The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-08
neIlt.


The women of Wequetiquock Conn, are not
only pious but plucky, and, ifnot actually pow
erful in prayer, show great muscular ability i'll
the act of getting up prayer-meetings The
good people Of the village had peacefully held
their religious services in the school-house for
several years, but dissensions arose, they Will
in the best regulated communities, and the
whole neighborhOod took Sides AS o way of
quieting the strife, the selectman of Wequeti-
quock locked the school-house and said neither
faction should enter it. On a recent Sunday
eight noble and determined women re-
solved that divine worship should be held
in that schoolhouse or they would know
the reason why. Armed with sledge-hammers,
axes and crow-bars, and followed at a safe dis
lance by two or three men aud boys, who were
not instigated by devotion to the cause of the
Lord, but by profane desire to see the fun, the
band of sisters marched upon the closed sanctu-
airy. The building was bolted and barred, and
within were the selectman, who had been warned
OF the approach, and six stout men, whom he
had called in to help keep the women out The
attacking party battered away at wndow-shut-
ters and door, and though they were little left
handed in the use of the ak. the fastenngs soon
began to give way. AS soon as a window pane
could be broken woman boldly
attempted to crawl through, but was
violently Knocked out by the selectman. Not
dismayed she climbed up again, and when the
guardian OF public property put out his hand to
push her off it was promptly mashed with a
crow-bar and she scrambled triumphantly into
the arena. All this time the other women had
been engaged with the door, and encouraged by
the reassuring shouts of the sister inside re-
doubled their efforts and soon battered it in.
They flourshed their weapons hut did no execu-
ton beyond cutting off lock of hair from one
mans head with ak, and bestow-
ing few bruises with hammers
upon the backs OF the selectman and
his aids as they marched meekly out. After the
defenders were outside, and no doubt remained
that the women were vlctors, they proceeded to
show their forgiving Christian spirit by inviting
the vanG ushed foes to join them in PRAYER. The
invitation was declined, but the prayer-ineeting
held there that day is said by the participants to
have been soul-satisfying. The Lord, they felt
assured, was on their side, and they made re-
mark to that effect on the blackboard,
with a postscript in regard to the
superior Character of petticoated war
riors in battle when the petticoats were in
the right. These legends were the last straw.
The selecman might otherwise have let other
matters pass, but when he came on Monday to
see about repairing damages he saw the taunt-
ing words and his anger overlooked. The latest
phase of the affair is the arrest of the eight
women a charge of assault and battery and
breach of public peace. In community domi-
mated by women of religious and Amazonian
character, however, it is not probable
that any justice will endanger his bones by dar-
ing to infict punishment on the fair and mus
cular defenders of the faith. The right to wor-
ship in their own way-the great privilege of
this glorious csuntry-will doubtless be willingly
conceded to them, and hereafter the selectman
will know better than to interfere with women
who are bound to engage in devotion. The
women of Wequetquock have no fear, at this
stage of the game, that they will not be victori-
Gus to the end.