The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-05-17
Doctor Talmase and Governor Hen.
dricks.


The celebrated mouth OF the Rev. DR.. T. DE
WITT TALMAaE Of Brooklyn is again In evi-
dence. About a month ago DR.. TALMAaE
visited DIR. KEELEY's blchloride town In
Illinois. carrying with him his mouth open
as usual like red flannel bag. The Golden
Neus has printed what purports to be q
report verbatim OF temperance address
which the mouth delivered to DR.. KERLRYs
patients at Dwight.
In the course OF his remarks DR.. TALMAaE
told the following story Of his alleged part
in saving certain well-known individual
from a drunkard's grave. One Sunday
evening after his congregation in Brook
Ign had dispersed. he perceived man who
weeping convulsively. The Doctor went
down and said: You arein trouble. What
can do for your" The weeper replied: III
there is q man on GoD's earth in worse
trouble. am sorry for him. I am the VIC
tim OF strong drink" "Who are you and
what Is your name?" asked the Doctor.
II dare not give you my name." re-
piled the weeping drunkard. "You would
know Inc right away. You would recognize
the fact thut stood In the front ranks at
church. had beautiful wife and four
lovely children and ruined them by drink.
You can do me no good. Nothing will ever
do me any good" "Ah. my dear brother"
rejoIned the Doctor. that Is not the way
to talk. Come right In here in the side
room" In this room. explained the Rev.
DR.. TALMAaR to the patients OF DR.. KELLEY,
"there were half dozen men who knew
how to pray. and man who knows how to
pray knows how to lay hold OF the Omnipo-
tent. And we just prayed for that man
that he might be delivered from his thral-
it; we prayed right to the point"
Time passed. and the Doctor heard only
once from the weeping stranger. who wrote.
THE thirst is all gone" Years went by.
and DR.. TALMAGE's friends were accus-
toned to say to him. "You have not heard
from that man: we'll. you never will" We
present the sequel OF this touching anec-
dote in the Doctors own words. as re-
ported by the Golden Ne,rs:
"Iwa At Acton. Ind. about twenty or thirty miles
from Indianapolis. They have great meetings there
every summer. was out there OF the meetings
preaching and remember the circumstances as they
were AL very much impressed upon by various sub
Jects. Among others Governor uExpRiCKs. who was
aferward Vice President OF the United States was said
to DO there. As sat down the platform / said:
where Ia Governor iIEkpsIcKs,' imam put his hand
my shoulder and said lam here. Did you ever see
me bsforer Never Don't you remember that man
who In great trouble ycnrs ago and you took him
In tho side room ana prayed with him. and aftsrward
took him up Fulton street and got two bottles of
medicine. and the 81 WAS handed back arterwardt'
oh yes. said ]; ARE you the mAni 'Ihave not hal
tho temptation for strong drinks since then have
% o md hav
signatures to the temperance pledge Of about twenty
thousand men, The grace Of Cop did that. Never let
tho time come in my history when cease to extol tho
grace Of GOp.'"
The extraordinary character OF this state
ment concerning the Hon. THOMAS A. HEN.
bricks has naturally attracted attention
to DR.. TALMAdES mouth, and has caused
considerable Indignation on the part OF the
friends OF the dead statesman thus ma.
ligned and misrepresented. A day or two
ago reporter OF the BROOKLYN EAGLE went
to DR.. TALMAaE for an explanation. The
Doctor professed to be greatly ANNOYED
that he should have been misunderstood by
the stcnographer who reported tho speech
at Dwight. He said:
"rou sss. | was describing a meeting At Acton Ind
Just mentioned casually that Governor lIsSpscxs VA,
present.. asked where he was. ande-he answered Il
am here Then went on tn say that after the meet.
ing-aIter. Tenember-n man came ND to me and
referred to an experience which had changed him
from, a drunken wreck into a temperaues man, doing
temperance WORK. That was plain enough"
The Doctor then produced another print.
ed version OF that part of his speech re-
lating to the alleged incident at Acton.
This version Is substantially the samo rs
tho story printed above, with the exception
that several words italicized below are in
troduced just after Governor HENDRIcKs's
" am here" making 1t read as follows:
IA sat on the platform ! said Where 10 Governor
AMI y man put his hand my shoulder
and said \ am here aai al he ea Of TIE rsies gen.
asnan appsd w 10 a~i satd Did you be-
forsf Dent you remember that man who was In great
trouble few years ago. and you took him Into side
room and prayed With hims"ka
We fear that even the amended version,