult?
George: In 1998, I ran across a copy of Stewart Holbrook’s book “Wildmen, Wobblies, and Whistle Punks,” in which the opening chapter is titled “Death and Times of a Prophet.” There it was (is) … the story of Creffield and the Holy Rollers. Holbrook (1893-1964) was a prolific writer who authored over 36 books about the Pacific Northwest, and who was also a steady contributor of his self-proclaimed “lowbrow or non-stuffed shirt history” to numerous publications, including The Oregonian newspaper and magazines such as The New Yorker and Startling Detective. At the peak of his career in the 1950s, Holbrook was the best-known journalist of the Pacific Northwest.
Rob: I learned about the Holy Rollers when researching signatures from antique law books rescued from a dumpster in Shelton that were eventually donated to the Washington State Law Library. The books were owned by Charles Raymond Lewis, who joined the Bar in 1920. Some were gifts from his father-in-law, A.W. Frater, a Seattle judge who died in 1925. Research on Judge Frater unveiled two interesting cases: a case where he sentenced a soldier to one minute in jail for drunk and disorderly conduct and the murder trials of George Mitchell, for killing cult-leader Edmund Creffield, and Esther Mitchell, for subsequently killing her brother George.
George, could you describe the advent of the cult and tell us a bit about the background of the leader, Edmund Creffield?
The cult had its beginnings in Corvallis, Oregon, 84 miles south of Portland. Franz Edmund Creffield, the “prophet” who founded the group and became Joshua the Second or Joshua II, arrived in this small Willamette Valley college town (home today of Oregon State University) in the later months of 1902. At the time, the population of Corvallis was approximately 2,500. By November 1903, Creffield was a well-known figure in the community. Facts about his early life are scarce. He was probably of German origin, born around 1873. He likely came to America in 1884. There is no evidence he ever became a U.S. citizen. He was of small build (5 feet, 3 inches tall), and his last name was originally spelled “Crefeld.” In 1899 he was a member of the Salvation Army in Portland. From that year forward, Creffield was assigned to numerous SA posts at various locations around the state, including Grants Pass, Corvallis, The Dalles, Oregon City, and McMinnville. In October 1901, he resigned from the Salvation Army to find “a more authentic way to follow God’s word.” When he arrived back in Corvallis in late 1902, he used his background and experience with the Salvation Army to both reestablish himself in the community and gain credibility with residents similarly involved. It was from this group that he began recruiting members for his cult.
George, referring to someone as a “holy roller” is now commonplace; how did it come to be associated with this cult?
The name “holy roller” was given to the sect (mostly) by outsiders. Creffield and his followers did not refer to themselves as that. Instead, they were the “come-outers,” “God’s anointed,” the “Church of God,” or simply “apostles.” Starting in 1904, officials used the word “Creffieldism” to describe them. By the late fall of 1903, “Holy Roller” was the name most commonly used for the cult by the people of Corvallis. Eyewitness accounts from members who had left the cult, or from bystanders watching (and listening) from outside the house where the group met, would describe behaviors in which worshipers would tumble about the floor or ground groaning and screaming, praying and shouting.
Sensationalist newspaper articles drummed up quite a bit of interest in Edmund Creffield and his “brides of Christ.” What were some of the biggest discrepancies between what was being reported and what actually happened?
Rumors swirled about the cult (during) its entire existence. From animal sacrifices to group orgies, every aspect of this story was fair game. One of the key story lines having to do with Creffield and his disciples, and it remains this way today, concerns how much of what was reported was actually true. Cult members said little, Creffield even less, leaving the general public to only imagine what was actually happening. And journalists took advantage with sensationalistic reporting, mostly designed to sell newspapers.
George, can you talk about some of the vigilantism that Creffield faced prior to his murder?
Late in 1903, Creffield and his followers were chased from Corvallis by threats and violence and forced to vacate to a location in the Willamette River south of Corvallis known as Smith Island. At this spot, a camp was established. On Jan. 4, 1904, Creffield was taken from the Smith camp by a group of 20 men known as “White Caps” and marched through the Center of Corvallis to a place where he was tarred and feathered and chased out of town. In the spring of 1906, Creffield, after spending more than a year in the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, moved his group to Waldport on the Oregon Coast. Almost immediately, an attempt on his life was made by a Corvallis man named Louis Hartley (leader of the “White Caps”), who thought his daughter had joined the cult. A .32-caliber pistol employed to do the deed misfired five times due to the shooter having the wrong ammunition. On May 7, 1906, George Mitchell from Portland, whose sister Esther was a favored member of the cult, killed Creffield in Seattle with a pistol that did what pistols do.
George, could you describe the events that led to Creffield’s murder?
Great question. In the main, events surrounding the killing of Prophet Creffield had to do with the disruption to families and marital relationships his preaching and ministry created.
Rob, this was an early case using a temporary insanity defense. At the same time, much of the news predicated the defense on the “unwritten law” of defending a woman’s honor. How did these play out?
One of the earliest temporary insanity defense cases was that of U.S. Representative Daniel Sickles who shot and killed his wife’s lover, Philip Barton Key II, the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. Three days after he had learned of the affair, Sickles confronted Key and then shot him several times. His lawyers argued that there was an “unwritten law” justifying homicide in response to adultery. Sickles was exonerated after 70 minutes of jury deliberation to cheers in the courtroom. Similarly, George Mitchell’s lawyers argued temporary insanity based on rumors of the cult’s sexual deviance and presented evidence that witnesses had divulged these to him, driving him temporarily insane over his sister’s disgraced honor. The jury deliberated from 3:14 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. before declaring him “not guilty” and free to leave, as they also did not find him to be temporarily insane.
In an almost Hollywood twist, Creffield’s murderer was in turn murdered by a vigilante. Rob, can you describe the situation and the ensuing trial?
Esther Mitchell was incensed by her brother’s murder of Creffield and attack on her honor. She plotted to kill George with her friend Maud Creffield, Edmund’s wife. A few days after his exoneration, she took an opportunity to shoot him in the neck at close range, in the same manner that he had shot Creffield. Both women were charged with murder, and counsel raised the insanity defense. Maud Creffield eventually committed suicide in jail while waiting on appeal.
Rob, can you describe a bit about the mechanics of the case? There were some interesting procedural and jurisdictional issues.
To determine whether the women were sane enough to assist in their own defense, Judge Frater appointed three doctors, including his own physician, as an expert panel. They interviewed both women, conducted physical examinations, and interviewed other witnesses. They found the women to be delusional and dangerous. Judge Frater then invoked a new Washington statute requiring deportation of out-of-state residents who were found to be insane and ordered the sheriff to take Esther Mitchell back to an Oregon asylum. The prosecutor appealed and the Washington Supreme Court affirmed the insanity determination but found the deportation statute to be unconstitutional because the sheriff’s constitutional powers ended at the state border. Seattle Police Chief Charles Wappenstein is quoted as saying, “I wish these Oregon people would kill each other on their own side of the river.” Esther Mitchell was kept in the state asylum at Steilacoom for several years before being released in 1909 and returning to Oregon.
George and Rob, thanks for introducing us to this fascinating story. Any final thoughts you’d like to share on Creffield, his brides, or the ensuing legal cases?
George: For the history buff who lives inside most of us, the story of Franz Creffield and his Brides of Christ religious cult represents — paraphrasing the words of Brian Booth in his introduction to Holbrook’s “Wildmen, Wobblies, and Whistle Punks” — the perfect tale for those who look for the unconventional in stories of regional history, especially the scoundrels, the schemers and the dreamers who live the brief moment of fame before slipping away into oblivion.
Rob: The murder trials of Mitchell and Creffield/Mitchell have a little bit of everything: Western vigilantism, mental illness, cults, and gender issues, all situated in a rapidly growing Seattle. Washington’s legal history is full of similarly interesting cases. If you’d like to explore interesting cases and stories about judges, courts, and the law, I’d encourage you to join the Washington Courts Historical Society.
Want to learn more? Join George and Rob at KCLL for a free Holy Rollers Love Cult CLE!
If you enjoyed this article, please join George and Rob for an upcoming CLE on the Holy Rollers cult and the criminal law case(s) that ensued. The CLE webcast is on Oct. 27. Registration details can be found at http://kcll.org/events.
