Show CULT HP LEADER DIES v ji j ja i a at AFTER t I If f OROVILLE Cal larch 25 The 20 The on on the tIe crown of ot his 1 hea head L Lac ac ord- ord crucifixion by fire of Herman leader of a weird religious religious religious ious cult here who who died Sund Sunday supposedly from the effects of torture will be described to the Butte county grand Jury t today day County a authorities will try to establish whether burns inflicted upon the soles of S halow's feet and the top of his head with a white-hot white iron caused his death I whether he succumbed to the In Influence Ini influence In- In i fluence of h his religious fanaticism I upon his nervous system or ther th- th er some natural ailment was re re- re I Three persons besides have testified to the ritual carried out in the home of Edward Rhodes Mrs Salow Rhodes Rhodea and Mrs Irs Rhodes were members of the sect within the Church 1 f f God Goel a a. local organization was one of the founders of at the little cult and it was at his I instigation that the that the rites were perI performed performed per per- fo formed ed on his body authorities I have learned His Ifs fello members members bound hound him nearly nude to a a t table ble and a 1 woman so far unidentified took tooka a slender rod which had b been been ren raised to white heat and burned the figure of of- the cross iI in each of ot the prostrate mans man's feet and then L ing to members of at the cult As the rod burned its legend the cultists standing about the table table- groaned in unison v was r vocally silent When the ritual was over he was removed to his own home S For two weeks the cyst cult members members' went about their daily dally tasks and I held secret meetings but I there were no more burnt sacrifices lay In a torpor Then c came came me his death Bit by bit District Attorney Bothe Botho pieced together what ho re regards regards regards re- re gards as the true story of the ritual An order to exhume body for a postmortem examination was expected to be issued as tie the ti grand jury convened No charges y have been filed so far against any 1 I of the confessed principals in the r ritual of fire J 1 |