ANTONIO CONSELHEIRO.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15113, 23 December 1921, Page 2

ANTONIO CONSELHEIRO.

A REMARKABLE MAN. AND A STRANGE SECT. One of the most remarkable men who ever lived was Antonio Conselheiro. He was a man of humble birth, who for his first twenty years lived an ordinarv life in Brazil. Then, suddenly he developed a religious fanaticism and gathered around him as motley a following of good and bad as the world has ever witnessed. He preached humility, which he practised; extreme poverty and constant fasting. Then, for sixteen years—Mr Cunninghamme Graham tells us in "Antonio Conselheiro" —he disappeared, and it has never been discovered how or where he lived during that period. At the end of that period he made a dramatic reappearance, preaching the approach of the end of the Avorld. He urged open revolts against Governments —revolt by force, if necessary. Clad only in a blue cotton habit, with bare feet and a beard to his waist, with eyes burning with passion, he attracted to his banner a crew of the worst "roughs" imaginable. The scum of the drifting population who have no homes and obey no laws, all bowed their knees to him. They founded his settlement —a town which still exists, named Canudos. Amongst the rascals who held high office in his ranks was one with no less than twelve murders on his soul, another who was a half negro, and whose infamy Avas known from one end of Brazil to the other, and a couple of highwaymen for whom an enormous reward was offered. In a short time he had collected a following of some five thousand people, including women and children. At this unofficial religious organisation the Church of Brazil took fright, and in due course a small military force was sent to arrest Antonio and disperse his following. They not only failed, but were all murdered. Thereupon the Government sent another force of five hundred men and a gun against these outlaws. It suffered a terrible reverse. Naturally this increased the fame of Antonio and his following. These people, it' must be remembered, had only old-fashioned arms and simple farm implements with which to fight. The now aroused Government sent another expedition of .1500 armed and equipped men with several guns and under the leadership of a renowned general. Disaster as before awaited them, the general died at the head of his men, and only about a tenth of the force returned. During battle the Antonians sang psalms and gave no quarter! Thoroughly frightened, the Government sent yet another expedition, this time of 7000 men, with many guns and siege equipment. It took over a year to reduce the settlement! Here comes the most curious feature of a very curious story —not one living soul of that following either surrendered or lived to tell the tale. Antonio was found dead from exhaustion in the ruins of what was to have been his cathedral.