The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-12
FROM POKER TO PRAYER.

Rev. Aleck Lawrence of Attica was in
the city yesterday and met many old
friends among whom was reporter for
the EAGLE, and all were both pleased and
| paralyzed to meet him Pleased because
he is quite genial fellow and paralyzed
| because they heard from his own lips that
he is nothing less than an ordained min
ister of the gospel. After every old friend
| met and shook hands with him the next
proposition was for him to accompany
them to the nearest place OF refreshments
to try the virtues of Buck beern but in
every instance he politely refused with a
smile. The idea of the gentleman's re-
fusal to take a drink was nothing short of
bewilderment but he caught on and ex-
} planned to his astonished auditors that he
| had been converted and had totally es-
chewed among other things the use of
alcoholic stimulants. They all feel glad
to know that he was changed man and
emphasized their appreciation by friendly
| slap on the shoulder with such encour-
| aging words as good by George" or some
| slightly similar alliterative expressions.
! When the EAGLE reporter first met Mr.
| Lawrence nearly a dozen years ago he
was smashing baggage for the Santa Fe
system at Caldwell in the day time and
| bucking the tiger in Frenchey's famous
/ gambling house at night. He was a clever
| fellow in those days and barring his fond
ness of stud poker, every body liked him.
| Absut 1888 he thought it better TO get on
the tigers side and from that time on he
was known as professional gambler. He
was a good gambler, too, and made SUI
| ficient money to be able to own an estab-
| lishment of his own in short time. He
went into partnership with another gam
bier and when the town of Attica
started with the characteristic free
and easy method of frontier
towns, the two partners opened
| up the bon ton gambling house and saloon
of the place. a short time before his part
ner married very pretty and amlable
little light haired widow at Caldwell. She
was the wife of one of the marshals of the
town, who woke up one morning. as so
many marshals did in those days, to find
himself dead with his boots on. She had
quite an influence over her second hus-
band, and she used it to good advantage.
He was quite talented fellow and had
I4C LGDuCdCICn VI OCibS bnC ouAOOSANSH
gamble on the frontier, At any rate, he
began reading law, was soon admitted to
the bar and formed co-partnership
with the now notorious Judge Botkin. He
renowned gambling altogether, was elect
ed mayor of Attica and became thor
oughly identified with all the legitimate
enterprises started in those progressive
days. He left Attica few years ago and is
now one of the leading attorneys i'll the
state of Colorado and as good citizen as
ever lived Mr. Lawrence continued in
the old rut for sometime and was taking
money in hand over fist at his green baize
round table. In the midst of his prosper
ity he asked himself the question one
day whether he was doing right and
his naturally good conscience respond
ed mo 3" He laid down the pack of
cards and took up the bible and be it said
to his credit that he studied the mysteries
of the good book with as much energy as
he studied the mysteries of the cards. He
gradually progressed till he found more
pleasure in revelations" than he used to
find in pat flush" or a full hand and
two years ago he WAS actually ordained in
due form. Since that time he has been
doing svangalistic work and has done re-
markedly good work, too. He rected
many instances to the astonished reporter
where he picked men up from the very
cutters of vice and made christians out of
them and did it, too, in a methodi-
cal and easy way, which no one
else could do who had not
experience in the dark side of life. He
does not shun his old companions when he
meets them, but, on the contrary, he Is
glad to see them, and talks in such a
practical way that all of them admire him
and strengthen him with encouraging
words
"And SO you are really Christian"
asked the reporter.
Yes said be, and the reporter looked
square into his dark sparkling eye and
believed him as implicitly as if he read an
affidavit in his look. Mr.. Lawrence has
now got charge of regular Baptist
church at Harper but he promised all his
old friends to come up here during the
summer and talk TO them for a week or
two.
Wonders will never cease.