The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-11
4 WOMAN WEEPS In PUBLIC.
An Unsympathctic Audience Causes
Mrs. Woodwork to Burst Into Tears.
The Evangelist's Husband Wrathfully Re-
Dukes and Threatens Curious Sinners Who
0verstep the Bounds of Propriety.

There were about five hundred people at the
Meridian Rink last night to hear Mrs. Wood
worth. She began with her usual words to
arrest the attention, my dear. dying friends,
get your eyes on Jesus" and took as her text
Escape for thy life," taking the story of Lot
and the destruction Of the cities of the plain
Her discourse, as usual, was rambling, without
logic or connection, bubbling over with inter
jections and explanatory expressions Toward
the conclusion of her talk she asked that all get
down and pray together. Ask God to send con-
fusion on the enemies camp, that they may be
SO confused they will have to seek Jesus
The meeting seemed, with the exception of
about three dozen persons near the platform,
very unsympathetic Mrs. Woodwork evil
IDENTIFY felt this and burst into tears while ex-
pressing that thought. She said she had heard
that q man prominent in one of the rich churches
of this city had said these meetings were a re-
proach to the churches in this city. "Why. "
she asked, "are they reproach2 Because we
do what the rich churches do not doR We stoop
down and take up the poor We took this man
here, Catholic all his life. and converted him.
We have with US here this colored sister and
colored brother Let us drive away prejudice
and come out on the Lords side. If l lose nv
life in this town it would make no difference to
me. SUDDEN death would mean sudden glory"
About two dozen persons, half of them strang-
ers in this city. who have worked with Mrs
Woodwork elsewhere, and che workers who are
regularly engaged with her, gathered in front of
the platform, at the "mourners bench"
Mrs. Woodwork asked some one to
pray. and pandemonium broke loose
for almost the entire two dozen moaned, ard
groaEed, and talked at once Finally a man
with an apoplectic countenance got the lead and
managed for a time to make himself heard above
the din.
Shortly before this chorus of bedlam ceased a
number of persons had crowded up about the
mourners merely lookers-on. Mr. Wood
worth, who, from his place on the platform, had.
for some time, been swelling with rage rose and
said: i've been in this work nearly five years,
and never saw such conduct anywhere This
thing of crowding about here by people who
have no idea of praying has got to be stopped
This house is hired and paid for holding meet
ings. Any more talking, any more running
back and forth, and you will take the conse-
quences"
A number of experiences were then given by
persons about the mourners' bench, and by half
a dozen persons here and there in the audience
The coored man. who, with his wife. travels
with the Woodwork combination, spoke and
spoke well, his subject being Manners" in
which he gave a rebuke to those whose levity
and moving about had interfered with the serv-
ices. His wife led the singing, as on previous
occasions, and did well In fact, these two col
ored people are the most interesting of the par
ty The two girls from Muncie. and "Ginger
Ale." as the Italian is called were hardly as de-
monstrative as on the night before The entire
party, with the exception of Mr.. Woodwork,
who never speaks except to talk business are
troubled with bad colds.