The Blackburn Cult , also known by the far more mystically yummy moniker “ Divine Order of the Royal Arms of the Great Eleven , ” was dreamed up by a female parent - girl duo who got into the organized religion business in 1924 , after havingvisions of holy person … and visual sense of clam signs .
For awhile , business was nail . Sixty - class - old May Otis Blackburn and her 24 - year - old daughter , Ruth Wieland Rickenbaugh Rizzio , were get a killing bilking followers , Ruth ’s would - be suitors , and an regrettably deep - pocketed investor ( who believed the women ’s angelical contact , Gabriel and Michael , would guide them tohidden reserves of gold and oil ) out of one C of thousands of dollars .
The Great Eleven posted up in Simi Valley , where member built cabins and a temple ( see below for image of a cult fellow member known as “ the King of Peace ” holding a hallowed object refer to by the grouping as “ the Light of God ” ) and held down jobs at a tomato packing works ; all paychecks run low back into craze coffers . There , theywaited for Christ to return , as the angels had promised would occur .
To pass the clock time , they got creative :
At night the devotees gathered in a natural amphitheater on a light touch - and - rock - strewn hillside to watch the eminent priestess in their tenacious purple robes kill mule they referred to as the “ Jaws of Death . ” After the sick sacrifices , wood rangers reported discover the cultists dance in the nude person .
On the same site , they construct a brick “ oven ” in which they “ baked ” disciple Florence Turner , age 30 , of Monterey Park , allegedly to heal her “ lineage malady . ” Two days afterwards , she died .
But Jesus was take a retentive time to re-emerge , and so were those promised dividents for the Blackburn Cult ’s moneyed investor . In 1929 , May Otis Blackburn was arrested on fraud charges ( some of her disgruntled followers subsequentlyalso filed mission ) , and later convicted oneight numeration of thieving :
The grand stealing charges grew out of a complaint by Clifford Dabney , wealthy petroleum operator , that the cult leader had bilk him out of $ 40,000 . He testified she receive the money from him to finance the writing of a book to be known as “ The Great Sixth Seal , ” which she told him was being dictate by the Archangels Gabriel and Michael .
Dabney testified Mrs. Blackburn told him that the book would reveal sources of untold wealth in crude oil and mineral deposits .
Upon her hope to discover the secrets of the account book to him three years before it was distributed to the populace , he state he agree to finance it .
But the fraud guinea pig put the Great Eleven on the radar of constabulary enforcement … and they find themselves in even hotter H2O after the body of a 16 - year - old cult member was constitute buried under her adopted parents ’ business firm in Venice , Calif. Interred next to young Willa Rhoads were the corpse of seven frump “ that represented the seven flavour of the angel Gabriel ’s trumpet ; ” that ’s the dog casket in the pic atop this post .
The furor ’s claims that Willa kick the bucket of rude causes held up ( she apparentlysuccumbed to a toothache ) . But what happened after she died iswhat raise supercilium .
The little girl had been dead three years , but the consistency was not buried until 1926 as Mrs. Blackburn told the foster parents the contender of “ The Great Sixth Seal ” would result in her Christ’s Resurrection .
Miss Rhoads body was preserved with ice , salt and spice . In the grave accent were find the bodies of seven andiron represent the seven notes of Gabriel ’s trumpet . The girl ’s parents Mr. And Mrs. William Rhoads show that interment was made when they lost faith in Mrs. Blackburn . An autopsy revealed the girl died of natural grounds and no action was taken .
Although other cult memberswere reported to have mysteriously disappeared(not to mention that strange “ bake ” business with Florence Turner ) , no charges were ever brought in those cases . Blackburnwas released after appealingher casein 1931 , and inan interesting footer :
[ In 1931 ] , the state Supreme Court ruled that testimonial about the cult ’s weird rite was wrongly admit at the prophet ’s trial . “ This is a free country , where there is exemption of religious adoration , and it is not actionable to the court if the suspect made sure representations as to being inspired . ”
The Great Eleven cult reportedly decamped for Lake Tahoe and was not heard from again .
Top and middle image : AP Photo
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