The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-13
SINNERS FALLINGIN SPASMS
A Noisy and Trreyerent Crowd Attract
ed to Mrs. Woodworth's Meeting.
A Hundred MOurners Unite in Shouting and
Praying Around the Trance Evangelist,
While Some Writhe in Commissions,

4
| Mrs. Woodwork drew crowded house at
Meridian Rink last night, nearly 1900 persons
being present. The front seats we're mostly
coupled by members of the United Brethren
| Church, on Oak street. whose meeting house
recently burned Mrs. Woodworths opening
| talk was in the nature of defense of catalepsy
or the trance condition. She spoke Of the won
derful visions Of John on the island Of Patmos,
and said: Nearly all we know of heaven is
| from John, and it comes in one of these despised
frances" She gave an account of the birth and
| life of Jesus, that in parts abounded in beauti-
| full language, quotations from the Word, from
| hymns and gospel songs being strung together
with reckless disregard OF logical sequence
and congruity. One of ner EXPLANATIONS was.
Oh my God, the sleeping churches to-day,
sleeping while Jesus is treading the wine press!p
and adding, "Oh my God, there are Judases all
over the land and in our churches They profess to
| love the Lord, but they betray Him with kiss"
This assertion was not exactly clear, but was
suffered to stand as it was while the song, Are
You Washed in the Blood of the lamb" was
taken up. The pastor of Oak-street Church then
said: THE duty devolves upon me to speak on
| the subject of money. It is known to most of
| you that meeting of this kind can't be run
without money. know there are many things
said in the newspapers but they have not said it
ALL want to say tonight that if the object of
| this brother meaning Mr.. Woodworth and this
sister Mrs. ". was to make money as they say
1T is an untruth. l know they had an offer
| made to them to come to this place and preach
the gospel for four weeks, and all expenses paid.
and they refused it. IA voice: Sat the Opera
house" Had he mr.. Woodworth] accepted it,
assure you, as one who loves him, 1 could not
have taken part in the meetings. He was
determined to make salvation free. This gos-
| pei is offered free TO you tonight. The papers
say 1t is money scheme You see at once it is
| impossible to make money. This brother is at
great expense His object is to save souls. The
expense to run this great hall is enormous
thing, not short of 5000 during the month. He
cannot afford to bear all this expense himself l
want eight persons to take hats and wait upon
| this congregation"
While the collection being taken up the
persons about the platform who were provided
with song books sung
I'd rather pray my life away
Than live in hell half day;
There is a union in the heaven where belong,
There is a union in the heaven where belong,
There is a union in the heaven where belong;
belong to the blood washed band.
After the collection one of the men who passed
the hat expressed to journal reporter his dis
gust at the beggary Offering of small change
that had been taken up. Mrs. Woodwork called
for short testimonies, and half dozen or more
persons spoke One man rose in the audience
and said: Il have beer crucifed in my heart to
see the spirit of irreverence that has been mani
Tested here. say without feeling that Indian
apos has not done right in this. The papers of
this city, and some of the ministers have greatly
erred in this. When Brother Sam Jones and
Brother Small were here they tried to break
their necks but they broke their own. In
town down in Texas preacher who met with
great deal of opposition asked in a meeting if
there were ten persons there who would stand
up for Jesus No one rose He then asked if
there were FIVE, and there was no response.
Finally rough fellow got up and said: L
don't know who this man Jesus is, but 1 am
| for any man who seems to have as few
friends as he appears to have in this town. Now
l don't see things just as this sister does, but
am for any woman who tries to preach Jesus
who has as few friends as Mrs Woodwork
seemed to have when she began preaching here
in this town." The speaker had made ten
strike. No less than thirty FIVE or forty persons
came up to shake hands with him and pat him
on the back.
George Rice then spoke. '"There are many
| here that knows me-" he said, land the channel
was in-daubed all over with sin. Tonight l
stand saved I've been saved for two years
| some tonight l went into little meeting, not
expecting to be there. wandering sinner, and
| might am saved on the solid rock" This
was followed by half a dozen more short
speeches and t there began to be great
| the Lord" man named Bogert made stirring
appeal His voice rang out like bugle, and its
| sympathetic strains thrilled the audience. In a
| moment no less than twenty were their feet
at the same time, talking, shouting and clapping
| their hands. Mr.. Woodwork and three or four
other seized the benches that are used for
| the mourners and rushed them in front of the
platform. One of the workers, Selling the hand
| of man the reporter yelled with glee,
s'Shes got the turn em now" More
| than hundred persons were on their knees
/ around the platform and mourners' benches
| while there was perfect bedam of prayer,
| thirty or forty persons praying at once .Ginger
Ale" the Italian, and others moved about among
| the audience yelling, clapping their hands and
shouting at the tops of their voices all the vari-
Gus appellators of the three persons of the Trim
ity, and shaking hands with every one they could
| reach.
While the praying and Shooting were at their
height there was a great noise in the back part
of the room, with much crowdng Persons were
| elbowing their way forward to what was
| going op. while others jumped upon the seats in
| order to look over the crowd. Mrs Woodwork,
with the light OF triumph in her eye, jumped
| upon one of the mourner's benches andcalled out:
| Every body come up and shake hands with each
| other. Come around the altar. Get around the
| altar and pray for those who want to get into
| the kingdom" At this time there were about
| hundred persons on their knees. Some of these
| were swaying backward and forward shouting
| as loud they could. Half a-dozen or more
appeared as if they were trying to ork them
| selves into commissions. After a time
one young man keeled over but the
/ spasm was short one. Two women
| fell over limp and pallid. Another rush was
| MADE by the crowd, and it looked for a moment
| as if those who were down would be smothered.
They were. however. vigorously famed the
crowd was pressed back and the PROSTATE mourn
| ers recovered.