Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-07-29
The Leek-Seed Chapel.

WIFI great TdplOity ONeI Vic CouHeleS
of Devon and Cornwall, and espec-
tally among the miners and lower or
ders. For long time after its in
PRODUCTION the clergy and higher or
ders of society in the west of Eng
land manifested degree of dislike to
the new doctrines which can scarce
ly be imagined in these days of mod
ern liberation. 1t was thought by
many young gentlemen good sport to
break the windows and nail up the
doors of Methodist chapel. The
robbery of a Wesleyan preacher, as a
spree, by two young gentlemen, be-
came the subject of judicial investi-
CATION, and the frolicsome young men
had to pay very dearly for their prac-
teal joke.
Among the uninstructed local
preachers was one known by the
name of 'sThe Old Gardener" This
old man was no common character,
indeed he was quite an original, and
by far the most popular preacher
among the disciples of John Wesley
in that vicinity. He kept small
nursery garden about two miles from
the town of st. A., working
hard at his occupation as gardener
by day, and praying and preaching
to his fellow-sinners, as he called
them, in the evening. He lived in
the poorest manner, giving away all
the surplus of his earnings in chart
ty, distributing Bibles, and prompt
ing 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 grotesque. Although ex-
tremely ignorant, he possessed no
small degree of cunning, and great
personal courage. OF this the fol-
lowing incident affords ample evil
dence:
The ''Old Gardener was once
subjected to burglary and attempt
at robbery. He lived with his wife
in small and somewhat dilapidated
cottage not far from the high road.
Three young squires who had just fin
ished their studies at the university,
and who all despised and hated
Methodism, having heard that the
old man had recently been making a
collection to build a Methodist chap
ell, thought it would be a good frolic
to rob him temporarily of the pro-
ceeds of his collection. The result
of the frolic is best related in the
words of one of the actors.
"We set OUT said he, "upon our
expedition with blackened faces, on
dark night, little before twelve
O'Clock. We had dined late, and all
of US had Dutch as well as Cornish
courage; yet 1 confess, when it came
to the point, / felt myself coward.
I began to reflect that it was but
dastardly frolic to brighten poor old
man and his wife in the dead of the
night.
comes tiae vvitctine time of niesnt,. !
exclaimed Tom.
Don't let US brighten the poor cou-
pie out of their WITS said /.
No. said Ryder, I'VE will be gentle
robbers-gentle as Robin Hood and
little john
I said that 1 would rather travel
back than proceed. 'Recollect,' said
/, 'the old fellow is an old soldier as
we'll as a saint, and fears nothing
human
Nonsense exclaimed Ryder, 'here
goes
He pressed the feeble door of the
cottage in which the old man resided ;
it Immediately gave way and flew
open. We entered, and found our
selves in sort of kitchen. To our
great surprise there was. light shin
ing from an inner room. This made |
us hesitate.
who is out there at this time of |
night r exclaimed hoarse voice from
within. / knew it to be the unmis-
taxable 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 Lord's-take it if you
darep
iWe must and will have it, said
we, as we entered the inner room, af-
ter taking the precaution of fastening
the chamber door as we entered.
We soon wished we had suffered it
to remain open, as you will see.
Now consider us, face to face with
the 'Old Gardener and a pretty
sight we presented. Three ruffians
(ourselves) with white wagoners'
frocks and blackened faces. Before
us the sold Gardener sitting on the
side of his bed. He wore a red wors-
ted nightcap, check shirt, and
flannel jacket; his iron-gray face,
fringed with grizzled beard, looking
as cool and undismayed as if he had
been in the pulpit preaching. A ia
BILE was by the side of his bed; and
Immediately 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 a castle. A can
die was burning on the table, and
the old fellow had a steel in one