The National tribune., 1885-10-22
THE STORY OF a. BELL,
Stolen and Brought Home as q Trophy from Texa

StOien ana brought Home as trophy from lexaS
To THE EDITOR: In April, 1s47. five young
| blades, soldiers of an Illinois regiment then
serving in Mexico were about to leave Vera
| Cruz for the fresides of home. They had en-
| dured the hardships of war and the pleasures
consequent upon the rending and lascerating OF
| the hearts of scores Of luscious senoritas The
| war was about over, the ship that was to carry
| them to New Orleans lay at the wharf, and
| our heroes started out i'll the dusk of the last
evening to once more serenade some black
| eyed damsels whose charms had made immense
| dents in their tender hearts
The serenading party consisted Of John NJ
! Gill, tenor; Sam Rhoades, soprano, and Lafay-
| cite fancy basso profundo; while John John
| and Frank Rhoades doth long since dead
made up the chorus. Softly and nimbly they
| stole along the shadows of the adobe garden
| wall, and nelOdiously they chanted the sweet
| notes of Roll on, Silver MOOn," when, 10! the
deafening sound of neighboring church bell
| Changed so discOrdant a clatter that the voices
| of the serenaders were drowned in the din.
| Full Of youthful mischief, and enraged at the
interruption, tho boys resolved to steal the bell
! and take it home with them to Pekin, III.
| Bells in Mexico. outside the large cities, are
hung in rude belfries on the outside of the
| churches, consisting merely of a tripod made
of long poles. Jack Gill climbed to the top
| and there found three bells, the smallest OF
| which he lo0sened so that it dropped to the
ground. A hogshead full of straw was procured
| from ncighboring Quartermaster, into which
| the bell was packed and rolled on board the
| Ship then Just ready to sail. They would have
taken the largest of the bells. but only the
smallest would go into the hogshead.
When the boys returned to Pekin they were
| handsomely received by the citizens; many a
| dance and banquet was given in their honor,
| and the ministers preached sermons in which
| the returned volunteers were lauded for their
| gallantry and glorious deeds, John NJ. Gill
had brought back with him the genuine and
| only Santa Anna cork Leg" and was, there
| fore, quite hero.
| One night while brother Gill was attending
prayer meeting at the old Dutch Reformed
| Church, he happened to think of the old Next
| can bell which still lay on the Pekin steamboat
landing. As soon as prayer-meeting was over
| he called the boys together and they all agreed
| that the cause of religion would be helped if
| their relic was mounted in the belfry of the
| Dutch Reformed Church. Amid imposing cere-
| monies the captive bell was raised to its place,
and there for many years it tinkled and changed
| its summons to come and hear the man of God
preach honesty and morality.
But prosperity and a crowded auditorium
became the lot Of the church. The town in
creased in size and the tones of the bell from
the land of the senoritas failed to reach the
worshipers in the far-Off recesses of Pekin.
The bell was transferred to the belfry of the
| little Methodist Chapel, while the Dutch Re-
| formed Church INDUCED in a more sonOrous-
| sounding monitor.
But the doctrines of Wesley and the preach
! ings of Father Cartwright did not commend
themselves to our little wandereT, for during a
glorious revival of religion one Winter the SEX
ton gave an extra pull at the rope, and the iron
clapper responded with clang so hard that the
poor old bell cracked. After that its sound was
too doleful for the lively gait at which Metho-
dists journey on the narrow path to Heaven.
and in moment of unparalleled generosity they
presented it to the English Catholic Church.
Oldtimers say that there was great rejoicing
among the priests and laity when the old bell
once more hung in the belfry of a Catholic
Church, and it seemed when the good Father
gave the first pull at the rope, the brazen cast
ing responded for an instant with its oldtime
harmony of sound. Once more it hung at rest
over the church of the old faith, and once again
its cracked voice called the followers of st.
Peter to early mass and curfew late. There for
over IL years the old Mexican war trophy has
hung while Jack Gill and Sam Rhoades are the
only ones of the screnading party who are
left to listen to its daily peals.-C. A. KUHL,
14th ILL.,, Pekin, Ill.