Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-08-02
A UaURCR BLOWE Or.
A lForms- Lancaster CounsyiPss,or surs Up
the IJauor Men

In st. Clair, Schuylkill county, on Satur.
day morning about 8 o'clock, the front Of the |
English Baptist church was blown out by
dynamiters. This is the last of a series of
outrages, the outcome of the active fight
made by the Law and Order society against
violations Of the liquor law. Their protests
against many illegally kept saloons resulted
in the revocation of the licenses. This was
followed eight months ago 10y the partial de
structicn of ID. w. Lewis store and residence
aud the narrow escape Of his family from
death by a dynamite explosion. Then the
society retaliated by sending Daniel Walker
to jail for selling without license He was
an old man, quite wealthy and owned the
only hotel in town. lie was i'll when he
went to Jail. His family was visiting Eng
land and the imprisonment hsstened his
death, which occurred three weeks ago, four
days after his release.
ON Saturday morning the church which
Lewis 4. Jones, George W. kerter, and
James =. Kelly, the most active law and
order men, attended and which until two
weeks ago had for its pastor Rev. William
owens, who had the reputation of being the
investigator Of all the society's work, was
blown up. The building stands on the cor
ner of Front and Carroll streets and has n
seating capacity OF about FIVE hundred. IL Is
low, frame structure and was erected nj
teen years ago. About hallpast twelve u
man was seen with lantern in the rear OF
| the church, but nothing was thought oil II
particularly, and no one was informed oft
until after the explosion. Just before three
o'clock men were heard running from the
| scene of the explosion by another party, but
| this did not excite suspicion. An old gente-
| man named Koch, unable To sleep on ac.
| count of the heat, was kneellng a. his bed
| room window and saw light, ike the
| lighted end of cigar, near the church door,
| and a few seconds later suddenly was thrown
on his back by the shock of a terrific eAplos-
| ion.
The whole town was aroused and in a few
| moments the neighborhood was swarming =
| with people, The dynamite, with lighted
fuse attached, had been put in a cbiuk under
| the front doorstep. Fortunately, the chink
| opened into the cellar, which is large and
| roomy, and where the worst force oi the eN
| plosion was lost in vacant space. The front
| doors and windows, the vestibule and the
rear pews were shattered. There was not a
| building in the neighborhoOd but had at
least half dozen psnes of glass broken.
| Rev. Wm. owens was its pastor Tor three
| years. The cause of his resignation is not
known. lie did not have another call and
| there was no serious trouble in the COngre-
CATION. He left Immediately alter resigning
for Lancaster county, where he i visiting
relatives Owens came to this county from
Cham bersburg. For a time he was pastor OF
| Coleraiu Baptist church, but differences
arose in the congregation, a section of i
split Off and founded the Drumore Bsptis
church, at the Unicorn. He laoored Their
tor time came to the Baptist church q
this city for two years, and then went to 81
| Clair. He was a radical temperance mar
| and his very positive disposition engaged
| him IN frequent controversy.
| For time also owens was pastor OF the
| academy at Chestnut Level and altos ether be
has not very ssyory reputation III these
parts