Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1877-07-05
The Murphy BOys.

w hat al one time promised 10 De gran(
Temperance revival in ST. Clairsville began a
Court II use on Saturday evening, undel
the lead of Mr.. Gus Johnston, the younges
son of the Rev. j. B. Johnston, for many year
the beloved pastor of the Z. p. Church oi
this place. Gus. had been a wayward hoy,
but about three months since was caught up
in the Murphy wave which was sweeping the
State, since which time he has not onl ! kept
his Murphy" but by his earnest aud elo
Quent advocacy of the cause of temperance
has been the means Cf Laiihg TO new al {
ii CHER life many noble souls whose greal
Jvershadowing vice was the love of str n
drink. His appearance here as lecturer
was hailed by hundreds who knew him before
he entered the reform movement, and audi
astic than ever turned out before in this com
munity TO hear temperance lecture. The
speech at ths Court House was replete witt
good sense, his reasoning was conclusive, hi.
native eloquence powerful, and his appeal.
especially to his associates were of the mos
convincing character. At the close of the
meeting SO young men, many of them ad-
dicted to the uss of strong drink, came for
ward and signed the pledge.
On Sunday evening, meeting by appoint
meat, was held in the Presbyterian church
1t was filled to the utmost on the floor anG
in the gallery, in the aisles and in the vesti-
bule, every available spot inside, and on the
outside many were listening through open
windows. The audience, its respectable char
acter, attested how deeply they were interest.
ed in the success of the WORK which Mr.
Johnston rep resented. E..
On this occasion the potency of his elo
queace shons cut with increased brilliancy
The large audience were seemingly spell 6OunC
by the forcible truths spoken. The cake
in some degree held christian people response.
bic for lack of interest in the temperance
cause and pinched the tender spots of some
who realized the truth of the assertions he was
making, but no one save few bigots, wh(
imagined themselves custOdians of the souls
and bodies of men, were disposed to take Of
fence at anything said. After MIR. Johnston
hao concluded his address, which produced
the most happy effect and which would have
brought probably round hundred signers to
the pledge if it had been presented on its con.
clusion, the Rev. Robt. Alexander, pastor
VI luC dIOSc dLu III d illOSl pdSStOuatt
manner denounced tine young man and the
sentiments he had uttered and made an exhi
bition of himself, not entirely satisfactory tC
unprejud.ced observers and scarcely in keeping
with the position he occupies. By those who
witnessed the affair it was pronounced most
'humiliating spectacle. One feature which
made the act peculiarly reprehensible was the
fact that the assault upon the young man was
made in the presence of his aged, frsil father,
who was in the audience and rejoicing at his
sons reformation and disposition to help
others to reform, whose very presence
and position would command respect and
shield him from insult from even an uunman-
nered blackguard. We were not present at
the meeting, but if public opinion is any cri
terion by which to judge, the action of the
RevereDds who undertook to trample the
manhood out of this young man, anu to thus
discourage the cause for which he labored,
was wholly unwarraDted and out of place,
and the large audience which greeted him ON
Tuesday evening following, was a sufficient
mark of APPROPRIATION of his course and re-
buke TO those who had interfered with him.