By mid-September 1931, Jonesboro was on edge. The National Guard had been called in to keep the peace, but once the troops withdrew, the tension boiled over again. Jeffers’ fiery sermons hadn’t stopped, and neither had the violence.
Tear Gas in the Tabernacle
Just two nights after soldiers left town, someone hurled a tear gas bomb into Jeffers’ tent revival. Women screamed, children cried, and hundreds stampeded for the exits in blind panic.
Who was behind it? Some claimed it was Jeffers’ enemies trying to shut him down. Others whispered it was Jeffers himself, staging a false attack to gain sympathy. Either way, the damage was done—the town was tearing itself apart.
Fire on Holy Ground
On October 25, 1931, disaster struck again. Jeffers’ giant tent went up in flames.
Once again, no one knows who started it. Jeffers insisted it was his enemies. His enemies insisted it was Jeffers, desperate for headlines. Over 90 years later, the truth remains buried.
But one fact is clear: the revival that had promised salvation was now synonymous with violence, fear, and destruction.
A Town Embarrassed
The story made national papers. New Yorkers snickered at reports of fistfights, riots, and arson breaking out in a small Arkansas town—all in the name of religion.
For Jonesboro, it was humiliating. For Jeffers, it was fuel. He continued to gather loyal followers, who worshiped in makeshift buildings until they constructed a crude wooden tabernacle of their own.
But Jeffers wasn’t done with Jonesboro. He would leave for a while, only to return a later—and this time, blood would be spilled.
👉 Next in the series: Part 4 – Guns in the House of God (1933)
WATCH Chasing Justice Episode: Jonesboro Church Wars
Madman or Messiah? An Investigation into the Crimes & Charisma of Cult Leader Joseph D. Jeffers
From extreme fundamentalist ideologies to the paranormal and the occult, Joseph Jeffers’ message integrated with the times and incited a religious fervor amongst his followers. In the 1930s, he was causing war in Arkansas and inciting violence that would lead to the death of one man and the attempted murder of a local preacher. In the 1940s, he was making headlines in L.A. for his lewd house parties. In the ’50s, his third wife would be brutally murdered. Her homicide would go unsolved. In the ’60s, he would make headlines in Arizona when he gambled off all of the church funds at the race track. In the ’70s, he would prophesy great and mighty things to do with UFOs and the Bermuda triangle. By 1978, he would be building a pyramid to withstand the apocalypse in Missouri. And by 1988, he would die of old age. No one ever stopped this man from stealing millions of dollars, coercing innocent young women, or hiring a hitman to kill his wife. Read this book to find out more about the crimes, the chaos, and the injustice in the life of Dr. Joseph D. Jeffers.
How could this man have gotten away with all of these crimes, and how could he have flown under the radar? After making so many ludicrous headlines, how do we not know the name of Joseph Jeffers?
This episode is brought to you by BONES COFFEE COMPANY.
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