Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1858-10-19
MistGllanp.
PAUL DENTON
THE TEXAS CAMP ME E I'll NG.
ny cHARLEs suMMrRrIELD.


During the last week in September,
1886, the irst successful camp-meeting
WAS held in Eastern Texas. employ the
epithet ''successful," because several pre-
vious failures had apparently rendered ef-
forts of the kind perfectly hopeless. In
deed, the meridian al this period was most
uncongeuial to the religioas and moral en-
terprise. The country bordering on the
Sabine had been occupied rather than set
tied, BY class Of adventurers almost as
wild as the savages whom they had
scarcely expelled. and the beast of prey
which elill disputed their domains of pri-
NAL forest. Professional gamblers. refu-
gees from every land, forgers of false coin,
thieves, robbers and murderers, inter
spersed among the race OF uneducdied
hunters and herdsmen, made up the
strange social miscellany, without courts,
or prisons, or churches or schools, or even
the shadow Of civil authority or subordi-
nation--a sort of unprincipled pandemo-
mum, where fierce passion sat enthroned,
waivingii bloody scepter, the bowie knife!
Let no one accuse ME of exaggeration for
the sake of dramatic effect; / am speaking
now of Shelby county-the home of the
Lynchers-the terrible locale, where ten
years later, forty persons were poisoned t.
dea.h at marriage supper.
1t will be obvious, that in such a COM
munity, very few would be disposed to
patronize camp-meetings; and accordingly
a dozen different trials at different times
had never collected hundred hearers on
any single occasion. But even these were
not allowed TO worship in peace uniformly
the first day or night, a band OF armed
desp.rsdoes headed by The notorious Wat
Foeman, chief judge and executioner OF
the Shelby Lynchers, broke in the altal
and scattered the mourners, or ascended
the pulpit and threatened the preacher will
gratuitous robe OF tar and feathers.-
Hence all prudent evangelists soon learned
! u shun the left bank Of the Sabine, as i
it had been invested by a cohort Of de-
mons; and two whole years elapsed with
out any new attempt to erect the cross II
80 perilous field.
AT length, however, an advertisement
appeared. promising another effort in be-
half of the gospel. The notice was unique
perfect backwoods curiosity, both as tc
its tenCr and mode of publication. Lei
me give it verbatim
"DARBACUE CAMPAIGNING.
There will be camp-meeting. to com
msnce the last. Monday Of this month. at
the Double Spring Grove, near Peter
| Brinson's, in the county Of Shelby.
The exercises will open with splendid
barbecue. The preparations are being
made TO suit all tastes; there will be gooc
barbecue, better liquors, and the best O
Gospel. PAUL DENTON,
SEPT. I, 1885. Miss. NJ. E. Church.
This singular document was nailed tc
the door OF every pubic house and gro
lcery; it was attached to the largest treei
at the intersection of all cross roads anC
principal trails; and even the wandering
hunters themselves found it in remote
dells of the mountains, miles away frou
the smoke of human habitation.
Al first many regarded the matter as
hoax, played off by some wicked wag, II
ridicule Of popular credulity. But thi
hypothesis was negatived by the state
mems of Peter Brinson, proprietor OF tn
Double Spring Grove who informed al
inquirers, that he had been employed AM
1 paid by stranger calling himself q Metho
dist Missionary, to provide an ample bar
bacue. at the period and place advertised
"But the liquor--the better liquor--ar'
you to furnish the liquor too 2" was th
invariable question Of each visitor.
1.-THE missionary said he would atten'
to that himself" said BriLson.
He must be precious original" wa
the Responses proposition which most
them afterwards had an opportunity t
verify experimentally.
need hardly say that Intense excite
ment resulted, The rumor took wing
land few on the wind. turned to storm
storm of exaggeratioD--every echo IN
! creased in its sound until nothing els
could be heard but the Barbecue Camp