The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1874-11-04
INTERESTING "REMINISCENCES
The Tragedy at Brush Greek
Camp GrOund---OId Brother
McMahan---CeuIdn't take
f.s4rafs that Mans Hand

y
publishing in that paper a series of auto
biographical "reminiscences, which have
proved exceedingly interesting to us, and
must be to all who like to recall memo
ries of the past, and linger in the com
/ pany Of friends of g lang syne. 4" His last
paper gives some incidents that occurred
: while he was on the Jonesboro" Circuit.
= The. distressing tragedy at Brush Greek
4 Camp ground, Washington county, is
fresh in our memory, though we were a
boy when it occurred No doubt his ac-
count of it will be as interesting to many
aef our readers as it was to u.s. He gives
a graphic picture of the storm and the
tragical scene on the ground: i
| On Sunday night Wm. Miuburnpreaeh-
ed a stirring sermon. At the close of his
i sermon mourners were invited to the al
tar, and crowd readily responded,
| among them my youngest brother who
now sleeps. While for all felt a deep
concern, I was exceedingly soliciteus for
my brother. While Twas talking to him.
a scene occurred that beggars descrip-
| ton; and yet, in justice to the work
which l have undertaken, | must at
tempt a description of the awfully fear
full tragedy. Almost suddenly, the
whole encampment was -enveloped in a
really oppressive darkness, as a
! black, angry and fllry-laden cloud threw
/ its heavy folds around the -consecrated
area, and pressed its. dark bosom down
upon the camps Heavens terrible artil-
/ lery, in threatening peals, shook the
| shed and tents, and made the earth
/ tremble; the "storm king" unfolded his
! strong, air-built wings, poured his dread
! ful screams through every avenue, and
/ lashed into CONSERVATION the entire en-
| campment; the shafts of lightning shot
wildly among the tents, or, with varied
| hue and daring coruscations, sailed
| from their dark and cloudy home, and
rolled, danced, and hared upon the
ground; the rain, in unmeasured
draughts, pattered upon the quaking
shed, and the faint and glimmering
lights added to the dreadful scene, as
| their feeble rays only served to render
the darkness more visible, and the entire
tragedy the more alarming. Just at this
juncture, with the camps all filled with
| terror-stricken men and women5 and
some five hundred under the shed,
listening to the plaintive prayers of the
heart-broken, a heavy charge of cleo
tricity, accompanied by a deafening
peal, shot and flared through the en-
campment l stood amazed amidst the
cries of the mOurners and the thunder's
dreadful shocks; so stood many. At
least five hundred persons felt the shock,
as the subtle fluid went twitching along
their nerves; George Ekin, the vener-
able, was knocked to his knees in the
preachers tent; several were manned in
their camps; while, some ten feet from
the pulpit, at the door of a camp, lay
three stricken persons upon the ground
Miss Taylor, sister of Rev. n. G.
Taylor, Mr.. Miller, and another young
man whose name l cannot now recall.
oh, the scene WAS heart-rending Miss
Taylor and Mr. Miller were dead; the
other apparently so, though he recover
ed. There was rush of persons to the
spot where lay the dead; among them
the mother of the amiable Miss Taylor. /
How that mothers heart was agoniZed
How she prayed Never can l forget
that moment, nor the mothers prayer,
as it went up, up, through the darkness
and bending cloud, Lord, restore the
vital spark - No answer came; nor will
there any come The beautiful Mary
still sleeps, and so does her mother now
but the day is coming when the vital
spark shall be. restored to them both,
to glow and burn forever. Happy
thought!
The next day, the enemies of camp
meetings and Methodism were some
what bold in the statement, that God
had plainly shown his disapproval of
camp-meetings, by pouring out His
judgments the previoVs evening. This
led DR.. Patton, at II o'clock, to preach
a master sermon on Divine Providence
perhaps the ablest sermon of his life
His text was EX., ,XXXiii: 21-22. | will
not attempt even a synopsis of that mas
terly effort; at least, no farther than to /
say, the preacher interpreted the mani
festations of the Divine Being, on the
removing of His hand, as giving Moses
a glimpse into the future, by which he
discovered much in the onward sweep |
of Providence, and became recOnciled |
to Gods mysterious dealings with him
and his people. This the preacher ap-I
piled, in forcible and satisfactory man
ner, to the mysterious providences con-
nected with the preceding day. l heard
no more of judgment upon the Method |
lists for holding camp-meetings /
That Monday was among the most 4
solemn days of my life. With two |
c0rpses on the ground and several who t
We're manned by the death-dealing shock |
the evening before, the whole encamp- /
ment was in mourning; sorrow Teigned, !
too deeply for utterancc.
THE WEEPING SERMON.
And this occurred at Sulphur Springs
camp ground:
Jas B. McGIahaH, of North Carolina,
was on hand, and preached his weep
ing sermon. He always took two texts,
when he expected to give full vent to
his fountain of tears One was Jer., tx:
1, which, it would seem, is ample for
any man to exhaust his tears upon; but,
no; it was notaenough for brother Nc
Mahan To have an ample foundation,
and full scope for his tears, he coupled
with the leading text one in the Lam of
Jer., 112. Read it He cried from the
of his sermon; but, about mid
way, he straightened up, paused, and
said Now I shall do some powerful
crying for you - And he did, l tell
you lie did II looked like his "head
were waters" and his ''eyes a fountain
of tears / never saw such crying be-
fore; but he did the most of it He
preached a right good sermon; but it
had to swim in tears all the way through.
My old friend is now at rest; and he
shall weep no more.
WOULDN'T TAKE HIS HAND.
We close our extracts with an inter
esting incident in the life of one of the
distinguished lawyer politicians of our
State. Mr. Hicks lay the scene at Sui
phur Springs camp grouads
Among the converts was the Honor
orable Landon @. Haynes, now of Mem
0his, Tennessee. / witnessed his CON
version; and / wrote down his name
when lie Joined our Church. If I felt at
liberty to do it, / could here give an in
,ident which should bring shame TO the
cheeks of a great man to this day. He
opened the door of the Church; and ]
when L. G. Haynes came up to join, !
aw the preacher turn away, and refuse
o take his hand. Another took his
land, and wrose down his name. He
Who turned away did not impress me
ayorably; nor has his religion been of
N eclipsing character, but otherwise