Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-09-01

ana unlntefeStlng but then, all OF a sudden
his face reddened, his eye frightened, his ges
lures grew animated as the waftures of torch
and his whole countenance changed into an ey
preston of inimitable humor and now hi
wild, waggish, peculiar eloquence poured fortl
like mountain torrent. CHANGING arrows
with shafts of ridicue, bonmots, puns, and side
splitting anecdotes sparkled, flashed, and flew
like hail till the vast auditory was convulseC
with laughter. For a while the more asceti,
stroYe to resist the current of their own spon
taneous emotions. These, however, soon dis
covered that they had undertaken an impossi
bic achievement in thinking to withstand hi
facltG His every sentence was like warn
hnger, tickling the ribs of the hearer. Hi,
very looks melted to mirth far more than othe,
peoples jokes, SO that the effort to maintain
ones equilibrium only increased the disposition
to burst into loud explosions, as every school.
boy has verified in similar cases. At length
the encampment was in roar, the sternest fea-
lures relaxed into smiles, and the coolest eyes
melted INTO tears of irrepressible merriment,-
MS continued thirty minutes, while the orator
painted the folly of the sinner, which was his
theme. l looked on and laughed with the rest,
but finally began to fear the result as to the
speaker
How" | exclaimed, mentally, will he
ever he able to extrcate his audience from that
deep whirlpool of humor If he ends thus,
when the merry mood SUBSIDIES and calm re-
Election Supervenes, will not the revulson of
feeling be deadly to his fame =? Will not every
hearer realize that he has been trihed with in
matters of sacred and eternal interests p
At all events there is no prospect of revi-
val tonight for though the orator were a
magician, he could not change his subject
now, and stem the torrent Of head-long laugh
ter"
But the shaft Of my inference fell short of
the mark and even then he commenced to
change, not all at once but gradually, as the
wind OF thuuder-cloud His features lost
Their comical tlnge of pleasantly his voice
grew GrSt earnest, and then solemn, and soon
walled out In the tones of deepest pathos his
eyes were shorn Of their mild light and vie Ided
streams OF tears, as the fountain of the hill
yielded water. The effect was indescribable,
and the rebound of feeling beyond all concep-
ton. lie descanted on the horrors of hell till
every shudderng face was turned downward.
as II expecting to see the solid globe rent asun.
der, and the fathomless fiery gulf yawn from
beneath. Brave men moaned, and fair, fash
lOnable women, covered with silken draperv
and bedight with gems, shrieked as if knife
were working among their heart-strings.
Again he changed the theme sketched
the joys of a righteous death-its faith. its
hope, Its winged raptures, and angels at
tending the spirit to its starry home-with
such force, great and evident belief, that all
eyes were turned toward heaven, and the en-
tire congregation started to their feet, as if
to hail the vision Of angels at which the fin
ger Of the preacher seemed to be pointed, ele-
vated as it was on high to the full length of
his arm
He then made call FOR mourners into the
altar, and five hundred, many Of them till that
night IntidelS, rushed forward and prostratcd
themselves on their knees The meeting was
continued for two weeks, and more than thou
sand converts were added to the church From
that time his success was unparalleled, and the
fact is chiefly due to his inmtable wit and mas
terly eloquence that Methodism is now the pre-
vailing religion in Illinois
lie was distinguished by one very unceri-
cal cularity-combatiyen His battles.
although always apparently in the defensive,
were as numerous us the celebrated Bowie
The only difference was this, that Bowie fought
with deadly weapons, while the itinerant used
but his enormous fist, which was as effective,
however, in the speedy settlement of belligerent
ssues as any knife or pistol ever forged ont of
steel. Let the reader judge from the following
inGcdOte
" AT the camp-meeting held at Alton, in the
autumn OF 1888, the worshippers were annoyed
by set of desperadoes from ST. Louis, under
he control of Mike Fink notorious buly.the
hero of countless fights, in none of
which he had ever met an equal or even sec
1nd The coarse, drunken ru1ians carried it
with high hand, outraged the men and insul-
ted the women, SO as to threaten the dissoia-
ion OF all plouS exercises and yet such was
the terror the name Of their leader, Fink in
spired, that 10 one could be found brave enough
to face his prowess.
g At last, one day, when Cartwright ascend
ed the pulpit to hold forth, the desperadoes, on
the outskirts of the encampment, raised a veil
so deafening as to drown utterly every other
sound. The preachers dark eyes shot lightning
He deposited his Bible, drew off his coat and
aloud:
Wait for few minutes, my brethren, while
go and make the devil pray"
g He then proceeded with smile on his lips
to the focus Of the tumult, and addressed the
chief bully
Mr. Fink, have come to make You pray"
The desperate rubbed back the tangled
festoons of his blood-red hair, archcd his
hinge brows with comical expression, and re-
Piled
BY golly, I'd like to see you do it, old snor-
ter"
Very well, said Cartwright will these
gentlemen, your courteous friends, agree not to
show foul play?'
"Iu course they will. They're rale grit,
and would MT do nothm' but the clear thing,
so they WON'T" rejoined Fink, Indignantly.
Are you ready Z" asked the preacher.
Ready as race-hoss with light rider" "
answered Fink, squaring his ponderous person