The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-07-14
.I.I,N- NIAnNlnN.


's.'Hs T., i: :; y:.. sta.
The death or2sSSe Terry, Il
greatest Mormon clcser cast OF Utah al
the leader in what was once scttlcmcl
of $50 OF the Latter Day Saints, whic
occurred at 2crryvi!lc, \. J., last wecl
virtually closes the history Of Momo,
ism in New Jersey OF al Tic old Sc
tlement but two people now remain
one, Adclinc Meyers, al old itsai(i, no.
residing in Hainesvillc: and the Other
Martin Recton, an old bachelor, Twin
away back in the Blue Ridge Mountains
fifteen miles from Deckc,town. III
history OF this community, Us obtainc'
from Silas Suydam, or s'Wloa-boy Silc
as he is more commonly called, is an III
teresting one. In fact, old Sile hinisel
is in an interesting story. Sic is one o
Oldest settlers in the Blue Ridge Noun
tainS, and lives in what Was once tht
very heart OF the eastern Utah. Early
one morning last week i Star reporter
started from Dcckcrtown to hear Sile'<
story of Mormonism He found the old
man suffering from rheumatism, con,
tracted during the war, and for which he
now draws pension. After the uSUa!
remarks about the weather and the value
of the horschcsh which The reporter had
been driving, the latter said:
Say, Sile, did you ever hear of a
Mormon settlement up i'll this neighbor-
hood?"
'tDid ever hear OF it? Do remcm-
Der it? Well, I guess I do. l come
pritty near bein' a Mormon myself them
days. Long in the sprinSof 30, l think
it was, when an old, long-haired pilgrim
come marchin' into town one morniG'.
He said his name was Lane, Elder Lane,
from Salt Lake City. Hc lad 4 pack of
paper-covered books under his arm, and
he left one at every house. [ think l
got the one he left here yet. Just wait
till / so In and see.
The old man walked into the house
and returned in a few minutes with Il
yellow-covered book containing about
fifty pages, entitled 'sThe Christian Way;
A History of the Rise and Progress OF
the Mormon GS.:lrch, by julius Lane
ssThet ere book" said Sile, rcsuming
his story, sis what didit. The winnlin
folks got hold on it an read it over an
over, an they'd get together an talk
about atween themselves. Old Lane
didn't stop thct time, but he came back
in about week an writ out notices thet |
he was agoin' to stay al preach On Sun
day. Thet was long about the middle
of the week, I think, an he spent the
rest of the week goiD' around nailin' |
these notices up on trees. Well, Sunday !
come, an the whole mountain turned
esit to hear what the old man had to say. /
I xas there long with my sister, Salie
Ann. Sn' l he'd a lot Of paper an 3 piece
of chaaeGal, an [ put down the Scrip
t,lre notes thet the old fellow read. I
kinder thought he might lie q little, or
read 'e,n wrong os slthin', don't You
know, an when I got hum [ got down
the old Bible, all hunted up every one
of the texts what he had read, an by
gosh, they were there, an just like he'dS
said 'em, TOO. I thought l 'Yasa pritty
GOOD scriptorian myself, but some how |
II, Init recommember of ever harin' read
then, things before. There they was,
though. in black and White, an Il;
couldn't % back on the Bible. II WAS
the most derlllishest hole ever got into.
I talked with some of the neighborS
about it, and at iiaS: we decided to hold
q meetin' unbelnoWnsS 70 e to talk
it over and see what to do !2Dout It. We !
didn't just like the idea o. goil back on ! !
our Methodist brethren down to Sal2lis-
ton, but we was agoin' to be crigkt, brcth- !
rem or no brethren. The night for the I
neetin' come, an about tllirtyii"e OF us !
gathered in my house, this same cd
house right here, pointing to the house. :,
Il thought we'd best open the meetln !
With prayer for help to decide the ones 4!
ion, an so I got up an prayed the good !
Lord to tell us which Was right. Well, e
IN, maybe yo.' won't believe it, but Il
;uthin said t, 'Silc, you'd bGst leave "
hat galoot alonv. / heard it just rs Il
olain as day. It come so suddiut, byi :
,osh, that made up my n;ind on the $
pot to stick to the Mcthodists. 1t didn't q
eem to strike the others that way, "
hough, for every mothers son of them y
-oted to have the old sinner stay and q
,reac. j
ssW2sl, course one couldn't 10 nuthip ~
an 50 they he'd their g:
say, an Lane was invited to preach. He
vas more than willin' to, You bet, an he "
e,,t right on Sunday after Sunday l
nakiin' new converts all the time. BY F
n by, I guess twas after he he'd been &C
ere 'boss six months, he got up in 81
oeetia' one Ssaaday, an said: Brethren, as
re been here some time now alaborin' II
ocether. an the cASrch of God has bt
rowed up to be a big one. Part OF our m
elision is to baptize, an all OF .ou must al
e baptized afore you can s1t to heaven. ne
hen he said he would le astandin' on OF
he shore of Lake Shipcons a. y o'clock p
act night, an he would baptizc FL who II
ed iined the faith. Everybody was.aed tn tn
see how it was done, an so everybody II 4
as there. At exactly Il o'clock Old III
ane stepped into the lake, an about N
.inute after Ann Harrison, 4 youns III! tn
bout 20 years old, followed him. Hei +
to sing u song, and then he pc
ouced her down into the water. He hc
one this three times, IN then he asked II;
" anybody else that wanted to be bap- WI
zed, and young Tom Eag-,crmann nc
epped into the water. He was followed ste
= twenty-one more, an then they al h9
ent home. After this baptism they sls