"It's no secret that America is fascinated with cults and their scamming, grifting leaders. Viewers flock to TV series like Wild Wild Country, The Vow and Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, and elevate con artists like the Tinder swindler and Elizabeth Holmes as antiheroes who've found loopholes in American society and business. Paddison tells Harris' story from its beginning in upstate New York, at the time a hotbed of self-proclaimed seers and prophets, including Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism."
"In a packed public lecture in San Francisco, Chevaillier talked of "Edenic baths given by opposite sexes to each other," and of forced sexual relations in the colony: "Husbands and wives are separated, old men are given to comely young women, and young men to old women, according as Harris directs." For his part, Harris characterized Chevaillier's campaign as "simply the revenge of a scorned, detested, and infuriated female." However, later that year, he left town - first to England, then Wales, and then Manhattan."
Thomas Lake Harris founded utopian colonies including Mountain Cove and Fountaingrove and led the Brotherhood of the New Life. He attracted followers from varied backgrounds, including Laurence Oliphant, and promoted prophetic spiritual doctrines alongside communal living. Allegations of coercive sexual practices surfaced, including reports of "Edenic baths" and forced partner reassignments directed by Harris. Public denunciations spread through newspapers and lectures, fueling scandal and decline. Harris relocated to England, Wales, and Manhattan while claiming discoveries about eternal life. The controversies around Harris resemble later patterns of media-driven cancelation and viral denunciation of charismatic figures.
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