OK -- it was back in 1892 -- so nobody need get too upset.

But after reading their story, as published in the Duluth
Herald of July 28, 1892, I'm left wondering if it could
happen today.

The Four men, J. H. Dortch, J. Stern. J. Moon and W. S. Lowry,
were arrested in Henry County, Tennessee, for "violating the
Sabbath," by doing something (like tending to a horse's needs)
prohibited under that State's civil law. At about the same
time, a fifth man (W. H. Parker) appealed his arrest and
conviction to the State Supreme court, where it was upheld.

The locally dominant sect is Southern Baptist, and they make
the laws. Since the Sunday laws do not specifically mention
any sect or scriptures, they were (are?) constitutional and
the five Seventh Day Adventists thus arrested and convicted
were allowed no further appeal.

The only way they could get out of prison was to each pay a
fine imposed along with their sentencing. But their own
religious doctrines did not allow them to pay out money to
support the "false teachings" of their Baptist neighbors.

Thus, five men innocent of any other illegal act were
doomed to life imprisonment in Tennessee, because their
neighbors spotted them tending to horses, etc. on Sunday.

I'm thinking that in 2014, with so many people holding down
jobs that demand their working on Sundays, that even in
the most rural, isolated hamlet in Henry County, Tennessee,
such arrests and continual imprisonments could not happen
today --- or could they?

UD

anybody Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> n/t

The images of the Duluth Herald of July 28, 1892 are at the
archive.org site, as a pdf file (that takes forever to load).

As best I can figure out, the Adventists were credited with
some cash value for their cleaning up around the jail, etc.,
and thus, informally, their fines eventually would be paid
off, without their having to overtly cough up the cash.

Sounds like a sort Andy of Mayberry solution to the problem
of having to keep folks locked up, who should have never
been arrested in the first place.

UD

Clayton Cramer posted a bunch of fascinating blue laws from colonial America on his blog while working on another project. Among them, one had to obtain permission to be a bachelor and rent an apartment. In Vermont, one had to wear a scarlet letter I if convicted of adultery.

Some of it's pretty fascinating.
http://claytonecramer.blogspot.com/search/label/history

Alpiner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Clayton Cramer posted a bunch of fascinating blue
> laws from colonial America on his blog while
> working on another project. Among them, one had to
> obtain permission to be a bachelor and rent an
> apartment. In Vermont, one had to wear a scarlet
> letter I if convicted of adultery.
>
> Some of it's pretty fascinating.
> http://claytonecramer.blogspot.com/search/label/hi
> story

As recently as mid-19th century, some civil courts would
not admit the testimony of an atheist, Deist, Quaker, etc.
in a trail. Theoretically such a witness could be brought
to the stand, directed to first swear on a Bible, and
then be arrested for contempt of court when they refused.
Or -- if they complied, they could be arrested for blasphemy
or some other crime involving swearing under false pretenses.

Sounds like a good plot for a Franz Kafka novel.

UD

When I first moved to Utah in the '60s, there was a lot of talk
about a "Sunday closing law."

It was a big topic on radio call-in shows. Those opposed would
cite Jews and Seventh-Day Adventists who closed their business
on Saturday (the original "sabbath"). But it was pointed out in
rebuttal that they would have LDS employees who would be
"breaking the sabbath" if the stores were allowed to be open on
Sunday.

some areas still have the stupid blue laws. When we were in Indiana it was illegal for a dealership to sell you a car on sunday. I know it still was a couple years ago. You go to the dealers on sunday and there are several customers looking at cars all the time but no one can buy or take a test drive.

In Utah it is still illegal for a dealership to open on a Sunday