The Portland daily press., 1892-06-09
Without a moment,g hesitation Father

w AeIoub d moment iIOoAoe''ANiA = "oiAOA
Peters responded:
81 am citizen Of Kentucky, and as
Kentucky is still in the Union | must be
a Union man"
But eff so be Kentucky was to secede,
would yo' be Union man them"
"God giving me strength, would"
was the fervent response.
"Tharl Didn't tell you uns he was
fo' the Union, and man that's fo' the
Union is a black Republican and Adolf
t1onlstP shouted Het Magoone.
and | say that's id lie!
That there might be no mistake as to
the man who had given expression to
this forcible opinion, Strong Dick Brad
ley got up, and with his right hand
thrown back under his coat, gesture
which even the children present under
stood, he walked over and stood beside
the preacher.
The women now became very nervous,
and many Of the men turned ashy pale
and moved toward the door.
''Dick Bradley, this amt no sarcus O
yourn," said Het Magoone, but his
brutal bearing was toned down and
there was that in the eyes and the move
ments OF the thick lips that told he was
not pleased with the bearing of the
blacksmith. But gaining confidence as
he remembered that two-thirds of the
sixty men present were his partisans, he
continued: I'VE uns who's TO the south
ken wait to get even with you uns who's
TO the Union. Thar's pl<y OF time to
settle them things, but what we want
now is to get rid of man f'om the moth
who comes down here ez spy and pur-
tendin that hits God Almighty's religin.
Father Peters, yo've preached yo'r last
sarmint in these har hills"
"Who says sop demanded Bradley.
1--WE uns."
And who's you uns?"
"Me and my friends"
Neither yo' nor yo'r friends owns a
splinter of this house; from foundation
log to e,lapboard hits owned by the man
ez built hit-the man ez KEN down heah
to lead us to do right-but thar's some
men so give ovah to sin, Het Magoone
among 'em, that they're bound to be
damned, and I'm mighty glad of hit.
Now you uns that don't want to heah
Father Peters preach is free to leave
But, by Cd, the next man that tries
to break up our worship will find him
self needin a hull new top to his head!'
Strong Dick Bradley, although using
this strong language, appeared to be the
coolest man in the meeting house; but
there was no one in the hearing of his
voice who did not know that he was
making no idle threat. Motioning to
his friends to follow him, Magoone
strobe out of the house and meeting
was held at the door. The preacher and
his followers were denounced in Ian
guage of unquestionable vigor, every
word of which could be heard inside,
and men who had through years re-
ceived favors at the old mans hands
threatened that if he did not leave the
mountains at once they would hang him.
But even those who remained back
with Father Peters were in no mood for
devotion. They saw that the dreaded
time had come, and that from this day
on till the end the old friends, neighbors
and kinsmen must stand face to face in
a life and death struggle.
At Mrs. Peters suggestion her hus-
bands friends left the church and
gathered in the study, but even here
they could hear the shouting and the
swearing, punctuated now and then by
the startling discharge of pistols.
Following the old mans example all
who could crowd into the little room
knelt down, and all those who could not
knelt down within hearing outside. AS
Father Peters called on heaven for help
and light the men and women, with
eyes closed and bodies swaying, wrought
themselves up to a state of camp meet
ing excitement till at length the appeals
of the preacher were drowned in shouts
of "Hallelajah!" .Glory to Godl"
Send down the light, o Mastah!"
Amen and Amen~ and ''Heah the
prayahs of sinners!"
At last the fervor died out from ex-
haustion, though still the kneeling wom-
en- sobbed and the men groaned. Father
Peters had just risen to his feet when he
heard cry outside, a cry that was taken
up by the men, women and children.
All rushed out to see black pillar of
smoke shooting up from the meeting
house. 1t had been fired by Het Ma
goone and his friends, who now danced
about the burning building and fired off
their pistols and howled like so many
drunken savages.
CHAPTER III,