The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-10-19

A CLEvER BCAPE-GRACE
N 70 Memory and Became .
breaches.
There has just been a more profound religi-
Gus sensation created by . boy down In the
bottoms than has ever resulted from the eff
forts Of Spurgeon, the liberal Mr.. Beecher, or
the oft-cartooned Talmage. Several weeks
ago Oliver Herring, son of Squire Herring,
conceived the idea of preaching to the color
ed people. This, for a boy of sixteen years
of age, would have been a very creditable af-
fair but for the fraudulent plan adopted by
the young, self-appeinted evangelist. Among
the few books possessed by the squire, there
was a volume Of Sermon by Lorenzo Dow,
the celebrated sold timer whose oratorical
pictures of fire and sulphurous suffocation
have caused many and many a man to wend
his way through an excited congregation to
the mourners' bench. Oliver found this book
and was Immediately struck with the terrors
of metaphor and horrors OF trOpe. "If l
could only commit a lot of these to memory,
and preach to the colored people," he said,
"l'd soon bring the plantation boys to their
knees. Hanged if l don't do it, With mis-
chief born assiduity, the most successful pa
rent of juvenile application, lie began work.
1 OSSCSSCu VI q OCllL AhCLloly hO 90 oooA
able to repeat sermon after sermon. A suffi-
cient depth of Evolutionary action was now to
be obtained. His voice, naturally deep was
rendered more intensely masculine by the
fact that Oliver had just arrived at that en-
oarrassing walk in life known as the "gosling
age" Securing a minstrel rig and the neces-
sary amount of backing material, young Oil
YER announced himself as ''heeled for the
evangelical OCCASION"
Sunday night the cottonwood grove church
was crowded. The preachers had exhausted
their powers of drawing dark pictures, but
still the young male and female sinners con-
tinued to flirt with each other. Presently a
small darkey entered, and advancing to the
pulpit whispered to one of the preachers, who
arose and said that q new brother would ad-
dress the congregation. The new brother
began. There was an earnest depth in the
tone of his voice that causedt the female sinner
to stop Cycling behind her fan. The preach
er began drawing a terrible picture of the
sinner. The devil stalked abroad in the land.
Sinners fitted here and there like butterflies
in the flower garden of society. Repentance
must come or all would be lost. Within tif-
teen minutes from the time the new preacher
began all the sinners were On their knees.
The Christians shouted and the deacons
walked around through the half agonized,
half happy crowd, as though they had sudden
ly received a glorious commission direct from
ecclesiastical headquarters. The young
preacher, before closing, announced that he
would preach in the same house on the fol-
Sunday night. lie refused to go home
with any of the colored brethren, saying that
mysterious provision would be made for
him. eff, however," he said, "any of you
feel like Civ few nickles to aid in the
support Of all ed mother and crippled sis
-. A. ... .sll h. 4. l-xIl - oo,.al
As if by one impu, e.every right hand of ev-
cry man went down into a pocket and came
with money. The hat was passed around
and when the contents were handed to the
young preacher he thanked the congregation
for such noble generosity.
On the following Sunday night there was
not standing room in the church. The preach
er was there before any of the congregation
arrived, and the question of now he came
there or where he had lived during the past
week was a myterious one. Re was asked,
but replied that the provisions of Providence
equal to any occasion. The same wild
was created. The preachers
burned their way into the emotional
of the sinners and lighted a lamp
here which, by its glare showed the moral
corruption of the past. Shout after shout
vent up. Hallelujah after hallelujah re-
sounded. Only one feature to mar the grand
'olemnity of the meeting occurred. A farmer
in the neighbOrhood came down and
said that, hearing the noise, he thought that a
of his hogs had got hung underneath the
fence.
Another collection was taken up for the
.ged mother and crippled sister, and after the
had announced that services would
De held on the next Sunday night, the con-
,regation, filled with the grandeur of the
evangelical phenomenon, silently parted in
he shadow of the great cottonwood trees.
Late that night a boy sat in his room.
s Over $780," lie said, removing his wig and
preparing to wash the burnt cork from his face.
'I'Il be blamed if l amt the boss. Old man
Dow didn't know what q service he was rem
iering me when he arranged that book of
On the following Sunday evening the young
thinking that lnquisitive deacons
night arrive early in order to ascertain the
of his approach, went to church be-
ore dark. Having sat up very late the night
,efore, committing another sermon to men,
Dry, he became very sleepy. Thinking that
t would be a good idea to go up into the loft
Ind sleep until nearly church time, he climbed
up, lay on the loosely arranged boards and
went to sleep. The congregation assembled,
out the little preacher did not come. Another
brother was called upon to fill the pulpit"
While the "sub" brother was in the midst of
a learned discourse the young preacher
awoke. He realized that he had oversight
He was contemplating a plan of
procedure, when, unfortunately, he turned
over onto the edge of the boards. The boards
up and with a crash the young preacher
fell on the pulpit and then on the floor,
among a lot of mourners. The excitement
terrific. The deacons yelled "devIl''