EXTRAORDINARY AFFAIRS IN VICTORIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4400, 20 December 1875, Page 3

EXTRAORDINARY AFFAIRS IN VICTORIA.

Tip Argus gives a long account of the hardships and sufferings of some German immigrants, who, it is said, left their native lard reference to tlie teaching of □, religions monomaniac. The account received by telegraph from Benalla, where the immigrants have settled, says:—'' It appears that they all come from some small villages, near Hainau, in Silesia. They profess the Lutheran religion, but a few years ago a young woman, named Maria Heller, was seized with epileptic fits, and pretended to receive divine inspiration during -these attacks. _ The ignorant villagers began to believe in her, especially as one or two of her statements, or what she termed prophecies, relative to local matters, caire true. At last she prophesied the Franco-Prussian war, and when that took Jplrce, their belief in her was boundlesa. In 1574, in one of her fits, she announced that the Lord had told her that in a very short time a frightful war would break out p,nd devastate not only Germany but the whole of Europe, and that Australia would be the only safe place in the world. She therefore called upon them to follow her to that place, and promised that after remaining there ten yearß Bhe would bring them br.ck to Jerusalem, which would be their second resting place, after which they would return again to Germany and find peace and plenty after all their wanderings. They believed her story, and at once commenced preparations for their long and we..ry journey. All their little savings were put into one common fund, and, carrying with them their household effects, they left Silesia, numbering G4 souls, and made their way to Hamburg, where they took the steamer to London, in order to get a ship to carry them to Australia, their land of promise, i They took passage in the steamer Somerset- | shire, and arrived in Melbourne in April last. Here four of the party seceded, thus | reducing the number to CO. Their stock of money at this time amounted to £210. It ; appears they took up land in the Benalla district, near two of their countrymcu. At first all went smoothly. The immigrants were employed by the Germaa settlers, but afterwards quarrelled, it is said in obedience to the voice of the "Prophetess." Upon learning that great distress prevailed, an officer of the police and a special reporter visted them. Several of them were found to be sick, and all were in want, but not quite destitute. A supply of provisions was sent them, for which they were very grateful, as all, they said, they required was to be helped till harvesttime. The Prophetess is thus described :— " She is not prepossessing in appearance. In fact, the most ill-favoured of the whole commmunity. She has a low, retreating forehead, shaded by heavy masses of coarse black hair. She has overhanging black eyebrows, and generally a suspicious, uneasy appearance. Her nose is broad and flat, her lips thick and sensual. She has a massive lower jaw. Without waiting to have any questions put to her, she commenced a rapid statement as follows:—'I have had these trances siuce childhood. I don't know what happens to me when I am in them. I believe the Lord speaks to me then. I only know that the Lord has ordered me to lead a quiet life, .and (excitedly) I deny that I was ever married, or had anything to do with men. I don't attempt to guide or interfere with these people or their children. I don't try to prevent them going to work. The only thing I try to do is to keep them to their religion, and to bring the children up in the right way. lam a Lutheran by religion, but I believe that the Almighty often speaks to me.' This closed the conversation, and she was advised not to give ■way to these fits too much, as they nright ultimately lead to her separation from her friends, and incarceration in the Beechworth Asylum." Four of the settlers had died from various diseases, and five of them were sick at the time they were visited. A. report in the North Eastern Ensign denies almost every statement mrde by the Argus, respecting the German immigrants. It says that the woman Seller is not regarded as a prophetess, and has no undue influence upon her companions; that she has never pretended to Divine inspirations or Buffered from epileptic fits; and that many of the settlers never so much as heard of her until they left Germany. Every other material statement of the Argvs is flatly contradicted by the Ensign, which represents the settlers as having been oppressed and defrauded by the very persons the Argus refers to as the friends of whose assistance they had been deprived by the ravings of Maria, Heller, whom it sets down as their leader and prophetess.