Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1857-06-20

A HUNTED PREACHER.


ton of Howard county, NJ ssou-i, wer,
thrown into state of ex,raord nary ex
citemen, by a case that seem. d who'll.
inadequate to the production of .ucl
effects. especially Ia q latitude situat.e
90 far towards the setting sun. The
phenomenon which attracted universal
attention was neither more nor les
than the appearance of a new Method.
ist Preacher, = circu,t-rider, as tn.
name goes in the West, but one of q
remarkable person, and of powers that
the superstitious deemed almost SUPER
natural.
He was youth who had not seen
more than t~ eaty summers of about
the medium height, although he looked
much taller from the sl'ghtnefs of his
make, apparently feeble and delica ely
moulded as the form of woman. But
all his movements, even to the q sh OF
his eye or the wafiur- of his finger in
gesticulation, were inf x,bly quick
Hsw"s possessed oi the erac. which
are usually supposed to constitute fem.
mime beauty. Has slender Asure was
model for the arts of -culpture and
pain ing. His face was an admirable
oval, soft and sweet in expression while
in state of rcpose, although VIXEN
aroused by any strong emotion, it coald
assume look If sternness or Of pass
sion abolutely appalling. His eyes
were large, banning and piercing, SO
tat when on FIRE with sudden wrath,
not many even Of the bravest would
fel at ease while cnc"uat.ring their
fierce flashes of inexpr-ssibl- defiance
:or they plainly dared all things, no,
| aving out death itself. Que draw
back must be made from the requisite
character of this pc. trait; has complex
ion altogether lost color VIII n not illu
minated by some excitement capable
of pouring the blood fr"m the heart in
boiling to rents. His features, it is
true, did not have the unnatural aud
subdued hue of I'll health, but rather
that transparent pa eness, so rare and
delicate, wn,ch indicates lofty thoughts
such as wandering through eternity,
per-evering and studiou. vigils over
the rays Of the midnight lamp, and in
finite longin Is, such as no human Ian
guage can hope to expr, IS, for the ,deal
OF all, the imme ase, the unknown, tne
fAthomless mystery which we seek for
ever, but never End.
| shall not forge, even should my
life be protractcd for ages, thu q st
time that d an opportunity IF see
lag and hearing this western prodigy.
1t was ut the town of Fayet in the
county previously mentioned. The
large cour,-hoasc was used as place
of temporary worship, ard long lie ore
the appointed hour, it had been CT wd
cd to its utmost capacity, while hun
dreds. unable to gain admission, hung
round the duors and windows, deter
mined to get glinipse, or tch al
least a tone of the wonj rfuI orator,
whose fame WIS on ever, b"dy's tongue
Several preachers We on he plat
form, and among the dense throng
arose the low murmur. made up OF II
thousand eager whlspers--'which Is Ell
lis;' Which is he;' And the gen.
eraI conclusion of those who never Jaw
the object of their curiosity app are.
to be, that a fn ly formed. middle
aged person, 18th a rudy complexion
and shining bald head, was the NAN.
This inference grew stronger when the
individual d scribed arose, gave out a
hymn, ami kueeling, uttered an extern
poraneous prayer IF consider able fiu-
ency and unbounded frrver. Howev-
er, upon the whole, the congresat,o"
fel, keen disappointment. The effort
did no, in an, degree correspond v th
the grandeur of their preconce'ved
idea. Nor was this at all strange, az
the performer in this case happened to
be only the Elder in charge OF the dis
trict; and such clerical officers IN ih,
Methodist denomination are generally
chosen with reference 10 ,heir steady
and solid talents for government. and
their unimpeachablc orthodoxy. moe
than from any manifesto items Of logical
acutene>s or polio cal genus
The petition TO II aven was ended
Those who had bowed to the earth il
real simulated adoratio, res nned ,he,I
seats, aud, for FIVE inmates afterwards
there prevailed solemn silence-,h,
profound calm Of expectation. TheI
suddenly slender figure, that nobod,
had observed before, assembled tn
platform, and pale yet luminous fac
shining with two earnest, starry ey.i
glanced slowly aud calmly around III
vast assemblage, as If silently n'easu'
ing their capacity tor The reception
the truths about TO b- Enumerated. :.
He did not open the Bibl he dl
not formally take AID text, but all =
once be cried out, in trumpet, tones
which caused every nearer TO start o
his seat, 'Beho:d | make all th'ns
new y And then he spread all to
sails of imag,pati n, aud launches bol'
ly forth into an illimitab.e ocean
eloquence. The burd-n of his dl'
course. in its FIST division, was Ii
susceptibility Of the material nolecule
composing the tangible universe +
endless transformations of utility an
trancend-ntal beauty througho 4 IL
endless ages Of eternity He demonstr'