Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-06-23
BEN. HOGAN'S LECTURE.
A Largo Audience and an Interestine
Discourse.

n N0A60 anu IN xmL6t&4Ebnl
Discourse.
From San Francisco Chronicle,
The Methodist Church was packed las,
night with people anxious to hear the fire.,
lecture OF Ben. Hogan, the celebrated con
verified pugilist, who has achieved q repu
tation as an exponent Of the Temperance
cause second only to that of the late :Johr
B. Cough.
The exercises were oper ed by the choi,
singing q number OF appropriate hvnnns
"Come, We Sinners" etc, in which the au.
dience was invited to Join. Rev. Mr.,
White, pastor Of the Presbyterian Church
IN this city, offered prayer, the choir again
warbled. and Mr.. H"gan was introduced
by the Rev. Mr.. Bradsha ", who acted as
master OF ceremonies.
The ex-pugilist sp' ang lightly to the
scratch and led of with some heavy bodv-
blows on several old spurts whom he
rowded to the ropes in the following man.
ner: II hear that there arr a great MANY
and whisky -drinkers on the Com
stock' and th-y are the parties it is H.,
particular desire to convert. Now, then,
al you old-stagers and f"ur.time losers
Please step this way and take front SEATS"
a silence OF some seconds ensued. no one
seemed anxious for the notoriety aforward
o..oAneAo "Ou'u give ulIu, Wuen 6unQenIy
Andy Mccoy accepted the invitation and
led the grand march, which instantly as.
sumed large proportions. Two or three of
tne 'front.' benches were soon packed, and
the lecturers cOuntenance beaned with
pleasure as he surveyed the interesting
group OF bald-headed and wrinkled knights
Of the bowl and faro layout.
Mr.. Hogan opened his discourse bv a. :.
ing mat the audience must not expect to
hear any iowery %eloquence or oratory from |
him, as he was not q scholarly man, At
the time OF his c"nver ion to Christianity I
ana temperance, about eight years ago. he 4
neither read or write, had never been |
~ a church. and did not know there was a |
Uud or a devil. HIS hearers would therefore |
overlook any flaws in his language.
The speaker then gave an interesting |
account OF his checkered career, how he had
oilowed the Union army during the wal as
a trader, had been arrested as a spy and
to death, and while sitting on
his coffin waiting to be shot a pardo signed
by Abraham Lincoln arrived. He after.
war IS returned to New York, and being a
man OF great strength and an athlete. he
got in with the gang and develored
INTO a rize'fighter. This success whichfol-
lowed his efforts in this direction, whereby
ne made money "hand over fist" soon led
Inn into the widest excuses, and in a year
- WV NC Sduh lTOul one Oh Tue Q0e6C DnVSl-
al specimens OF humanity to a tottering
bloat.
The speaker cited the wild ogries of John
:. Sullivan as a mild illustration of his own
llsslpated career, and showed how easily a {
nan may go down hill. (
hogan says he was q married man. but
3 now a widower. During his unregenerate ,
avs be says he was a constant burden to {
rs DEMONSTRATED her constantly 10y c
taying away from HON three or four days
i a time, but with all his fighting propen-
tiles he never struck her. [Applause.
plenty OF money his wife never SUI =
red for the necessities of life; in fact she
as bountifully supplied with everything
ne needed. But that was not the poiLt-he
as breaking her heart by his drunken and 8
rotiigate conduct and by keeping himself +
way from their home. '
The many interesting incidents in the y
ereer OF this remarkable man, as related a
y himself last night, would occupy too I
Iuch space for the Chronicle to give oven a r.
OF them; therefore our readers are s
1vised to visit the church themselves this D
'enlng in order to get the full benefit of a
r. Hogan's experience. +,
As before stated, the lecture is free, but b
10 contribution plate is passed in order G,
meet Mr.. Hogan's travelling expenses, r,
hich, the gentleman says, are very light. t,
ie probably taken advantage OF the Fl
ilroad war-REp.l He did not desire to CT
AXE money, but was labor.ng in the cause W
fallen humanity. He had expended IL
me 50 900 in his efforts in this direction b,
far-all he had when co~nverted-and &C
tn the help OF God he should continue in te
9 good work as long as he was able. CT
humorous remarks were made by
rtain waggi<h members of the audience kt
len Andy Mccoy was requested by the lei
". MIR. Bradshaw to pass the contribu- 10
IN plate. O"e jealous old check guerilla NJ
ar
IN bet he'd get a faro stake out of that M
ne amt closely watched" "a
No, he WON'T" replied another, "the III
nister's to-" fly. He got on to Andy's go
arm, and saw that it would be DC
rfectly safe to trust him with the plate su
his other hand" TT
dr. Hogan is an earnest and powerful ar
horter, and his remarks were listened to la,
with rapt attention. At the
80 Of his address he stepped down to
hands with the audience, and the
'wd tat surrounded him reminded one tt
the scene hat occurred at the depot
e n John L.. Sullivan visited the Conf
,ck,