The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1888-07-27
A SOUTHERN PREACHER
The History of Sam Jones, Who Is Waking
Up the Georgia Churches.

Up the Georgia Churches.
1t is not an uncommon thing, writes
a Macon, Ga. correspondent TO The
PkiLadelphia Times, for a man not
worth a thousand dollars, who lives in
a small country town in a plain house
not fully paid for, to refuse the gift of
a $40, 900 house in a large city, and
yet that is what Sam Jones did the
other dav in Nashville. Apd who is
Sam JonesP
Written Oh the conference minutes
1t reads: Samuel Parkes Jones, agent
Orphans home" but nobody writes
him reverend and everybody calls him
Sam. He is SO years old, was born in
Alabama, was brought up in Georgia.
His father was a lawyer, and his moth
er a sensible, intelligent, and excellent
woman. Sam was a precOcious boy.
He was always ready for a lively time.
a dog-fght, t~isticuff, a fishing frolic,
or a speech. When he was 5 years
old he was booked for a speech at a
school exhibition. He ended his
speech with the prophecy:
Some day you'll hear in thunder tones
The famous name of Sammy Jones.
He went to the best schools and took
IN what he learned by absorption. No
body saw HIM study, but he knew
more than any of his fellows. The
teachers loved him, laughed at him,
and lathered him. He was full of
mischief, and was about l6 years old
when he began to fall into bad ways.
He was no vagabond, never a gambler,
a thief, or a coward, but he would get
| On nNtInh ~ tho nFInf NJ hIu
good mother and father.
His father took him into his office
and Sam sOOn was IS. p. Jones, ESQ.,,
attorney-at-law." He had NJ practice
and no money, but he met a bright
Kentucky girl and married her. He
ran an engine and drove a dray to make
a living. One day Sam, who vas en-
piOyed in running an engine which
was connected with an ore-crusLer at
a furnace, was much annoyed by those
who fed the crusher putting pieces of
rock into the hopper and throwing the
whole of the machinery out of gear.
! Sam declared very emphatically his
intention to knock the head off the
next man who did it. 1t was done d.
rectiy, and by a burly Irishman. Sam
seized a hammer and knocked the
Irishman down. Next day Sam was
coming from his cabin, and in an open
space. some distance from everyone,
stood his antagonist of the preceding
dav.
"Ye struck me Yesterday" said Pat;
mo mon ever strikes me Onct who
does not strike me again
Now, pat" said Sam, I'VE are
about even. You did what l told you
not to do, and | knocked you, as l said
/ would; don't bear malice; let's drop
the matter"
But the Irishman declared his deter
mination to have a fight then and there.
The Irishman had only one eye. Sam
looked 1t him with perfect GOODNESS.
Pat" he said, 81 don't want to
fight you; l can't; you could whip me
IN a minute; but l tell you what | will
do, you've got but n eye, and if you
lay your hand on me, sure as you are
living, / will gouge your eye out, and
you will be as blind as a bat
That settled it. Pat knew his a
and mnttering, ''The mon that will
gouge is a coward, left Sam alone.
One day Capt, Jones fell sick, and
in a little while the prodigal Sam stood
by q dying father. He was broken
with remorse. The father died and a
great change came over Sam. He
gave up his bad habits, and in two
weeks he was getting ready to preach.
That fall l saw him for the first time
Ia sallow, thin-taced, slouchy little
fellow, with a keen black eye; he came
to conference for a circuit. He got
one. He went TO it. He did not know
much about theology then,-in truth,
he doesn't know much now,-but he
knew men and he knew their needs,
and he began to preach what he knew.
He made men laugh and he made men
cry and he made men angry, and one
day he lost his temper and came very
near whipping a blacksmith who
angered him. He was rather unmerci-
full to men whose religion was ell
mouth or all tears.
In two years we took Sam into the
conference, and settled it that he
wcz}ld do. Since then he has won his
way. He can draw a larger audience
in Atlanta to-day than Cough could,
or Edwin Booth did. He went TO
Memphis, to Huntsville, to Knoxville,
to Brooklyn, and at last to Nashville.
They built him q great tent there.
They abused him, placarded him,
threatened him, and rallied around
him. The result Of three weeks meet
inQs was one thousand new members
to the churches and two thousand CON
versions.
Sam Jones' sayings have become
common property. Thew are his own.
They are gathered from all sources,
they always have a point. ssBrother
Jones. = said a nervous brother, what
makes you chew tobacco2n. 10 get
the juice ont. said Sam. Sam Jones
is Ike no one and no one is like him.
He Is simply Sam zones, who loves
the good, scorns the mean, and helps
the weak.
4 Ref0rmer.