Omaha daily bee., 1877-01-16
UNHAPPY HUNTINGTON.
The Tar-and- Feather Town Excl
ted Over the Prayer-Meetfng Dis
lufhance.

The Tar-and-F Feather Town Excl
ted Over h Prayer-Meetfng Dis
turbance.
New York Sun, -.
"What's the price OF salvation ?"
demanded one of the young disturb
ers of the Methodist watch-night
meeting at Huntington, L. L. as he
pushed open the door Of lawyer
Platt's office on Monday last.
"That you had better ask of the
Minister" replied Mr., Platr,
with the dignity betting o legal
representative of the board Of
trustees of an outraged church.
"WelI," continued the young man.
"I'm ashamed OF what 1 did there.
/ own up that I went in with an old
clay pipe In My mouth and then
flung it a fellows head, and know
it wasn't acting right, and Pm
kinder shamed OF 1t. Let me see
the law about it He Was shown
the law, and lscOnically added,
"Then he pulled out his wallet and
reiterated the question propounded
on enteriLg the room. Upon being
told that all that would be required
of him for settlement, to avoid pro-
secution, would be a written apology
and payment Of his share of the
costs of proceedings, he put down
the required document and three
dollars and went out grumbling that
it was i'd dear salvation"
By yesterday morning twenty
four from among those whose
names had been taken on New
Years eve had followed this ex
ample. some did 1T III the bluff
manner of the young man noted
above, while others sneaked up and
MADE their peace. or the twelve
young women whose names are on
tue black list, all have been atoned
for either by personal appearance
at the lawyers Office with the
necessary apology fee, or by send
ing these essentials at the hands OF
an anxious father or brother. The
amount accepted in settlement
varied in individual cases, and Mr.
Platt, while declining to tell what
were the figures either separately or
in the aggregate, says that the
sum fixed was influenced
by the circumstances of the
offender. The young men
say that one of their number-the
youngest of them-was absolved on
payment of fifty cents; but MIR
Platt denies that amnesty even in a
quantity sufficient for the smallest
boy was sold for that amount. 9th
ers say that the lowest quotation for
the commodity was three dollars,
the price being kept up by the firm
demand, ond the fact that the sup
ply was at the mercy of tie church
party, who had q corner in the ar
ticle.
These twenty-four repentanis do
not include all the d%isturbers, as the
surreptitious pencil of the good
brother who planned their day of
reckoning and discontinue recorded
the names Of thirty Of the scions of
the first families of huntington
There are SIX, all young men, who
are still stiff-necked and rebeilious.
These young men have not visited
Lawyer Plat, nor have they penned
words of contritiOn, and, moreover,
they declare that they will not.
They further say that the church
has no right to compromise with
them ii they have done wrong, and
is itself doing q wrong by offering
such a compromise. They further
explain that the church exercises
are always so Iudicrous that Their
merriment is aroused, and once
aroused they plead the difficulty of
allaying it. This, they say, has
been true of the devotiCns of this
congr CATION since the conversion Of
amar named Weeden. Mr.. Weeden,
when inspired by the spirit of an
excited meeting, dropped on his
hands and knees and crept on all
tours to illustrate how the sinners
CROPPED III darkness. Equally effec-
tive in provoking laughter of the
young visitors was Mr.. Weeden's
delineatior of the distress of the un-
reganerate, when overwhelmed by
the waters of af1ictIon, and with
out the consultations Of religion
This WAS pictured by Mr.. Weeden,
by falling flat upon his face on the
floor, and kicking and swrawling III
imitation of IL motions OF SWIM
ming. MIR. Weeden is nc longer
conspicuous in the meetings, but hia
place is supplied by a MIR. Harry
Sammis, who is distinguished from
him only as mental gyIonas-
tics are distinguished from ply
steal ones. 1t was MIR. Sammls, the
young man say, who innocently
started the merriment that after.
ward assumed disgraceful proper
tious on New years eye. He did it
by a description of his fight with
the devil. He was graphic, and
told how he had grasped the evil
one in bis hand, and wrestled with
and overcame him and how he
had at Length driven his ir fernal
majesty into the leg of a boot and
closing the top with his hand, had
held him prisoner. This started
the hilarity that even the actors
themselves admit was uproarious.
Much mischief was done by a
young man with a spool attached
to a string. By rolling the spool
under the seats and carefully pull
ing it back he created the impression
that o mouse was running about the
floor. and great commotion was ex-
cited among the women. Coughing
and laughing were prolific sources
of annoyance, and the young man
with the clay pipe, already men
toned. was abetted by companions
with canes, vino pushed the hats
over the eyes OF the ladies in front
of them and pulled down their back
hair. AS the faithful were called
closer to the altar, three of the sis
tiers innocently added to the mirth
by bearing placards inscribed "Real
Estate for Sale" sc. o. d." and
"No Trust"