2019-11-01 People South Africa

writeherbook.Thedistrictattorneylaunchedan

investigation,uncoveringadditionalfraudclaims

fromBlackburn’sother

followers,whicheventually

bumpedthebillupto

$200 000 – a smallfortune

backthen.

Blackburnwaseventually

convictedofeightcountsof

grandtheft.Sheappealed

theruling,andtheCalifornia

SupremeCourtoverturned

theoriginalverdictonthe

groundsthattheevidence

relatingtothecult’sbizarre

activitieshadnobearingon

thechargesofgrandtheft,

andthatit wasimpossibleto

provewhetherBlackburnhad,

infact,takenthemoneyin

badfaith.

ButtheDivineOrderofthe

RoyalArmsoftheGreat

Elevenwaseffectively

finished.AndMayBlackburn

diedinLosAngelesin1951.

IF you think you’ve seen any of these people, or would like to report a

missing person, contact the Bureau For Missing People on (012) 393-

2005, or fax (012) 393-2012. Missing people can contact the bureau to

let them know they’re alive and well – even if they don’t want to get in

touchwithfamily.

PRECIOUSTSHEPOSEDIBE

Disappeared:February17, 2019

Age: 13

PRECIOUSlefthishomein

PretoriaMootandhasnotbeen

seensince.Hewaswearingblack

trousers,a black jacket and black

shoes.

SEEN THEM?

HELPLINES

BYWALTONGOLIGHTLY

REAL LIFE

VERDICT

SMAMKELEPHUMZILESEVILLA

MKUYANA

Disappeared:August24, 2019

Age: 17

SMAMKELEwaslastseen

leavingherhomeinVillieria.She

has been missing ever since.

ZINHLEZAMA

Disappeared:August21, 2019

Age: 21

ZINHLEleftherhomein

Amanzimtotitovisithercousin

andhasnotbeenseensince.She

waswearingblackjeans,a navy

blue T-shirt and brown shoes.

JUDITHMZOBE

Disappeared:August8, 2019

Age: 29

JUDITHwasallegedlykidnapped

fromParkStationinthe

JohannesburgCBD.Shewas

wearinga greenlongjacket,black

leggings and black shoes.

I

N 1922 onBunkerHillinLosAngeles,May

Blackburn,60,andherdaughterRuth

Rizzio,24,begantoreceiverevelations

fromtheangelsGabrielandMichael.

Atleast,that’swhattheyclaimed.

MaBlackburnsaidGabrielandMichaelwere

dictatinga bookthatrevealedallthesecretsof

theuniverse.Whenthisbookwascompleted,

theSeventhSealwouldbreakinheavenandan

‘apocalypticevent’wouldoccuronearth.

MayandRuthfoundeda religiousgroupknown

astheDivineOrderoftheRoyalArmsofthe

GreatElevenor,moresimply,theBlackburnCult.

The‘GreatEleven’referredtoa proclamation

madebyMaythat,aftertheapocalypse,the

worldwouldberuledby 11 queensfrom

mansionsinHollywood.

Blackburn,whowassometimesreferredtoas

the‘HeelofGod’,demandedtributesofmoney

andpropertyinordertofinanceandsupport

their‘greatwork’.Eventually,thecultmovedto

a compoundinSouthernCalifornia’sSimiValley.

Here,membersbuiltcabinsanda temple.They

workedata tomatopackingplant,andallpay

chequeswentintocultcoffers.

Atnightthedevoteesgatheredina natural

amphitheatreona brush-and-rock-strewnhillside

towatchthehighpriestessesintheirlongpurple

robeskillmulestheyreferredtoasthe‘Jaws

ofDeath’.Afterthegruesomesacrifices,forest

rangersreportedseeingthecultistsdanceinthe

nude.

Onthesamesite,cultistsconstructeda brick

‘oven’inwhichthey‘baked’crippleddisciple

FlorenceTurner,30,allegedlytocureher‘blood

malady’.Twodayslater,shedied.

In1936,Mayeventuallypublisheda bookcalled

TheOriginOfGod. Bythattime,though,the

policewereinvestigatingtherumoursofstrange

happeningsandmysteriousdeaths.Forinstance,

Ruth’shusband,Samuel,hadgonemissingafter

allegedlystrikinghiswifeandwasneverheard

fromagain.Hewassaidtohavebeenpoisoned

byMay.

Butperhapsthestrangeststoryassociated

withthecultwastheattemptedresurrection

ofWillaRhoads.A 16-year-old‘princess’of

thecult,Rhoadshaddiedofnaturalcauses

(sheapparentlysuccumbedtoa toothache).

Anautopsysupportedthisclaim– it waswhat

happenedaftershediedthatraisedeyebrows.

Willawasburiedthreeyearsaftershehaddied

underthefloorboardsofherparents’house.She

waspracticallymummified,herbodywrapped

withspicesandsalt.Surroundingherwerethe

corpsesofsevendogs,sacrificedpresumably

tohelpensureWilla’sresurrection.Andshe

wasonlyburiedwhentheresurrectiondidn’t

materialise,saidWilla’sparents,whohadlost

faithinBlackburn’sclaimsbythattime.

WhatultimatelylandedMayBlackburnbehind

barshadlittletodowiththesupernatural,

though.In1929,CliffordDabney,a wealthy

oilman and former member of the Blackburn

The Great Eleven

NO one will

ever know the

full extent of

the depravities

practised by this

bizarre cult.

Cult,chargedBlackburnwithdefrauding

him of $50 000 he had given her to help her

MayBlackburn

anddaughterRuth

Blackburn