Walther the Fox and Felon
CFW followed his older
brother Otto in studies at Leipzig. That meant being drawn into Pietistic circles
and the conventicle led by Kuehn. The tutor felt alienated during his studies
at Leipzig and taught a morbid, punitive style of sanctification, which cost
Walther his health. After graduating, Walther served as a tutor, which was fairly
common for theology students awaiting certification and a call.
The alienation
experienced by Kuehn’s disciples was continued when they followed Stephan as
their leader. Many episodes led to clergy finding fault with Stephan, from drawing
their members to his church to the questionable walks at night with young
women. Stephan only had permission to hold conventicles at his church, but he
took advantage. He also collected offerings from his larger church, so there
were also issues concerning the money and how it was used.
No one was allowed to
share in the leadership circle unless he was absolutely subordinate to Stephan.
Walther took on the role of enforcer, so anyone who offended Stephan was
punished until his contrition was verified. This was certainly the basis for an
abusive cult, since no one could question Stephan or argue with Stephan and
remain in that circle. Stephan was considered a keen judge of human character –
seducers often are – and he called Walther “a fox.”
Walther and his brother
Otto were so sure of their rectitude that they worked together to kidnap their
niece and nephew from their father’s parsonage. This crime is often excused by the
Missouri myth machine. The children wanted to go to America! No one needs to
guess if taking minors across the ocean - without their parents - would be excused today. In addition, other minors
wanted to leave Europe and were allowed on the ship.
The police put out a
warrant for Walther’s arrest, but he evaded capture. His future mother-in-law
and the lawyers helped in concealing the children, and Mrs. Buenger was jailed.
CFW sailed away as fast as he could. Mrs. Buenger was released from jail, but
Stephan did not want her on the original group of ships. She came later and
became an important connection for Walther in Perryville.
The deciding factor in
the Saxon migration was Stephan’s final court investigation, which detailed his
adultery and money management issues. He no longer had a church position, so he
made the long-planned call to pack up and leave for Zion in America. Stephan’s
oldest son, his main mistress Louise Gunther, his lawyers at the trial, and Otto
Walther were on the same ship. The claim of a sermon-wrought adultery confession
(or two) is impossible to consider as anything but a clumsy lie. The Walther
circle seemed to waver between their warrant for the riot and the fact they
knew all along, wondering out loud how they turned a blind eye to it all along.
The Stephanites made
him their bishop before he stepped foot in America. CFW signed the bishop’s
enthronement paper.[1]
The group traveled by ship to St. Louis, decamped, and began planning for a new
home. Stephan continued to be extravagant in his plans and decisions, as well
as irrational. He chose Perryville over a much better and less expensive purchase
in St. Louis. One motif might have been getting away from the extremely
critical scrutiny he was getting in St. Louis, with his mistress living above
him in a rooming house and various women in and out, but no wife and family
there. The Americans were not as blind as the Stephanites.
Perryville might have
also appealed as a distant parcel allowing the group to have their own little
Eden. Nevertheless, the followers accepted what Stephan ordered, and they
bought the Perryville land from the Mormons, paying too much.
Pastor Loeber’s May 5, 1839, Rogate Sermon
Two women who heard
Pastor Loeber’s moving sermon on May 5, 1839, went to him and confessed their adulterous
activities with Bishop Stephan. Forster’s detailed footnote only reveals the
confusion of facts surrounding this story.[2]
The traditional seal of the confessional was not observed at all. Loeber
immediately told Walther. No one asked Stephan about the truth of the matter,
but it was spread throughout the group. Given the foreknowledge of the Walther
circle and the lawyers, this scenario is hollow and sadly comical. Vehse “was
told” but he was on the same ship as Stephan and Louise Gunther.[3]
Forster admits that nothing was new in Stephan’s behavior; the same issues had
been discussed in Dresden, sometimes believed, sometimes dismissed as gossip,
finally part of the final court decision against Stephan, where his mistress
and his wife were both questioned in front of Marbach and Vehse.
Extravagant and absurd
demands by Bishop Stephan at this time were noted by Forster and by Stephan’s In
Search of Religious Freedom.[4]
However, no one seems to connect these neurological symptoms of syphilis with the
bishop’s rashes and other medical complaints. Since the sudden and shocking
discovery of adultery is completely bogus, something else must have generated a
riot that swept down from St. Louis to Perryville, a ministerial approach to sin
not included in Walther’s Pastoral Theology.
First, Walther had to
travel to Perryville, on May 13, to take back secretly the 40 acres of land given
to the bishop as a gift, without even talking to Stephan.[5]
The pastors wrote to the newspaper that they were taking action, but still did
not tell Stephan. This was described as a way to limit the scandal and potential
vigilante justice, with multiple hangings. But this also points to an outbreak
of syphilis among the young women of the group and hard questions for the
Walther circle of pastors. The pastors confessed their silence to the newspaper
but also claimed all accusations in the past were unproven![6]
May 28, 300 Roared Off the Steamship
Walther organized the
mob that arrived in Perryville and surrounded the bishop’s cabin. Only those
against the bishop were allowed to take the trip. They threatened his life,
held him at gunpoint, forced him out of his home, stole all his money, took all
his books and personal possessions, and forced him across the river to
Illinois. They even disrobed him to make sure he was not hiding any money.[7]
[1] Zion,
p. 303. Missouri myth-makers claim that CFW did not sign the bishop’s elevation
paper or that it was forged. However, both fig leaves drop off when the
document is examined.
[2] Zion,
p.392, footnote #5.
[3] Zion,
p. 392.
[4] In
Search of Religious Freedom, p. 179f.
[5]
Ibid, p. 181.
[6]
Ibid, p. 182.
