, 1884-12-11
HIS LAST SERMON.
A Missouri Preacher Turns Up at
Pine Bluffs.
He Lectures to a Motley Audience
of Cowboys,
Drinks Freely, and is Afterward
Found Dead.

On last FRIDAY q man giving the name
of H. s. Price, arrived in Pine Bluffs.
He was very commonly clad, rather tall,
wore a full red beard, and appeared to be
about forty.6ve years of age.
Price claimed TO be a Clergyman Of the
Campbellite faith, and probably hailed
from Missouri. He was destitute of
money, and what food he obtained he re-
ceived through charity.
He gave it u that he wa willing to
preach a sermon to those who wished to
hear him on the following Sunday, and
Mr.. H. Sturth placed the grocery depart
ment ofhis establishment at the preachers
service.
As Price was the fst preacher who had
ever stopped over in Pine Bluffs for any
length Of time, the novelty OF the thing
caused the news that a sermon was to be
preached there to spread rapidly.
On Sunday morning cowboys from all
the ranches for miles around began to
pile into Pine Bluffs on horseback, and by
10 o'clock the three or four houses which
comprise the town presented as animated
an appearance as is usual at the height Of
the cattle shipping season.
While everybody waited in expectancy
for the ceremonies to open, whisky circu-
lated quite freely, and the dominic him
self was invited to indulge, so as to acquire
the needed inspiration for a vigorous
handling Of his subject. 1t is said that he
took only two drinks, but these were
ladled out to him in large lemonade
glasses, 80 that they represented a consid-
cradle quantity of raw spirits.
Price was finally placed on an improv-
ised platform and delivered a discourse
that lasted about thr~ee-quarters Of an
hour. His remarks were not character
lied by much brilliancy and at times they
were marked by an incoherency that indi-
Gated too plainly his inebriated condition.
Meantime his auditory was approach
ing a dangerous condition Of joviality,
and six-shooters were being handled with
careless grace and displayed with reck-
less prodigality.
The remarks of Price, such as they
were, were ~applauded literally and when
he finally wound up he was vigorously
encored, but quietly, yet firmly declined
declined to respond.
Everybody in the audience crowded
forward to congratulate the preacher.
You're no duffer, parson, if you do
wear Il bald faced shirt" said one, and
1 do believe you could knock the speckled
socks of n half the preachers this side of
New Jerusalem"
Yer from Arkansaw, pardner. | kin
tell it by yer eye. Now come off, don't
say you amt, an I'll bet my best cayuse
you kin stampede more big words than
any cusss this side of Cheyenne"
These remarks were supplemented by
invitations to drink to which the parson
graciously responded until the eighth
lemonade glass was handed him.
This he declined.
He declined it for the very good reason
that the limit Of his capacity had been
reached.
The parson wished to go to Antelope
and as a wagon was bound that way he
was loaded into it. He stood on
his feet awhile ~endeavoring to
make a parting speech, but it was only an
unmeaning tumble of words. At length
the team started and the person after a
few grotesque efforts to maintain his equi-
librium toppled over and fell prone in the
wagon.
The distance Il Antelope is about TWEEN
ty-two miles and during that time Price
never stirred or spoke a word. The driver
of the wagon paid little heed to this, how
ever, thinking that the man was lying in
a drunken stupor.
When Antelope was finally reached and
an attempt made to lift the person from
the wagon it was found that he was lying
stark and stiff in death.
Coroner W. F. Moore, of Sidney, Neb.,
held an inquest over the remains and a
verdict of death from unknown causes
was rendered.
The body has been buried at the ex-
pense of the county.