The Miracles of Hannah Williamson

A writer from the Reading Eagle visited Free Love Valley one September day in 1878 and described his experiences at length. The article from the Eagle was copied to a paper in Denison, Texas, the text of which is posted below. Note that he calls her Hannah Williams, not Williamson, but it is very obvious that this is simply an error in the report.

Wonderful Hannah Williams1

Miracles Said to Have Been Performed by the Woman who Led the Battle-Axes.

[From the Reading (Penn.) Eagle]

Chester Hill, North Coventry Township, Chester County, Sept.. 9 - Yesterday morning I went down the Reading Road to Douglassville, and I walked across the Schuylkill down to Unionville, up the hill past the Temple meeting-house, and scanned closely the house in which old Hannah Shingle was murdered about 25 years ago. Thence I went up the wild and romantic Chester Hill range to the head waters of Pigeon Creek, and passed the home of the Stubblebines, who propagated the Battle-Axe Faith, and ran naked up and down the hillside proclaiming the doctrine that, as Adam came into the world naked, the true religion requires the human family to wear no clothing whatsoever. I saw the log on which Hannah Williams preached the Gospel to the Battle-axes, standing barefooted, and, in earnest, defiant language, proclaiming that the fall of man was heresy, and that the true religion was to act and live as Adam did before he knew Eve, and that there was no doubt of the miracle performed by Moses,a and that in every generation there were certain persons born to whom God had given the power to perform miracles. She said she possessed this power, and as evidence of it, she would stand on any rock or log that might be loaded with gunpowder, and a safety fuse should be applied to it, and she could, by the force of her will power, prevent an explosion.

To test her power, this large chestnut log was selected, and a hole three inches in diameter was bored into it, and it was loaded with the best of gunpowder.  A man by the name of Campbell, who understood digging wells and blasting rocks, was selected to load the hole in the log, and he declared that the log was charged in the most scientific way. After he had put into the hole over six pounds of powder and packed it, he said that if Hannah Williams could prevent it from exploding, then he would believe that she, like Moses of old, could perform miracles. The log being ready, Hannah Williams was summoned, and about one hundred persons had gathered about the log, and she deliberately walked to the hole filled with powder and stood over it. She directed Mr. Campbell to light the safety fuse, and when he did so the multitude ran away. the fuse burned rapidly, and when it had reached the exploding point Hannah Williams, in clarion notes, shouted to those who had left her alone and were about five hundred yards away:

"And when Moses saw that the people were naked (For Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies)."

"And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, 'Jacob,' and I said, 'here I am.'"

"And he said, 'Lift up thine eyes and see all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ring-streaked, speckled and grizzled, for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.'"

After she had uttered these passages from Scripture she turned pale and clapped her hands and danced and wriggled, and then laughed and called to those who had fled for fear of injury from the explosion to return, as there was no danger, The multitude, however, stood aloof, and seemed frightened, and she, in a taunting way, said "I am the tree of life, and teach ye a pure religion , and ye stand off and fear me. Is it the powder ye are afraid of, or is it the religion I teach? I command ye to return and examine this log for the powder has burned out and God has kept me from harm." Thereupon a number of the men went up to the log, and Hannah Williams stepped from the hole that had been filled with powder. A close inspection was made of the hole in the log. The powder had blackened it, but there was no powder there, neither was there any smoke nor any appearance of an explosion.

Hannah Williams's fame from this point on spread rapidly. At one time in her career she offended one of the leading church members, and was cast into prison. It is related of her imprisonment that she ate nothing, and that after the door of her cell was locked upon her she went into a trance, and while in this state the doors of her prison-house were opened and she was liberated. She boasted that the Lord would always come to her assistance in the proper season, and that prison-houses, handcuffs and shackles she only laughed at.

I was told by Mt. Bachman that a worthy farmer, William Hinson, had an apple orchard, but the trees were filled with lice and he could not raise any apples. Hannah Williams, hearing of this, went to see Mr. Hinson and told him if her had faith in her will she could remove the lice from his trees. Mr. Hinson was at first amused at the novelty of the proposition, but seeing her terrible earnestness was startled and unrestful. She went away and for five successive days and nights Mr. Hinson could not sleep, but on the sixth night a voice from without the room said, "William Hinson, have faith in Hannah Williams and thy troubles will depart." The next morning he got up early and went down too Knauertown, where Hannah was, and she said: "I knew you would come for me. You have not slept any since I left you, and you will go down to the grave at an early day unless you have faith." Mr. Hinson said he had faith, but Hannah said he had not, and refused to return with him. He went home and that night he had a vision. In his sleep he fancied the heavens opened to him, and there he saw Hannah pleading for him. He sprang from the bed , and hastily arranged his toilet, resolving to go at once to see Hannah Williams, having undoubted faith in her ability to lift his load and relieve h him.

After he left his home for a few minutes, traveling toward the place where he had incredulously heard Hannah Williams' proposition to remove the lice from his trees if he had faith , he met her crouched down in the dead of the night under a large tree, singing a hymn. He approached and addressed her. She said:

"William Hinson, from this time forth you are a converted man. Had you not been a skeptic you would not have had the misery which has been continuously with you. Tomorrow, at high meriden, go with me, and I will not only relieve you, but will free your trees of lice."

William Hinson had faith; yes undoubted faith in what he had heard this strange woman say. Precisely at the hour named he met Hannah Williams in his orchard, when she said: "Lice, depart, and molest this man's trees no longer." Immediately hundreds of thousands of lice rose from the trees, forming a small cloud, and were carried away by currents of air. This was in June, and although the crop of fruit was small that year, for every succeeding year down to the present time every tree has been well filled with fruit. The trees are getting old now, but this year the orchard will have at least one thousand bushels of apples, supplying the neighbors for miles around.

There are many other strange stories told of this woman. She cured felons by snapping her fingers, ringworms by crossing her hands, toothache by bending the index finger of her left hand three times, mumps by stroking the fur of a cat backward, St. Vitus's dance by combing her hair at twelve o'clock at night, ague by placing the second bone in the goose's leg under  her pillow, tetter by whirling a chicken with her left hand three times around her head, stone bruise by blowing on it four times at sunrise, rheumatism, if it had not become chronic, by placing the palm of her hand against the palm of the one afflicted, and fits by winking her left eye four times. The last ever seen of her, she retired at night and securely bolted the door from the inside, nailed down the windows, and gave directions to the inmates of the house not to disturb her for three days, when the door of her bedroom should be opened at 10 o'clock in the morning. there directions were strictly pursued by the family. Precisely as directed, the door, after three days, was opened, but Hannah was not to be found. How she got out of the room is a mystery; whither she went is unknown. A few minutes before 10 o'clock she was heard in her room, and a good meal was prepared by her by the family, but she has never appeared since.

• 1. Denison Daily News (Denison, Texas), 9/29/1878