American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-06-17
Clothes for the Heathen.

About year ago the ladies of a GER
tain Dorcas Society made up large
quantity of shirts, trousers and socks,
and boxed them up and sent them to
missionary station on the west coast of
Africa. A man named Ridley went out
with the boxes and stayed in Africa sew
eral months. When he returned the
Dorcas Society, of course, was anxious
to hear how its donation was received,
and Ridley, one evening, met the men,
bers and told them about it in a little
speech. He said:
"Well, you know, we got the clothes
out there all right, and after a while we
distributed them among some of the
natives in the neighborhood. We
thought maybe it would attract them to
the mission, but it didn't, and after
some time had elapsed and not native
came to church with those clothes on,
went out on an exploring expedition to
find out about it. 1t seems that on the
first day after the goods were distrib-
uted one of the chiefs attempted to
mount shirt. He didn't exactly under
stand it, and he pushed his legs through
the arms and gathered the tail up
around his waist. He couldn't make it
stay up, however, and they say he went
around inquiring in his native tongue
what kind of an idiot it was that con-
structed garment that wouldn't hang
on, and swearing some of the most aw-
full heather oaths. At last he let it
drag, and that night he got his legs
tangled in it somehow, and fell over a
precipice and was killed.
"Another chief who got one on prop
erly went padding around in the dark,
and the people, imagining that he was
ghost, sacrificed four babies to keep off
the evil spirit.
"And then, you know those trous-
ers you sent outP Well, they fitted one
pair on an idol, and then they stuffed
most of the rest with leaves and set
them up as kind of new-fangled idols,
and began to worship them. They say
that the services were very impressive.
Some of the women split few pairs in
half, and after sewing up the legs used
them to carry yams in, and saw one
chief with corduroy leg on his head
as kind of helmet.
81 think, though, the socks were most
popular. All the fighting men went
for them the first thing. They filled
them with sand and used them as war
clubs. LEARNED that they were so much
pleased with the efficiency of those
socks that they made a raid on a neigh
boring tribe on purpose to try them,
and they say they knocked about eighty
women and children on the head before
they came home. They asked me if 1
wouldn't speak to you and get you to
send out a few barrels more, and to
make them little stronger SOS they'll
last longer, and 1 said I would.
"This society is doing power of
good to those heather, and I've no
doubt if you keep right along with the
work you will inaugurate general war
all over the continent of Africa, and
give every body an idol of his own. All
they want is enough socks and trous-
ers. I'll take them when 1 go out
again"
declaring that it would, perhaps, be
better to let the heather go naked and
give the clothes to the poor at home.
Maybe that is the better way.-PhiLd-
delphia Bulletin.
A Sensation in a Sunday-SchOOl.
The Paducah (Ky.) Neaos says: We
are informed that pitched battle was
fought in the Sunday-school at Hollis
school-house on the. Lovelaceville Road,
about 15t miles from Paducah, on Sum
day last, which for time created con-
siderable commOtion, and resulted in
the severe injury of a young man known
as % Step-John Rudolph" by a young
lady named Miss Melissa Collier. 1t
appears that Rudolph is very long
tongued individual, and that he had
slandered Miss Collier, who is consid-
cred young lady of excellent standing
in that community. Learning that he
was at the Sunday-school above men
toned, and being exasperated beyond
measure, she armed herself with a hick-
DRY club and entered the house crying.
The Superintendent was just about to
begin reading chapter in the Bible
when he was interrupted by the ex-
clamation, "Where is the scoundrelP"
The whole school looked up in utter
amazement, and discovered the lady
making toward the corner where Ru-
dolph was seated, with desperation in
her eyes. Swinging her club as she
approached Rudolph, she was heard to
say, ''Oh, here he isl" and whack went
the shellalah upon his head, giving him
a glancing bloY, but of sufficient force
to knock him over on the bench. Be
ing in a corner, he could not get out
handily, and Miss c. seized the club
with both hands and gave him a terri
BILE beating over the head, body and his
arm, which he held forward for protec-
ton. The Superintendent endeavored
to hold the young lady to prevent her
from killing Rudolph, but he could do
nothing with her, and not till further
assistance came could she be taken away
from the object of her hatred. Ru-
dolph's arm was very badly hurt. He
employed Gov. King to assist Mr.. Sam
uel Bryce, County Attorney, in prose-
cutting the case, and the trial came off
before Squire Emmett Rudolph, result