Franz Edmund Creffield, commonly known as Edmund Creffield and by the pseudonym Joshua (c. 1870–1906), was a German-American religious leader who founded a movement in Corvallis, Oregon, that became known locally as the "Holy Rollers". The movement, mainly popular among women, was widely regarded as a cult. Creffield, who believed himself the second coming of Jesus, had a number of run-ins with the authorities and the local citizenry over the next several years, often stemming from his relations with his female followers and his increasingly erratic behavior.
In 1906 Creffield was murdered by George Mitchell, whose sister was one of Creffield's followers. After being acquitted of wrongdoing in the killing, Mitchell was himself murdered by his sister in revenge, with another follower's subsequent death by suicide. The story attracted national attention and was major news for a time in the Pacific Northwest.[1][2]
- ^ Robert P. Sutton, Modern American Communes. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005; p. 37.
- ^ McCracken, T- (2002). Holy Rollers: Murder and Madness in Oregon's Love Cult. Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Press. ISBN 0-87004-424-9.