The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-03-29

As the name Of this eccentric preacher has
| been introduced so much, of late, to the pub.
lie, and as little is known OF him ct the east,
we publish the following description of him,
and an anecdote, which will give a very good
idea Of the individual:
Brownlow is q man Of medium height an
rather slim, with round, s'bullet'' head, Q
quiet, pleasing countenance, and good address;
Is an excellent, logical and persuasive speaker.
and is as little in personal bearing and appear
anec like the blackguard he likes to make him
self appear as one can imagine.
A characteristic story is told OF him that is
worth recording. Uponthe borders Of Virgins
ia, there was settlement Of rough s.hard SHELF
Baptists. The Methodists had long essayed to
effect Judgment in this quarter, but were sum
marily defeated by the decisive mode Of turn
ing their missionaries neck and heels out of the
| place-and this is no very tender or 'sdo as
| You would be done by" style Of Christian treat
ment. With such vigor did the Baptists hold
this tower of the Lord that the Methodists,
with all their zeal for propsgating the Gospel,
and their resolute devotion to the great duty,
paused before this Baptist Gibralter. The task
seemed q hopeless one, and not one of the
faithful could be found to encounter the newt
able risk of personal violence-especially as a
coat of tar and feathers had been designated as
snC iosO Va MY new Va tue CfOSS WHO
should appear in that region in Methodist garb.
Atlast, Parson Brownlow was appointed to the
duty of converting these heatbens from tie
errors of their ways.
Parson Brownlow was much younger less
celebrated than he is now, but the same fiery
and reckless spirit animated him then that has
since extended his reputation so widely. He
knew the risk he was chosen to encounter,
and rather relished the novelty and excitement
ofthis new. field. Accordingly, mounted upon
his horse, with the inevitable saddle bags of the
Southern horseback traveller, he entered the
enemy's camp, one Saturday morning. and an
nounced his purpose to give the barbarians in
that locality q s.creed Of the new doctrine on
the holy day to follow" Tkc result was that
horse and saddle-bags were taken as spoils. his
person roughly maltreated, and he was turned
loose in the outskirts Of the place and ordered,
at his peril, never to study daylight in that
quarter again. The parson footed it home as
best he might, but soon after rea. peared at the
scene of contest, and conflict, with another
horse and another pair of saddle bags, to COM
mence his labors. His treatment was COM
mensurate with the hearty and religious indig-
nation of his foes, and once more the parson
footed it home, sore and horseless.
third time the irrepressible Brownlow
appeared upon the field, to be served about as
before; only his pertinacity and courage had
worked upon the curiosity as we'll as the fancy
of portion Of the good people of the region
Some were for hearing ''what the cuss YVES
arter'' but he was finally again endorsed and
unsaddle-bagged and he started home afoot;
but he had effected Judgment among those
rude people, who loved pluck and grit if they
did not love methodism. Of course he was
expelled again. And sure enough the fourth
time, with the fourth horse and fourth pair of
saddle bags, appeared the persevering Parson
Brownlow. By this time there had arisen
decided curiosity to hear what the ''cuss" had
to say, and the parson at last was allowed to
preach. Well suited in tastes and impulses to
the rude congregation before him, he soon won
their confidence, and closed n decidedly popular
man. A dozen invitations pressed him to din
ner--a universal request that he would come
again as soon as he could, and full restora-
ton of the value of the lost horses, and saddle
bags proved the final triumph of the '.irrepress.
IDLE Methodist" The final result was, the
place become the most invincible Of Methodists
and Parson Brownlow one of the most popular
preachers among them