THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 ENDOWED BY THE 
 DIALECTIC AND PHILANTHROPIC 
 
 SOCIETIES 
 
 -iu.. _ ^l:i:^ :.iLj;iL:^.u^ 
 
 BHgHB«ffiBlHBiafli 
 
 E444 
 .M32 
 1898 
 
H^RSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
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 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
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LIFE OF 
 
 \j\j i 
 
 MARY F. McCRAY. 
 
 
 i£* ((?* 5^* (£* 
 
 BORN AND RAISED A SLAVE 
 STATE OF KENTUC 
 
 t^* (i9* t^* ((?* 
 
 BY HER HUSBAND ANDXON. 
 
 ^* ^* (^* t^* 
 
 LIMA, OHIO. 
 1898. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 t^* ((?* t^* 
 
 It is after much meditation and prayer that we undertake 
 the task before us, for the reason that we feel keenly our ina- 
 bility to do justice in writing this book, the subject of which 
 said many times during the last two years of her life that she 
 believed that if the history of her life was written it would be 
 a great blessing to many who are burdened down with the 
 cares of this life, and who know nothing or little of Him who 
 has said, "Cast all your burdens on Me, for I care for you." 
 For we can truly say that the subject of this sketch did know 
 some things about the trials of this life, for she was born in 
 the dark dark days of slavery, when there was not a ray of 
 light for the freedom of the colored race. We hope that the 
 reader will bear with us for speaking of the bondage of the 
 colored race in this United States, as the subject was once a 
 slave, and the enslavement of the colored race was a terrible 
 curse on the American people. Our blessed Lord, in His own 
 good time, said that they had suffered enough, so slavery was 
 destroyed by a terrible war and the loss of many lives. But 
 at the present time there is a greater curse on this nation than 
 the enslavement of the colored race, that is, the awful curse of 
 the liquor traffic, which touches every man, woman and child. 
 Many volumes might be written on this terrible curse, but it 
 would be impossible to begin to tell of the suffering it brings 
 
to the human family. We say sometimes, Oh, Lord, how long 
 wilt thou let this go on? 
 
 The object in writing the life of this woman is not to make 
 money, but it was her wish and desire, that it might be a great 
 blessing to many readers, and to let them know what it is to 
 live a holy, self-denial life amidst all the duties of this life, 
 for she was a good woman and full of the Holy Ghost and of 
 faith. She did much good to all wherever her lot was cast. 
 Hoping that this work may prove as great a blessing to its- 
 readers as it has to its author and those who helped in compos- 
 ing its pages, we dedicate this photograph of a woman of God 
 to all that love a pure, clean, complete, and full salvation, 
 free from all sin to all people in every land. 
 
CHAPTER I . 
 
 t£* t2& (^* 
 
 BIRTH AND PARENTS OF SUBJECT. 
 
 Her father's name was Jonathan Taylor. He was born in 
 Jefferson county, Kentucky. His master was his father, so 
 that he was born free and did not serve as a slave. Her 
 mother was born in old Hamilton county, of the same state. 
 The date of their marriage could not be ascertained. To them 
 were born sixteen children, fourteen girls and two boys, all 
 destined to serve in slavery. Providentially, the owner of the 
 subject's mother was an old maid. She was very good to her 
 slave, and did not allow them to be abused, as were those be- 
 longing to many others. The subject's mother had all the care 
 of her family herself, while her sister had all the clothes to 
 make for all the rest of the slaves on the place. In addition 
 she had much other work, which kept her busy every moment 
 during the day and far into the night, so that she might earn 
 a litttle money to buy her children some clothes to wear on 
 Sunday. The holders did not make any provision for Sunday 
 clothes for their slaves, but let them go any way, so that it 
 was a hard and miserable life to live. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 (£* t(?* (^* 
 
 BIRTH OF SUBJECT AND HER CHILDHOOD DAYS. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born May 26, 1837. She 
 was the fifth child of the family, and was also the favorite 
 child, as she was named after her mother. Her mother always 
 said that she knew Fannie would get along well, as she was 
 always ready to help her mother to do the work about the 
 house, and loved to sow and knit and piece quilts. She had 
 to do all this kind of work, and did it mostly at night, as all 
 the slaves were obliged to work out on the plantation, men, 
 women and children, from morning until night. 
 
 The subject was always an obedient and tender hearted 
 child, always inclined to be religious. Whenever she heard of 
 the death of any one, her first inquiry was, whether they had 
 religion. She always thought that everybody who died must 
 be converted, although she was not converted herself. 
 
 Her father was a great violin player, and taught his 
 daughter how to dance, as he was a very wicked man, and her 
 mother was a wicked woman. So there were none in her family 
 to encourage her to seek the Lord. Consequently, she began 
 to be hardened in sin, and learned to be quite a dancer, in 
 common with the rest of the young people in that neighbor- 
 
9 
 
 hood. Her aunt was a good, Christian woman and was the 
 first to speak to her about the salvation of her soul. Her 
 aunt said to her one night while she was preparing to go to a 
 ball, these words: "Fanny, when will you stop dancing? 
 You will keep on until some of you will dance into hell." She 
 answered: "Aunt Margaret (which was her aunt's name) 
 this is my last time." Her aunt then said : "Fanny, you 
 are not only promising this to me, but to the Lord also." The 
 girl replied, " I did not know that the promise I made was to 
 the Lord, too," and from that time on the words of her aunt 
 followed her until she was under deep conviction for the pardon 
 of her sins. She was then about fourteen years of age. 
 
10 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 e^* <&* c^* 
 
 ♦ 
 
 HER COMMISSION. 
 
 In those days there were no churches for the slaves on the 
 plantation, but they were compelled to go from one plantation 
 to another to hold their meetings in their log cabins. She 
 used to go with her aunt and others to those prayer meetings. 
 The mighty power of God would be in the meetings. They 
 would hold their meetings sometimes nearly all night. Many 
 would fall under the mighty power, of God, and many of them 
 would get soundly converted. 
 
 Our subject was greatly urged to seek the Lord. She went 
 forward and soon found that she was a lost sinner without the 
 blood of Jesus to wash away all her sins. 
 
 They would work hard all day in the corn fields and nearly 
 every night would go two or three miles from home to attend 
 meeting. Many were converted every night. She was some- 
 what discouraged because she was so slow to believe. Her 
 cousin fell under the mighty power of God, and was happily 
 converted, coming through shouting and praising God, and 
 commenced at once to preach to the people, telling them to flee 
 from the wrath to come. She said to our subject to believe 
 and she would be converted. This encouraged her to go on. 
 
11 
 
 She was trying to get converted shouting, like her cousin, but 
 the Dear Lord did not come to her in that way. She did rea- 
 son with the devil for some time, who told her that if she did 
 not shout she would not have religion. She had a terrible 
 struggle to get over that. After that terrible struggle about 
 getting converted shouting, her faith was greatly increased, and 
 while she was praying one day she was wonderfully blessed. 
 She told her cousin how she felt. Her cousin told her that she 
 had religion. She said, "Oh, no, I am just getting in a good 
 way." She did not understand the scheme of the devil, so she 
 was defeated and had to do her work all over again. But the 
 Holy Spirit still strove with her. The meetings were still go- 
 ing on with increased power. She attended nearly ever night. 
 The old people encouraged her, and then she began to take part 
 in speaking and praying. By so doing the same blessing came 
 to her again, but she was not satisfied. She went on in that 
 state quite a long time. Finally one night she went to bed and 
 fell into a dream, or trance, she did not know which. How- 
 ever, a man came to her while she was in that vision. She was 
 trying to cross a clear stream of water. The man she believed 
 to be a white man. He threw a narrow board in the middle of 
 the stream of water, and there was also a broad board in the 
 stream. The man told her to make her choice. She stepped 
 on the narrow one and went across. As soon as she was across 
 he showed her a beautiful place and told her it was heaven. 
 She saw her cousin there and she was with all the angels. They 
 were all just alike. She turned to come back, when she heard 
 a voice saying : "You have just as much religion as those who 
 shout." After that she woke up. She felt very strange and 
 told her aunt about the vision. Her aunt said that she would 
 
12 
 
 get through all right. In a short time afterwards she received 
 the witness of the Holy Spirit that her sins were all forgiven. 
 She was then a happy girl. She knew that her sins were all 
 washed away by the blood of Jesus. She could sing this song : 
 
 "Oh ! happy day, that fixed my choice, 
 
 On Thee, my Savior and my God; 
 
 Well may this glowing heart rejoice, 
 
 And tell its rapture all abroad." 
 
 "Happy day! Happy day! 
 
 When Jesus washed my sins away. 
 
 He taught me how to watch and pray, 
 
 And live rejoicing every day, 
 
 Happy day ! Happy day! 
 
 When Jesus washed my sins away." 
 
 The meeting spread from one plantation to another, and 
 many of the poor slaves' hearts were made to rejoice, for the 
 Lord Jesus visited them, notwithstanding they were treated 
 only as cattle and horses. Thanks be unto the Lord God of 
 Heaven, who did look down upon them in their helpless con- 
 dition in tender mercy. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was a faithful young Christian, 
 laboring in the prayer meetings from house to house. They did 
 not have churches of their own. She related that one night 
 their prayer meeting continued until daylight, the power of 
 God having fallen upon the people in such a wonderful manner 
 that they fell on the floor like dead men and women. Many 
 of them had to go one, two and three miles to their homes, and 
 some of them were greatly punished for being away from their 
 houses at that late hour of night, for most all of them were 
 
13 
 
 compelled to go to work before daylight. But in spite of all 
 this cruel treatment they would pray and sing so that it would 
 disturb their old masters so that they could not sleep and they 
 would whip them, but still the poor slaves would continue to 
 serve the Lord. 
 
 Our subject said that one of the masters in that part of 
 Kentucky, a cruel slave holder whose name we can not recall, 
 had a slave (a man) by the name of Dick, who was a true man 
 of God. His master was so bitterly opposed to his serving the 
 Lord as not to even permit him to return thanks at the table 
 before taking his meals. But Dick had settled the matter, and 
 the more his master would punish him the more he would pray 
 for his master. At length his prevailing prayer with his God 
 was the salvation of his master, and he was converted in a 
 wonderful manner at a camp meeting. Dick was present, and 
 his master ran to him, threw his arms around him and took 
 him up and carried him around in the camp ground. After his 
 conversion he set Dick free, and, giving him a horse, saddle 
 and bridle, told him to go and preach the gospel everywhere. 
 He also set free all the rest of his slaves. Oh, it is wonderful 
 how God can use a man. This is true 
 
14 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 (£• 6^* t£& 
 
 Our subject's associations were mostly among the old 
 Christians, and her Christian life was far in advance of many 
 of her elders. So much was this the case that some of the 
 older Christians would tell her that she could live in that 
 happy state of mind. She thought this very strange talk for 
 the elder Christians to tell to young converts, but it was her 
 delight to serve the Lord. In her younger days she would work 
 hard all day in the field with the rest of the field hands, and 
 then would walk to a prayer meeting, should there chance to 
 be one anywhere in the neighborhood. Frequently she would 
 walk a distance of two or three miles. This song was her in- 
 spiring hope : 
 
 Oh, how happy are they who their Savior obey, 
 
 And have laid up their treasures above. 
 Tongue can never express the sweet comfort and peace 
 
 Of the soul in its earliest love. 
 That sweet comfort was mine when the favor divine 
 
 I first found in the blood of the Lamb. 
 When my heart first believed, what a joy I received, 
 
 What a heaven in Jesus' name. 
 Jesus all the day long was my joy and my song, 
 
 Oh, that all His salvation might see. 
 He hath loved me, I cried, He has suffered and died, 
 
 To redeem even rebels like me. 
 
15 
 
 Her life was a life of joy in serving the Lord. Her mis- 
 press, who, as before stated, was an old maid, and very kind to 
 her slaves. It was the custom among slave owners to hire a 
 poor white man as overseer. Most all overseers were very cruel 
 to the slaves in their charge. Our subject's mistress always 
 had an overseer, but did not allow him to treat her slaves illy, 
 so they were favored in the way of kind treatment above all 
 the other slaves in the neighborhood in which she lived. Also 
 some of the slaves might have had somewhat of an education 
 had they wanted it, but not knowing that they ever would be 
 free failed to take advantage of the opportunity. As slaves, 
 they did not need an education. Slaves in those days did not 
 know the words in a book, but they did know how to serve the 
 Lord. Our subject's trial was as a Christian. Her mother was 
 sick most of the time, and her mistress finally became im- 
 patient and offered her for sale to her father for the sum of 
 fifty dollars. But he would not buy her, as he said he could 
 have no use for slaves subject to ill health all the time. But 
 had she been a healthy woman this man could not have 
 bought her for less than five or six hundred dollars. Slave 
 women always sold as high in price as men. Good able bodied 
 slaves never sold for less than from six to nine hundred dollars. 
 A good carpenter, blacksmith or bricklayer always sold for 
 from one thousand to fifteen hundred dollars. The reader will 
 have an idea from this how those poor human beings were 
 bought and sold as horses and cattle. 
 
 Her mother had another very severe attack of sickness, 
 worse than she had ever had, and the doctors said she must 
 die. She was now under a very heavy burden. The thought 
 "that her mother might die without being consecrated brought 
 
16 
 
 her faith to a severe test, as she was only a young Christian. 
 In these hours of trouble and bewilderment she called upon 
 the Lord, as Jacob did in the days of old. She wrestled in 
 prayer and expressed her thoughts to God for the salvation of 
 her mother. Her prayers were answered. Her mother became 
 suddenly converted and lived a long time afterward. She 
 finally died triumphant in the faith of Christ and went home 
 to glory. It was a very great trial for her to see her mother die 
 and leave all of them behind. The youngest child was only 
 three years old, but the dear Lord gave her grace to bear up 
 under her burdens, all for His name's sake, for we know that 
 He does all things for the best. 
 
 Her mother then being gone, all the responsibilities of the 
 family fell upon her, as her father did not live on the same 
 plantation with them. He only came home once a week, so 
 that not much of the family cares could rest upon him. She 
 had to fill the place in the household which her mother had 
 occupied, as her sister did not take much interest in the care 
 of the children. She was the only one in the family who was 
 a Christian. From this she learned much about the strong 
 arm of the Lord, who has promised to be with us six hours, 
 and in the seventh He will not forsake us. Oh, how we ought 
 to praise God for His wonderful saving grace. 
 
17 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 t£* (<?* ^9* 
 
 THE DEATH OF HER MISTRESS. 
 
 Our subject's mistress died in the year A. D. 1859. She 
 stated in her will that all her relations, each and every one, 
 should have a share in her estate. Then her slaves were to be 
 set free and a certain sum of money was set apart to bring 
 them to the state of Ohio, and also enough money to buy 
 eighty acres of land for each of the two families. Our sub- 
 ject's father's family was one of the two, and her mother's 
 sister's family was the other. The name of the sister was 
 Margaret Taylor. Most all the slaves of the mistress was em- 
 braced in those two families. A short time after her estate 
 was settled, some of her relations were enraged because Aunt 
 Polly Adams, as they called her, had set her slaves free. So 
 some of them began at once an attempt to break the will. Miss 
 Polly Adams was never a married lady. She had made two 
 wills, and it was the last one that contained the provisions for 
 the freedom of her slaves and their removal to Ohio. How- 
 ever her relations kept the slaves there for three years while 
 they were trying to break the will. One complaint was that 
 Miss Polly had willed real estate to her slaves. Their lawyers 
 informed them that it was useless for them to complain, as 
 
18 
 
 the will could never be broken. Then the freed slaves were 
 told to go to the place assigned to them. They were not loiag 
 in getting to this place, as they were only three miles from the 
 Ohio river. They took the steamer at a place called Hannily's 
 Landing for Cincinnati. After their arrival in that city they 
 met a gentleman who had been notified of three colored people 
 who had just arrived from the South and was ready to take 
 care of them. The writer can truly say that Mr. Coffin was a 
 true friend indeed to colored people. For many years he was 
 the leading man of the city, and helped many poor slaves from 
 the land of bondage to the land of freedom. 
 
 In the dark days of slavery, when the black laws of the 
 United States was in force, which carried a penalty of five 
 hundred dollars fine and several years in the penitentiary for 
 any person that would assist a slave to escape from bondage to 
 freedom, the writer can say that many white men of the north- 
 ern states gave up their property, yes, and some of them their 
 lives, in rescuing poor slaves from their bondage. Mr. Levi 
 Coffin stood at the head of his followers in this noble work of 
 rescuing slaves that came into the city of Cincinnati. This 
 man's house was the union depot of all underground railways. 
 It may be better to explain what is meant by the under- 
 ground railway. It means that white men organized themselves 
 into a body to help those poor slaves who had energy and per- 
 severance enough to run away from bondage and seek a land of 
 liberty. They would establish stations a number of miles apart, 
 generally at the house of one of the members. They would 
 conceal the slaves who chanced to be under their protection 
 during the daytime, but as soon as the shades of night began 
 to fall the slaves were placed in covered wagons and taken, 
 
19 
 
 concealed as freight, to another one of the stations. This pro- 
 cess was kept up until they reached the union depot, and then 
 they were transferred into Canada, this being the only place 
 where runaway slaves were sure of a safe refuge. Hundreds 
 sought their freedom in this manner. 
 
 The writer can say that the colored people were subjected 
 to a great deal of abuse and ill treatment at the hands of the 
 white people of the North, not because they were less worthy of 
 respect than any other people, but simply because their faces 
 were black. The story of the terrible suffering of the colored 
 people of the South at the close of the war has never yet been 
 printed. Many of the rebels would mask themselves and amuse 
 themselves by horse-whipping the poor slaves. Yes, and even 
 assassinate them, taking the lives of whole families. These 
 crimes continued for years, but those cruel days have been 
 washed away by the tide of time, never to return again. 
 
 It has been said that our race of people can never stand on 
 a level with the whites, but we candidly deny that statement. 
 The white race has been more than five thousand years climb- 
 ing the ladder of fame, while the colored race has only had op- 
 portunities for improvement for about two hundred years. 
 But in the last twenty-five years the progress of the Negro race 
 has been wonderful. We believe that had proper steps been 
 taken and careful observations made of the condition of affairs 
 in the South at the close of the war, the Negro race would be 
 seventy years in advance of the position it occupies to-day. 
 The bloody war resulted in envy, hatred, strife, malice and 
 prejudice between the black and the white, which is sin of the 
 worst nature. There was no kind of brotherly love shown, but, 
 rather, man's inhumanity to man, which has caused countless 
 
20 
 
 thousands to mourn. Christ teaches us to love one another, 
 and nothing but the blood of Christ can remedy this condition 
 and save people from all evil. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 (<?* fe?* ^* 
 
 THE PUECHASE OF LAND FOR THE TAYLOR FAMILY. 
 
 Mr. Coffin took charge of the two families of Taylors. 
 That was also the name of the husband of the aunt of our sub- 
 ject, although he was no relative to her father. Mr. Coffin 
 looked out for a location for the families, and succeeded in rent- 
 ing two large houses, in which they began to keep house. In 
 the family of which our subject was a member there were no 
 boys, the two born into the family having died when quite 
 young. Consequently the large girls had to do all the hard 
 work. Some of them went to work in private families. 
 
 They remained in the city quite a long time, but at least 
 Mr. Coffin went to Mercer county, Ohio, to buy them a farm 
 with the money left them by their mistress. This was suffi- 
 cient to buy them one hundred and sixty acres of good land. 
 It took him some time to bargain for a farm, but he finally 
 succeeded, having purchased one that was well timbered. He 
 then returned to the city and reported his success. It was then 
 
21 
 
 some time before they could move, as there were no railroads 
 in that country in those days, the only way of transportation 
 being the canal. They packed their goods and started on a 
 canal boat for their new home. This mode of travel was very 
 poor, as compared with the quick transportation of the present 
 day, as the boats were drawn by mules or horses, and hence but 
 slow progress was made. At length, however, at the end of 
 thirteen days they arrived at New Bremen, Mercer county, 
 Ohio, their farm being about twelve miles from that place. 
 The neighbors in that settlement kindly consented to let them 
 have the use of their teams with which to remove their goods to 
 their farm. 
 
 On each of the farms there was a log cabin. Each farm con- 
 tained eighty acres, and our subject moved onto the west 
 eighty, of which there was only a few acres cleared. She had 
 no brothers to assist her father in the heavy work, such as choi> 
 ping down the heavy timber, splitting rails, and clearing off 
 the land in general to get it ready for farming. Her father 
 knew very little about farming, and as before stated the cares 
 of the family rested very lightly upon him. For this reason it 
 -was very hard for them to get along well. Worse than all, 
 everybody in the neighborhood were in about the same condi- 
 tion, so they could receive no help. Things looked very dark 
 and gloomy for them, and especially just after the close of the 
 civil war, when prices on all commodities were so high. There 
 was but little land cleared in all the neighborhood on which to 
 raise anything to sell. The only escape her father had was to 
 cut down his best oak timber and saw it into blocks, in which 
 shape it was sold for making barrels, kegs and other wood ves- 
 sels. Many farmers did great damage to their farms by cut- 
 
22 
 
 ting their oak timber so soon. Many of them had three or 
 four boys and the farms were cleared in a short time. In the- 
 family of our subject, however, there was no one who understood- 
 this kind of work, her father having been a distiller by occupa-- 
 tion. We are sorry to say that while engaged in this sort of 
 work the appetite for strong drink fascinated him, and found 
 him intoxicated many times and brought home in that condi-- 
 tion. To his credit be it said that he never abused his family,- 
 as is the case with so many drinking men while under the in* 
 fluence of liquor. 
 
 Our subject was compelled to take almost entire charge of 
 the family, to be, so to speak, father, mother and sister all at 
 the same time. She would help her father, who was of a deli- 
 cate constitution, at much of his hard work. Sometimes they 
 would hire a man to help at this. She would even chop wood, 
 and help load it on wagons. This she had to do in order to 
 earn enough money to procure the necessities of life. Many a, 
 time she would be at her wit's end to know what to do in order 
 to keep the family from want, and scarcely knew what to do. 
 But she knew there was One who would not forsake her, so she 
 called upon the Lord, who has said, "In the days of trouble I 
 will deliver thee," and we can say that our blessed Lord did 
 help her in the time of need. 
 
28 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 ((?* (^* 4?* 
 
 FARM LIFE CONTINUES. 
 
 The farm life continued with increased trials and burdens. 
 Her father was at length confined to his bed from receiving a 
 bad injury to one of his limbs. He was not able to do any work 
 for six months or more. Many doctors were consulted, but 
 none could give him relief. The neighbors were very kind to 
 her, and helped her in many ways during her father's affliction. 
 This was a great trial for her, one of the greatest she was ever 
 called upon to endure, but she did not forget to cast her 
 burdens upon One who has said, "Cast all your burdens upon 
 Me, for I care for you." There were also many precious 
 promises in the Bible, such as: "I will never leave thee, nor 
 forsake thee," and "Call upon me in the days of trouble and I 
 will deliver thee in due time." 
 
 One day a young doctor by the name of Thomas was pass- 
 ing through the neighborhood. He had the reputation of be- 
 ing a very skillful physician, and she went to see him. She told 
 him of the condition of her father, and the doctor made her 
 some salve and told her how to use it on her father's limb. 
 She went home and began to do as the doctor had directed and 
 in a short time her father was once more able to breath fresh 
 
24 
 
 air, to work and help care for his family. Then affairs moved 
 along very well, but in the same old channel, and with but 
 little prospects for improvement in the way of monetary mat- 
 ters. Some of her sisters became very much discouraged be- 
 cause of the hard times they had in getting along, and three of 
 them went back to Cincinnati to work hj the week, agreeing to 
 send money back to assist in helping support the rest of the 
 family. Thus was a great strain lifted from the family, and it 
 was a great help, too, as the three girls did as they had agreed. 
 Yet our subject had hard trials. She was the life of the family, 
 and, with all, the only Christian in this large family of girls. 
 This caused her to realize that she must let her light shine as 
 a Christian in the home before her sisters and father. 
 
 Christianity had but few adherents in the neighborhood 
 surrounding her home, either among the old or young. Her 
 mind would often turn toher former experiences as a Christian. 
 This would cause her to realize that she had lost much of the 
 joy of the Lord out of her soul. Often, when she would go out 
 among the young people and see many of them who professed 
 to be Christians enjoying themselves among the sinners, the 
 devil would tempt her, saying: " Why don't you enjoy your- 
 self like the other young people ; they profess to be Christians 
 as well as you." But she could never do like the rest of them, 
 for she knew what great things God had done for her in these 
 trials and temptations, and she called upon Him to give her 
 grace so that she might not yield to the devil and take part in 
 the outbroken sins like some of the old and young about her, 
 many of whom professed to be Christians, but who were merely 
 using Christianity as a cloak to protect them in the service of 
 the devil. The Omnipotent One watched with His tender 
 
25 
 
 mercies over her, and gave her the utmost strength and grace 
 to endure such vital temptations, and to let her light shine so 
 that all men might see her good works in the vineyard of our 
 Lord. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 fe?* ^* 5i?* 
 
 DEATH OF HER SISTER, SIDNEY ANN. 
 
 Our Savior said in His blessed word, that in this world ye 
 ehall have trials and tribulations, but in peace. Sidney Ann 
 went to a neighboring town to work, where she had been for 
 about a month when she caught a severe cold that settled on 
 her lungs. This weakened her so that she was unable to work, 
 and in consequence went home, where she soon took to her bed. 
 She was tenderly waited on and everything was done that 
 might relieve her from her sufferings. But nothing did her 
 much good and it was thought that she must die. Our subject 
 thought that her sister was living a sinful life and was not 
 prepared to meet her God. Sidney Ann was told that she 
 could not recovor, and our subject earnestly beseeched the 
 Lord to have mercy on her sister and save her from her sins. 
 At the same time she told her sister s,he must pray for herself. 
 Our subject gave herself much to prayer. She also called on 
 
26 
 
 some of the neighbors to come in and help pray for her sister,, 
 that she might awaken to a sense of her lost condition. She 
 still continued to pray by day and by night that her prayers in 
 behalf of her dying sister might be answered. The neighbors- 
 called frequently and much prayer was offered up to the Lord. 
 Finally, her sister awoke and said that she was a lost soul, 
 without the blood of Jesus might be applied to her heart 
 to wash away her sins and cleanse her from all unrighteous- 
 ness. She then began to pray, cry and scream for mercy. 
 Our subject's faith was strengthened to see her sister break 
 down and pray for the Lord to forgive her and make her pure 
 and holy before she died. Our subject said that the dear Lord, 
 in His tender mercies, did come to her sister's heart, and broke 
 the bands of unbelief and allowed her poor captive soul to go 
 free. At last the cloud of darkness was dispelled from her 
 soul, and nothing but light, joy and gladness broke forth in 
 superabundance from the soul that once was darkened in sin,, 
 and now she could sing. 
 
 "On Christ the solid rock I stand, 
 All other ground is sinking sand." 
 
 Our subject's heart was made to leap with joy and glad- 
 ness when she saw her sister so filled with the presence and 
 power of the Lord Jesus. Though she did not live long to tell 
 the beautiful story of Christ, yet she lost no opportunity in 
 telling every one who came to see her. She lived only four 
 months after she was taken ill. In full triumph of living faith 
 she went sweeping through the gates of that eternal city whose 
 streets are paved with gold, that city where life is everlasting, 
 and where we see our departed ones. Our subject was now 
 
27 
 
 greatly encouraged, more than ever before, to live the life of 
 the righteous. Oh, what a mistake mankind is making in de- 
 laying to seek the Lord for the salvation of their souls until 
 they are upon the bed of death. Thousands and thousands 
 miss heaven by so doing. Even should any be saved at that 
 late hour they must go, as did our sister, empty handed into 
 the presence of the Master, and without a star in their crowns. 
 Oh, clear reader, do not wait, for the blessed word says:. 
 " To-day is the day of salvation,'? 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 !^* ^?* S^* 
 
 SPIRITUAL CONDITION OF PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. 
 
 The spiritual condition of the people in the neighborhood' 
 at that time was very poor. There were three churches, two 
 Methodist and one Baptist, all situated very close to each 
 other. The members of these churches did not think much 
 about serving the Lord. Most of them, both old and young, 
 were leaders in play parties that met from house to house, and 
 one devil could watch them, as they were not engaged in the 
 service of the Lord. The principal amusement at these parties 
 was dancing, and many of the older members would take active 
 part with the younger people in that kind of sport and fun. 
 
28 
 
 Our subject would sometimes yield to the temptation and go 
 and look on. While she was doing this the tempter would 
 whisper in her ear : " Why are you looking so sanctimonious? 
 These young people are all Christians, and so are the older 
 ones. Why do you not take part with them? You are no 
 better than they. " She would answer within herself, that is 
 so. The writer will say that at times a converted person will 
 be tempted to listen to the tempter and desire worldly pleas- 
 ure. The devil will say that it matters not. If you have the 
 word of God in your heart that should not keep 3 t ou from 
 having a little worldly pleasure. Other professors of religion 
 do the very same things and why not you? There are many 
 truly converted souls that have not had the proper teaching in 
 the early part of their Christian experience. They should be 
 taught how to resist the devil and keep from yielding to him, 
 and to shun worldly enjoyments. But if these rules are not 
 followed out the Lord will depart from them, and, step by 
 step, the adversary will lead them on and on, testifying for 
 the Lord when they are in utter darkness, and perhaps have 
 been for weeks and months, in their wild excitement. 
 
 At the dancing parties some of the younger ones would 
 try to persuade our subject to join them in dancing. When the 
 music would start it was a very strong temptation to resist 
 dancing after music having been of her greatest enjoyments be- 
 fore her conversion. In those moments of temptation the Lord 
 would give her grace to resist the devil. 
 
 There are thousands and thousands of professors in the 
 churches to-day who take part in worldly enjoyments, and 
 know nothing of the spirit of the Lord. Many of these were 
 once happily converted. The great cause of so much back- 
 
29 
 
 sliding is that we have not ministers and leaders who are living 
 up to their professions. They have lost the realization of the 
 spirit of Christ, and therefore, they can not lead the young 
 souls into fountains of living waters. We all know that it is 
 impossible for the blind to lead the blind, as they will both 
 fall. So both preacher and members drift along the broad 
 path that leads to death eternal night. Oh, what a fearful re- 
 sponsibility rests upon a pastor who says he is called to preach 
 the gospel to dying men and women. Oh, may the dear Lord 
 wake up these dead souls that are sleeping on and will not be 
 awakened, because they pay their pastors big salaries to let 
 them sleep on in their sins. They think they are saved because 
 they are members of the church and pay the preacher his dues. 
 But in that great judgment day they will hear the woeful cry, 
 "Depart from Me, ye churches, into the lake of everlasting 
 burning, prepared for the devil and his angels." 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 ^* ^* t^* 
 
 ANOTHER SISTER NIPPED BY THE FROST OF TIME. 
 
 It was scarcely a year after the death of Sidney Ann before 
 another sister was taken with the same complaint. A heavy 
 cold settled on her lungs and nothing could be done for her, as 
 
80 
 
 : it speedily developed into quick consumption, which dreadful 
 disease can not be cured. Sarah, like the other sister, had no' 
 hope in Christ, and now, upon her dying bed, must seek salva- 
 tion for her poor immortal soul, at an hour almost too late.. 
 Our subject saw that no time was to be lost, and so, as hereto- 
 fore, she prayed that God might save her sister, as it would not 
 do for her to pass away without eternal life. The sister, like 
 the other one, was hard to believe, but finally she gave up all 
 to him who has said: "Son, or daughter, the day thou givest 
 Me thine heart I will be fond of thee," and, with one mighty 
 act of living faith in the all-obtaining blood of the Lord Jesus, 
 the great burden of sin was rolled from her heart and her soul 
 was filled with joy and peace. She died shortly after her con- 
 version in the full triumph of living faith, but met her Savior 
 empty handed. Oh, how good and blessed is the Lord Jesus, 
 who allows us to live through all our sins and when the time 
 arrives for us to die saves us from our iniquities. This is evi- 
 dence that God has promised to answer the prayers of His dear 
 children who pray to Him by day and by night. It is wonder- 
 ful how God allows mankind to live in their sins, until death 
 stares them in the face, and then saves them. 
 
 To all those who may read this book, the writer wishes to 
 say: Do not do as this young woman did. The devil will no 
 doubt try you while you are reading this book, and whisper to 
 you that you ■ can be converted on your death bed, but the 
 blessed book says : "To-day is the day of salvation." See at 
 once, dear reader, that the word of your God does not come into 
 contact with the evil suggestings of the devil. The devil sug- 
 gests to thousands that they wait until they are on a sick bed 
 before seeking the Lord. He also suggests the same thing to 
 
31 
 
 many believers, telling them that they need not pray and talk 
 •so much about living a holy life, as there will be plenty of time 
 to attend to that after they are taken down sick. Thousands 
 of poor souls are thus deceived and take refuge in the devil. 
 Often their lives are cut off without warning, and many are 
 thus cast into the lake of everlasting fire. Oh, may our blessed 
 Lord assist the millions of souls who are waiting for repentance 
 upon the death bed to make up their minds at once to serve 
 Him. 
 
 Our subject lifted up her heart in praise unto the Lord for 
 helping her to bear up under the great trial of burying two of 
 her sisters within one year. With all the care of the family 
 bearing heavily upon her, the Lord lent her a helping hand, and 
 gave her strength to endure the trials. While living in the 
 country our subject became quite familiar with the ways of the 
 Northern people. She found great difference between them and 
 the slaves in the South. The slaves had no work to manage or 
 plan for. There was always some one to do the planning and 
 buying and selling for them. In the North she had all this to 
 •do for herself, in addition to the care of the family. Her 
 father cared very little about business, and he would allow some 
 of the neighbors to take advantage of him. He was kind- 
 hearted and would not have trouble with anyone, even if he 
 was getting the worst of the bargain. So our subject had to 
 spend most of her time in transacting the business of the farm. 
 Her father thought every one was honest like himself. He al- 
 ways carried the motto, "Honesty is the best policy," stamped 
 in his heart. At one time he was swindled very badly by one 
 ■of his neighbors, a man that owned a saw mill, and who was 
 ■buying all the timber he could get, especially oak and walnut, 
 
32 
 
 which were very valuable and commanded a high price. This 
 mill owner had the reputation of being a very dishonest man, 
 and would get the better of all who transacted business with 
 him if possible, and her father was no exception. He hauled 
 timber enough to build a new house, and when he went for the 
 lumber prepared from his logs he found that the mill owner had 
 exchanged poor lumber for the fine logs he had taken there. 
 When our subject saw how her father had been swindled, she 
 resolved that it was to the interest of the family for her to take 
 more interest in the buying and selling. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 (<?* (<?* t£& 
 
 OUR SUBJECT LEAVES HOME TO WORK. 
 
 Finally the family became so greatly in need of clothing 
 that it became necessary for our subject to go from home to 
 work and earn money. Some of the other sisters had worked 
 away from home, but they did not help the family as much as 
 they should have done. They had the interests of the family 
 very little at heart, and spent their money on themselves. So 
 there was no way for her to do but to earn the needed money. 
 There was no place in the neighborhood to work, as the settlers 
 were all poor like herself. She told her father that she must 
 
33 
 
 go to some town to earn money to buy them some clothing, 
 as their supply was nearly gone. Her father said he did not 
 see how he could get along without her. But she told him that 
 she must go, as he could get but very little work to do. After 
 making all necessary preparations, in company with her sister 
 Charlotte and a cousin, she was soon on her way to Lima, 
 Ohio, about forty miles from home. They had to work most 
 all the way. as they had no money. They had taken only a 
 few things with them. It was a long journey for these three 
 young women to make without any one to accompany and 
 guide them. Our subject knew something about the help of 
 the Lord, therefore she trusted in Him to protect her from any 
 harm or danger. They were very prosperous in their first day's 
 journey, and after walking thirty miles, a kind friend took 
 them in, gave them plenty to eat and shelter for the night. 
 The next morning they were very much refreshed, but did not 
 get a very early start, as they had only a little over twelve 
 miles to go. 
 
 They arrived in Lima early in the afternoon of the second 
 
 day, and found a stopping place at the home of Mrs. , 
 
 who was kind enough to keep them two or three days until 
 they could find places to work. Within a week her sister 
 found a place in a private family, as did her cousin also. As 
 for herself, Mrs. thought she could earn more in work- 
 ing by the day, so, making Mrs. 's house her headquarters, 
 
 assisting her when she had no work elsewhere, she did a great 
 
 deal of work for other people. She stayed with Mrs. 
 
 a. long time, but at length she discovered that Mrs. did 
 
 not do right. Many things caused her pain, but she bore it as 
 long as she thought best. She found out so many tricks this 
 
34 
 
 woman was capable of and yet she claimed to be a member of 
 the church. An instance of the manner in which she was 
 
 treated. At one time Mrs. concealed a silver thimble 
 
 and charged her with stealing it. This seemed to be a very- 
 severe charge to make against. one who was a perfect stranger, 
 and it was all she could do to endure it. She was conscious of 
 the fact, however, that her God knew she was not a thief. She 
 
 assisted Mrs. in searching all over the house for the lost 
 
 thimble, but it could not be found] at length she told Mrs. 
 
 that she would pay for it, but she answered she was not 
 
 worrying about her paying for it, but the trouble was to clear 
 herself of the charge of theft. She was at her wit's end, but 
 remembering the words of her blessed Master, " Call upon Me 
 in the days of thy trouble, and I will deliver thee," she decided 
 
 to bide her time. She paid Mrs. for the thimble. Not 
 
 long afterwards she was sweeping and dusting two or three 
 rooms in the house, and while placing everything in its proper 
 
 place she found the thimble. She called Mrs. and told 
 
 her that she had found the lost thimble, but received the reply 
 that she was the possessor of two thimbles. It so hap- 
 pened that a minister was boarding at the house. He over- 
 heard the conversation, and, stepping into the room, told 
 
 Mrs. that he had heard her accuse several other girls in 
 
 regard to that thimble. He then spoke to her of the way she 
 was treating our subject by accusing her of stealing. At this 
 Mrs. cried and went out of the room, leaving our sub- 
 ject to finish her work of cleaning the house. She felt in her 
 heart that she was cleared of the charge of stealing the thimble, 
 and that it was through the help of the dear Lord that her de- 
 liverance had come. It is a very distressing thing to be caught 
 
35 
 
 in a lie. Afterward, Mrs. 's next door neighbor told 
 
 how she had told lies about her, and about the minister also, 
 
 ;and of the things Mrs. had stolen from her boarders and 
 
 other people who came about the house. 
 
 Our subject did not have any confidence in Mrs. as 
 
 one claiming to be a Christian. Though acquainted with the 
 
 character of Mrs. our subject still remained in her house. 
 
 Soon after the trouble about the thimble a lady wanted our 
 subject to do some work for her. Not having the money to 
 pay she offered a good second hand carpet in payment. Our 
 subject agreed to do the work for the carpet. It was a rag 
 carpet and would be of good service on the farm. While our 
 
 subject was working for another lady, Mrs. , who was 
 
 acquainted with the lady that had the carpet, told her that she 
 would do the work and take the carpet as pay, but the lady 
 answered that she had engaged Mary Taylor to do the work. 
 
 Mrs. stated that Mary Taylor did not want the carpet. 
 
 The lady did not know what to think about Mrs. 's 
 
 statement, as there had been no time set when our subject 
 should do the work. The lady did not know what to do, so 
 she said : "If Mary does not want the carpet you may do the 
 work," and adding, "but I do not know why Mary should 
 change her mind in regard to it.'.' The lady felt that some- 
 thing was wrong, but allowed Mrs. to do the work, and 
 
 our subject had no kn'owledge that it had been performed. At 
 length, having some spare time she decided to do the work and 
 get the carpet. She arrived at the house and was much sur- 
 prised when the lady told her that she had been told that she 
 •did not want the carpet. Our subject asked the name of the 
 party who made the statement and was told that it was Mrs. 
 
86 
 
 . She answered that she had never spoken to Mrs. 
 
 about the carpet. When she asked Mrs. about 
 
 the matter she answered that she did not think our subject had 
 any use for the carpet. She refused to have any trouble about 
 
 the carpet but now saw how Mrs. had told another 
 
 falsehood to cheat her out of the carpet. All her troubles 
 proved to be a blessing, however, to her as a follower of the 
 Lord Jesus, who said in His blessed word that "All things 
 work together for good to those w T ho love and serve Him." She 
 
 now saw that it was not best to stay longer with Mrs. . 
 
 She found another home with a near neighbor by the name of 
 Mrs. Harris, who was very kind to her and permitted her to 
 make the house her home while she worked out by the day. 
 She only remained here long enough to fulfill all her engage- 
 ments, when she began to prepare to return home. Her stay 
 in Lima had been quite profitable, and in addition to a nice 
 little sum of money, she carried with her a number of articles 
 of clothing and household goods received in exchange for her 
 labor, "for all of which she returned thanks to our dear Lord for 
 His love and kindness toward her. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 5^* C^* t^* 
 
 She arrived at her home and found her father and sisters 
 
37 
 
 all very well. As soon as she had rested she began to look after 
 the work, as usual, both in the house and on the farm. Every- 
 thing was now moving along very well. The money she had 
 earned while away from home was of great use to her father 
 and sisters. It may now be seen more than ever the great part 
 she took in managing the family affairs. Indeed her share was 
 greater than the work performed by her mother, who had only 
 a family and a house to look after, while she not only filled her 
 mother's place in the home, but her father's place on the farm, 
 also. At this time she was about twenty-four years of age and 
 was strong and usually had good health. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 (^* X£& 5^* 
 
 ANOTHER SISTER NIPPED BY THE FROST OF TIME. 
 
 About a year and a half after the death of her sister Sarah, 
 another sister, Martha, was taken sick very suddenly with a 
 heavy cold, like her other two sisters. They began at once to 
 give Martha treatment, and in four or five weeks she began to 
 grow better and continued to improve until she was able to go 
 about the house. Our subject thought she was so much better 
 that it would be safe to leave her in the care of her father and 
 other sisters, as she had some work that called her away from 
 
38 
 
 home. She told her father that while she was gone he must 
 take good care of Martha, and not allow her to go out of doors. 
 After our subject had gone Martha continued to feel better and 
 was getting along nicely. While she was away Martha con- 
 cluded she felt well enough to go to a party, and decided to at- 
 tend one given in the neighborhood. Our subject did not want 
 Martha to go, fearing that she might take cold, but Martha, 
 like all young girls, who are not truly Christians, love to go 
 where there is fun and frolic, no matter what anyone might say. 
 In going and coming from the party she got her feet wet and 
 was again taken down sick. Everything was done to save her, 
 but to no avail and she must die, praying on her death bed and 
 with no hope for eternal life. Our subject remembered the 
 words of the thief on the cross: "Lord, when Thou comest 
 into Thy kingdom, remember me." The Lord said: "This 
 day thou shalt be with Me." She told Martha that she must 
 pray and call on the Lord to have mercy, and she sang and 
 prayed with her sister, for she knew the Lord would hear and 
 answer prayer. She had prevailed with God in prayer for her 
 other sisters. She called in a few of the neighbors to sing and 
 pray with her for the conversion of her sister. They had a good 
 meeting, and when Martha was in earnest prayer the neighbors 
 returned home. Our subject continued praying for her sister 
 for several days and nights, and one day while she was singing 
 one of her favorite hymns Martha was earnestly pleading with 
 the Lord to have mercy upon her and forgive her of all her 
 sins. Our subject continued singing the hymn and suddenly 
 Martha let go of all the things of time and by faith took hold 
 of the promise of God, which says : "Thy sins which are many 
 are all forgiven thee." She felt that the great burden of sin 
 
39 
 
 had rolled away and her soul was rilled with light, peace, joy 
 and gladness. She said in a loud voice : "0, praise the Lord 
 for the jo} r and peace which now fills my soul." Her father 
 said, "Francis you are getting that girl excited," but Martha 
 said, "0, no, father, I am not excited, the Lord has forgiven 
 me of my sins." Our subject and Martha then had a good time 
 praising the Lord. Martha only lived a short time afterward, 
 but she spent most of the time exhorting and warning others 
 not to do as she had done. She died in full faith, and went 
 sweeping through the open gate into that eternal city. But she 
 went empty handed, as thousands of other people are going 
 every day. The writer warns the reader, "Do not wait for to- 
 morrow," for the Lord says: "Behold this day is the day of 
 salvation." Our subject was now more than ever encouraged 
 to press on in the Christian life, so helpful in the presence of 
 sickness and death. 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 *£& !£& %C& 
 
 There was a great revival in the neighborhood, and all the 
 churches and the three churches in the vicinity united in 
 union meetings. Meetings were held first in the A. M. E. 
 and then in the Baptist church. The meeting commenced in 
 November, 1866 and closed in June, 1867. It was the greatest 
 
40 
 
 revival ever held in that part of the State of Ohio, before or 
 since that time. A great number were converted during the 
 continuation of the meeting, and many were called to preach 
 the gospel. Some people who did not take part in the meeting 
 predicted that the corn crop would be small, because the great- 
 er number of the people were constant in their attendance at 
 the meeting. But, to their astonishment, there were better 
 crops that year than ever before. The writer adds: "When 
 people serve the Lord everything. goes well." 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 & 3 <£ 
 
 The writer became acquainted with the Taylor family in the 
 year 1865. In the fall of that year I came home from the army 
 to Cincinnati, then my home, and became acquainted with 
 three of the sisters, two of whom were single, the other being 
 married. The married sister lived in the same house where I 
 was stopping. The family with whom I was boarding occupy- 
 ing a portion of the house. The two single sisters came to visit 
 with their married sister. The younger of the unmarried 
 sisters I only met a few times, but myself and the other two 
 soon became great friends. At that time I had no thought of 
 getting married. But about six months after the younger of the 
 sisters mentioned above had returned to her home in Mercer 
 
41 
 
 county, I wrote her a letter, asking the privilege of writing to 
 her as a friend, merely to pass away the time. She gave her 
 consent and a correspondence was kept up for about nine 
 months. During that time I sent her one of my pictures. I 
 did not say anything about marrying, and in a short time we 
 stopped writing to each other. I remained in Cincinnati for 
 about one year, when my health became impaired by reason of 
 attendance on a sick man. The doctor said that I had better 
 go west. I waited for three months and not getting any better, 
 in the spring of 1867, 1 went to the southwestern part of Michi- 
 gan. I left Cincinnati on the first day of April and arrived at 
 Cassapolis next day. I had to go about eight miles into the 
 country to the home of an old army friend, where I was kindly 
 welcomed. We were both very glad to meet again. Good 
 farm hands were worth from $20 to $25 per month, but I was 
 not experienced in farm work. After having had a good visit, 
 my old friend, Joseph Cross, said that he had bought forty 
 acres of land in the woods, and that he had sold one hundred 
 cords of wood to a man who owned a woolen mill near the west 
 end of his land. He said he would give me work of chopping 
 the wood if I cared to do so. I had done but little chopping, 
 but he offered me eighty-seven and a half cents per cord, and I 
 accepted his offer. I began the work about the middle of April 
 and finished it the last of June. I remained in the neighbor- 
 hood a few days afterwards and then took my departure for 
 Chicago. I was not there long before hearing that the captain 
 of my company was in the city. I hunted him up, and he was very 
 glad to see me. I was there a week before securing any work. 
 At length I secured a place to work in a livery stable. I did 
 not like that kind of employment and only remained there two 
 months, when I secured a place to work in a private family. 
 
42 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 &?• t&* t t&* 
 
 My first letter of friendship to the subject of this sketch 
 was dated August 1st, 1867. We had never seen each other, 
 but we continued to write during the entire time I remained in 
 Chicago. In 1868 I left Chicago and went to Mendota, 111., 
 where an old army comrade lived, whom I had not seen since 
 we were mustered out of the service at Detroit in October, 
 1865. I visited with him until March, and when the spring 
 work began to open up, my friend Hunter said he would assist 
 me in finding some work. Hearing of a lady by the name of 
 Mrs. Dr. Tud, who owned a farm about one mile out of the 
 city, and that she wished to hire a man to work for nine 
 months, Mr. Hunter went to see her with me. I was fortunate 
 in securing the position for nine months at twenty dollars a 
 month. I commenced work on the 15th of March and worked 
 until October 15th, at which time my contract expired. She 
 paid me and I then made my home at an aunt of Mr. Hunter's. 
 She had no children, was a good Christian woman, and I had a 
 nice home with her. Her husband was not a Christian, and 
 neither was I, though I had not many bad habits, such- as- 
 drinking strong drinks, swearing, smoking cigars, chewing to- 
 bacco, and keeping company with vile young people. But after 
 all I knew I was a sinner and in order to become a Christian I 
 
43 
 
 must be converted. The Bible says every one must be born- 
 again, or they cannot enter the Kingdom of God. 
 
 The woman with whom I was boarding was a great help to 
 me. Before I had seen her she had written Christian letters to 
 Mr. Hunter and myself, while we were together in the same 
 company on the field of battle and sleeping together in the 
 same tent. I then began to think that I ought to become a 
 Christian. There were only thirty or forty colored people, of 
 whom part were Methodists and part Baptists. The latter had 
 a house of worship, while the Methodists met in a little school 
 house. In the early part of January, 1868, the Methodists- 
 held a revival in their regular plaee of meeting — the school 
 house. They invited the Baptists to come in with them and 
 hold union meetings. The meetings were held two weeks, with 
 only one conversion. I was the one convert, for I had been 
 seeking religion for a long time before their meeting began. I 
 shall praise through all eternity for the pardon of my sins. I 
 had a terrible struggle to get loose from the devil, because I 
 was so full of unbelief, but one mighty look by faith to the 
 all-atoning blood of Jesus, and the power of sin was broken 
 and my captive soul set free. Oh! what joy and peace and 
 gladness filled my soul. I know what it is to have the light of 
 God in my soul. Before I was converted I did not know any- 
 thing about the Bible, and I could not read it. I began the 
 Christian life without any knowledge of reading God's word. 
 My great desire was to have a Bible and learn to read it. I 
 went to see Mrs. Tud, and told her what the Lord had done for 
 me and how glad I would be to learn to read the Bible. She 
 said she was a member of the Bible society, and she would give 
 me a Bible. She gave me a large sized one, and I began to 
 
44 
 
 spell the words and read as well as I could as I advanced in 
 Christian life. I became more and more hungry for Bible 
 knowledge. I can truly say it was a wonder to me how the 
 Lord helped me and opened my understanding to read His 
 blessed word. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 e<?* w& t&& 
 
 COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE. 
 
 My first letter of courtship to our subject was accepted. 
 Our marriage was very strange indeed, and a surprise to both 
 of us. There had been but little courting, and that had been 
 done by correspondence. There was no positive engagement, 
 nor was there any date fixed for our marriage. I do say to the 
 readers of this narrative, who believe in the Lord and His guid- 
 ance and who love and serve Him in all things, that the hand 
 of the Lord was in this marriage. I wrote my last letter to 
 her, stating that I would be at home in the fall, accordiug to 
 my promise. I left Mendota in October on the C, B. & Q. 
 railroad. I arrived in Chicago and remained there twenty-four 
 hours, leaving there on the Michigan Central railroad for De- 
 troit. From there I went to Toledo and then to Lima, where 
 I found the two sisters I had met four years previously while 
 
45 
 
 they were living in Cincinnati. The next day I wrote a 
 a few lines to our subject, stating that I was in Lima and 
 would wait to hear from her before leaving. In two weeks I 
 received a letter from her saying that she would send a friend 
 to meet me at New Bremen, providing I would write and let her 
 know what day I would leave Lima. As soon as I received the 
 letter I read and answered it at once, telling her on what day 
 I would leave. In a day or two I began to prepare to start, 
 and on the 16th day of November, late in the afternoon, I ar- 
 rived in New Bremen. The friend was there to meet me. He 
 introduced himself as Mr. Clark, and told me he had twelve 
 miles to drive. I told him I had a trunk at the hotel. Hitch- 
 ing^bis horse to the wagon he drove after it. It was about four 
 o'clock before we started. Mr. Clark had a good team of horses 
 and by half past seven we were at his home. Mr. Clark's 
 grandson took charge of the team and we went to into the 
 house, where arrangements had been made for me to stay over 
 night. Mr. and Mrs. Clark were our subject's best friends in 
 the neighborhood. After. a good night's rest and a good break- 
 fast and dinner the next day we started for the home of our 
 subject, which was a mile distant. When we arrived our sub- 
 ject was not at home. She was just across the field at her 
 aunt's, but saw us coming and returned at once. Mr. Clark 
 introduced me to her, for it was the first time I had seen 
 her. I had not even seen her picture, but she had seen one of 
 mine. Mr. Clark returned to his home and we spent a pleas- 
 ant afternoon together. Toward the close I asked her a direct 
 question — was she ready to marry me? She said yes. I asked 
 her when and she said, " to-morrow night." She said that Mr. 
 Clark would take me to Celina to get the license. I bade her 
 
46 
 
 good afternoon. As I left the house I met hor father and 
 introduced myself to him. He said he had heard his children 
 talking about me. I asked him about marrying his daughter. 
 He said he had no objections, so that everything was all right. 
 Early next morning Mr. Clark started for Celina, accompanied 
 by myself, to get the license. 
 
 We returned late in the afternoon. The whole affair had 
 been kept secret, none but Mr. Clark and his family knowing 
 of it until we returned with the license, when several friends 
 and neighbors were invited to attend the wedding. At about 
 eight o'clock the same evening we were united in marriage. It 
 was the greatest surprise that ever happened in that neigbor- 
 hood. I wish to add that had I gone to see my wife every day 
 for five years before our marriage I could not have succeeded in 
 getting a better one. Neither would an engagement of six 
 months duration added to her good qualities. Were she alive 
 I feel sure she would make the samestatement regarding me as 
 her husband. I can truly say that our married life was a happy 
 one, as both of us were Christians — not formal church mem- 
 bers, as are many of to-day who simply join the church with- 
 out experiencing conversion. This was not so with us. My 
 wife was converted when she was about fifteen years old and 
 my conversion occurred about a year before our marriage. 
 Thus, we were prepared to make each other happy, not only in 
 this life, but to help each other live the life of the righteous. 
 It has been said: "True happiness does not consist of the 
 things on this world, but in the meek and quiet spirit which 
 should dwell in the soul of every true Christian, which is true 
 happiness." 
 
47 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 ((?* (^* *^* 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Clark gave us a very fine wedding supper. 
 Mrs. Clark did the cooking, and she was an expert. A large 
 number of guests were there, both married people and single. 
 All who were invited came, and everything was favorable to a 
 pleasant occasion. It was in the latter part of the month of 
 November, and the evening was very nice, just cool enough to 
 make it pleasant. All came early in order that a social talk 
 might be had before supper. Of course the bride was the topic 
 of conversation during the evening, although the groom came 
 in for his full share. Mrs. Clark sent word that supper was 
 ready, and as many as were required to fill the first table quick- 
 ly responded. The bride and groom occupied seats of honor at 
 the head of the table. The table was spread with everything 
 good to eat, and plenty 'for all. Soon after supper many re- 
 turned home, wishing the bride and groom all possible success 
 in life. After all had returned we remained a short time with 
 Mrs. Clark. About eleven o'clock we returned home, and the 
 wedding festivities were at an end. 
 
 We were soon to be left alone, as all of my wife's sisters 
 had left home and her father was preparing to return to Ken- 
 tucky. We talked and planned for the future, and debated 
 whether it would be best to remain on the farm or not. Each 
 
48 
 
 of the sisters had equal shares in the farm, and the property 
 was in bad condition. There was only one horse and it was 
 not suitable for the work required, and there was very little 
 else to do with. There was no grain for seed and a very little for 
 bread. Only twenty-five acres of the farm had been cleared, 
 and the only thing on the farm that gave any promise of pros- 
 perity were two milch cows. There was no encouragement 
 to remain. After considering everything I told my wife 
 that it was useless to invest any money in the farm, for 
 if we did we might have trouble with the other girls and 
 their husbands, and that the best thing to do was to 
 leave. She did not want to do this, but I insisted that 
 it was the only thing for us to do, and then the matter 
 was dropped. Often afterwards the question as to what was 
 best to do came up for discussion. At last she said if a farm 
 could be bought near Lima she would consent to go to it. I 
 then wrote to her cousin at Lima to find out if there were any 
 farms near Lima that could be rented, and soon received an 
 answer that there was no farms to rent. That settled the 
 question of renting a farm. All her neighbors constantly ad- 
 vised her not to move from the farm. I did not say any more 
 concerning it for some time. Presently her two brother-in- 
 laws came to visit us. They said they had been told that there 
 was a large amount of stuff on the farm, such as cattle, sheep, 
 corn, wheat, fodder and hay, but she told them there was 
 scarcely anything. They insisted on my wife telling them just 
 what there was, and she did so, as follows : Two cows, ten 
 bushels of corn, ten bushels of wheat, no oats, twelve shocks of 
 fodder and two and one-half tons of hay. After she had made 
 her report, the two men discussed it, and one told her it ought to 
 
49 
 
 be divided, but the other thought not, and the two men came 
 very near quarreling over it. They remained with us for two 
 days and one night, and then returned to their homes without 
 having decided about the division of the farm. A few days 
 after they had been gone my wife remarked to me that now it 
 would be better for us to leave the farm, and we decided to re- 
 move to Lima. It was about the middle of January when the 
 brother-in-laws came out to see us. In a short time we began 
 to prepare to move to Lima. After everything had been packed 
 we spent a week in making farewell visits to the neighbors. 
 Everybody was sorry to see us go. On the 28th of February 
 we started for Lima and arrived at our destination the same 
 day. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 ^* t&& $<£• 
 
 For a short time after our arrival in Lima we stopped with 
 one of my wife's sisters, until we could find a suitable house to 
 rent. I soon found one that was located on the same street on 
 which her sister lived. Asking the price of the house the 
 owner said: "Five dollars per month." I paid the money 
 and he gave me the keys. We cleaned the house, moved in our 
 goods, and in a few days were ready for housekeeping. We be- 
 gan at once to attend the A. M. E. church, and took an active 
 
50 
 
 part in all the services. In a short time the pastor gave an 
 opportunity to those wishing to join the church to do so, and 
 we united. At that time the church was in a dead and formal 
 condition, and remained in that condition for several years. 
 We were soon the leaders of the church and it did not increase 
 numerically or spiritually until 1875, when the great revival 
 reached Ohio. 
 
 The first camp-meeting was held at Landsville, in the 
 State of Pennsylvania, in the year 1868, for the promotion of 
 holiness, and from that meeting the revival of wonderful and 
 complete salvation spread through the State of New York, 
 Pennsylvania, and on west to Ohio and other Western states. 
 The first holiness camp-meeting in Ohio was held at Urbana in 
 the year 1874, and that was a wonderful meeting and from it 
 the revival spread through many counties in Ohio, especially 
 through Hancock, Champaign and Hardin. The first revival 
 in Hancock county was held in September, 1875. The leader 
 of this meeting was Mr. W. Ellis, and several came out into 
 the glorious light of heart purity. In October of the same 
 year another meeting was held in Ramsey chapel, six miles 
 from Dunkirk, Ohio. S. P., the leader, was assisted by W. 
 M. R. Matthews, of Ada, Ohio. In that meeting I heard the 
 first doctrine of entire sanctification. This great blessing I 
 was hungering and thirsting after for six months. I was under 
 deep conviction for a pure heart, and I can truly say that I 
 was not in a backsliding state, for I was walking in the light 
 of justification, as God is in the light, and I was ready to enter 
 into that glorious state of heart purity. Just after noon one 
 day I had arrived from Lima to attend a quarterly meeting. 
 After the business of the quarterly conference was over, Rev. 
 
51 
 
 Clark said to Brother S. S. Rice that he might proceed with 
 the holiness meeting. Brother Rice then opened the meeting 
 by singing the hymn : 
 
 Oh ! now I see the crimson wave, 
 
 The fountain deep and wide, 
 My Lord, mighty to save, 
 
 Points to his crimson side. 
 
 Chorus. 
 The cleansing stream I see, I see, 
 It cleanseth me, it cleanseth me, 
 0! praise the Lord, it cleanseth me, 
 It cleanseth me, it cleanseth me. 
 
 Brother Rice talked a few moments on how a believer 
 may know whether his sins have been purified or not. After- 
 ward he invited any one who wanted a pure heart to the altar. 
 I was the first one to go forward, for I felt very much in need 
 of a pure heart. Brother Rice was a great teacher. He was 
 so simple in his manner of teaching a soul the way of faith. 
 He was on the inside of the altar. Kneeling before me he 
 asked if I believed the blood of Jesus cleanseth me from all 
 sins now by faith. I could not answer him. He waited for a 
 time and then asked me the same question again. My faith 
 had taken hold of the promises of God, and I said, " I do be- 
 lieve that the blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin." As soon 
 as the words were out of my mouth I felt as though an electric 
 shock had passed over me. It went through every avenue of 
 my soul, purifying my heart from all sin. There was a voice 
 in my soul saying: "Peace, peace, peace." I was blessed 
 many times. This was the blessing that the apostles received 
 
52 
 
 on the day of Pentecost, when they were all filled with the 
 peace that passed all understanding. It was as great a bless- 
 ing to me as was my first conversion, seven years before. On 
 Monday morning I returned home, where I arrived at eight 
 o'clock in the morning. As I stepped on the porch my wife 
 saw there was a great change in my countenance, and asked: 
 " What is the matter?" I replied that I had received a great 
 blessing. She asked, " What blessing?" That which prepares 
 us for death, I answered, not knowing what else to say. She 
 exclaimed: " Oh, Mack," as she always called me, " that is 
 the very thing I want." I then told her that Brother Clark, 
 the pastor, was going to have the holiness people come, to Lima 
 and hold meetings in our church. She asked me when, and I 
 answered, about the 15th of October. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE FIRST HOLINESS MEETING IN LIMA. 
 
 Brother Rice, of Ada, and Brother E. E. Burlesson, of 
 Cleveland, were leaders of the meeting. A large number of 
 holiness people were in attendance from Cleveland, Berea, and 
 other cities in Ohio, and many came from the State of Indi- 
 ana. It was a great surprise to the colored people. The pas- 
 
53 
 
 tor announced that there would be a large crowd of people at 
 the meeting, and he wanted as many as could to prepare to 
 take care of some of the visitors. The people came and were 
 surprised that the meeting was to be held in the colored church, 
 and the colored people were surprised to know that all the 
 people who were coming to the meeting were white. But' 
 nevertheless, when the people came they w^ere taken care of by 
 the colored people. They were not such as the colored 
 people were wont to call " white trash," but were people of 
 rank. Some were encouraged in the meeting. They were not 
 all old people, but many young men and women were amon°- 
 them . 
 
 S. S. Rice was talking on the subject of holiness with my 
 wife at supper one evening. She was under deep conviction, 
 but she did not say very much to Mr. Rice. He asked her to 
 come to the meeting, and she promised to do so. The meeting 
 opened with wondrous power and some few came to the altar 
 that night. My wife was the first to come. The meeting was 
 well attended by numbers from all the churches in the city. 
 Sanctification was preached in that meeting by those who had 
 experimental knowledge of holiness. The meeting lasted ten 
 days. It was a grand meeting. About thirty claimed to have 
 received help and nineteen professed to have received the bless- 
 ing At the close of the meeting a holiness band was organ- 
 ized in the church and nineteen joined it. My wife was the 
 first one to come out in the experience of heart purity. She 
 did not get the witness of the spirit at that time, but claimed 
 tne blessing of a pure heart of faith. 
 
 Holiness bands were organized in several cities and towns 
 in Ohio, and in other states. One morning while my wife 
 
54 
 
 was busy getting breakfast I was reading aloud from the 
 "Christian Harvester," published at Cleveland, some of the 
 testimonies given in these holiness meetings. One sister said 
 that all the Lord wanted us to do was to fully believe. When 
 my wife heard that statement it came to her with great power. 
 She stepped out of the kitchen into the pantry, threw up her 
 hands and said, "Yes, Lord, I do fully believe." She was filled 
 with the Holy Ghost, and from that day she began to prosper. 
 The first band meeting was well attended, nearly all the 
 members being present. I was appointed leader of the band. 
 Some were seeking at every meeting. The meetings Avere held 
 on Tuesday evenings and every Sunday afternoon. It was not 
 long before some of the church members began to find fault, 
 saying that we were having too many meetings. Some opposed 
 the Sunday meetings, claiming to be opposed to keeping the 
 young people in meeting Sunday afternoons. Finally the op- 
 position became so strong against the afternoon meetings that 
 we discontinued them. The opposition kept up until nearly all 
 ceased to attend the meetings, and within a year from the time 
 'of the organization of the band there were only six or eight re- 
 maining faithful. About that time it looked very dark for the 
 continuation of the meetings. The opposition on the part of 
 some of the church members was so great that my wife said 
 she felt impelled to hold cottage prayer meetings every Friday 
 afternoon. I told her that she had better consult with the 
 pastor. Two or three days afterward she called on him and 
 was told that her plan met with his approval, and he would 
 appoint her the leader. The next Sabbath the pastor gave 
 notice that there would be a prayer meeting on Friday after- 
 noon and that Sister McCray had been appointed leader. It 
 
55 
 
 was her first experience at leading a meeting but she was won- 
 derfully helped by the Lord in her effort at leading. The 
 meetings were thus carried on all summer. Some of the mem- 
 bers would say to her : "Sister McCray, it is too warm to have 
 meeting," but she invariably answered them by saying that it 
 is not too warm to die. We still held the Tuesday night band 
 meeting. Sometimes the attendance would be small, but we 
 did not get discouraged. We still called upon the Lord to pour 
 out His spirit on the church "The Lord wonderfully answered 
 prayer. In the month of December, 1876, the revival meeting 
 commenced in the church. It lasted three months and was the 
 greatest meeting ever held in Lima. Many people from the 
 country attended the meetings. Some of the hard hearted sin- 
 ners "were converted and the church was in a good spiritual 
 condition for a long time, as a result of that meeting. The 
 church had been heavily in debt for several years, but in one 
 and one-half years after the meeting the church was cleared 
 and was free from debt, and with from $60 to $75 in the 
 treasury. Everything moved along nicely. 
 
56 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 10& ZP*I 5^* 
 
 OUR HOME IN DAKOTA. 
 
 In 1880, 1881, 1882 and 1883 there was a great excitement 
 about our moving to Dakota. Land agents out west Avere dis- 
 tributing circulars all o\ r er the east inviting all old soldiers and 
 sailors to come west and take government land. Soldiers w T ere 
 to have their choice of the land. A nephew of my wife had 
 read one of the circulars. He came to our house and talked to 
 my wife about it. He asked her if I Avas a soldier, and she 
 said yes. He then said that all soldiers, sailors and old citi- 
 zens could go out west.and take up land. He said : "Perhaps your 
 husband would go out there and take up some of the land . When 
 I came home she told me all about it, and said I had better go 
 and learn something concerning it. She said she Avould have 
 Johnnie come to the house and tell me all about it and to 'this 
 I consented. In a day or tAvo Johnnie came and told me all 
 about the matter. After he left I told my Avife that I thought 
 it would be very nice to get some land for the boys, but noth- 
 ing more was said about it for some time. Presently the' sub- 
 ject came up again and aa t 6 discussed it for six months or more 
 before we could arrive at a conclusion. It was the opinion of my 
 wife all the time that I would go. At length I received a bundle 
 
57 
 
 of circulars from a land agent at Desmet, Dakota. I took them 
 home and read them carefully. I then asked my wife what she 
 thought about it. She answered that she thought it best to go. 
 We had no choice as to what place to go, so in a few days I 
 wrote a letter to Desmet, addressed to W. E. Whiting, the 
 register of deeds of Kingsbury county. This was in October, 
 1881. Within three weeks I received a reply from Mr. Whiting, 
 giving a full discription of that part of Dakota. After reading 
 the letter it was fully decided by both that I should go, but 
 my wife did not want me to go alone. I tried to find some 
 one to go along, but was unsuccessful, so on the 12th day of June, 
 1882, 1 left Lima and arrived in Desmet on the 14th of the same 
 month. On the 19th I went out and selected 160 acres and 
 sent in my papers to the land office at Watertown. I soon re- 
 ceived my title to the land and hired a man to break ten acres 
 for me, in compliance with the homestead laws. I also built a 
 shanty and made it my home all that summer. During the 
 first week in October I started back to Ohio. I stopped a few 
 days in Chicago and arrived in Lima on the 17th of the month. 
 For the first five months of my stay in Dakota I had no in- 
 tention of moving there, but I was delighted with the country, 
 and told my wife that we should sell out and remove there. 
 My wife said it was not best to sell our property, but I insisted 
 that it was not best to leave our property in Lima unsold. 
 Nothing more was said for some time, but the subject came up 
 again, and after discussion we decided to sell. Our eldest son 
 was in Vernon, Mich., and we wrote to him that we were going 
 to move to Dakota. He answered us and said that we had 
 better not move. We wrote again, saying that we wished to 
 Bee him before we started, and he came at once. My wife said 
 
58 
 
 that if Ed would only go with us everything would be all right. 
 When Ed arrived he saw that we were getting ready to move, 
 and asked us if that was our intention. His mother answered 
 that it was, and added that it was desired that he go with us. 
 After a few days of meditation he consented to go. Then I 
 began to hunt some one to buy our property. Soon a man was 
 found who offered me $1,200 for it, but something happened 
 and made it impossible for him to get the money, and event- 
 ually I sold the property to another person for $1,000 cash. 
 The deed was made out, the money paid and everything settled. 
 This was in January, 1883. I began to buy stock, such as 
 horses, hogs, cattle and chickens, and a wagon. We had 
 enough to fill a car. Another family by the name of Williams 
 was preparing to go with us. We went to the P. F.° W. & C. 
 Railroad compan} T to see about getting two cars from the Chi- 
 cago & Northwestern railroad, and they were forwarded to Lima 
 at once. On Monday morning, April 9, 1888, we commenced 
 to load our goods into the cars. We left for Dakota with one 
 of the cars and Mr. Williams the other. We left our families 
 at home until we reached Desmet. We were nine days on the 
 road. At some point in Wisconsin we were delayed three days 
 by reason of the roads being blockaded with trains of immi- 
 grants bound for Dakota from all parts of the United States, 
 especially the eastern and northeastern states. We arrived in 
 Desmet on the ninth day of May, with all our stock in good 
 condition. We wrote for our families to come, and moved on 
 our lands just as soon as Ave got temporary stables built for 
 our cattle. Our families arrived and we had most of our goods 
 on the farms. Mr. Williams' family arrived several da} T s before 
 my wife and children, as the latter stopped in Chicago for 
 several days to visit relatives. 
 
59 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 (^* tgrt s&* 
 
 OUR HOME IN DAKOTA. 
 
 Our first son was a barber by trade, so he stopped in Des-- 
 niet and started a barber shop. Our farm was twelve miles 
 from the same town, and it was very lonely with only three of 
 us in the family. Our little boy was ten years old and had no 
 playmates and no school to attend. The neighbors were few 
 and scattering. As for my wife and I, we had no church to go 
 to, no prayer or Sunday school to attend. We did not know 
 any Christian people in the neighborhood. They had no 
 thought for the Sabbath and hunted and fished as on any other- 
 day. They seemed to have left their God in their old home 
 bac kEast. But in the name of our God we erected our family 
 altar night and morning, and looked to our God to find help 
 to tell the story of the cross in our prairie home. Wife 
 thought there must be some way to have meetings some place, 
 and I told her that when we became acquainted with some of 
 the neighbors we would find out if there were any Christians 
 among them. The next day when I came to the house for din- 
 ner wife said that she had had a visitor that morning. I asked 
 her if it was a man or woman and she answered that it was a 
 man. She said that while she was at work in the garden she 
 
60 
 
 looked up and saw a man coming and waited to see if he would 
 stop at our house. He was singing a hymn, and my wife said 
 to herself that he must be a Christian. He came to the garden 
 and said good morning, and asked how we liked the country. 
 My wife answered, very well, if we could only get acquainted. 
 He said, that's so. After they had talked for half an hour he 
 said that his errand was to borrow a hoe, if we had one. She 
 let him have it and before he left he asked us to come and 
 visit with them. He said that his name was Currier. My wife 
 told him we should call to see them in a short time. We called 
 and found him to be a Christian. His wife at one time had 
 also been a Christian, but bad backslidden. He had two mar- 
 ried sons living on adjoining farms. The elder son was not a 
 Christian, but the wife of the j^-ounger son was a Christian 
 woman. There were about nine children in the three families, 
 aged from two to sixteen years. We had a good visit with 
 them. The summer passed very pleasantly but our hearts 
 were pained to see the wickedness among the people. The fall 
 work began and the neighbors were very kind to help us. When 
 the fall work was over there was nothing to do but to feed the 
 stock, and wife suggested that we go to Mr . Currier's and see if we 
 could not hold prayer meeting at his house. I agreed with her 
 suggestion and we made arrangements to go the next day. Mr. 
 Currier was well pleased with the idea and said he would go 
 and invite Mr. Morris and family. On Tuesday afternoon the 
 first meeting was held, with the members of four families in 
 attendance. The meeting, the first one in that neighborhood, 
 was held in January, 1884, and was a blessed one. In the four 
 families represented in the meeting five persons were Chris- 
 tians, three women and two men. At the close of the meeting 
 
61 
 
 we made arrangements to have another at the home of Mr. 
 Moore on the following Tuesday evening at the same hour. In 
 this way the meeting was carried on till the latter part of Feb- 
 ruary, and all of us were greatly strengthened. Mr. Moore, 
 who had been a Christian, but had backslidden, was reclaimed 
 in the meeting, but did not stand true very long, as he fell back 
 into sin again when the meetings closed about the first of 
 March, when spring work commenced. 
 
 The first week in March was too stormy to commence the 
 sowing of seed for the wheat crop. One morning after my 
 little boy and myself had finished feeding the stock and milk- 
 ing £he cows, we were all seated and talking over various affairs, 
 wdien Prince said : " Mamma, I wish there was a house some- 
 where in which school might be held." The directors of the 
 township had said we might have school if we would furnish a 
 house to hold it in and find some one that could teach accord- 
 ing to the law. No school houses had at that time been built 
 in that part of the country. Neither of us answered him for a 
 moment, when wife said that she believed Mr. Hance Lee 
 would let the people have his house to held school in. There 
 were three Norwegians, brothers, who lived next to us, their 
 farms joining ours on the north and south. The brothers all 
 lived in one house and the shanties on the other two claims 
 were vacant. Prince said he would go over and ask Mr. Hance 
 about using his house as a school, and his mother told him to 
 go. In a few moments he was back with the information that 
 the house could be had to hold school in. The next morning 
 the two brothers passed our house. I asked Mr. Hance about 
 the house and he said they might use it if there was any money 
 in it. Wife thought it would be well to go to speak to Mr. 
 
62 
 
 Currier about the house and I went. He was very glad at the 
 prospects and said he would go and talk with the directors 
 about it. Those officials said it was all right, but there was no 
 money for rent, so it would be impossible to get a teacher.. 
 The next thing to do was to find some one qualified to teach. 
 There was no single woman in the neighborhood, and only one 
 married woman that could teach. She was the mother of two 
 children, one aged four and the other two years. She was one 
 of Mr. Currier's daughters-in-law. They hardly knew how to 
 arrange it, but at last she told Mrs. Currier that if she would 
 take care of her children she would pay her for it. To this ar- 
 rangement Mrs. Currier assented. Mr. Currier took Mary 
 down to the superintendent where she passed the examination 
 and received a legal certificate, to the joy and gladness of all 
 concerned. This was the first public school in that part of the 
 country. It commenced March 1st, 1884, and closed the first 
 of July of the same year. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 (^* t£* &?* 
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL. 
 
 In April we conceived the plan of having a Sunday school 
 some place in the neighborhood, and wife suggested that some 
 
63 
 
 ■one might be found to open up their house for the school. We 
 talked the matter over with Mr. Currier's family. Then the 
 word was given out to all of the neighbors and all were in 
 favor of the Sunday school. Then the question arose, who 
 will open their house for it. At that time there was but one 
 house in the neighborhood large enough, and that was ours. 
 Mr. Currier suggested to some of the neighbors that Mr. Mc- 
 Cray's house was the best place in which to hold the school, as 
 it was the largest. Then a discussion arose in regard to the 
 matter and some said they would not go if the Sunday school 
 was held in the house of a colored person. Others said that 
 made no difference and many pleasant things were said. The 
 Bible says that we must bear all things for Christ's sake and 
 not to find fault. Sinners and formal church members have 
 crucified Christ, as he has died for us. We had learned to 
 suffer all things for his name's sake. The subject of organiz- 
 ing a Sunday school came to a standstill in the neighborhood. 
 Opposition of this kind is what hindered the progress of the 
 black race in America for nearly two hundred years. They 
 were, and are now, hindered in every way because their faces 
 are black. The people in that neighborhood thought to hold 
 Sunday school in the house of a colored person was giving too 
 much honor to the race. It was the first Sunday school in that 
 part of the country. Many not only failed to come themselves, 
 but did all in their power to keep others away. But the peo- 
 ple did not know that the Lord had something to do with hav- 
 ing a Sunday school in that part of the country . We did not 
 want Sunday school held in our house, our only object was to 
 -carry forward the work of the Lord, as He showed it to us. 
 
 By this time the news had reached all through the neigh- 
 
64 
 
 borhood, and some people living southeast of us came to see 
 about it. Mr. Currier happened to be at our house at the same 
 time, and arrangements were made to organize the school at 
 our home. The next Sunday, according to arrangements made 
 then, the school was duly organized. The question again arose, 
 whose house shall we have the school in? Mrs. Booth said 
 many had objections to coming to Mr. McCray's to Sunday 
 school, but as for her family there was none whatever. Mr. 
 Cluett said the same thing. I said that I did not think it wise 
 to have the school at our house, but for the present it would be 
 better to hold it at Mr. Booth's, as their rooms are just as 
 large as ours. A vote was taken and carried to have it at Mr. 
 Booth's. The first session was held in their home, five miles 
 south of our neighborhood, on the 13th of May, 1884. The 
 school was carried on successfully during the entire summer. 
 The most of the attendance was from the neighborhood. That 
 was the Lord's way, not ours, and we gladly accepted it. " The 
 way of the Lord is not our way." By having the Sunday school 
 at Mr. Booth's we were greatly blessed also in having preach- 
 ing every two weeks by a preacher from Desmet. The school 
 closed on the 15th of October, as the cold weather set in the 
 10th or 15th of November. 
 
65 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 ^* ^* ((?* 
 
 BUILDING PUBLIC HOUSES AND PLACES OP WORSHIP. 
 
 When school stopped the people were greatly agitated for 
 six months. It was decided that each township should submit 
 propositions to the voters to build as many school houses as 
 were needed, at a cost of $700 each. The usual time for spring 
 election was on the second Monday in March, and the nomi- 
 nating conventions were held one month earlier. Notice was 
 given that the conventions would be on the tenth day of Feb- 
 ruary, for the purpose of nominating the different officers. I 
 went to the convention and found most all the voters in the 
 township present. There was great discussion in regard to the 
 school house proposition . Some of the voters were not in favor 
 of building school houses at all. Others thought each district 
 should build its own house at a cost of $300 each, and others 
 were not in favor of holding religious meetings in the school 
 houses. One man said that for himself he did not believe in 
 religion, but he would not want his family to live in a neigh- 
 borhood where there were no religious meetings held. The ex- 
 citement run very high and the convention was called to a close 
 by the chairman. They proceeded in the nomination of offi- 
 cers. The balloting commenced, all the officers were placed in 
 nomination, and the convention was over. Between the con- 
 vention and the election, a space of one month; those who op- 
 
66 
 
 posed the building of the school houses did all in their power 
 to influence voters against the proposition. The election day 
 was on the sixth of March, and every voter was requested to be 
 at the polls to vote. The forenoon was very blustery, but I 
 went, and after I had voted remained about an hour to find out 
 about the votes cast in the morning. Several others remained 
 also. One man said that from the best information he could 
 gain all the votes cast were against the school house proposi- 
 tion, and I believed such to be the case. I returned home 
 down-hearted and discouraged, and as soon as I got into the 
 house my wife asked, "Well, Mack, how is the election?" I 
 replied that I was discouraged, and believed we would be de- 
 feated on the school house proposition. All the Christian 
 people were in favor of the building of school houses. 
 My wife said: "I have been praying all morning for the 
 proposition to carry, and I know the Lord will answer 
 my prayer." I told her that most all the men who had 
 voted in the morning had cast their ballots against it, 
 but she answered that there would be enough votes 
 cast in the afternoon to carry the proposition. We did not 
 say any more about it. The next morning Mr. Currier came 
 along and in answer to our question said that the school house 
 proposition had carried by a small majority. My wife said : 
 "I told you that." The school question was now settled, and 
 the county officials soon gave notice to the township officials 
 that there would be seven school houses built in the township 
 at once, and they were to be finished by the first of November, 
 so as to be ready for the winter term of school. The school 
 houses were planned, let to contrators at a cost at $700 each, 
 and were finished according to the contract. 
 
67 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 t<?* fc?* 5^* 
 
 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL QUESTION. 
 
 The question of Sunday schools came up in our neighbor- 
 hood again. My wife said that Mr. Lee would allow the use of 
 his house for Sunday school purposes. The winter term of 
 school would be out the last of March and then the school 
 house would be vacant. I went to see Mr. Lee about the house 
 and he said he had no objections to people using his house in 
 which to hold Sunday school. Nothing more was said about 
 the matter until about the first of May, when my wife sug- 
 gested that we see Mr. Currier about the Sunday school. I was 
 nearly through putting in my spring crops. The next week I 
 went to Mr. Currier and told him about Mr. Lee's house. He 
 thought there would not be much trouble in organizing the 
 Sunday school, as several more families had moved into the 
 neighborhood since the spring of 1884. After we had talked 
 the matter over we decided to have all the people meet at Mr. 
 Lee's house on the second Sunday in May. Mr. Currier agreed 
 to tell as many as he could see and we did the same, and also* 
 sent word to others. Within a week the entire neighborhood 
 had been notified, and on the day appointed for the meeting 
 there were from twelve to fifteen families present. A motion 
 
was made that Mr. Currier preside over the meeting. Mr. 
 A] cock was elected superintendent, Mr. Grant Barton secre- 
 tary, and Mr. Currier treasurer. Three teachers were also 
 selected. The school progressed from Sabbath to Sabbath, 
 with more new scholars at each session. They kept com- 
 ing until the little house was too small. Something had 
 to be done to make room. All agreed that the house was too 
 small, and that it was too hot to stand outside. This was about 
 the first of July. After the Sunday school had closed we went 
 home, and then my wife said that perhaps we could get a tent, 
 or some muslin to make one out of. We went to see Mr. and 
 Mrs. Currier to get their advice in the matter. They were go- 
 ing to Desmet the next day, and I said that probably my wife 
 could go along with them. They said they would be glad to 
 have her go. I went home and told my wife of the arrange- 
 ment, and she said she would go. When they came along the 
 next day my wife was ready. They inquired about a tent, but 
 could find none. My wife said to Mrs. Currier that they would 
 go to Mr. Morris' store and see about getting some muslin. 
 As they entered the store Mr. Morris spoke to my wife, as he 
 was acquainted with us. They asked to see some cloth suitable 
 for making a tent, and he said the best thing he had was some 
 unbleached muslin, one and a half yards wide, which he thought 
 would be just the thing for tenting. The ladies said they 
 would take two bolts. My wife said to Mr. Morris that they 
 had no money to pay for it with, and he answered, "I can 
 charge it, Mrs. McCray." To this she said all right. Their 
 next trip was to get four or five pieces of lumber twelve to 
 fourteen feet long, which they procured from a lumber yard 
 they passed when on the way home. By Sunday the tent was 
 
69 
 
 ready to put up, and then there was plenty of room for all. 
 The school proved to be a great blessing to the neighborhood. 
 Many gave up their Sunday work in order to be present at the 
 school. Most of those who attended were Methodists, and 
 some one said that as so many were attending the Sunday 
 school it would be nice to get a preacher to come out and preach 
 to the people every two weeks. The proposition was talked 
 over by several, and one man said he was going to Desmet the 
 next week and he would see if he could find a minister that 
 would come out and preach every second Sunday. At the close 
 of Sunday school the superintendent announced that there 
 would be preaching immediately after the Sunday school and 
 invited all who could to stay. Nearly all remained. The 
 minister was there three times. After he had finished his dis- 
 course he asked all those who were Christians to let the fact be 
 known, and going through the audience he found that most all 
 those present belonged to some church. He announced that 
 he had found out that most all the people were Methodists, and 
 that if the people had no objections he would form a class, and 
 then they could have a class or prayer meeting every Sunday 
 after the close of Sunday school. After the Sunday school 
 closed the people accepted the offer to have prayer and class 
 meeting. The minister was a Methodist, and appointed lead- 
 ers. The Sunday school, class and prayer meetings were con- 
 tinued all summer, but only a few attended and so the meet- 
 ing and Sunday school closed October 15, 1885. 
 
70 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 t£m *£* ^n 
 
 The school houses were now built and and we could hold 
 meetings in them. Presently the words came to my wife, just 
 as distinctly as if a man had spoken them to her, and she said : 
 " I know it is the Lord that has called me to work, and I must 
 do it." I tried to convince her that it was her own thoughts, 
 but she said no, that it was the voice of the Lord speaking to 
 her. I opposed her at first, but she did not say very much. 
 She was a wise woman in the things of the Lord, and knew the 
 call of the Lord better than I did, as she had received the call 
 before leaving Lima. The enemy, who has something with which 
 to oppose every one who is called of the Lord to work for the sal- 
 vation of souls, tested her on every side. Her greatest trial 
 was that she had no education, and the enemy struck her 
 several hard blows by telling her that it would be impossible 
 for her to call sinners to repentance when she could neither 
 read nor write. The test was a hard one to overcome, but the 
 Lord was a present help in the time of need, and she called on 
 Him for aid. One day she was praying to the Lord about not 
 having an education, when words came toher saying, "You lead 
 the people as I lead you." She answered, " Yes, Lord, I will," 
 and arose from her knees with the victory in her soul. It is 
 better to follow the Lord wherever He may lead you. The 
 
71 
 
 Lord soon showed me that I did wrong in opposing her in the 
 work. The school houses were all numbered and named from 
 the farms on which they were located. I asked her one day in 
 which building she would hold her first meeting, and she 
 answered in Mr. Currier's school house, which was numbered 
 six. It was situated just one mile from our home. I also 
 asked her how soon she would begin, and she replied: " Just 
 as soon as we can give notice to the people." She also asked 
 me to go to Mr. Currier's and tell them to send the word to all 
 the neighbors north of us. We could spread the news in the 
 other direction. 
 
 The first meeting was held on the evening of January 5th, 
 1886. Not very many were present at the first meeting. It 
 was the first time that my wife had come before the people as a 
 preacher. The meeting was opened by singing the hymn : 
 
 There is a fountain filled with blood, 
 
 Drawn from Emanuel's veins, 
 And sinners plunged beneath the flood, 
 • . Lose all their guilty stains. 
 
 I had to lead the singing but the people did not help very 
 much at first. It was arranged after prayer that Mr. Currier 
 was to read a lesson. After this the speaker took for her text 
 the third verse of the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, which 
 reads as follows: "Verily I say unto you, unless ye be con- 
 verted and become as little children ye cannot enter the King- 
 dow of Heaven." She was wonderfully helped by the Lord to 
 preach the truth to the people. At the close of the meeting 
 she asked if there were any who desired to seek the Lord and 
 one or two answered yes. Several prayers were then offered 
 
72 
 
 and the meeting was dismissed. She announced that there 
 would be meeting every night. It continued every night with 
 an increased attendance. On the third two or three came to 
 the altar, and at the end of the week five had been converted. 
 By the middle of the second week the school house was nearly 
 filled, and the third week it was crowded. Many who did not 
 understand how a woman who was not educated could preach 
 the gospel came merely to witness the excitement. Mr . Alcock, 
 who was the best scholar in the neighborhood, said it was a 
 wonder to him ; that he had never before seen a person who 
 could 'preach without being educated. One one old man, a 
 Southerner, said he did not have much love for the colored 
 people, but he became greatly agitated over the meeting and 
 said he would not attend because the niggers were at the head 
 of it. About two weeks before the meeting began he rebuked 
 Mr. Currier for helping on with it, and also for keeping com- 
 pany with us. He said he did not propose to keep com- 
 pany with niggers. He had at one time been a class leader in a 
 Methodist church. Wife and I heard of it but kept our coun- 
 sels in regard to the matter. About the middle of the third 
 week two of the boys of the old Southerner came to the altar 
 and that brought him to the meeting. That night there was 
 not standing room in the house. After wife had finished 
 preaching she called for seekers to come forward to the altar, 
 and the same ones came forward. The third one had promised 
 the night before to come also, but for fear of his father, re- 
 frained from so doing. The audience was filled with seekers. 
 Wife went back through the audience talking to the people. 
 Presently she saw the old Southerner, Llo} T d by name, and said 
 to him: "Mr. Lloyd, please go forward and help the laborers 
 
73 
 
 with their work." He refused to go and when wife pressed 
 him for his reasons for not going he said he would rather not 
 give them. 
 
 The meeting continued for three weeks, closing on Sunday- 
 night at the end of the third week. About fifteen souls were 
 converted during the meeting, nearly all of them married people. 
 Among the converts were two or three young boys. At the 
 close of the service it was announced that there would be meet- 
 ings the following Sunday morning and evening. On the Mon- 
 day morning after the close of the revival meeting wife said to 
 me: "Mack, I want to go to Mr. Lloyd's this morning." I 
 asked her reasons, and she said in regard to the trouble he had 
 had with our eldest son in regard to a land deal. Mr. Lloyd 
 had purchased 160 acres from our son, and claimed that he had 
 been cheated out of $75, and thought that we should return it 
 to him. Wife said that while she was praying the Lord im- 
 pressed it upon her heart that we should go to Mr. Lloyd and 
 arrange the matter. I agreed to go. She then wanted me to 
 drive past Mr. Currier's, as she wished him to go with us. I 
 drove to Mr. Currier's house, but did not get out of the wagon. 
 Wife told him that she would like to have him go over to Mr. 
 Lloyd's with us, as we wished him to be present during the set- 
 tlement of some business matters. 
 
 He said he would go. He went to the house for his hat and 
 overcoat and in a moment was ready. We drove to Mr. Lloyd's 
 house. He met us at the door and invited us in. He assisted 
 us in putting the horse in the barn, and after we had returned 
 to the house and were all seated, my wife told him that we had 
 come over to find out what his objections were for not coming 
 to the altar a few evenings since to pray with the other seekers. 
 
74 
 
 She told him if there was any fault on her part that she would 
 try to make it right. In answer Mr. Lloyd said that so far as 
 going forward to pray for seekers he was not in the proper con- 
 dition. He then said: "Your son cheated me out of seventy- 
 five dollars and I think you ought to pay it." I reminded him 
 that at the time the trade was made he knew my son was of 
 age and in business for himself, and that when he bought the 
 land he said nothing to us about it. My wife said that she did 
 not think it right for us to pay the money when we had noth- 
 ing to do with making the deal. Mr. Lloyd answered that par- 
 ents should help their children to make their wrongs right if 
 possible. I then said we would pay him if we were only able, 
 and he said he would be satisfied with fifty dollars. My wife 
 said that we had no money, but that our son had gone east and 
 as soon as we heard from him we would write and ask him to 
 help us raise the money, and it would be paid as soon as we 
 could secure enough money. Mr. Currier asked if that was 
 satisfactory, and Mr. Lloyd answered that it was. My wife 
 then said that we would have a word of prayer before going 
 home. We all kneeled down and my wife offered a sj)ecial 
 prayer for Mr. Lloyd and his family. After we had arisen from 
 our knees we began to make preparations to go home, but Mr. 
 Lloyd said we must have dinner before we started, as it was 
 then about noon. His wife was a cripple, but she soon had 
 dinner ready, and we partook of the bounties of Mr. Lloyd y 
 who had said only two weeks before that he did not intend to 
 associate with niggers. 
 
 After dinner we returned home, when my wife remarked 
 that she was well blessed in her visit to Mr. Lloyd's. I said 
 that I was very glad we went. She answered that she was very 
 
75 
 
 thankful to know that the Lord always makes men do the very- 
 things they do not wish to. After that Mr. Lloyd had no ob- 
 jections to associating with colored people, and when the meet- 
 ings were held in the school house a good audience was always 
 in attendance, and Mr. Lloyd and most of his family were there 
 at all the sessions. Soon arrangements were made to have 
 regular services in the school house every Sunday and prayer 
 meeting on Thursday evening. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 t^* t^* £?* 
 
 The place of holding the meetings was afterwards changed 
 to the Bartrum school house, which was three miles north of 
 our farm. There was a large class of Methodists in that 
 neighborhood. The meetings and Sunday school were well at- 
 tended all through the summer and fall of 1886. After Christ- 
 mas it was decided to hold a revival service. The meetings 
 were held for one week, and then it was thought best to pro- 
 cure a preacher. At the close of the meeting several ladies 
 were standing together talking, when one turned to my wife 
 and said: "Mrs. McCr-ay, what do you think about having a 
 preacher?" My wife said that if acceptable, she would lead 
 the meetings. They all looked at each other in surprise and 
 one said : "Mrs. McCray, you help us all right, but we think 
 
76 
 
 it best to have a preacher. My wife answered that she would 
 do the preaching for them, and they said nothing more. These 
 women were the leaders in the church, and one of them, Mrs. 
 Prath, was the wife of the leader of the class to which my wife 
 belonged. On their way home they stopped at Mr. Barthune's 
 house, which we all had to pass on the way home. Here they 
 held counsel as to what had better be done about a preacher. 
 My wife came up for discussion, and one said, "Mrs. McCray 
 is a good Christian woman, but she is colored and I do not 
 think it best for us to accept her offer to lead the meeting." 
 Another suggested that as Mr. Prath was class leader it would 
 be best for him to take charge of the meeting until a preacher 
 could be secured. This course was decided upon and Mr. Prath 
 prepared to take charge of the meeting to be held the next Mon- 
 day evening. 
 
 The evening arrived and the house was crowded. After 
 singing and prayer Mr. Prath stepped into the pulpit and an- 
 nounced that as a minister could not be secured to lead the 
 meeting, the duty fell upon him. He promised to do the best 
 he could and asked all Christians to pray for him. His ser- 
 mon, which was nothing more than such an essay as a school 
 boy would compose, written on paper. After talking about five 
 minutes, he began to read his essay. When about half through 
 he became mixed up, which caused some of the young people in 
 the audience to laugh. This confused him so that he at once 
 called upon some one to pray. The sermon was a complete 
 failure. His condition was like that of many who go forth to 
 call sinners to repentance. They are nothing more than dead, 
 formal church members, who know nothing of the saving 
 power of God. Sometimes the Lord stops them in their blind- 
 
77 
 
 ness, for we read in His holy word that if the blind lead the 
 blind they shall both fall into the ditch. The meeting con- 
 tinued for several nights, but Mr. Prath did not attempt to go 
 into the pulpit to speak again. The meeting closed with the 
 last of the week. The people wanted to choose their own 
 leader, and therefore, no one was lifted out of their dark and 
 sinful state. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 ^?* (^* ^* 
 
 LOST IN A SNOW STORM. 
 
 About the middle of February, 1886, after our son Prince 
 had gone to school, I had finished my chores and gone into the 
 house. I asked my wife if she would like to go over to Mr. 
 John Hackett's, as it was such a nice morning. She said that 
 she did not care to go then, but I answered that if we did not 
 go I did not know when we would have a chance again. After 
 thinking for a time she said that she did not care to go. I told 
 her that I was going, but did not like to go alone, and with this 
 went out to the barn. In a few moments I returned to the 
 house and found that she had decided to go along. I told her 
 to get ready while I hitched the horses and in a few moments 
 we were on our way. Mr. Hackett lived just one mile southeast 
 
78 
 
 of our farm, and our horses had soon covered the distance. 
 As we drove up Mr. Hackett came to the door and invited us 
 in. My wife went into the house while Mr. Hackett assisted 
 me in unhitching the horses and putting them in the barn. 
 Going to the house we had a very pleasant visit for an hour 
 and a half, when I remarked that it was time for us to go home. 
 Mrs. Hackett insisted that we have dinner before we returned 
 and began at once to prepare the meal, and in a few moments 
 we were all seated around the table. Just as we were finishing 
 dinner, Mr. Hackett's brother, who lived only about twenty 
 rods away, entered the house. As he opened the door we could 
 see that it was storming. Mr. Hackett asked his brother if it 
 was much of a storm and he answered that it was, and rapidly 
 growing worse. He also said that it had been storming about 
 an hour. We had not noticed it as the windows were iced over 
 from the steam of the cooking. I went out to see how the 
 storm was and found it very bad and growing worse. We im- 
 mediately made preparations to go home. I soon had the 
 horses hitched to the sleigh and driving up to the house my 
 wife took a seat beside me. There was plenty of straw in the 
 bottom of the sleigh and we had three or four blankets. Mr. 
 Hackett asked if I thought we would have any trouble in get- 
 ting home. I told him that I did not anticipate any trouble, 
 as the tracks made by the sleigh when we came over were yet 
 visible. We bade them goodbye, and started the horses off 
 just as fast as they could go. 
 
 It was one o'clock in the afternoon when we started, and 
 before we had gone far we discovered that we were in a terrible 
 storm. Soon we lost sight of the sleigh tracks. For a time 
 we kept on as we supposed straight ahead, but at last I stopped 
 
7.9 
 
 the horses, and said to my wife that we were lost. She thought 
 not. The heavy storm and black clouds made it so dark that 
 we could scarcely see each other sitting as close as we were. 
 My wife then suggested that the horses be started and allowed 
 to take their own way. After we had thus wandered around 
 for some time I said that I did not think we were far from 
 home, but she thought we were three or four miles away. 
 Again the horses were allowed to take their own course, but 
 after they had walked for some time I stopped them and getting 
 out of the sleigh walked a few steps ahead of the horses and 
 found a place where the snow had been blown away and the 
 ground left bare. It was where some one had cut hay, and I 
 thought I could recognize it. I climbed into the sleigh and 
 started the horses. They were soon plunging through a ter- 
 rible big snow drift which they finally pulled through and were 
 again on the level plain. Then I stopped them again, and said 
 the Lord would have to deliver us from this storm. Wife said 
 she was praying for deliverance. I started the horses again. 
 Soon the clouds began to break and I could see some distance 
 ahead of the horses. Thinking I saw some weeds I started the 
 horses toward them. The horses plunged into a snow drift 
 again and soon were in the road where the wind had cleared 
 away the snow. As soon as the horses were in the road they 
 turned and went south, and had only gone a short distance 
 when I saw the top of a house. I'said I believed it was our 
 house, and wife told me to drive up and we could get shelter, 
 even if it was not our own home. Arriving at the house we found 
 that my predictions were correct. Oh! what a wonderful time 
 of rejoicing over our deliverance from;the storm. One of wife's 
 hands was frozen very badly. We did not see our little boy 
 
80 
 
 Prince for three days. The third day he came home unharmed, 
 so we gave God the glory for his wonderful help in the time of 
 trouble. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 £** ^* e^* 
 
 THE ORGANIZATION OF A FREE METHODIST CLASS. 
 
 My wife became convinced that she was led by the Lord 
 to organize her work into a body. I asked her what she would 
 call it and she said she did not know until she had seen Mr. 
 Currier. He said he would not join any body except the Free 
 Methodists. We did not know anything about this denomina- 
 tion, but Mr. Currier had been converted at a Free Methodist 
 camp-meeting about three years before he came to Dakota. He 
 had formerly been a member of the Advents for over thirty 
 years, but after his conversion at the camp-meeting he did not 
 fellowship with them any more, though he did not join any 
 other organized body. His wife, who had also been converted 
 about a year later at a Free Methodist camp-meeting, wanted 
 to join that church but did not do so because Mr. Currier would 
 not join. Mr. Currier said that he considered the Free Meth- 
 odists the best, as they did not admit members into church 
 fellowship until they were converted. They also taught holi- 
 
81 
 
 ness, and that the members should live pure and holy in the 
 present world. Wife said that was just the kind of a class she 
 wished to see organized and asked us to take a paper around 
 and ascertain the number that were willing to join such an or- 
 ganization. We found six, but as Mr. Currier did not decide to 
 join we let the matter rest for a time. Several days later Mr, 
 Currier was a caller at our home, and the subject of the class 
 came up again. After considerable solicitation on the part of 
 my wife he decided to put his name down as one of the mem- 
 bers. This made seven on the roll, three men and four women. 
 Mr. Currier then said he would send to McCook county for a 
 Free Methedist minister to come and organize the class. He 
 also wrote to Elder J. B. Freeland, chairman of the Iowa and 
 South Dakota conference of the Free Methodist church. With- 
 in two weeks he received an answer from Mr. Freeland, stating 
 that he would visit us on the first of April. He came and was 
 a guest at our home. He asked if it was the intention to or- 
 ganize a Free Methodist class, and my wife answered that she 
 had been led to organize the work into a body. He then said 
 that he did not know whether we could stand the rules of the 
 Free Methodist church or not, as they were very straight. Wife 
 asked him if they were any straighter than the Bible. He said 
 no, but that all churches did not hold their members to Bible 
 truths, as theirs did. 
 
 Saturday night Mr. Freeland preached in the school house. 
 Sunday morning at ten o'clock he preached again. A large 
 crowd was present to hear him. He spoke with the power of 
 the Holy Ghost. And our souls were fed the bread of life. 
 After the sermon was ended a short speaking meeting was held, 
 after which*he called those who wished to join the class forward. 
 
■ 82 
 
 He then asked if we had the witness that our sins were forgiven, 
 and all answered yes. His next question was, "Have you re- 
 ceived the blessing of a pure heart since you were converted?" 
 Some answered that they had and others that they had not. 
 He then asked if they were seeking it, and all answered yes. 
 He said that all members of the class must give up tobacco, 
 ruffles, laces, ribbons, tucks, flowers, feathers, neckties, silks, 
 plug hats, and all kinds of secret societies, strong drinks, gold 
 and costly apparel. 
 
 Wife and I had not received any teaching upon plain dress 
 so our clothes were very fashionable and worldly for the use of 
 holy people. Wife had to take several of her dresses to pieces 
 and to remove the trimming from others, but by so doing she 
 gained one or two dresses. Our hearts were prepared to re- 
 ceive the whole truth, and also to walk in the light that may 
 shine in our pathway. The Bible does not say anything about 
 fine clothes but it does say that we should not adorn our bodies 
 with gold or costly apparel. The writer knows from a blessed 
 experience that every one that hears the Holy Ghost teaching 
 on fashionable and worldly dress cannot become converted 
 until they are willing to give up their fine and fashionable 
 dress. The class was organized with Mr. John as leader. Wife 
 received license to preach April 15th, 1886. 
 
83 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 t^* (£* (^* 
 
 MEETING AT THE HALVERSON SCHOOL HOUSE 
 
 Wife decided to hold meetings at the Halverson school 
 house, and on Sunday had the Sunday school superintendent an- 
 nounce that a meeting would be held there on the following Mon- 
 day evening. On the opening night a good crowd was in attend- 
 ance. The greater number of people in that neighborhood were 
 Norwegians and Swedes. The meeting opened with singing, 
 after which Mr. Currier read a short lesson from Luke's gos- 
 pel. Wife took her text from the lesson read and had much 
 liberty and freedom in talking to the people. It was a good 
 meeting. At the close she announced that there would be 
 meeting every night and all were invited to attend, and also to 
 tell their neighbors. The attendance increased every night. 
 Soon wife asked that a mourner's bench might be prepared, 
 but Mr. Currier hesitated somewhat and asked her if she 
 thought there would be need of one. She said she thought 
 there would. 
 
 The first night there was a little excitement in the back 
 part of the room. It was occasioned by a Norwegian who was 
 under deep conviction, but who did not know how to express 
 himself. So he broke out into loud laughter. After my wife 
 
84 
 
 was through preaching she went back to talk to him, but could 
 not make him understand. However, he kept on laughing. 
 The meeting continued all that week. On Saturday and Sun- 
 day nights there was not seeking room in the house. Sunday 
 night after my wife was through preaching she gave everyone 
 an opportunity to speak. A great many took part, and a large 
 number were under deep conviction, but did not come forward 
 to the altar. One woman and the Norwegian who laughed so 
 loud were converted. My wife announced that she was unde- 
 cided as to whether the meeting should be held longer or not, 
 but announced that one would be held the next evening, when 
 it would be announced whether they would continue or not. 
 After the audience was dismissed two or three young men were 
 talking concerning the happenings of the evening, when one 
 spoke to an elderly man, named Durkey, standing near, and 
 said: "Mr. Durkey, they hit you pretty hard in the speaking 
 meeting to-night." Mr. Durkey inquired as to what was said 
 and they told him various persons had spoken in regard to the 
 old men being converted. Such was the case, but there were 
 several old men in the meeting and the remarks had been made 
 in a general way and with reference to one in particular. How- 
 ever, it angered Mr. Durkey and he said he would stop the 
 meeting those niggers were running. The next morning he 
 saddled his horse and rode around to all the voters living in 
 that school district to get them to sign a protest against hold- 
 ing the meeting in the school house. He said we were burning 
 the oil that had been procured for use by the school, and 
 through his persuasion most of the voters in the district signed 
 the protest prepared by him. He then went to the director 
 and wanted the key, but the director told him he was in the 
 
85 
 
 wrong and would not let him have the key. Mr. Durkey in- 
 sisted, however, that he would lock up the school house after 
 school was out. The director warned him that he should not 
 do so, but he went at once to the school house and arrived 
 there just as school was out and the children were fixing the 
 fire ready for the evening meeting. Taking the key from the 
 children he ordered them out of the building, put the chairs, 
 table and benches out on the platform, then locked the door 
 and put the key in his pocket. 
 
 That evening my wife said that she wished to go to the 
 school house early, so we started about half-past five o'clock. 
 She stopped at Mr. Halverson's, while I went over to the 
 school house to get everything in readiness for the meeting. 
 Noticing the furniture outside the door and several children 
 standing near I asked what it meant. They answered that Mr. 
 Durkey had put them there but they did not know why he did 
 so, except that he did not want meetings held there any more. 
 I asked if Mr. Durkey had gone home, and they said he had 
 gone to Mr. Halverson's. Going to Mr. Halverson's I found 
 Mr. Durkey and asked him why he had locked the school house 
 door. He said that he did not intend for us to held any more 
 meetings there and expose him before all the people. I asked 
 how we had exposed him, and he said by telling him he was an 
 old man and ought to be converted. After expostulating with 
 him for some time and finding he was firm in his decision that 
 there should be no meeting I told him he would at some time 
 be sorry for his action. We at once began to make prepara- 
 tions to return home. On our way we met several loads of 
 people coming and informed them that there would be no 
 meeting and told the reason why. All were very sorry. Mr. 
 
86 
 
 Halverson said a few days afterward that a large crowd came, 
 some from eight or nine miles distant, and all condemned the 
 action of Mr. Durkey very much. He would not have locked 
 the school house door had he remembered the good book says : 
 "Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in 
 me, it were better that a mill stone be hanged about his neck." 
 The interruption of the meeting was the talk of the entire 
 neighborhood for several weeks. 
 
 About three weeks later, about six o'clock one evening, a 
 stranger passed our house. He was a very rough looking man 
 and was poorly dressed. He did not stop at our house but 
 went to the next neighbor's and begged bread, until he came to 
 Mr. Durkey's house, which was the fourth one from ours. 
 There they gave him his supper and he went on his way rejoic- 
 ing. After supper Mr. Durkey finished his work and after 
 reading for a time retired to his bed. He had safely locked his 
 barn and left everything in good shape. Between twelve and 
 one o'clock he was awakened by a strange noise, and going to 
 to the door saw that his barn was all in flames. When he and 
 his men reached the barn it was so far gone that nothing was 
 saved except one horse, and it was burned so badly that after- 
 ward it had to be shot. The family decided that the stranger 
 had fired the barn but he was never heard of again. Next 
 morning people came from many miles around to see the ruins 
 Mr. Durkey confessed that he had done wrong in stopping the 
 meeting and all the people agreed with him. Afterward his 
 wife separated from him, his son left home, and he was left all 
 alone in his trouble. He believed that this had corne upon him 
 because he had stopped the meeting. His whole family was 
 broken up and he lost everything he had. His farm was sold 
 
87 
 
 and he came very near being killed with a horse so he had a 
 bitter experience in trying to interfere with the work of the 
 Lord. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 ^?* fc?* ((?• 
 
 LEAVING THE FARM. 
 
 In 1885 and 1886 we lost part of our crops by drouth and 
 early frost. In 1887 we put in a larger crop than we had ever 
 done before. We put in ninety acres of wheat, corn, flax and 
 oats. Harvesting commenced on the flrstof July. We had 
 cut our oats and -five acres of wheat. The balance of the wheat 
 was not ready to cut and would not be for four or five days. 
 In the meantime a friend who had no binder asked us to come 
 over and cut his wheat and in return he would help harvest 
 ours when it was ready. We talked the matter over and con- 
 cluded that I could go over and cut for him for two or three 
 days at least, and as our crop was very large his help in return 
 would serve us well. I went and was at his place three days 
 and nights. On the third day there came a heavy hail storm. 
 Our crop was directly in its path and was nearly all destroyed. 
 The following morning when I went home my wife met me and 
 said that she had been all over the farm and that there was but 
 
little of the crops left. I told her that I did not know what 
 we should do as this was the third crop to be destroyed. I 
 went over the fields and it was a sorrowful sight to see such a 
 fine crop of wheat almost entirely whipped out by the storm. 
 I cut and cared for what was standing and from the wheat, oats 
 and all got about three hundred bushels. Our corn was nearly 
 all destroyed and our garden crops were almost pounded into 
 the ground by the hail. 
 
 We submitted to it without a murmur or complaint. We 
 figured our debts and found they amounted to seven hundred 
 dollars, most all of which fell due that fall. What to do we 
 did not know, as we had no grain for seed and but very little 
 for bread, and could not borrow any more money. We did all 
 our fall plowing for the spring crops, but said little about our 
 troubles. One day in the latter part of October I was on my 
 way to Bancroft, a little town on the railroad about one and a 
 half miles from our farm, for the purpose of having my plow 
 sharpened, when an impression came to me that I must move 
 to Huron, where our oldest son was barbering. Huron was 
 thirty miles south of our farm, and the county seat of Beadle 
 county. It is located on the James river and at that time had 
 a population of about 8,100. After returning home I told wife 
 what had come to me and that the best thing we could do 
 would be to go to Huron. She asked if it was the intention to 
 sell the farm, and I told her that I had thought nothing 
 about that. She said she did not see how we could leave the 
 farm without selling it. I told her we would consider the 
 matter and do what we thought best for us. I talked with 
 several of the neighbors and all said we had better not leave 
 the farm. One day while in the county seat I asked a friend 
 
89 
 
 of ours about the matter and he said we had better borrow seed 
 a,nd keep our farm. I told him we could borrow no grain as 
 we had no money with which to procure other grain to pay 
 it back. When I returned home I told wife I thought it best 
 to sell everything on the farm except our house and furniture. 
 She wished time to think the matter over. In a few days Mr. 
 Currier came to our house and among other things told my 
 wife that she would regret the day we left the farm. In a day 
 or two afterwards she told me what Mr. Currier had said, but 
 I told her I could see no way out of our difficulty, except to 
 sell off our goods. She then said that I could do just as I 
 thought best, but that she wanted to retain one horse and a 
 cow. We then decided to leave the farm and move to Huron. 
 On the 15th of February, 1888, I had the bills printed for a 
 public sale, to be held on the 7th of March. The day of the 
 sale was a fair one and a large crowd was in attendance. The 
 sale commenced at ten o'clock in the morning and by three 
 o'clock in the afternoon everything had been sold. After our 
 debts had been paid we had nothing left but our household 
 goods. In ten days after the sale all business matters had been 
 arranged and on the 17th of March, 1888, we arrived in Huron 
 and stopped with our married son for a few days before going 
 to housekeeping. 
 
90 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 &?* c£* t^* 
 
 OUR HOME IN HURON. 
 
 There were six churches in the city, but Christianity was 
 nothing but a form. As we were members of the Free Metho- 
 dist church we did not confine ourselves to any one of the 
 churches in the city but attended all. In the city we found 
 one or two colored families and eight or nine single persons. 
 My wife determined at length to ask Mrs. McDonald if we 
 might not have prayer meeting at her house, and she said she 
 would be very glad to have us to do so. She sent word to all 
 the colored people and the meeting was held during the first 
 week in April. Afterwards we held several prayer meetings at 
 the same place. Mrs. McDonald's husband was an old man, 
 about sixty-five or seventy years of age, and very wicked. He 
 was converted in one of our meetings. Others were under deep 
 conviction, but did not yield. Mrs. McDonald professed to be 
 a Christian, but she did not know anything about practical 
 Godliness She was much worse than the younger people in 
 worldly form. Her husband died a year and a half after his 
 conversion. 
 
 We held the prayer meeting only a short time, as they 
 were soon tired of attending regularly. We then attended the 
 
91 
 
 class meeting at the Methodist church, which was held every 
 Sunday morning. Only a few of the older members attended 
 the class, and there was no life nor power in it, only dead form. 
 I attended the Sunday school, until a string band was brought 
 in to make music. Then it became a place for entertainment 
 of pride, and a show. This only serves to blind the minds of 
 the young, so that they do not know the true object of the Sun- 
 day school. It is very sad indeed to witness how far the pres- 
 ent generation is drifting away from the simple method of 
 teaching to the children the way of eternal life. There is very 
 little hope for improvement in teaching when the teachers 
 themselves know very little or nothing about the way of eternal 
 life, either by experience or mental knowledge. They can not 
 impart that of which they have no knowledge themselves. 
 The Sunday school of this present time has become so worldly 
 that the children think of it only as a place to go to be amused 
 and show their fine clothes. 
 
 The first revival meeting we attended in the Methodist 
 church was conducted by a young Evangelist whose home was 
 in Canada. H. H. Dresser was pastor of the church. The 
 young Evangelist was limited in educational attainments, but 
 after his conversion he had been called to preach. He led the 
 meetings two or three evenings, when the official members of 
 the church became very much displeased with him. The 
 officials were the well to do persons in the church, and it did 
 not please them to be told that they must be converted. They 
 complained to the pastor, saying that the Evangelist did not 
 come up to their ideas, and that it was for the best interests of 
 the church to close the meeting. This did not meet with the 
 approval of the pastor, who desired to give the young man 
 
92 
 
 further trial, but the officers insisted that the meetings close. 
 The pastor knew that the persons who objected to the meetings 
 were the ones who contributed most liberally to the support of 
 the church, and, regretfully, he closed the meeting. The 
 Evangelist was given his pay, and allowed to go to other fields 
 where his work was more acceptable, and no souls were saved 
 that winter. 
 
 In the fall of 1889 the conference sent Rev. H. H. Dresser 
 back to the church for the third successive year. Soon after 
 the holidays had passed the pastor called the official board of 
 the church together to make arrangements to hold revival 
 meetings. It was arranged that the meetings should be held 
 by the pastor himself, with the aid of the presiding elder and 
 ministers from other churches. The first meeting was held the 
 middle of January and there were meetings for three or four 
 weeks. Several ministers and the presiding elder came, but 
 could do no good, as the members were nearly all dead spirit- 
 ually. The ministers themselves had little of the power of God 
 upon them, and therefore could not wake many of the mem- 
 bers from their careless condition. The meetings closed. One 
 old man, who had been a backslider for thirty or forty years, 
 was reclaimed. He joined the church without having been con- 
 verted. So the best two years of Rev. Dresser's pastorate was 
 a failure, so far as the salvation of souls is concerned. What 
 was the cause of his failure? The answer is that, like most of 
 the preachers of the present day, he was preaching without the 
 power of the Holy Ghost and with a desire to please the rich 
 church members. It is very sad, indeed, to see Christian 
 churches drifting into this state, but, nevertheless, it is true, 
 and every true man and woman must admit it to be a fact. 
 
93 
 
 The word of God says, "In the last days they shall wax worse 
 and worse deceiving and being deceived." But our dear Lord 
 has always had a few in all ages that would not defile them- 
 selves with sin, thanks be unto our Lord, who giveth us the 
 victory over theworld, the flesh and the devil, through our 
 Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 
 
 In the fall of 1890 conference sent a new minister to the 
 church. His name was F. G. Newhouse. He was heartily re- 
 ceived by all the members, and proved himself a better preacher 
 than the former pastor. In the early part of November he 
 called the official board together to counsel in regard to hold- 
 ing a^revival meeting. The officers told him it would be im- 
 possible to have a meeting at that time, as the whole city was 
 in a gambling scheme to have the state capital located there. 
 At the election held soon afterward the city lost the capital, 
 and with it two hundred thousand dollars that had been put 
 into the^gambling scheme. As most all the rich church mem- 
 bers were interested- financially in the scheme they were very 
 sore and in no condition to go into a revival meeting, and the 
 pastor was very sorry that it was impossible for him to carry 
 on a meeting in which poor sinners might find their Savior. 
 John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said it is not best to 
 make the rich man a necessity, but churches should be built 
 large and plain. Now, however, churches are constructed on 
 the most expensive plans. This necessitates a large revenue 
 and concessions are made to the rich in order to induce them 
 to join, and thus secure their monetary support. The result is 
 that soon everything is in their hands, and the church and 
 pastor are controlled to suit their selfish interests. There is no 
 time to work for the salvation of souls until the new church is 
 
94 
 
 paid for, and then it becomes a place for parade and show. 
 'The older members, who once enjoyed the life and power of 
 God in their souls, now are compelled to sit and look on. 
 This pride and show has become so popular that many of the 
 older members believe that this new order of things is all right. 
 What a sad condition the mass of the church members have 
 fallen into. There is no hope for many of them. 
 
 In 1891 the rich members of the church became reconciled 
 to the loss of the capital, and in January consented to allow 
 the pastor to have a revival service. The services of Mrs. 
 Dennis, an evangelist of Goshen, Ind., was secured for three 
 weeks. She came and the meeting began at once. She was a 
 good preacher and the church was crowded every night. She 
 preached very strongly on the subject of conversion, and deeply 
 impressed many of the church members. Several asked what 
 it meant to be converted. One evening she preached on the 
 subject of conversion, and before her talk was ended many of 
 the members found that they had never been converted. She 
 also held several meetings for the special purpose of preaching 
 on the subject of holiness. In these meetings very few re- 
 ceived any benefit, as few understood anything about conver- 
 sion. The meeting closed, and the pastor stated that one 
 hundred and twenty-five had professed conversion. Nearly all 
 of them united with the church. Oh! how sad to see these 
 poor souls so deceived, knowing nothing about being born 
 again. The blood of the people will be required at the hands 
 of the watchman who does not warn them faithfully. 
 
95 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 «<?* t2& e£* 
 
 OUR HOME IN LIMA AGAIN. 
 
 Huron failed in her efforts to be created the capital of the 
 State of South Dakota, and this caused a large exodus of its 
 citizens to other places. Had Huron secured the capital there 
 would have been a great boom, but failing in this, great dis- 
 appointment was caused. As we had lost everything, we con- 
 cluded to move elsewhere, but could not decide as to our fu- 
 ture location. My wife had two sisters living and did not wish 
 to move further away from them. I was undecided as to where 
 we should go, but both of us were determined to leave Huron. 
 Several days later I wrote to a friend in West Superior, a real 
 estate man who had gone there from Huron. He knew the 
 line of work I followed and wrote that West Superior was an 
 advantageous point for me. We talked the matter over several 
 times, and at last I proposed that my wife and Prince should 
 go to their old home in Ohio, while I would go to West Su- 
 perior and have a home ready for them in the fall, at which 
 time they should join me. While my wife thought the ar- 
 rangement a very good one, yet she did not assent to it, but 
 said she would consider it. A few days later, while I was 
 walking along the streets of Huron, the thought came rushing 
 
96 
 
 into my mind as loud and clear as though some one had spoken 
 to me, that Lima was the best place for me to go to. I did not 
 tell my thoughts to my wife for several days, but it kept 
 recurring to my mind all the time. At length I told wife about 
 it. Her first inquiry was as to where the money Avould come 
 from to enable us to make the trip. I answered that the Lord 
 would open the way for me to earn the money. This was in 
 February. Wife said very little to me about it, as she did not 
 want to make Lima her home again. She prayed over the mat- 
 ter for several days, and at length became reconciled to the 
 fact that it was the will of the Lord that we should move back 
 to Lima. Afterward she told me that the Lord made it very 
 plain to her, revealing just what we were to do. While in 
 prayer she was told that our mission was to go back to Lima 
 and establish there the real work of Bible holiness, as a second 
 work of grace received in the heart of every one after their con- 
 version. This had not been taught in Lima for six or seven 
 years. When we moved west in 1883 we left two bands of 
 holiness people, one in the Trinity M. E. church and the other 
 in the A. M. E. church. The former was held at the home of 
 Mrs. Hart, but after her death it ceased to meet, and the latter 
 also had disbanded. The subject of holiness, so far as organ- 
 ized bands were concerned, had ceased to be taught in Lima. 
 
 We at once began the preparations for moving, selling a 
 great share of our household goods. By the second week in 
 April we were ready to make the start, and on the fifteenth 
 day of that month we were on our way back to Ohio. We 
 stopped and visited with an old friend for about two weeks and 
 arrived in Lima the latter part of the month. 
 
97 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 Ci£* «^* feT* 
 
 LIMA AGAIN OUR HOME. 
 
 We arrived in Lima via the C. & E. railroad on the 29th 
 of April, 1891. During our eight years of absence we found 
 that many changes had taken place. The oil industry had in- 
 creased the population, and instead of the village we had left 
 we found a city. We were made to feel very sad that Chris- 
 tianity had fallen into such a low state. We attended the A. 
 M. E. church, with which we had formerly been connected, the 
 first Sunday after our arrival, and were very much surprised to 
 see the small congregation at the morning service. After 
 preaching, class meeting was held, but we soon saw that the 
 strong power that had reigned supreme formerly had been 
 blotted out. We attended this church all summer, excepting 
 during three weeks when we were visiting in Kentucky, Louis- 
 ville and Goshen, the former being the place where my wife 
 was born and raised. 
 
 After an absence of thirty years she had an opportunity of 
 seeing once more the log house in which she was bora. We 
 walked about the plantation and saw many places where she 
 played in her childhood days. We went down to the old grave- 
 yard where her only brother and two of her sisters were buried, 
 
98 
 
 and also visited the grave of her former mistress. The old 
 plantation had not been worked for many years and had grown 
 up into bushes and weeds. We found a number of the old 
 fruit trees, still bearing, and gathered a few peaches and pears 
 to take home with us. We met some of the old residents, who 
 were living the same as in days of old. Some who had been 
 children with her, and many of her relatives were yet living in 
 the neighborhood. 
 
 Our visit to Kentucky was a very pleasant one indeed. 
 The boat in which we made the trip from Cincinnati to Louis- 
 ville was one of the largest that traversed the Ohio river. The 
 ride was a delightful one. We had the privilege of eating two 
 meals on the boat, supper and breakfast. The state room in 
 which we spent the night was nicely furnished. The thirty 
 years that had elapsed since my wife came on a boat to Cin- 
 cinnati had wrought a great change. Then colored people 
 were not allowed in the cabin, but were compelled to sleep 
 among the horses and cattle. Only as servants to white pas- 
 sengers were they allowed to enter the cabin. That spirit has 
 not yet all passed away but is more noticeable in some places 
 than others. After visiting for three weeks we started for home 
 over the same route we had taken in coming. We left Louis- 
 ville at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, but owing to a heavy peach 
 crop and numberless stops to take the fruit on board, Ave were 
 five hours late in arriving at Cincinnati. From there we took 
 the C. H. & D. railroad for Lima, where we arrived at 8:30 
 a. m. 
 
 We had been stopping with Mrs. A. Byrd, my wife's 
 sister, but in a few days we moved into a new house on South 
 Baxter street, and in a short time were housekeeping again. 
 
99 
 
 My wife then suggested that it would he well to hold a few cot- 
 tage prayer meetings. I heartily approved of her plan, as so 
 few attended the regular prayer meetings at the church. The 
 first meeting was held at our house, and only a few were there. 
 The next meeting was held at her sisters and no one came. 
 Then one was held on Spring street, with the same result. On 
 our return home from this meeting my wife asked me what I 
 thought of it. I answered that the people did not care for 
 praying, nor did they care to attend a meeting appointed for 
 prayer. We finally gave up cottage prayer meetings, but 
 regularly attended those held at the church. These were 
 gradually losing all interest. The pastor would open the doors 
 of the church for members every Sunday, but we thought it 
 best not to join. At length I decided to have a talk with the 
 pastor on the subject of holiness, which was our theme with 
 all men, for without holiness of heart no man shall see the 
 Lord. One Sunday afternoon I spent a few hours with the 
 pastor discussing different subjects in the Bible. He did not 
 know anything about holiness, as experience meant knowledge. 
 He believed that a person would grow better and better, and 
 just before death the Lord would make them holy. The word 
 of God says: "I am not the God of the dead, but of the liv- 
 ing." According to this, then, all the blessings that God has 
 promised to men are in the present time. They do not mean 
 to-morrow, or the next day, nor just before we die, but to-day. 
 The word says: "Behold this day is the day of salvation." 
 If any man hears the voice of God calling him to repentance 
 the heart should not be hardened, as it may be the last call. 
 Finally, I said to the pastor that I would not join the chu g h 
 just then, but would wait on the Lord. He thought that the 
 best thing to do, and nothing more was said. We continued 
 attending the church until the fall of 1891. 
 
100 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 c£* tfi* t£& 
 
 THE ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST HOLINESS MEETING IN LIMA, 
 
 OHIO. 
 
 One day in November, while we were talking about the 
 spiritual condition of the city, wife proposed that a letter be 
 written to Brother Thomas K. Doty, of Cleveland, inviting 
 him to come or send some one to hold a series of meetings out- 
 side of any church. Mr. Doty was editor of the Christian 
 Harvester, published at Cleveland, and a personal friend of 
 ours. The invitation was sent and in reply he told us to write 
 to Rev. Hiram Archers, of Big Pines, Ohio. We did so and he 
 sent us Testimony Stewart, of Bellefontaine, her son Elmer, 
 Mrs. Dunmire, of Bucyrus, and W. E. Williams, of Versailles, 
 O. Mrs. Stewart was leader of the meetings. The rest came 
 as assistants. Our first meeting was held November 15, 1892, 
 in the teacher's examination room in the court house. As this 
 was too noisy a place we only met there a few times. A room 
 in the old street car barn which had been arranged for mission 
 work was then occupied. The members of the mission only 
 allowed us to meet there one night. The next place of meet- 
 ing was in an old vacant house on West Spring street, which 
 was very much torn up. The owner agreed to rent it to us for 
 
101 
 
 five dollars a month, and we accepted the offer. We had no 
 money to pay the first month's rent, neither had we enough 
 to furnish it with heat and light. We did not know what to do. 
 We knew that the Lord had led us thus far, and we also knew 
 that it was the will of the Lord that the meetings should con- 
 tinue until His whole truth was established in this city. 
 
 As all four of the workers were stopping at my house, I 
 went to my work the following morning with a heavy burden 
 on my heart concerning the work. About eight o'clock Mr. 
 Williams, one of the workers, came to me and asked if I was 
 well known in the city. I answered that I was. He then sug- 
 gested that it would be a good idea to lake a subscription paper 
 around among the business men and ask them to assist in 
 carrying on the work of the Lord. I told him that I did not 
 care to write up such a paper, so he agreed to do it, with the 
 understanding that myself and wife should sign it. When I 
 returned home in the evening he had the paper ready, and the 
 next day, Friday, I started out with it. I was undecided as to 
 whom I should approach first, but finally decided that the man 
 for whom I was working was the proper person. I handed him 
 the paper. He kindly read it over, approved of it, and handed 
 me a dollar to start with. By the evening of the following day 
 we had money enough to supply all our needs, and on Satur- 
 day evening had our first meeting in our church. We con- 
 tinued until the latter part of January, 1893, and at the close 
 seven of us organized ourselves into a holiness band. We held 
 regular services on Sunday, and prayer meeting on Wednesday 
 evening. We were instructed to send to J. S. Robinson, of 
 Union City, Ind., and ask him to take charge of the work. It 
 was stated that he would be a great help to us, as he was 
 
102 
 
 preaching in the independent holiness line, and had been for 
 many years. As we were just starting out in that line we were 
 very much in need of a helper. In answer to our request he 
 said he would come and hold a ten day's meeting for us. The 
 date of his arrival was fixed for March 10th. At the close of 
 these meetings there was some talk of buying a lot and building 
 a church. We inquired into the matter and were told that if 
 we were organized into a body, according to the laws of the 
 state, we would be better prepared to buy real estate. We then 
 held a special meeting to organize ourselves into a church. 
 After some discussion as to a name, it was decided to call it 
 the First Holiness church of Lima, Ohio. This action was 
 taken on the 11th day of April, 1892. The church was known 
 by this name until the evening of the 9th of April. 1895, when 
 it was thought best to change the name, and a meeting was 
 called to take action. On motion the name, "First Holiness 
 Church of Lima" was dropped and in its place was substituted 
 by proper action "The Mission Church of Christ." For some 
 the place of meeting had been in an old frame house on West 
 High street, but after the adoption of the new name we rented 
 Stamet's hall for our regular place of worship. 
 
 In the name of the Lord we went forth in this city to do 
 the very best we could in advancing the practical truths of the 
 religion of the Bible. It must be confessed that our efforts 
 have been weak indeed, but knowing no better we could do no 
 better. Many things have hindered us from accomplishing all 
 that we desired to do. Without education, very few in num- 
 bers and poor in worldly goods, and without influence among 
 the masses of the church going people, they were not attracted 
 to our meetings, and thus our opportunity for doing good has 
 
103 
 
 been limited. In olden times the people had leaders who 
 taught in the temples, instructing their hearers in the various 
 forms and ceremonies. But when Jesus came into the temple 
 and found them buying and selling he turned over their money 
 tables and drove them out, on account of which they were ready 
 to stone Him and all His disciples. When we look back upon 
 what we have accomplished in our little work, which seems 
 very little in the sight of men, we are reminded that the Lord 
 has said: <; To him that is faithful until death I will give a 
 crown of life." We are conscious of the fact that we are work- 
 ing for the salvation of immortal souls in the manner that the 
 Lord would have us. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 t?* v?* t&& 
 
 SHE FEELS THAT HER HUMAN LIFE IS NEAR AN END. 
 
 About noon on the 15th of June, 1894, the subject of this 
 sketch was taken very sick. When I arrived home for dinner 
 she said to me that her work was done, and that she was going 
 to die. She asked that the children be sent for. Our elder 
 son and his family were living in Wisconsin and our younger 
 son was at Wilberforce College. I told her that she was alarmed 
 at her condition and that she was not so sick as she thought. 
 
104 
 
 But no argument of mine changed her opinion. I ate my 
 dinner and returned to my work*, feeling very sad. As time 
 passed by she continued to grow worse, although she was able 
 to do her work and attend the meetings all summer. About 
 the middle of September she had grown so weak that she was 
 unable to do the heavier household duties, and a month later 
 was unable to do any work whatever. She was, however, able 
 to be up every day. 
 
 On the 24th of November I received a letter from C. S. 
 Hanley, editor of the "Fire Brand," a religious paper pub- 
 lished at Shenandoah, Page county, Iowa. We were close 
 friends to him and his wife and had assisted them in conduct- 
 ing a training home and school for missionaries, and also in the 
 publication of the paper by donating money and such other 
 help as we were able to give. He wrote that they were about 
 to start to New York with a band of missionaries, who were 
 on their way to Africa. I succeeded in having them stop at 
 Dayton, Ohio, and hold meetings. We went to that city to be 
 present at the meetings, arriving on Wednesday, November 20. 
 The meeting was to begin the following Saturday. We met 
 Brother Hanley and his wife and the missionaries. The meet- 
 ings were very enjoyable. There were eight missionaries, all 
 young men, the youngest being a boy of sixteen years. They 
 had given up father, mother, sister, brother and friends and all 
 comforts of home, that they might go to heathen lands to save 
 poor souls. Two of them had been born in India. They were 
 sent to this country by their father, after the death of their 
 mother, in order that they might be trained for missionaries. 
 They had been in the training school in Shenandoah for two 
 or three years and were now on their way home to India to 
 
105 
 
 pend their lives in missionary work. Surely the harvest fields 
 is great and the laborers few. Oh ! may the Lord of the har- 
 vest send forth more laborers into fields already ripened for 
 the harvest. 
 
 We spent two days and one night in Dayton and then re- 
 turned home. My wife did not get any better, though she was 
 not confined to her bed until the day before she died. The 
 night before her death she was very sick and in the morning her 
 condition was alarming. I was at her bedside all the morn- 
 ing. About ten o'clock she said to me: "Mack, are you not 
 going to take me up." I answered, "No." She then added: 
 *'It is so very dark to-day." About 11 o'clock she said to 
 those about her: "I thank you all for your kindness. I am 
 so sleepy and will now go to sleep." We left the room and I 
 said to Mrs. Fenwick, the nurse, that I would go and do some 
 work that was awaiting me. Giving directions where to find 
 me and instructions to send for me at once if any change for 
 the worse took place, I left the house. I had been gone only 
 fifteen or twenty minutes when she aroused and said : ' 'Where's 
 Mack? He has not gone to work, has he?" She asked Mrs. 
 Fenwick and some other ladies who were present to assist her 
 into a chair. She was in the chair only a few moments when 
 she called for a drink of water. She said : "Oh? how sweet it 
 is to trust in Jesus." The minister came in and said a few 
 words to her and then sang a hymn. She joined in the singing 
 and her voice was as strong as ever. The minister left the 
 room, but his wife remained. About one o'clock the sufferer 
 bowed her head. The minister's wife went to her side, lifted 
 her head, and found that the spirit had taken its flight. 
 
 Mrs. Fenwick at once sent ior me, but I arrived too late. 
 
106 
 
 She had passed away from this world to the heavenly kingdom 
 prepared for her from the foundation of the world. I can truly 
 say that during her entire life almost, she had taken hold on 
 eternal life and had fought the good fight of faith. And 
 henceforth there is laid up for her a crown of life by Him who 
 has said: "Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee 
 a crown of life." She is gone forever to join the blood-washed 
 throng who have passed up through great tribulation, and 
 whose robes have been washed and made white as snow in the 
 blood of the Lamb. 
 
107 
 
 ADDENDA. 
 
 S<?* 5^* (<?* 
 
 THE TRAINING OF CHILDREN. 
 
 This chapter has been written after much reflection and 
 prayer, yet the writer has never offered anything to the public 
 with such a deep sense of his inability to accomplish the work 
 according to his wishes. Never has he been more inclined to 
 accuse himself of presumption, in attempting a task beyond 
 his strength. In submitting this chapter to mothers a few 
 words of explanation might be given as to the object in writ- 
 ing it. The desire has been to give a little counsel to mothers 
 in various situations, such as a confidential friend might im- 
 part, with full knowledge of all the circumstances and bold 
 enough to speak the truth. Mothers should know many things 
 that are not touched on in sermons or in a general way, but 
 which affect the conduct of multitudes. The solemn warnings 
 given in the scriptures are not adhered to as they should be, 
 either by parents or children. The word of God says : "Train 
 up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will 
 not depart from it." In these days of hurry and rush few 
 parents take the time to properly train their children. They 
 fail, in that they do not start in time to instruct the children 
 in the things they should know, and which would be of ever- 
 lasting benefit to them through time and eternity. 
 
108 
 
 Some one asked how old a daughter should be before her 
 mother begins to instruct her. The answer is given : Twenty 
 years before the child is born. In explanation of this answer 
 it is only necessary to state that a mother should be well in- 
 structed in order that she may impart the same to her daugh- 
 ter. She should spend much time in instructing her children, 
 so much so that she should never allow them to keep any 
 secrets from her. The mother should be able in all actions of 
 her children to show them the right and wrong. There are 
 many things the girls should know before they go out into so- 
 ciety. If the mothers do not tell them at the proper time, 
 they will learn it from some one who is probably not careful to 
 instruct them in the right and wrong. The writer wishes to 
 impress upon mothers the necessity of telling their daughters 
 everything that they should know. Should they do this they 
 will never be compelled to look back with sorrow and grief be- 
 cause they failed to give such instruction as would keep them 
 in the path of purity and righteousness. 
 
 Boys should be taught to live as pure a life as the girls. 
 Much disgrace, as well as crime and sin is committed among all 
 classes of people, both rich and poor, high and low. Possibly 
 only a portion of these will come to shame in the eyes of men, 
 but all must some time stand before the judge of all the earth 
 to give an account of their deeds, whether they be good or evil. 
 We live in such a fast age that veiy few mothers take time to 
 tell their children concerning eternal things, which would save 
 them many times from sin and disgrace. The great responsi- 
 bility rests upon the mothers, and they need a great deal of 
 wisdom in order that they may give their children the best ad- 
 vice. In order to give such advice there must be praying 
 
109 
 
 mothers. Then should her children depart from the way in 
 which she has led them the blame rests not upon her, since she 
 has done her whole duty. The Bible states that they will not 
 depart from the way. 
 
 The writer humbly hopes that every mother who may 
 chance to read these few lines will take great pains in trying 
 to follow the advice given. Although the writer is only one in 
 the common walks of life, yet he has great sympathy with 
 mothers who are training children for this life and that to 
 come. Some mothers spend most of their time preparing their 
 children for this world. That is all right so far as it goes, bujb 
 the preparations for the world to come should come first. If 
 that is neglected all is lost. The word says: "What shall it 
 profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul." 
 Great trouble and sorrow come to many mothers because they 
 do^not begin in time to restrain their children from having 
 their own way. Every child, as soon as it can talk, should be 
 taught to mind. Children should always understand that 
 when the mother says anything she means it. Some mothers 
 will allow themselves to be forced to consent to disobedience on 
 the part of the child by protracted crying and screaming. This 
 is all wrong. Should a mother permit such actions a few times, 
 ever .afterward the child will know exactly how to proceed in 
 gaining its wishes. When too late, the mother will see her 
 mistake. 
 
 Beware, mothers! A hint to the wise is sufficient. In 
 these last days there are but few praying mothers. They do 
 everything else but pray. There are but few children that 
 have heard their mother pray for them. Some go through a 
 form of prayer, but do not know of the mighty power of God 
 
110 
 
 that saves a soul from all sin. The Bible says all are born in 
 sin, and it is safe to add that most all children are brought up 
 in sin and die in sin. Their blood will cry out against the 
 parents in the soon-coming judgment. 0! mothers, be wise 
 and seek the Lord with your whole heart, that you may be con- 
 verted, so as to pray for your children. There is not much 
 preaching done these days, under the power of the Holy Ghost, 
 that will arouse men and women out of their sleep in sin, so 
 that they may see their lost condition and that their children 
 are lost with them. Children in these days know the Bible 
 salvation, if their parents belong to the church, and many of 
 them think that they must join the church too. So, therefore 
 they all drift along unawakened to the terrible wrath of God, 
 which will come upon all that are not converted and saved from 
 their sins. 
 
 Now, let the parents do their duty toward the children. 
 Then they will not need to look back in regret and see wherein 
 they have failed in giving proper training. And let the chil- 
 dren do their duty toward their parents in all things, that their 
 days may be long upon the earth. 
 
Ill 
 
 A FEW THOUGHTS ON MARRIAGE. 
 
 &* z&™ <&™ 
 
 It is in the mind of the writer to write a few words on the 
 subject of marriage, setting forth the cause for so many un- 
 happy marriages. In the first place, in this day young people 
 do not take long enough to consider this holy union before 
 entering into it. When a young man begins to think of get- 
 ting married he does not stop to think of anything except to 
 get a wife, and most all girls act in a similar manner. The 
 Bible says: "He that findeth himself a wife findeth a good 
 thing and obtains the favor of God." Prov. 18: 22; 31: 10, 
 11, 12. Read also Ephesians 5: 25-28. There are so many 
 things that should be carefully considered before entering into 
 the marriage relation. The first thing the prospective wife 
 should do is to consider that the marriage union is a holy one, 
 and, second, that it should continue until death shall part 
 them. If these points were carefully considered before mar- 
 riage, in connection with a few others, there would be few, if 
 any, divorces. Third, the temper and habits of each should be 
 carefully studied. If a man is very quick tempered and 
 marries a woman of similar nature they will never live happily 
 together, especially if the man takes a drink of whisky occa- 
 sionally. If the woman finds out before their marriage that 
 the man drinks she had better break the engagement. If she 
 
112 
 
 does not, she might just as well put a rattlesnake into her 
 bosom and say that it would not bite her as to think of living 
 happily with a man that will drink. 
 
 Some women will say: "Oh, I will make him promise 
 me that he will quit drinking before I will marry him." He 
 tells her that he will never drink any more, and she believes it 
 will be all right to marry him. Then they prepare for the 
 wedding. The present looks very bright indeed and the future 
 seems full of roses. Many that see the newly married couple 
 think they can never have any trouble. Everything goes along 
 all right for a time, but trouble will come sooner or later to 
 that home, as it does to every home. One sorrow passes, only 
 to give place to another and another until the man and wife 
 scarcely know what to do. The husband, who has promised 
 that he would never drink any more, forgets his promise and 
 takes to drinking, under the impression that it will assist him 
 in bearing the sorrows of himself and his family. One drink 
 calls for another and soon he begins to neglect his family. 
 The wife, seeing that he has broken his promise, is at her wit's 
 end, scarcely knowing what to do. Some of her friends will 
 advise her not to live with him. She applies for a divorce, and 
 the court will grant it, according to law. 
 
 I would advise a woman, if she knows a man drinks before 
 she marries him, not to marry him. The Bible says that the 
 woman which hath a husband is bound by the law to him so 
 long as he sinneth, but if he be dead she is loosed from him. 
 Kead Romans 7:2, 3. In the present age men have become so 
 blind in sin and lust that they do not regard the law of God, 
 but push onward in a mad rush to have their sinful appetites 
 and fashions satisfied. Virtue and purity are almost unknown. 
 
113 
 
 Men and women think it all right to have three or four living 
 husbands and wives, because the popular ministers of to-day 
 do not cry out against the awful sin of adultery, and the peo- 
 ple go on in all kinds of sin and crime without fear of God's 
 judgment, which He will in due time pour out upon the ungodly 
 men and women. 
 
 Most young boys and girls before they are old enough to 
 go out in company, talk among themselves about their beaus 
 or sweethearts. Many mothers engage in this kind of talk 
 with their children, and in this way the subject of marriage is 
 so common among the boys and girls before they are of age. 
 Many girls are married at the age of fourteen or fifteen and 
 boys at seventeen or eighteen years. Many at the age of 
 twenty-five or thirty have had two or three husbands or wives. 
 They do not think of the great duty and care marriage should 
 place upon them. The most they think of is to have a good 
 happy time, but instead of a happy time they have trouble, 
 sorrow and dissatisfaction. The result is everything except 
 what they expected. 
 
 Some marry for one thing and some for another. The writer 
 asked a certain young lady why she wished to marry a certain 
 young man. She answered that I may have a home, and 
 added: "I think he will be good to me." The writer said : 
 "Suppose he has no home to take you to, what will you do 
 then?" She could give no answer, although she was past 
 twenty-five years of age. She had engaged herself to him 
 without any consideration for the future. No doubt most 
 young people marry that way, especially among the common 
 people. The rich are more careful in their marriages, but will 
 have their troubles also, though they man be able to hide them 
 
114 
 
 from the public. A young lady will marry a young man be- 
 cause he is pretty and dresses well ; another because the young 
 man has a good position ; another because his father or mother 
 has an abundance of money. Or a young man may desire to 
 marry a young lady for similar reasons. Marriages with such 
 motives as these cannot fail to be unhappy. The Bible says he 
 who builds his house on a sandy foundation shall lose all when 
 the storms and troubles of life come. 
 
 To such marriages troubles are sure to come. Sometimes 
 everything is lost in wild speculations, sometimes through dis- 
 honesty, or by sickness and death. Sometimes a man will 
 murder his wife or a woman her husband. Sometimes hus- 
 bands will run off with other men's wives, or wives with other 
 women's husbands. When such trials as these come into the 
 family, who then is able to bear all the distress. No family is 
 able to withstand such trials unless supported by the grace of 
 God. This is not much thought of by the young people of 
 to-day. All they think of is to have a good and happy time. 
 Oh ! what a sad mistake all are making who expect to have a 
 happy time in this life without the grace of God in their soul. 
 
 Oh ! that the young and old would stop and think before 
 they go farther. All the things in this world cannot make one 
 truly happy, for true happiness does not consist in the things 
 of this world. Men may have plenty of money, and possess 
 banks, farms, railroads, horses, fine homes, carriages, cattle, 
 and, in fact, everything the world calls good, and yet they can- 
 not build their hopes of happiness on any of these, for they 
 will all perish. Thousands and thousands of families have all 
 these and everything that the heart could wish for, and yet 
 there is no true happiness in these homes without the religion 
 
115 
 
 of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is something in the soul of 
 man that all the things of this world cannot satisfy without 
 true religion. 
 
 Oh! how strange and sad it is that the human heart seeks 
 happiness in every way before turning to true happiness, which 
 is the love of God in the soul. The Bible says: "Seek first 
 the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness and all things else 
 shall be added unto you." It does seem that all the endeavors 
 of mankind are lost in a mad rush to seek the pleasures of this 
 world and have a good time. The Bible says: "This world 
 and all its pleasures shall pass away, but he that doeth the 
 will of God abides forever and forever." Oh! old men, old 
 women, young men, young women, boys, girls, will you be wise 
 and choose eternal life rather than to enjoy the sinful pleas- 
 ures of this life for a short season? 
 
 Yours truly, S. J. McCRAY. 
 
 The End. 
 
HECKMAN IXI 
 
 BINDERY INC. |§| 
 
 l^ MAY 91 
 
 N. MANCHESTER, 
 INDIANA 46962