Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-08-05
THE WECKEDEST MAN SUM.
MED UP.

Packard's Monthly for August has the
following: When, on the 2Sth day of
May last, st quarter to twelve in the
day time, in company with Mr.. Arnold,
of the Howard Mission, we called upon
the Wickedest Man in New York, as
stated in our preceding article, to tell
him that the fated hour had come for
serving him up in a magazine article,
we found him jolly and defiant.
"Go ahead" !" said he; "say what you
please; do your worst, and your best,
too. All the favor l ask is that you
shall tell the truth-that you shall
show me up just as you've found me
Nothing sxtenuats.
Nor aught set down in malaee,"
as Othello says. You just stick to the
truth, and well all be satisfied. Vir-
tue is its own reward in your profes-
sion, 1 suppose, as well as in nine"
We must confess that. well as we
know our man, this defiant commits
Fsion from him to ''show him up just as
we had found. him." took US by sur
prise. But it seems that the Wicked
est Man did not know himself any bet
ter than, if so well, as we knew him;
for when the sketch came out it pierre
ed him to the heart, and brought tears
to eyes long unused to weep.
On Tuesday morning, June %, large
portion of the sketch was copied from
Packarfs Monthly by the. New York
IS,1l, and it was in that paper that Mr..
\ Allen first saw himself depicted accor-
ding to agreement. He did not OBJ
serve the copied sketch, however, un-
til his attention was called to it by a
neighbor. He then eagerly read it
being constantly interrupted in his
reading by the arrival of fresh yisi
tors, some of them acquaintances, and
some of them strangers, but every one
with a copy of the Sun or PaekaTfs
Monthly in his hand, and each in turn
calling for the Wickedest Man in New
York, and asking him if he had seen
that article"
Since the appearance of the sketch
IN the July number of this magazine,
Mr.. Allen has been run down with
visitors, especially clergymen, who,
he says, invaribly ask for the Wicked
est Man in New York, to which inqui-
ry he promptly responds, as being the
identical individual referred to-"
His reception of his clerical visitors
is sometimes exquisitely characters
tic.
"Pm glad to see you, gentlemen"
he says. "Wslk in. Sit down. Make
yourselves at home. Have q copy of
the Littls WANDERERS Fnendf We have
to do q good deal of missionary work
down here, and find the Lille Van
GeTer's Friend good thing in that line.
Take it home with you and read it.
Lots of good stuff in it. Good music
too. l like to have clergymen come
here. l want to do all the good can;
and don't know any class of men
who'd be more benefited by associa-
ton with me than clergymen. So,
come often, gentlemen, and stay late"
When Allen once took US round to
the school which his boy attends, he
requested the teacher to let Chester
sing for US. She consented, and told
Mr.. Allen to select the piece he would
like to have the child sing. He at
once selected Sabbath school song,
beginning
"Shall we meet in Heaven aboYe7"
Little Chester was perched upon a
chair to sing the solo, the rest of the
scholars coming in on the chorus. As
just stated,
"ShaI We meet in Heaven above"
was the burden of the first stanza.-
That of the second was.
| Ill , roha9U
OF the third,
shall we strike golden hArp?"
OF the fourth,
"ShaT we wear a glorious crown ?"
Each of these lines was repeated
three times over, to pleasant and va
rying melody, which brought out the
sentiment forcibly. The performances
impressed US deeply. The eagerness
with which this sin-steeped man re-
rgarded his boy, as the little creature
sang verse after verse of that song,
touched US to the heart.
On the third day of July last, as DIR .
j. N. Ward, q well known Christian
philanthropist, was passing Aliens sa-
loon, at about ten o'clock in the NOR
mig, he found him sitting near the
door with 8 copy of PaekarFS Monthly
for July in his hand, intently study.
ing our sketch of him. On accosting
Allen he was kindly greeted in return;
and after some conversation about the
sketch, DR.. Ward spoke to him, as is
his custom on every fit occasion, about
his souls welfare and the salvation of
his children.
In response to this Allen called out:
"Ghester, come here" and his son
came 10 his side.
"Now, Chester" said he, "sing
Nearer my God, to Thee for the Doc
tor"
And thereupon Allen himself led of
and father and sang,
'Nsarer my God to Thee.
Fen though it be 3 cross
| That rsiseth ne;
Still, sll my song shall be.
Near. my God. 70 Thee
Nearer to Thee"
Allen is solicitous that little Chester
should not have his mind poisoned by
anything verging on inhdelity. On
one occasion, when visitors were pres
ent, an inidel came into the dancing
saloon, about eleven o'elok at night,
and began to Yentilate mis- belief, or
rather his unbelief. He was surprised
Mt being at once taken up by Allen
and demolished. The unbelieVer was
no match for the Wickedest Man in
theology, philosophy or common sense.
He soon retired, rather cresttallen /;
and after the door had closed on him,
Allen turned to some of those present
and exclaimed in tones of grief and
bitterness
'"My God ! gentlemen, to think of a
mans coming into my house and ut
4 terring such sentiments as these
Why wouldn't have had my family
hear that man for anything! And
Chester especially"
Here, seeing the looks OF astonish-
ment on some of the visitors faces, he
exclaimed:
al know what you're thinking Of
You think that Chester hears worse
than that. But he don't. He hears
me swear, and he hears the girls, when
they get mad or drunk and they can
talkbad enough when they get a going,
God knows but don't care for that.
That isn't anything. That don't XIII.
But to have Chester get the notion
that the bible isn't true, or.to have
him hear any man deny the existence
of God, or attempt to make God any
thing less than God-why, damn it to