The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1881-04-22
A COLOREDl PREACHER,s RELIGIOUS
EXPERIENCE.


Sunday as was walking out I fell in
with an old grizz1ed darby shamblfng
along, his legs rather forward of the
centre Of his feet, and asked him where
he was going. He replied: "I'se goin'
to the church, and Use 'fraid I'm
leetle late" I inquired if the preacher
was man ofpower. He said ST don't
know him mesef, he comes from the
Indian River parts but hear he is de
giftedest man in de State.' thought
I would not lose the opportunity of
hearing so distinguished pulpit orator
and went along with the old man.
The preacher sat upon some elevated
boards, as black a negro as ever depart
rose, and In loud strident tone
stumbled slowly, and with many mis-
takes, through chapter of jeremiah,
after which the congregation, some
with sweetness and some with scalp
lifting harshncss, sung several verses
of hymn the chorus of which was
Eye darters of Jerusalem come out de
Witness,
Ye darters Of Jerusalem come out de will
derness
A leanin' on dc lamb"
The minister then prayed, first loudly,
then earnestly and then unanimously
for a quarter ofan hour, beseeching the
Lord, among other things, "to unloose
his stammering tongue and glib his
voice heep of power" After another
hymn came the sermon, and although
took no notes, I will try to give you
some specimen bricks of the structure (:
My tex is in de 10th oh Matthew, at
the 30th verse: "But dc very hars of
yer he'd are all numbered.' 1 hope
before I gets fro to bring some sinner
ter whar I was fetched ter at Il meeting
like dis. 1t is fourteen years ago last
month sense l quit grubbing in the
palmetto stubble of sin, and begun
workin' in de deep loan of righteous
ness. Fore den use ter be as lost q
sinner as any niger on de Indian River
Dere warnt no boy in de gang Uf dc
say it) that could swar more, cha W
moro terbacker, drink more whisky or
jerk q chicken off de roost wild less
noise dan / could. use ter loaf mos
all day and prowl all night shore. One
night went to 'vivaI meetin' jess for
fun and ter see de girls. AT first lated
to hear de brudders and sisters press
their Seelins, but de preacher had de
power OBJ dc sperrit mos remarkable,
and as he het wild his emotions be.
gun to get kinder skeered. Then /
felt sOrter creeps run all ober me, and
thOrt de shakes was commin' on. but
then knew 1 hadn't been exposed
and it warn't time oh do year for dem,
and like streek OBJ lightnin' it came
ober me dat / was gettin' religion. 1
commenced tor boiler: "Glory halle.
lujah, glory ter God, Pm comm I" and
got down on ter my knees aud hollered
more, and den rolled on de floor and
flung out my arms and my legs and
kicked and stamped, for 1 knew ter
spirit oh de LORD was rastlin' wild de
debbil, and I yelled to de debbil: seit
outer dis yere chile" and finally faint
ed clean dun gone away. When T
camc ter mysef de hrudders and sisteas
was strokin' me and sayin', he is saved
dc Lord hab save him, and felt quiet
and soothin' as tho 1 war drinkin'
buttermilk, and den L know dat my
morale soul was safe on de top shelf
whar de debbil couldn't nebher reach it
no more. De mex mornin' L fine dat
hab lost my jack knife and broke de
handspring ter my watch, besides lea
vim good ombreller in dc seat which
some Christian brudder or sister has
took care on sence 'spose, as hab
nebber scene it again, but didn't car.
l win more dan 1 lose, for 1 got relig-
ion dat night.-FYorlia Letter to
Springfield Republican.
A friend told us a curious story in
reference to the petrifaction Of the body
of young lady who died in this county
OF typhoid fever some twenty years
ago. The body was exhumed last
week for the purpose of re-interment