The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1881-04-15
A NOTABLE TEXAS CAMP-MEErING.
BRILLIANT DESCRIPTION OF REMARKABLY
THRILLING SCENE.


The following article was written by the
late Judge a. w. Arlington, one of the
ablest and most eloquent men the Chicago
bar ever had. He resided number of years
in Texas, and, stopping on his way to Chica
60 in New York, he published the article un-
der the non-de-plume of Charles Summerfield
in tie New York Times. 1t so appears in
work entitled Tales and TakingS," by the
Ia te Rev. J. V. Watson. Doubtless Mr.. W.
did not know the name to be fictitious. The
apostrophc to water has been decaimed
most eloquently by John B. Cough hundreds
of times, and doubtless the public generally
think him the author
During the last week in September, 1896,
the first successful camp meeting was held in
Eastern Texas. | employ the epithet ''Suc-
ceSSful' because several previous failures
had apparently rendered efforts OF a like kind
perfectly hopeless. Indeed, the meridian, at
this period, was most uncongeniaI to the re
ligious and moral enterprise. The country
bordering on the Sabine had been occupied
rather than settled by class of adventures
almost as wild as the Sayages whom they had
scarcely expelled, and the beast of prey which
still disputed their domains of primeval for
estS. Professional gramberS, refugees from
every land, forgers of false coins, thieves,
robbers, and murdeTerS, lnterSpeISed among
the race Of uneducated hunters and herds
men, made up the strange social misce llany,
without courts, OF prisons, or churches or
schools or even the shadow of civil authOri-
ty OF SubOTdlnatlOn sort OF unprlnclpled
pandemonium, where fierce passion sat en-
throued waving its bloody sceptre, the bowie
knife! Let no one accuse me Of eXaggeratiOn
b for the sake of dramatic effect. l am sprak-
/ ing now of Shelby county, the home OF the
I Iynchars, the terrible locale where ten years
I later, forty persons We're poisoned to death
/ at marriage supper.
1t VIII be obvious that in such a community
very few would be disposed to patroEize
I camp-meetingS and, accordingly, a dozen
| different trials at various times had never
/ collected a hundred hearers on any single Oc-
casiun. But even these were not allowed to
worship in peace uniformly, the first day or
night band of armed deSperadOes, headed
! by the notorious Watt FOeman, chief Judge
I and executIoner of Shelby lyncheTs, broke in
| the altar and scattered the mourners, or as
/ ceudcd the pulpit and threatened the preach
| eTS to a gratuitOuS rOSe OF tar and feathers.
/ Hence all prudent evangeIiSts soon learned
to Shun the left bank of the Sabine, aS If it
had been infested by cOhort of demons
I and two whole years elapsed without any
new attempt to erect the cross in so perilous
. a field.
/ At length, however, an advertisement ap-
peared promising another effort in De half of
/ the gospel. The notice was unique, perfect
: backwoods curiosity, both as to its tenor and
mode of publication. Let me give it verbat-
i'm ct Iiteratm
sSBarbecue Camp Meeting.
There will be a camp meeting to comm ence
the last Monday OF this month, at the Double
Spring Grove, near Peter Brnson's, in the COun-
The ex trcises will oren with sp' endd barbe-
. cue The preparations are being made to suit a II
tastes there will be good barbecue. better liquors
and the best Of Gospel PAUL DENTON.
''Sept. l, 1855. Missionary, NJ z. G.
This singular document was nailed to the
door OF every public house and grocery it
was attached to the largest trees at the in
y,f .,l
trails and even the wandering hunters
themselves found it in remote dells of the
mountains, miles away from the smoke of a
human habitatiOn.
At first many regarded the matter as hoax.
played by some wicked wag, in ridicule of
popular credulity But this hypothesis was
negatived by the statements of Peter BTin-
son, proprietor of the double Spring
Grove" who informed all inquirers that che
had been employed and paid by stranger
calling himself a Methodist missionary to
provide an ample barbecue at the period and
place advertised.
"Bu: the liqnor, the better liquor are you
to furnish the liquor, too?" was the inva.ia-
bic question of each visitor.
''1he missionary said he would attend tC
that himself" said BrinsOn.
''He must be precious original" was the
general reiOinder: a proposition which most
of them afterward had an opportunity Il
verify exDerimentally.
| need hardly add that intense excitement
resulted. The rumOr took wings and flew
on the wind, turned to storm, storm OF
exaggeratiOn, every echo increased in Its
sound, till nothing else could be heard but
the Barbecue Camp-meeting. 1t became
the focus of thought the staple of Dreams
And thus the unknown preacher had insured
one thing in advs nce-a congregation EN-
bracing the entire population of the country
which was likely the sole purpose of his
stratagem.
was travelling in that part of Texas at the
time and my Imagination being inflamed by
the common curiosity, / took some trouble
and attended. But, although my eyes wit
messed the extraordinary scene, ] may wei
despair of the undertaking to paint it the
pen of Homer or the pencil of HOgarth were
alone adequate TO the subimityand buriesqut
of such a complicated task. | may only
sketch the angular outline.
A space had been cleared away immediate
ly around the magnificent Double Spring,
which boiled up with sufficient force to turn
a mill wheel, ia the very centre of the ever
green grove. Here pulpit had been raised
and before it was the inseparable altar fol
mourners. Beyond these at a distance o.
fifty PAGES, succession OF plank tables eK