St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1869-11-19
Cough at GIdyDOc.
HELL FIRE TAKES TIE PLEDGE.

audience of what are termed ''outcasts -
and pitilul sight it is. On one occa-
sion | addressed eight hundred, and on
anothcr-in Glasgow-over three thous-
and. The city missionaries had, by
their influence, induced the poor creatures
to come. There were rags, and filth,
and degradation, beyond description. 1t
seemed rs If the last lingering trace of
human beauty had been dashed out by
the hoot of debauchery, AMI the die Of
devil stamped on the defaced image of
God and all of them human beings with
hearts and souls, with love for the
pure and beautiful, ,-mcn and women,
yes, and children-with such human
histories Of want, and suffering, privation
and misery, as might well be traced in
tears and written in blood.
On one occasion as | entered the audi
cnce room, where some hundreds of this
class had assembled, with the provost Of
the borough and a minister of town, who
accompanied me, the former said, as we
came in: ''Mr. Cough, you have Fire
i'll the house Tonight"
asked, ''What do you mean p
lie said, "Do you see that tall woman,
near the platform p
"IeS"
Her nickname is IIell-fire ; she is
known by no other name in the vicinity
of her wrctched residence. When she
appears in the street, the boys cry Fire!
Fire = She Is the most incorrigible woman
in the borough She has been brought
before me scores of times and sentenced
10 Imprisonment from four to six months.
She Is ripe for mischief, and If she
makes Il disturbance, you will see such
a row as you never saw before. The
power of the woman's tongue in blasphe-
my is horrible
When | rose to address the audience
expected row, and confess to nerv-
ou, feeling Of apprehension. l spoke to
them as men and women, not as out
casts, or things. ] told them poverty
was hard to bear; but there might be
comfort, light, and peace with poverty;
told them l had been poor, very poor {;
spoke TO them of my mother, and her
struggles then Of her faith, and love,
and hope : that there was no degradation
in poverty only sin caused that. In
proportion to wrong-doing was the deg
ratiDn,-and 80 on. | saw naked arm
ard hand lifted in the crowd, and heard
a voice cry out that's all true"
The woman ("Firc") rose to her feet,
and facing me, said: That's true,
mon,-yc're telling the truth > and
,l,
'"The mon kens what he's talking aboot."
When | concluded, she came on the
platform, and | almost thought she might
tackle me. She was large woman,
and looked like hard hitter, and l new
cr desired to come i'll contact with
strong minded" or big-f>ted women;
but after looking at me a moment, she
said: Tax guide look at me, mon.
I'm bit of a beauty, amt r. Then,
coming close to me, "Would you gle
a body like me the pledge o.
answered at once, Yes, ma'am."
4 gentleman said "She cannot keep
it she will be drunk before she goes TO
bed tonight better not give her the
pledge"
| turned to her: MADAM, here is q
gentleman who says you cannot keep it
if you sign it."
Clenching her fist, she said, "Show
me mon"
| asked, "Csn you keep it ~
"Can !-it say wull can"
"Then say you will"
Il wull."
''Give me your hand on that, and
shook hands with her. She signed it,
and | said: : 81 know you will keep it
and before 20 to America | will come
and see you"
''Come and see me when you wull,"
she answered, 'and you'll find l haze
keepit it,
1t must have been two years from that
time, was speaking there again, and af-
ter the lecture, Il gentleman said to me &:
Il wish TO introduce to you an old friend
whom perhaps you have forgotten,-
Mrs. Archer I'D longer Fire
| was introduced, and shook hands
heartily with her daughter, who sat by
her. l had noticed the woman during
my speech, for she hardly took her eyes
OFT me from the etime rose till | sat down.
| went to her house, and part of what
| she sand TO me was this -
''Ah Mr.. Cough, I'm a puir, body;
| dlnna ken much, and what little L haze
kenncd has been knocked out Of me by
the statfs OF the policemen for they beat
me atoot the head good-dcal, and
prutty much sense out of me but
sometimes haze drcam-I dream I'm
drunk, and iichiing, and see police haze
cot me again: and then | get out of my
bed. and 90 down on my knees, and /
don't 20 back to my bed till daylight
comes, and | keep saying: God keep
me-tor | Gamma get drunk any MAR"
Her daughter said: ''Aye, mon I've
heercd my mither in the dead of night,
on the bare floor, crying God keep me-
and I've aid,-'CCme to yer bed, mither,
ye'll be cauld; and she'll tell me, No,
no,-I Gamma get drunk any mair.'"
received letter from the provost Of
the borough, dated February 1869, tell
ing me that Mrs. Arsher ("Fire") had
been faithful to her promise, was keeping
a small provision store or shop; had taxi
en- little orphan boy out of the streets,
and was bringing him up well and
sending me her photograph.-GpugFs
Agte9igFaW