| Above: The
Landover Baptist Sin Posse (1938) "Local Demon Busters Division A."
Front row from left: Henny Binn Davidson Jr., Dan Carver, Deacon
Bill Maxum, Officer Eddie (The Breeze) Bruckner
Back row: Chief Manny Tack (Father of the late Georgia Sue
Gaines), Rev. Sam Kidwell, Dr. Orson Pickering (seen through the rear window
securing firearms in the trunk) |
*About: The Landover Baptist Sin Posse had 12 divisions, the
most successful of which was "Demon Busters Division A," seen above. The
sin posse worked much like a volunteer fire department. The only difference
was that instead of putting out earthly fires, they put out fires that
originated in Hell. Local residents would call the Demon Busters whenever
suspicious activity was afoot. Division A would respond and be on the scene
within 15 minutes. Sinners would flee in horror when they heard the sound
of the posse's limousine coming around the corner. If the posse arrived
and people were still sinning, they would try to disperse the crowd by
using physical force. All members carried wooden baseball bats. They would
club sinners over the head until they heard either a confession of Christ
or a promise to attend church. Firearms were used in some cases.
The Landover Baptist Sin Posse stopped smokers, gamblers, drunkards,
loiterers, Catholics, uppity colored folks, harlots, young girls in lewd
attire, boys engaged in questionable horseplay, male flower shop owners,
musicians, artists, know-it-all lawyers, lispers, and sissies, for nearly
50 years. When the Landover Baptist Church got its own state funded born
again Baptist police force in 1947, there was no longer a need to have
a sin posse. |
