The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-10-10
scenes at GeOrEIa CorOred Camp


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The Newman camp-meeting COM
menced on Wednesday evening, Sep
tember IL, 1867. and closed the follow
ing Sunday night at 111z o'clock. There
were nine white preachers and about
twenty colored preachers and exhort-
ers in attendance. On Sunday the num-
Der of people was variously estimated
at from four to six thousand. A brush
arbor abouI one hundred and fifty feet
square had been erected in the suburbs
of the city, near the railroad. On one
side stand or elevated platform, near
ly twenty feet square, had been built
for the accommodation of the preach
ers, with an open area in front OF about
twenty by forty feet for the "mOurn-
ers," usually called the "altar.p The
crowd gradually increased until Satur-
day, when it became too large to be
sheltered by the ample arbor, and a
portion OF the congregation went into
the church.
At first few of the white people
came out at night and seated them
selves on the railroad. a little way of,
or reclined in the corners of the fences,
within hearing of the preachers voice.
AS the meeting advanced, they timidly
approached nearer and nearer, until
they gathered around the outskirts OF
the assembly, some sitting in their car
riages, some sitting on the ground, and
others standing wherever the could OBJ
tain the best position to view the moral
spectacle. Thus they continued TO APP
proach until Sunday, when they ven
tured to accept the pressing invitation
of their colored friends, and took seats
wherever they could find them in the
congregation. Many of them, how
ever, could get no seats, and they press
ed in on all sides upon the outer verge
of the assemblage, listening eagerly to
the preaching, and seriously contem-
plating the religious Exercises of the
negroes. At one time they numbered
several hundred, and many OF them
confessed they had never witnessed the
like before. sl res +L
Sunday at IL o'clock and Sunday
night presented scenes that had never
before been realized on the soil OF
Georgia. Beneath and around the rude
brush arbor were assembled thousands
of colored people, with many whites,
listening in breHthless stiffness TO the
Word of Life. At the close of each
service, when an invitation was given
to seekers to approach the altar, hun
dreds rushed forward into the open area
and Frustrated themselves for prayer.
The Christian people gathered around
them, singing, praying and shouting
AS their fervOr warmed amid these de-
VOut EXERCISES, SnOuIlDR1 singing anu
praying rose upon the evening air like
the sound of mighty waters. Here
might be seen group OF score or
more, with clasped hands, uplitted
eyes, streaming with tears, and swing
ing to and fro, while with estate
features, and in voices OF sweetest
melody, they sung the songs of re-
demption. There is IA poor, blind man,
the sweetest singer in this newborn
host of freedmen, and around are clus-
tered hundreds who join him in the
enchanting chorus; while, with hands
and feet and the motions of their bod
les, they keep time to the heavenly
strains. He Is from La Grange, poor,
blind, almost helpless; but he is pious,
and has been the singing pilgrim" of
these camp meetings. His name is
Billy Mcfarland. His fame as singer
has spread far and wide over this sec
ton Of the country. There is another
interesting group. The whites have
hnddled together in a large crowd in
the rear of the preachers stand, and II
Jealous muIattO exhorter, Frank
Joseph, from La Grange, seiZes the OPP
portunity TO make an impression upon
Them, He goes into their midst, some
times kneeling, sometimes standing,
and assures them of his love for all,
beseeches them to repent of their sins,
and join the "old mother Methodist
Church -