The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1850-06-15
THETEXAN MISSIONARY.
OR, THE BARBECUE CAMP MEETING


During the Las, week OF September. 1886,
the first successful camp meeting was held
in Eastern Texas. ! employ iho cpiihct "suc-
cessful," because several previous failures
had apparently rendered all efforts of the
kind perfectly hopeless. Indeed, the ineFe-
dian, at that period, was most uncongenial TO
religious enterprises. Tie country bordgF-
ing on the Sabine bad been occupied rnilcr
than settled, 10y n. class Of adventurcrs almost
Ms wild ns tho nvages whom they Ind
scarcely expelled and the behsts OF prov
which still disputed their domuin of tho pri-
meynl forests. Professional gamblers roiu-
gees from inil ahsconding debtors, outlaws
from every land, forgers Of false coin, thieves,
robbers md murderers intorspersed among
race ofuncducnied hunters aud hcrdsmen,
made up tho strange social miscellany; whh-
oui courts or prisons or churches or schools
or even a shadow OF civil authority or.subor-
dinnuon--n surt of municipal JdildeRoHium
where fierce passion sat cnthroued, waving
iIs bloody sceptre, the naked bowie knifc =
Let no onu accuse mo of exaggoraiion, for
the sake Of dramatic effect | nm speaking
now of Shelby county-that home Of the
ynchers--ihe terrible locale, where ten years
lator, forty persons were poisoned to death 10y
n marriage supper
II will he obvious that. In such n conmuni.
iy very few would be disposed TO patronizc
camp meetings; and accordingly dozen die
fcrcnt trials, nt various times, had never col
lecled hundred hoHrcrson any single coca.
sion. But even these wero not allowed 10
worship in peace; uniformly, the Grst day aud
night, band Of despcradocs, headed by the
notorious Watt Foeman, chief Judge and ex-
ccutouor of the Shelby Lynchors, broke into
the altar and scattered the mournors or as
cended iho pulpit and treated the preacher
a.. - 4.
Hence all prudent evangolists soon learned to
sAun the lefi bank of tho Sabine, as ifit had
been infested by band ef tlrtions; and ;wn
whole years elapsed without any new
attempt to erect the cross in perlous q
field.
At length, however an advertisements ap-
puurUd promising unorheT effort IN bGtHff' Of
the gospel. The notcS wns ilnigue-a perfect
backwoods curiosity EhIb as TO its tenor and
mode Of publication. yLos me give it pybaiim
st titrrutiHi. ----
Barbecue Camp .Heefing.-Thero will be a
Camp Mceting,to commence the last Monday
of this month. mt the Double Spring grove,
near Peter Brinson's in The county of Shel
by.
-4,i-e-eKetelss- willie atasR-rviil a-splaaaiA-
barbecue. Preparations nre being made to
suit all tastes; there will be n good barbecue,
better liquor, md the hest of Gospel!
PAUL DENTON, Missionary, NJ. +. C.
Sept. !, 1896
This singular document was nailed to tho
door of every public house and grocery; il
was attached To the largest trees nt the inter
section of all the cross roads and principal
trails! aud even tho wandering hunters them
selves, found IL in remote dcils of the noun.
toius, miles away from the smoke of human
hnbitatiou.
At first, many regarded The matter as n.
hoax played Off by some wicked wag, IN ridi-
culc Of popular crcdulity. But this hypothe-
sis was nogarived by the statement of Peter
Brnson, proprietor of the Double Spri ing
Grove, who informed oil inquirers that he
had been employed and paid by stranger
calling himself n Methodist Missionary to
provide an ample barbecue at tho period and
place advertised
"Bui the liquor--iho better lie1or--are
you to furnish the liquor too 2" was the inva-
riable question of each visitor.
"rhc missionary said he would attend to
that himself" replied Brinson.
"Hc must he precious original was the
general reioinder, A proposition which mosi
Of them afterwards had an opportunity to
verify exporimenally.
| need hardly say that an intense excite.
ment resulted. The rnmor look wings;ficw on
the wind; turned to n storm of esaggerntioH;
every echo increased it's sound, ill nothing
else could be heard bur the "Barbecue Camp
Meeting" IL became the focus of thought, the
staple of dreams. Aud thus the unknown
preacher had secured one thing In hdvnncd
n congregation embracing tho entire populn-
ton OF the country, which was likely the sole
purpose Of his strntngotn.
= was travelling IN that part OF Texas al the