St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-10-02

funeral ceremonies were the occasion
of the crowd.
Jerry McAuley was the son of
counterfeiter and gambler, and at I3
years old began his own career as
thief. He grew into manhood and de-
velOped into prize fighter in humble
way, and was by and by sentenced to
states-prison for IL years for highway
robbery. The particular crime of which
he was convicted he always said he
did not commit, but he was bad
enough to have committed it. He was
a desperate young man when he went
to Sing Sing, and it is said that when
he was new in prison he planned to
kill the man whose testimony convict
ed him so soon as he should get out.
But there he fell under the influence of
an evangelist who touched tender
spot in his heart, and he experienced,
without chance for doubt, what is
called conversion. He became "a new
man in Christ jesus" as the revival
lists say and made up his mind to go
into the world and help others to the
new life he had found. Although a
pardon was proffered him, McAuley
Determined to serve his full time, and
city, to his own people, and his own
received him. He worked for the good
of the depraved and wretched inhabit-
ants of the 4th ward, and finally, with
the help of good men who heard of
him and believed in him, established
the Water street mission that became
so well known as marvellous centre
of religion and reform. He was AN un-
educated, supplemented man, he had
no power of oratOry, no attractiveness
of person, On,-nothing but sense of the
saving grace of the life and death of
Jesus Christ. His whole gospel was
that of ''poor Joseph" in the old tract:
"This is faithful saying, and worthy
of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners, of
whom | am chief His earnestness,
his humility, his inexhaustible tender
ness and perseverance lifted and saved
who can say how many of his fellows
even from among the temptations and
discouragements of poverty and crime,
to lead upright and honorable lives.
A few years ago he thought he could
do much good in quarter of the city
where fallen women particularly
abounded, and with this hope the Gre
morne gardens in Thirty second street
were bought by some rich men with
consciences, and became the CremOrne
mission. In the service of that mission
Jerry McAuley passed the few years
yet remaining to him. He had for
years past an efficient helper i'll his
wife, a woman whom he had redeemed
from an evil life, as he himself had
been redeemed. He has been a mere
wreck of humanity, physically, for
long time, and died ut last of hemor
rhage from the lungs. His funeral was
celebrated in the Broadway tabernacle,
not far from the scene of his latest
labors, and Rev. DIR. w. NJ. Taylor,
Rev. DIR. Charles F. Deems, Il pious
banker or two, Linda Gilbert, Gen.
Clinton b. Fisk, and many others of
note in the world were present, some
to speak, all to pay respect to the
river-thief who by Gods grace had
done more than they all. This was
well, but the significance of the occa-
sion was in the gathering of those that
are usually without those decOrous
| New York churches, thousands of
whom had to wait in the street, until
the talking and the singing were over,
for their opportunity to pass by the
coffin and look on the face of their
brother. They saw. says "a reporter,
no doubt truthfully, "a thin white face
which was neither solemn nor sanity"
but it was that of an apostle of Jesus
Christ, whose last words, at is all
right" pointed to his hope for them
all Springfield Republican.