Who was “Little Mary” (Mary Evelyn Skaggs)

    
    Mary Evelyn Skaggs was the first child of Joseph Roscoe Skaggs and Gracie M. Brewer. She was born in January of 1910, according to the 1910 census of Ironton, Lawrence County, Ohio. She was one of ten children born to her father and mother. She had a religious upbringing; her father was a deacon at the Pentecostal Church of Christ beginning in 1908. Being the eldest child, she was counted on to help raise her siblings. She was enthralled by sermons and songs at church, and studied the Bible from an early age, gaining a uncanny knowledge in the Word of God. Some say she was a descendant of Reverend Peter Skaggs, (Old Peter Skaggs)
    By the1920s the Pentecostal faith began to spread deep into Kentucky and West Virginia. As a young girl she was quickly becoming a legend. She had received her papers to preach at the annual Pentecostal Conference that was held in Flatwood Kentucky, in 1924. She was only in her early teens but would go on to be one of the most successful evangelists the Pentecostal Church has ever seen. Her tent revivals drew people from all over the area and they were enchanted by her charismatic sermons, and her knowledge of the Bible.
    One can look through the old articles of the Pentecostal Witness and find out how active this young lady was. She traveled throughout Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia at a breakneck speed, spreading the gospel of the Holy Ghost. Not only converting people to Christ but adding to a growing number of new and enthusiastic preachers. The constant travel and fame started taking its toll. She became quite ill in 1932 and was forced to stop her preaching. During the last year of her life, she lamented not being able to do more. In an interview she stated, “Ill health has prevented my work as an evangelist, when I look over my report and saw so little I had done, I could not refrain from crying.” Sadly, she passed away on December 1, 1933, after saving thousands of souls. She was elected to the Pentecostal Hall of Fame.

Who was William H Duty?

   William Henry Duty was born August 4, 1876, in Lawrence County, Kentucky, to David Duty and Sarah Josephine Hunt. In 1880 he was living in Louisa, Kentucky with his parents and two younger sisters. His father was a farm hand, and William soon followed in his father’s footsteps, tilling the dirt to keep the family fed.
   On November 2, 1896, in Martin County, Kentucky, he married Pinky Meeks Daniels. This marriage did not last long, and he had married again in 1899, to 16-year-old Sarah Cisco. Again, this marriage did not work out and on April 21, 1904, William H Duty married 16-year-old Annie Standifer. Yet again, this marriage failed and on April 27, 1907, he married 15-year-old Pearl Porter. Duty had joined the US Army in the early part of the 1900s but was dishonorably discharged on October 29, 1908, at Fort Thomas Kentucky. His marriage to Pearl lasted until at least September of 1918, because Pearl is listed as his wife on his draft registration at that time. William’s last marriage of record was to Anna Booth. They were married on January 19, 1921, in White House, Johnson County, Kentucky. He was 45, and Anna was 15 years old. This marriage lasted until her death on April 5, 1939. William had nine children from these marriages.
   As with most people in this area William H Duty continued to farm to put food on the table. In 1910 he also had a job as a laborer at the coalmine in Buffalo, Johnson County, Kentucky. He would later become a trackman, carrying men, coal, and debris in and out of the mines with small carts hooked up to a tractor running on a rail system. He was growing tired of all this manual labor and was constantly searching for an easier way to make money. That way was about to present itself.
   In the 1920s the Pentecostal faith began to spread into Kentucky and West Virginia. There was a young girl from Ironton, Ohio, who was quickly becoming a legend. Her name was Mary Evelyn Skaggs. She received her papers to preach at the annual Pentecostal Conference that was held in Flatwood Kentucky, in 1924. She was only in her early teens but would go on to be one of the most successful evangelists the Pentecostal Church has ever seen. Her tent revivals drew people from all over the area and they were in enchanted by her charismatic sermons, and her knowledge of the Bible. Sadly, she became quite ill in 1932 and was forced to stop her preaching. Sadly, she passed away on December 1, 1933, after saving thousands of souls.
   There is no doubt that William H Duty witnessed Mary Skaggs in action, and saw the possibilities presented before him. It wouldn’t be long before he started his own tent revivals imitating Mary in every way possible.   
  

Who was John Hampton Mills

    John Hampton Mills was born August 12, 1899, in Stafford Fork, Martin County, Kentucky. His parents were Laben T. Mills and Lucinda Ward. He was one of fourteen children born to the couple. He had an eighth-grade education, which was above average for those living in this area of Kentucky. He worked in farming and also had a job at the Cumberland Gas Company, working as a repairman.
    In 1924 at the age of 25, he married 18-year-old Alma Ida Hall who was from Ashland, Kentucky. Over the next eight years, they were blessed with five children, three boys and two girls. With the sudden death of his daughter, Avanelle in 1929, John fell into a deep depression. John lost his job with the gas company because he was missing so much work. He was searching for answers about his daughter’s death when he met William H. Duty. The two hit it off and together they planted a Pentecostal church in the village of Tomahawk.
    The church quickly became successful, and tension started to grow between the two men over who was in charge. The two men came to blows and John was kicked out of the church. He started preaching on his own. He was getting quite a reputation as a healer and miracle worker. His followers grew to about thirty people including family members and neighbors.
    After two weeks of fasting, praying, singing, and dancing, his followers who were delirious by this time fell under John’s control. He told them he had received a “Divine Command” from God for a human sacrifice. He revealed that William H. Duty was to be sacrificed. They were unsuccessful in their attempt to lure Mr. Duty into their trap. This was followed up by another unsuccessful attempt when John decided to sacrifice his sister Ora Moore and his sister-in-law Trixie Mills. At the home of Tomie Boyd, on February 7, 1933, the Cult of the Unknown Tongues, as they had come to be known were successful in sacrificing Lucinda Mills, John’s mother.
    At this time the cult had dwindled to only eight family members and John. A sheriff and some deputies were sent to the cabin by concerned neighbors. They arrived only moments too late, finding John kneeling on top of his mother. He had strangled her to death while the other cult members watched, chanted, and danced about. All nine of the cult members were arrested and stood trial. John Hampton Mills was found guilty of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison. His nephew Ballard Mills and his brother-in-law Blaine McGinnis were sentenced to 21 years in prison for their part in the murder. The rest of the cult members were found not guilty.
    John was paroled on April 21, 1941, after serving only eight years. Alma had divorced him while he was in prison. She remarried and had left Kentucky. John moved to Akron Ohio where he married Icie Bell Boggs. They were married and divorced three times.
    John spent his last days back in Martin County, living close to the sister he tried to sacrifice, Ora Moore. He passed away on June 15, 1968, in Tomahawk, Martin County, Kentucky. He is buried at the Mills Cemetery.