Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-10-13
Death of Wm: S. Rees, the Street
Preacher.
THE EccEsrRrcIr1Es OF GENIUS.


A recent number of Keokuk (lowa)
paper ccnta ins notice of the death of w.
Rees, well known in this city sixteen years
az o, ns a man superior in qualities Of mind
and heart, but entertaining some absurd
notions on religious and social subjects =
In other words, he was what the prosaic,
metter-oi-fact people of the world are
pleased to term unbalaneT, While citi-
zen of Cincinnati he was-noted Tor his re-
markable discourses on religious subjects,
delivered on the streets TO miscellaneous
crowds, and for his advocacy Of the distribu-
ton OF the public lands. He uniformly
wore his hair and beard long. and dressed
otherwise eccentrically, which gave rise to
comment and even cersure.
:. A sketch Of his singular Me may not be
|uninteres,iDg to those of our readers who
remember the "Street Preacher"
VIM Rees was born in London (England)
near ffty-two years ago. At the age o!
sixteen, when he left college, he was the
master of eight different languages. He
was placed by his family in the counting
room of house engaged extensively in the
East India trade. and by bis industry, in the
course of few years, he was admitted rs a
partner. Reverse of foEtune looming upon
him, in 1880 he embarked for New York
where he engaged in the mercantile bust,
| ness. and succeeded in saving a competency.
He gave friend the use OF his name, and
when the crisis of 1857 came he again lost
the greater share of bis property. He now
became wanderer. visiting other countries
and the large cities, such as Philadelphia
Baltimore and Cincinnati, o: our own, seem
ingly without any definite purpose, ant
earning by various means Of labor, sufficient
to keep him above want. This was ths
the period when he engaged much in preach
ing in the open air.
He subsequently went to the West, ant
obta ming some meuey, fortunately investe'
it in q farm situate on the outskirts o
Keokuk. This, at that time, was one o
the cities TO which emigrsnts and spe cula
tors fucked in great numbers. Rees tool
advantage of this, divided his farm into lots
and sold them so advantageously that in tn
course of two years he realized quite for
tune. We understand tina, at the time o
his Death his property was valued at $3.50,
oCO.
From the time he left college until tn
day of his death, he was opposed to a
churches. belevingth that the Gospel shoul
be spreached in the streets. While il
Philadelphia he preached daily in the streets
On one occasion the authorities underst md
ing him to say that ha was the Son of Goo
Jesus Christ they caused him to be arres,
ed and put in prison, but after few week:
confinement he was reieased.
He then came to this city and engage
earne- ty in street preaching. On Saturday
February 25,h. 1913, the immense por
house belonging TO Pugh g. Alvord too
fire, and from some cause there was an eX
plosion. which buried in the ruins many
our best citizens. The next mornn
Sunday the fremen were engaged i
searching for the dead, at which Rees too
umbrage, and commenced a violent harar
que on tesecrating the Sabbath. The FIR,
men were indignant, and seizing him tie
poured the contents Of a bsrrelef flour hin
and as he wore a head of hair and beard {
a number years. groth-rayen black--h
presented a most ludicrous appearance.
Rees was very naturally disgusted
such treatment, and he immediately lie
Cincinnati. and nothing more was heard {
him until 1858 when he became a wealth
\
land owner in Keokuk.
Here he purchased the Keokuk Pos
,, which he edited with singular ability--th
only difficulty in The way OF its pecuniar
success, being his eccentric notions of r.
lgioE, which often found their way into tf
columns of his paper, much to its de1rimen
This enterprise finally failed
Soon after, aided by his son George,
young man OF talent0 he started the Don
phan (Kansas) Post, a new paper in tn
Territory, advocating the Free State caus
All who knew the old Street Preacher
believed him to be an honest man. with
e warm heart and philantrophi; ;al impulses, 1
he would share his last dollar with the POT
s and give his only coat to prevent anoth
D from suffering. His strange religious ide'
!, and eccentric MANNER led many to thir
him partially deranged; but an hours col
versation with him wor.d remove this iu
/ preston. AS we have before stated he WI
e thorough scholar, close thinker, and
o almost every respect displayed superb
K qualities OF mind, and but for his religion
y notions, would doubtless have occupied
prominent position before the country
o Gin. Gazette.
HFMoRE CoUNTERFEITs ARRESTED