The Horrific Death of Mary Sheeler
The building where Mary Sheeler met her tragic fate. Since the earliest days of Pennsylvania history, there have been congregations of fundamentalist Christians which refuse to permit the sick and dying among them to seek the services of a physician. They instead prefer to leave the healing in the hands of Jesus, and, if for some reason, the sick or injured fail to recover, they view it as a consequence of their own lack of faith, or their own shortcomings as believers. Although it's no one's business to say what religious beliefs one should hold, it is understandable how a community can become outraged when the unfortunate victim of a failed faith healing happens to be an innocent child. Such was the case of Mary Elizabeth Sheeler, who died in Lebanon County in 1920. Mary Elizabeth Sheeler was the seven-year-old daughter of George and Alice Sheeler, of 715 Mifflin Street in the city of Lebanon. The Sheelers were dedicated members of the Faith Tabernacle Church, which still s...
