The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1878-04-12
THE RICHMOND SUN KovER.
Extraordinary Excitement Among the
colored Folks.
Richmond (Va.) Special to the. Chicai
Times April j.

Richmond (va.) Special to the. Chicago
Times, Aprtl1.
This afternoon, John Jasper, cell
Ored, preached for the second time his
sermon to prove that the sun moves
around the earth, and that the earth
stands still. Never has there been 50
much excitement in Richmond among
the colored people. BY 2 O'clock fully
| five thousand of them were crowded
around Mount Zion Church, while the
streets leading to the place were
thrOnged. Jasper has been carrying
on fierce controversy with the other
| cOlOred preachers here as to whether
or not the sun moves. Jasper alleges
that they are jealous of his superior
| spiritual gifts, and says he will preach
his sermon one hundred times until
| every man, woman, and child in the
city is convinced that the sun "do
! move" ParsOn Wells, of Ebenezer
| Church, one of the rival colored Bap-
| tist ministers, published card Fri
| day i'll which he and the three elders
| of his church said they did not intend
to he bullied into the belief that the
| sun rolls around the earth and they
pronounced the assertion of Jasper
| that the sun "dO move" as Il base fab
rication. Yesterday Jasper came back
| at Wells in a card in which he de-
nOImced them as three hypocrites and
said that their opposition was actuated
| by motives of jealousy. The negroes
| here now have eschewed politics and
| have arraigned themselves OH the side
| Ofthc JaSperian theory or against and
| the discussion runs high. This even
| ing they poured in from as far as Man
| chester, and the suburbs of the city
and anXiOusly awaited the time for
| the church doors to open. Richmond
| society was well represented, too.-
| Fully four hundred of the best white
! citizens were present. The Franklin
| street bellies were sandwitched in the
crowd with cOlOred cooks and washer
women. Among those present were
Judge Christian, of the Court of APP
peals, eX-Secretary of the Common
wealth; George Wythe Mumford, the
Faculty of Richmond College, Conn
monwealth Attorney, George ID. Wise,
and leading lawyers and DOCTORS
Jasper had been urged to speak in the
open air, and although he was guar
anteed a squad of police, he said he
was afraid his opponents would stone
him. The sermon has heretofore
been given i'll the Times. He repeated
his arguments to prove that the sun
moves and did so with great earnest
ness. During his discourse such re-
marks were heard in the-eOngregation
as "Dat's So" "Give IL to dem,
Bruder Jasper" "He's right; yes, dc
sun do move.n "fas, Lord, she he
mOvin'," and many Others. When
Jasper, speaking of the passage of the
children of Israel over the Red sea,
said, can de angel of the Lord coined
down and took de linch-pin outer of
Fario's chariot, and Fario fell into de
sea, " an excited sister in the gallery
rose up and cried out, "nar, my Lord,
Brother Jasper is getting ahead of his
opponents, and he is beating his pet
theory into the heads of the scepti-
cal. The large force of police on the
ground this evening prevented any Sc
riOus disturbance, but on the edge of
the crowd there We're some bloody
noses and WOol-pulling between the
Jasperians and Wellsites, as they now
denOminate the two factions. Jasper
will continue his sermon until all can
hear him. Fully three thousand peo-
pie could not get within q block of the
church. Mrs. Lucy Johnson (colOred)
who was so badly injured in the melee
at the first sermon, died from her in
iuries last night. Jasper offers to meet
any colored or white preacher i'm de-
bate, and says if he does not prove
from the Bible that the sun moves he
will never preach again, No one will
meet him.