A brief account of the deluded Dutartres; extracted from a sermom [sic], preached by the Rev. Mr. Alexander Garden, A.M., at Charlestown, in South-Carolina.

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A BRIEF ACCOUNT, &c.

_THE DUTARTRES were a Family of French Extraction, consisting of the two Parents and eight Children, four Sons and four Daughters, settled in Orange-Quarter, in this Province. § 1.1 They were always in low Circumstan|ces in Life, but of honest Repute; and for many Years behaved themselves regu|larly and blameless in all outward Instan|ces of religious and moral Duty. But some Years before the fatal Period, came hither a certain strolling Moravian, Dutch or Swiss Enthusiast, named CHRISTIAN GEORGE; who partly by Conver|sation, and partly by the Writings of JACOB BEHMEN, &c. soon filled their Heads with many wild and fantastic Notions. In a Year or two's Time, they began to withdraw or separate from public Worship, and all outward Ordinances of God in his Church, and from all Conversation with the World as much as possible; and strongly to conceit that they were the alone Family upon Earth who had the true Knowledge and Worship of God, and whom he vouchsafed to instruct and direct either by the im|mediate Impulses of his Holy Spirit, or by Signs and Tokens which he gave them. Finally, it came to open Visions and Re|velations. They imagined that God had raised up a Prophet unto them from among themselves (Viz. PETER ROMBER••, who had

married the eldest Daughter of the Family, a Widow like 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Moses and to whom they should b••. This Text it seems was powerfully impressed on their Minds. It was not long til this Man solemnly declared to them. That God had expressly revealed to him. That the Wi•• of M•• was now again be|come as great upon the ••ar•• as 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in the Days of N••, and that therefore the Lord purposed to ••ey Mankind a Second Time from off the Face of the Earth, all 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that one Family, when he would pre|serve as he did Noah's, for ••ng up a Godly Seed again upon i••. This Revelation he was ••e of be ••w it, be felt it, as certainly as the W••d ••ng on his Body, and they with as much Assur|ance believed and depended upon it.

SOON a••t•• this Prophet declared with equal Solemnity and Confidence to them, that God had revealed to him thus, Put away the Woman whom thou now had for thy Wife, for when I have de•• this Wicked Generation, then will I raise up her first Hus|band from the Dead, and they shall be Man and Wife as before, and go then and take to Wife her Youngest Sister who is a Virgin, so shall that cho••en Family he restored entire, and the Holy Seed be preserved part and undefiled in it. The old Man the Father was staggered at so strange a Message. But the Prophet assured him that God would give him a Sign. (Viz. on their going to the next Plantation, the first living Creature they should See there, should be such a one a Horse suppose or a Hog) which accordingly came to pass; and immediately the old Man took his Youngest Daughter by the Hand, and gave her to the Prophet to Wife, and he went in unto her and lay with her without any further Ceremony, pursuant to his Revelation. And thus they con|tinued in open and notorious Adultery and Incest, 'till the fatal Period we now come to mention. So far possessed were these Persons with a Conceit of their own Holiness, and of the Impu|rity and Wickedness of others, that they would give no Obe|dience to the civil Magistrate, nor to any of the Laws and Or|din••ces of Men, and accordingly refused to comply either with the Militia Law 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Pretence that God had revealed to them not to bear A••m•• or the Law for repairing the High|wa••. After long forbearance Justice SYMMONS, a worthy Magistrate and Captain of the Militia in those Parts, saw it necessary to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 his Warrants for levying the Penalties of those Laws upon them. Moreover by this Time JUDITH DUTARTRE, the Prophets Revelation. Wife proving with Child, a third Warrant was issued for bringing her before the Justice to be

examined and bound over to the general Sessions for Bastardy, pursuant to a Law of this Province. The Constable having received these Warrants, got two or three or his Neighbours to go with him, doubting what Usage he might meet with from so odd a Family. The DUTARTRES apprised of his Coming and Errand, consulted their Prophet, who soon told them, that God commanded them to arm and defend themselves, and their Substance, from the Persecution and Robberies of the Men of the Earth, and that no Weapon formed against them should prosper. On which they forthwith arm themselves, fire upon the Constable, and those Persons with him, and drive them out of their Ground.

THIS was not to be suffered; and therefore the Justice taking with him. Ten or Twelve Men of the Militia, went to protect the Constable in the Execution of his Office. On their Ap|proach, this deluded Family shut themselves up in their House, and then fired like so many Furies, Shot the Justice Dead on the Spot, and Wounded several of his Men. At length the House was forced open, Mrs. LESAD, was found killed and the rest Six in Number taken Prisoners, and brought hither to CHARLES-TOWN; where at a special Court of General Sessions, held the Twenty Ninth, and Thirtieth of September, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Twenty-four, Five of them, Namely, MICHAEL BOINEAU, PETER DUTARTE, DANIEL DUTARTE, JOHN DUTARTE, and PETER ROMBERT, were arraigned, and tried for Murder, found Guilty and Condemned.—But were these miserable Wretches ever convinced of their Delusion? The three chief of them, Viz. The Prophet, the Father of the Family, and MICHAEL BOINEAU, confidently persisted in their Delusion to their last Breath.—They appeared on their Trials, all together easy and unconcerned. They asserted they had God on their Side, and therefore feared not what Men could do unto them. They freely told the incestuous Story in all its Circumstances, as above-mentioned, in open Court, with a good Countenance; very readily owned the Facts and Circumstances of the Rebel|lion, and the Murder charged upon them, pled Justification in all as authorised of God by immediate Revelations from him, averring they had done Nothing in the one or the other of the Cases but by his express Orders and Command.—As the visiting of Persons under Sentence of Death is a Part of my

Duty as a ¶ 1.2 Minister of this Place, so I attended these unhappy Creatures with more than ordinary Pains and Diligence. They very readily owned, repeated and confirmed, all the Facts and Circumstances as before-mentioned with no material Variation from what they had done in Court. But when I came to Rea|son with them on those Facts, and endeavour to convince them of the Errors and Wickedness they were guilty of in com|mitting them, they treated me with great Disdain—Their Motto was, Answer him not a Word! They were confident they had the Spirit of God Speaking inwardly to their Souls, and who was I to pretend to talk to, or instruct them? They had obeyed the Voice of God, and were about to suffer Martyrdom for it. But God had assured them, that he would either Work a great Deliverance for them, or raise them up from the Dead on the third Day. And thus the three before-mentioned, who were Executed continued to insist to their Dying Breath. Their last Words to the Spectators were, that they should surely see them alive again from the Dead the third Day.—As to the other three, the Daughter JUDITH was not tried. The two Sons DANIEL, and JOHN DUTARTRE, Lad's of about Eighteen or Twenty Years of Age, who were Tried and Condemned, con|tinued sullen 'till after finding no Resurrection of the others from the Dead, as they expected, they became sensible of their Delusion, at least professed themselves so, and were pardoned.

BUT Alass! one of them relapsed into the same Snare, and Murdered an Innocent Person, without any previous Quarrel or Provocation, and for no other Reason as he acknowledged, but that God had revealed it to him, it was his Duty to do it. He was Tried for this Murder, found Guilty, Condemned and Executed. I attended him again, under this Second Sentence of Death, and it pleased God with all apparent Hopes of Suc|cess. No one ever appeared more sensible of his Delusion, or to die a more hearty and sincere Penitent, or in greater pro|fessed Hopes of Salvation through the alsufficient Merits of CHRIST his Redeemer.

THUS ended this Tragical Scene of Enthusiasm, immediate Revelations and Strong Impulses; by following which no less than seven Persons lost their Lives, one Killed, two Murdered, and four Executed for those Murders. A remarkable Instance to what Heights of Extravagance, Folly and Wickedness, Persons who hold such Principles, and pretend to immediate Revelations, and to follow Impulses may be hurried!

Notes

• § 1.1

  SOUTH-CAROLIN••
• ¶ 1.2

  The 〈◊〉〈◊〉 M••. GARDEN.