News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-11-11
A BLASPHEMER'S DOOM.
TnImage De 'Iares he Accuracy OF an AS
tOnishinR story.

In recent sermon the Rev DR.. Tai
mage discussed blasphemy and its con-
sequences He drew from ancient and
modern history for instances of the sud
den and awful punishment inflicted by
divine power upon blasphemers ana
warned his hearers to avoid the sin as
one that brings them into special dan
ger from an offended Providence His
most striking illustration was an Incl
dent that he declared happened on last
August He gives to a san reporter the
following corrected version of his narra-
tive
So common has blasphemy become
that the public mind and the public ear
have got used to it, and a blasphemer
goes up and down this country in his
lectures defying the plain law against
blasphemy, and there is not Mayor in
America that has backbone enough to
interfere with him save one and that
the Mayor of Toronto. Profanity is
worse than theft. or arson, or murder,
for these crimes are attacks on human
ity. That is an attack on God. This
country is pre-eminent for blasphemy.
The crime is multiplying in intensity.
God very often shows what He thinks
of it, but for the most part the fatality
is hushed up. give you a fact that is
proved by scores of witnesses. This
last August of 1886 a man got provoked
at the continued drought and the ruin
of his crops, and in the presence of his
neighbOrs cursed God, saying that he
would cut His heart out if He would
come, calling him a liar and coward,
and flashing knife. And while he was
speaking his lower jaw dropped, smoke
issued from mouth and nostrils, and
the heat of his body was so intense it
drove back those who would come near.
Scores of people visited the scene and
saw the blasphemer in the awful pro.
cess OF expiring. Do not think that
God has been silent of your case, o,
profane swearer that He is dead Is
there nothing now in the peculiar feel
ing of your tongue or nothing in the
numbness of your brain that indicates
that God will come to avenge your bias
phemies or is already avenging theml
There are hundreds of such cases Fam
lies keep them still to avoid the horrl-
BILE conspicuity. Physicians suppress
them through professional confidence.
Mr.. Talmage was asked for a circum-
stantial account of the blasphemer who
was miraculously burned to death. HIS
response was as follows: ~ appreciate
the desire for further details in this
matter, but purpos ely avoided locating
the event, and the reasons that actuated
me then impel me now to keep the af-
fair from the public. Such an event is
a terrible thing for the family and
friends of the man who was punished,
and 1t was out of consideration for them
that | omitted to state where the scene
was laid That it is strictly true, how
ever, | have conclusive evidence. | for
get just how 1t was brought to my at
tention. l heard it reported by some
body or got my first information by pri-
vate letter | cannot say which, but
am inclined to think it was the latter.
But no matter. l asked a trusted friend
to investigate for me, and he did so.
Some correspondence ensued, which he
turned over to me, and from it am as
sured that the affair did actually and
exactly take place as / describe it |
have the correspondence still, but
think 1 had better keep it to myself"