David N. Wetzel

What an interesting read! Wetzel stumbled upon this fascinating man in the course of doing other research, but wasn't able to leave questions unanswered and I can't blame him. Schaltter was a character I couldn't even dream up. The fact that he actually existed makes for a great story.

As told by the description of the book this is a tale of a faith healer who came to national fame just before the turn of the century. The first part of the book tells story of his rise and sudden disappearance. The second part is a forensic study into one of the Schlatter "impostors" who showed up after his reported death in Mexico. The author is certain that this particular man was actually Schlatter, and tells the story of how he came to this conclusion. He even lists all of the evidence out in an Appendix for easier review. Why did he fake his death, and later write another book contradicting key parts of his earlier tale? Lots of reasons are put forward, but the ultimate answer is pretty open, and is left that way by the author.

All in all this was a well written, meticulously researched book about a man who, at the very least, people believed was a genuine faith healer. It's the story of his personal creed, his disappearance, and how it all leads back into a prophecy from his childhood. Great story, although I'm left at the end wondering if Martin really was Schaltter... I guess we won't ever know for certain, but it's fun to read about nonetheless.

Copy courtesy of University of Iowa Press, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)

Looking like the blue-eyed, white Jesus still found in portraits on the walls of true believers, Francis Schlatter didn’t have far to go to convince westerners of 1895 that he was the real deal. He had multitudes waiting around to hear from him and established clergy ready to lynch him, sorta like the original.

But he’s pretty much vanished from history.

In The Vanishing Messiah: The Life and Resurrections of Francis Schlatter, historian David N. Wetzel traces the tale of an Alsatian immigrant who performed some street miracles in Denver and Albuquerque for large crowds, then was seen walking into Mexico. He disappeared, and later men who claimed to be Schlatter were exposed as frauds.

Eventually forgotten, in Wetzel’s portrait, Schlatter’s every bit as fascinating as any popular evangelist, with an added bit of mystery. Did he get a normal life in Mexico, with a wife and some kids, or did his bones bleach in the desert?

Or maybe the Big Guy has plans to send him around again.

Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com… (altro)

For a brief, colorful period in the history of the American West, Alsatian immigrant Francis Schlatter (1856–c. 1896?) enjoyed widespread fame as a travelling spiritual figure known as the "Healer". His physical resemblance to traditional depictions of Jesus helped him in this endeavor, as did his air of complete sincerity and refusal of all payment. His popularity grew to the extent that he was no longer able to apply his healing touch directly to the supplicants who came to see him, and he had to rely on distributing specially blessed handkerchiefs as a vehicle for his healing power.

In late 1895 Schlatter suddenly abandoned his healing ministry and disappeared. In 1897 a corpse believed to be his was found in Mexico. But did Schlatter really die? A man who claimed to be Schatter appeared and continued the healing ministry, but this new Schlatter was much different from the old one. The new Healer had a drinking problem and was an abusive husband to a long-suffering wife (the original Healer was unmarried, uninterested in women, and would have not abused anyone), Were the new Schlattler and the old Schlattler the same person? The evidence is contradictory.

In The Vanishing Messiah, David N. Wetzel attempts to untangle the mysteries that surround Francis Schlatter and his healing ministry to this day. Wetzel believes that the old and the new Schlatter were the same person, but he doesn't reveal this right away. He refers to both the original (pre-disappearance) and the later (post-disappearance) Healer as "Schlatter", and when I thought that they might be two different people, I found this confusing.

I think those who are already familiar with Schlatter, or have a strong interest in either the history of spiritual healing or the Old West might enjoy this book, but it would probably not sustain the interest of the average reader.

Please note that I received an electronic copy of this book to review from NetGalley, but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book.… (altro)