News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-08-26
THE LEEK-SEED CHAPEL.
A CENTENARY REMINIsCENCE.

Soon after the PRONUNCIATION of Me
thodism in England, it spread with rap
| idlty over the counties of Devon anC
Cornwall, and especially among tn,
miners. For long period after its in
PRODUCTION, the clergy and higher order.
Of society in the west of England, man
| ifested dislike for the new doctrine,
which can scarcely be imagined in these
modern days of toleratlon. 1t was
thought by many young gentlemen good
sport to break the windows and nail
up the doors of Methodist chapel. The
robbery of q Wesleyan preacher as a
spree by two young men became sub
ject of judicial investigation, and the
frolicsome young men had to pay very
dearly for their practical Joke.
Among the uninstructed local preach
ers, was one known by the name of "the
old gardener" This old man was no
common character, indeed, he was quite
original, and by far the most popular
preacher among the disciples of John
Westley in that vicinity. He kept a
small nursery garden about two miles
from the hall St. A, working hard at
his occupation as a gardiner by day,
and praying and preaching to his fellow
sinners as he called them, in the even
ing. He lived in the poorest manner,
giving away all the surplus of his earn
ings in charity, distributing bibles, and
promoting to the utmost of his ability
the extension of Methodism. His com
plexion was a sort of dirty, dark iron
gray and his whole appearance lean and
DrOtpSnnn Althn,lph olr
rant, he possessed no small degree of
cunning and great personal courage Of
this the following incident affords am
pie evidence:
The sold gardener" was once sub
jected to burglary and an attempt at
robbery. He lived with his wife in a
small and somewhat d dilapidated cot
tage not far from the nigh road Three
young "squires who had just finished
their studies in the university and who
despised and hated Methodism, having
heard that the old man had been recent
ly making collection to build a Meth
odist chapel, thought it would be a
good frolic to rob him, temporarily, of
the proceeds of his collection. The re-
suit of the frolic is best related in the
words of one of the actors:
"We set out " said he, "upon an ox-
pedition, with blackened faces, on a
dark night little before twelve o'clock
We bad dined late, and all of us had
Dutch as we'll as Cornish courage; yet
| confess, when it came to the point,
felt myself a coward. l began to reflect
that it was but a dastardly frol;c to
frighten poor old man and his wife in
the dead of the night.
''The clock struck twelve. Now
comes the witching time OF night, ex
claimed Tom.
Don't let us frighten the poor
couple out of their wits, said |.
No. said Ryder, I'VE will be gentle
robbers gentle as Robin Hood and Lit
tie John
81 said that I would rather travel
back than proceed. 'Recollect, said |,
the old fellow is an old soldier, as
well as a saint, and fears nothing hui
man.
Nonsense, exclaimed Ryder, here
goes
Gle pressed the feeble door of the
cottage in which the old man resided,
it Immediately gave way and flew open.
We entered and found ourselves in
sort of kitchen. To our great surprise
there was light shining from an inner
room. This made us he sitate.
Who is out there at this time of
nightr exclaimed hoarsc voice from
within. knew it to be the unmistaka-
BILE voice of the old gardener
Give us your money, and no harm
shall befall you,' said Tom; but we
must have your money
' The Lord will be my Defense re-
joined the old gardener 'You shall
have no money from me All in the
house Is the Lords; take it if you
dare
we must and will have it. said we
as we entered the inner room, after TAX
ing the precaution of fastening the
chamber door as we entered.
owe soon wished we had suffered il
to remain open, as you will see.
''NOw considerer us face to face with
the old gardener, and a pretty sight
we presented. The ruffians (ourselves)
with white wagoners' frocks and black
ened faces. Before us the old garden
er, sitting on the side of his bed. He
wore red worsted night-ca check
shirt, and flannel jacket; his iron gray
face, fringed with a grizzly beard, look.
ing as cool and undismaycd as if he had
been in the pulpit preaching. A table
was by the side of the bed. and imme-
diately In front of him, on a large deal
table, was an open Bible, close to which
we observed, to our horror, a heap of
gunpowder large enough to blow up
castle. A candle was blrninr on the
table, and the old fellow had a steel in
one hand and large flint in the other
We were all three completely paralyzed.
The wild, iron-faced, determined look
of the old gardener the candle, the
flint and steel, and the heap of powder,
absoll tely froze our blood, and made
towards of us all. The gardner saw the
impression he had made.