The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-03-16
SAM SMALL'S CONVERSION.
Sam Jones' Able Lieutenant Tells
His Own STORY tn a Chi
cagO Reporter.
Chicago Inter- Ocean.

lI was tuiS way. 1ut 10 ii uuy W
last September (Sundav took my wife
and children and went from Atlanta, my
home, up to Cartersvrile, ,ft,y miles away.
10 hear Sam Jones preacn in big camp
meeting. 1t was kind of Sunday ex-
cursion. ANY change OF life up to that
time2 No; there had been no change Of
life up TO that time-hut for the worse. l
heard Sam Jones preach, and was con-
victed OF my sins. ] was awakened. This
was on Sunday. Invent home and got
drunk again, and l stayed drunk until
Tuesday afternoon. Then ] went into
my library at about 4 o'clock and pray
ed until felt that I saw my way clear.
hsd been thinking about my condition,
and ! felt that the time bad come TO stop.
I was getting over my depth. ] looked
the whole thing in the face and surren.
dered to the Lord. Then l went out and
had 1000 circulars printed announcing
that l would preach that evening at the
corner Of Marietta and Peachtree streets.
The first job printer I went to thought l
was crsz,. You see / had been on o
drunk, and my friends hal often thought
tbat.l would 60 crazy from drink and go
this man tnought the same and wouldn't
print nv hills. So l went to another
place and I got them printed at last. !
bad them distributed. and at the place
mentioned a great csowd assembled
wei ittame time for me to speak. I
old them what had happened. what /
was going to do, and told them / meant
business. They could stand of and see
me do it.
sAs soon as Jones heard what had
happoued he telegraphed me to come up
to CartersviIe and speak for him. Well,
| preached the next two nights in local
churches aud on Saturday l went up and
preached for Jones. From that day to
this have lost about dozen days,
speaking some days from one to four
times. Yesterday" and here was another
complete overturning OF the erroneous
theory OF his being converted some time
ago. studying with Bishop Beckwitb, etc.,
yesterday l was five months old in the
Gospel"
"Hov are yol satisfied with your
work ?'
Thoroughly. thoroughly. Ny best
friends said ought to have been in this
work long ago. NV mother prayed and
prayed for it till her death. l fought il
q, long as could. NV work has been
uniformly pleasant, and / feel that it has
been. blessed with success"
Nov, how many have you convert.
ed?'
well. you mean the two OF Us, since
have been working with Jones2 lts
hard to tell; it can't be told, but car
give you the estimates of our work to.
eether. In St. Joseph, Mo, 2 200; il
Birmingham, Ala, 500; in St. Louis
we'll. we can't tell, but by the best calcu
-lation by those in the churches, ahou
1900; in Cincinnati-there's absolutel,
no telling The names OF probably 3.
600 people in Cincinnati we're handed in
hut there were many, many people who
had been formerly connected with
churches who did not care to have theil
names given. 1t is thonebt that the live.
Of from 10000 to 10000 people were at
fec,ed by the meetings.
81 sm 35 years old and was horn il
Knoxville, Tenn on the 8 4 OF JULY, get.
ting In one day before the celebration o.
the Declaration OF Iodepen ience. ] en-
tered 4 nory and Henry College. in Vir
einia. Methodist College, 10 1869, leav'
ing college in 1871. l then vent into
newspaper work, 6rst in Nashville, being
engaged in various places, in New Or.
leans and other points in the South.
was in all kinds of newspaper work, run
ming several papers OF my own, some.
times into the ground, or getting the
Sheriff to run them for me. ! began the
old 81 papers 10 1875. during the Pres.
iden,isl campaign. In 1873 went with
nv family to Europe as an attache Of the
American Commissioners to the Paris
Exposition. l travelled about good
deal in France and f ,giand and saw all
sides OF life 10 my earlier youth was
thoroughly trained and intdoctrinatei in
Bible truth, which now comes back to
me, and | bring all the balance OF my
knowledge to bear upon the enforcement
of the truth"
"What OF the future ?"
"rhere is no future-but Chicago W.
are going to get through with It frst
NrY 4 l.