The National tribune., 1885-03-26
"ENGINE THIEVES" g"
The Great Story of "Capturing
Locomotive"
BY REV. VIM. PITTENGER-
ICoPYRIGHTED. 1881
PRISON RELIGION.
CHAPTER XIV.

| brave comrades was one of indesCrbable sor-
row, gloom and fear. We knew not how soon
we might be compelled to follow in the same
| path and drink the same bitter cup. AS has
been before narrated, we had offered at Knox
vile to accept the award of the court in one of
the cases as the sentence of ALL since there was
not the slightest difference among US. At that
time, however, we were confident of aCquttal
Now that confidence had utterly vanished, and
| no one of our number anticipated anything but
| speedy death on the scalfold.
| But even without the addition of apprehen-
! sion for ourselves. the parting from loved
friends, whose voices Were still ringing in our
ears, while they themselves had passed beyond
| the gates of death into the unknown land of
| shadows, was enough to rend the stoutcst heart.
Few words We're spoken, but tears and sObs
were frequent.
! could not shed tear A fierce fever burned
in my veins, and my head seemed as If on fire.
For hours / scarcely knew where l was, or the
loss L had sustained. Every glance around
the room, which revealed the vacant places of
our friends would bring Onr sorrow in new
wave upon us again. Slowly the afternoon
wore on i'll grief too deep for words, and despair
too black for hope.
At last some voice suggested prayer. We had
no Chaplain, and few of us were professedly
religious, but the very thought of prayer seemed
to bring relief, and was eagerly accepted. We
knelt around the bare prison walls. as so many
prisoners have done before, aud tried to draw
near to God. We felt as if already cut off from
the world. Capt. Fry first prayed aloud. His
voice was broken by sobs but he did not now
pray for the first time, and we felt our faith
leaning on him as he poured out strong suppli-
cations for that Almighty help we SO sorely
needed. He prayed that Gods love might be
revealed to u.s. and that we light be able to trust
the Saviour even on the gallows. When he
ceased another took up the thread of petition.
After him, another and another followed, until
all but two had prayed aloud, and even these
were kuceling and sobbing with the rest. AS the
twilight deepened our devotional exercise grew
more solemn. In the lonely shadow of coming
hight, with eternity thus taDgibly open before
us, and standing on its very brink, we prayed
with nconceivable fervor. These exercies con-
tinued far into the night, and wrought their
effect deeply in our hearts. From that night /
recognized Gods right to my allegiance. did
accept Christ rs my Saviour, and determined
to confess His name before men, whether |
lived or died. This resolution in my own
case-and doubt not the same result was pro-
duced in other hearts-restored the fortitude
that had been so rudely shaken, and / felt
ncrved FOX any fate. Strangely enough with this
resignation to the worst came the glimmcr of
hope, unfelt before, that possibly life might
yet be spared.
This hour wrought complete and permanent
change in the routine of our priSon-life. Games
sports and stories were no longer our leading
pursuits. The cards we had been accustomed
to play for pas!ime only-an old greasy pack
obtained from the compassion Of some soldier on
guard-were thrown out of the window. and
that game given up forever. Each morning
and each evening We had O prayer meeting
not simply single PRAYER, but all praying in
turn. We asked for and obtained Bible from
the jailer. and read chapter or moro as part
of our exercises. aud sang hymns, SO that our
meetings became as much like those we had
witnessed in the distant but never forgotten
days of freedom as we could make them. There
was wonderful pathos in tho very rudeness, Of
the singing, for our sweetest voices were silent
in DEATH The remark was often made, If
Ross was only here to lead the snging!"
The one who read the Bible lesson was con-
sidered the leader Of tho meeting, and, for a
time we took this position b. turns. In
place of Do they miss me at Homer" we
sang the more inspiring and helpful Jesus.
Lover of my Soul" aud Rock of Ages" The
jaier, the guards, and all who came near tine
prison noticed the great change.
| had one peculiar difficulty which, to many
readers, will appear almost whimsical, but to
me was most real Our hope of ever rcgaining
liberty, or even preserving our lives much
longer was but slight; yet my greatest
difficulty in finding satisfactory religious
consolation had reference 10 q possible re-
lease. / had been q diligent law student,
and had managed TO continue the study
even in the army and in prison. But now it
was impressed upon my mind. with daily in
creasiug force, that | must submit the decision
of my future career to God. If | took this
matter into my own hands, could not feel
that was completely true to Him. Under
lying this feeling was the further conviction
that if made such Il submission Of my future
profession To God | would be led into the min
stry, and the thought of this was very repul-
VT H.. l.. !
tie palmer duty became. If gave myself to
Christ. it seemed necessary consequence that
| should accept any work He gave me TO do.
If feared that he wonld guide me in n certain
direction, this was sure proof that | was not
resigned to his will, and according to my
views not true Christian. At last the choice
was made-l resolved to follow my sense of
duty. no matter where that should lead. to the
ministry or anywhere else. When this conflict
was over there was no great emotional excite
mcnt-only sense of peace and rest | could
wait calmly in the prison until led forth to
die, if such should be my DOOM and then 90
forth out Of life feeling that | was loyal to
God, and that | should remain His, into what
ever worlds the gate of death should open. If,
contrary to all probability, the prison gate
should open for my passage back into the free
world, from which | seemed almost as ehectu-
ally separated as if death had already inter
vened, | promised still TO he loyal to Him.
inns was the essence OF the inward change |
date from that time Ny standard of action
before had been pleasure, inclination, the
worlds notion of honor and morality. Even
this had not been held too strictly, as the
reader of these pages has discovered But
afterwards, however imperfectly maintained
my standard became the will of God, as reveal
ed in the Bible. and my own sense Of duty as
enlightened by Ills Spirit. No great JOY such
as is often expressed in conversion. came at
first. But il even better than any Joy 10
feel that now had & strong arm upon which |
could leau-that there WAS One to whom /
could go at any time and who was not indiier-
ent TO my fate
| now read the Bible with clear purpose,
aud with light Oh its pages that never before
Leamed there. Its very history was full Of
new meaning. It's grand beginning, the growth
of wandering tribes into great empires the
pathGS o! the Psalms, the subimity and eternal
hope OF the Prophecies, and, above all, the life
and death of that loving and iowy man who
was greater than Psalmist or Prophet-all these
passed before me in the old Atlanta jal
until the place seemed like new Isle of Pat
mos. l had strong bent towards skepticisn,.
though ! had not yielded to it, and found it
hard to exercise simple faith in all the Word
of God. But little by little my doubts became
weaker and my conviction of truth clearer.
For a considerable time tho whole of our
party took turns in the leadership of our devo-
tious, but finally this work devolved on the
writer and after some months the guards and
NJ her uri SonprS begau tn call me tbe nraacher