The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-07-30
EVANGELIST BRICK. =


BY K l.. kETCHuh. t
Away up there in the mountains, at
H, our sources OF spiritual enlight.
eminent were very limited indeed. In
tho first place, we were so far away from
civilization that it is more than proba-
BILE that not one missionary in two dozen
knew OF our existence. Secondly, as
there were no ladies in H, and
hence no sewing circles, ministers who
craved society of more refined sort
than that Of Sam Hiles's poker room
were inclined to fight shy Of US.
Once or twice, to be sure, We had had,
for brief period in each instance, a
minister all to ourselves. The first one
was brand-new, very Jealous, weak
eyed, scholarly, studious, and shy young
man, with Bostonese method of handl-
ing the kings English. But this one
was not happy. He might have been a
star OF the first magnitude at ladies'
Browning club, but at H he was as
much out OF place as the proverbial cat
in strange garrett. He seemed to care
little for the society Of his fellow-beings,
at least those in H. The boys tried
to make him feel at home, and every
once in q while some one would ask
him to drink, but he never did. So it
came to pass that his life grew burden
some, because the boys called him isis, "
and paid about as much attention to
him as If he had been tailors dummy.
But when Hill Tobias, the big, kindly
wit OF the camp, on hearing the
reverend cough one day, said: Sonny,
ye've got tn Group, an eli wuz you
I'd go right back ter my folks" it set
tied "Rev. SIS" and next day no took
the stage back to civilization.
The other one was not with US even
as long as isis" He came month
after isis" left, and stayed about three
weeks. He was big, overfed, canting
sort OF chap, and talked SHOP" too
much out of business hours. One morn
ing something broke about the engine
at the Highland Mine, and Wallace, the
manager, used cuss words right in the
presence of Rev. Obadiah Sweet, who
then and there began-just began-a
long discourse on swearing, by way OF
reproof only heard one side OF the
story, and that was Wallace's version.
It seems that he took Rev. Sweet by the
shoulders, abused him roundly as wolf
in sleeps attire and smote him with
more or less violence with the toe OF
his miners boot And Rev. Sweet
walked ten miles down to Redwood to
wait for the stage.
One day, however, man, an evan
gelist, came and stayed week; and in
II society We're wrought great
changes-most notable OF which was
the conversion Of Brick Yates, one OF
tho toughest, most profane, goddess men
in H. TWAS the fourth or fifth night
OF theevangelist's stay. Hehad exhorted
as only true man, with his heart IN
his work, can; and finally asked all
tho o who wanted TO become Christians
to come forward and take u front seat.
There was moments silence Then
arose Brick Yates, who had at first done
all he could to hinder the work, and his
great voice growled: "Damme, I'll jest
20 yep And he went up followed by a
dozen "bad" ones.
The next night contingent from
Redwood came up and invaded the
sanctuary. They were oil tough, but
behaved pretty well until they discov-
cred that they were getting very dry.
Then, in the most earnest part OF Rev.
Haywood's discourse, they rose and
started TO march over to Hiles'. MIR.
Haywood stopped speaking and looked
at them in mute appeal, but Brick was
equal to the emergency, AS the Red
wood crowd came dumping to the door,
he rose, and in hoarse whisper, heard
by everyone, exclaimed: "Here! What
inhell d'you fellers mean by disturbln.
these here perceedin's? Go back an
set down till the rev'ren' gifts through,
Plenty time ter drink. Hear me?"
They heard, and went back to their
seats, and every one OF them put S.
into the hat.
Henceforth Brick was H-'s sole
spiritual physician. He was also doc.
tor, nurse aud general consider to all
the rough population at the camp. AT
the start, though he did not stop taking
an occasional drink, he quit gambling
and getting drunk and gradually broke
himself Of using strong. cuss words,
though few OF the milder ones he
never did get rid of. At first a few I'M
converted ones made fun OF him, but he
always took it good-naturedly, and
they, seeing he was in earnest soon
let him alone. =,
When a chap called "Charley Ross
in some unaccountable way held four
kings in a little game wherein one
king was held by Buck Penrose, and
fingered for five or six days atterward
with 44.bullet inside OF him, Brick
| Yates was the one who picked him up,
cnreind h;t, homn and nnraad him ten.
derby till he died; and Brick it was who
performed the last rites. preach
ing brief but forcible homtiy on the
advantages OF strict honesty.
When little Sherburne, assayer OF the
Highland, was sick with mountain
fever, it was Brick who stopped work
and stayed by his bedside three weeks,
and who took the lads body to Lead
vile and shipped it home. And when
George Hawley, who had been Bricks
enemy for years, lowered between life
and death for ten days, as the result Of
an accident at the Columbia shaft
house, II was Yates who nursed him
and brought him back from the Jaws o.
death, a bit crippled, but strong enough
to work and grateful almost to,Yorship
But the English company operating
the Highland mine shipped IN, one
day. lot Of Cornish miners-rough
british, ignorant fellows, far different
from the splendid boys whom the crazy
freaks Of the manager VINO succeeded
Wallace had forced TO quit work. From
this time on, Bricks work was hard,
but he never faltered. All the old resi-