The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-10-02

Tho First Convert Of the Salvation Array
In America. e4ft

Tho First Convert OF the salvation Army
In America.
Our first convert I'm America is still
living and serving the army in Boston.
The history of his reform ia a remarka-
bio one. stgAs.
The conversion Of the first Of q mighty
multitude was brought about by Com.
missioner Railton, then in command Of
che American forces of the arny.and
superintendent Thomas Byrnes of the
New York police. Mr.. Byrnes was an
inspector of police at the time, early in
1880. ~ aw
It is safe TO say that in Salvation Army
circles there are very few who do not
know Jimmy, by reputation at least.
Jimmy was thief and drunkard when
converted in New York in March. 1880
His name is James Kemp
Three times Jimmy narrowly escaped
losing his life. On one occasion he was
nearly frozen to death outside Billy Nc
Glory's notorious dive. On another oc-
casion he was so brutally beaten in
Water street dive that he was supposed
to be dead. The morgue wagon was
called By the police, and the bruised and
battered body, apparently dead, was car
ried to the morgue. When it, or rather
he, arrived there some Of the doctors
made the discovery that Jimmy still
lived, and SO he was taken to the hos
pital, where he remained four months.
His last narrow escape from death was
when he drank quantity of spirits cf
wine which he found in a cellar. jim
my drank SO much he went raving mad
and tried to hang himself. He was sent
to prison for three months for attempt
ing suicide.
The first Saturday afternoon inNfarch,
1880, Jimmy started out to have some
amusement, and hearing that the Saliva
tion Army, which had just arrived from
England, was going ito show" at Harry
Hills notorious resort he concluded to
go there and see what kind of people the
soldiers were. When he arrived at Hills.
he found that there was an admission
fee, and he, with a drunkard's economy,
determined to spend the price of admis-
sion in a different manner. Toward
night he strolled into dive in Water
street, where his Whyo friends painted
his back and served his face the same
way and wound up the performance by
| rolling the unfortunate man IN the sa8y-
| dust of the dive floor. Jimmy, after sub
mitting to their treatment, thought they
would let him stay there all night; but
alas, they kicked him out ON the street.
Just as Jimmy reached the sidewalk
his cap blew off and fell into an ash bar
rel which was standing near the door Of
the den. Jimmy tried to recover it, but
| in doing so lost his balance and fell head
first into the barrel He struggled to
get out, but all his efforts Were in vain
He seemed to be there to stay.
! A short time after Jimmy's acrobatic
! feat policeman came along, and seeing
a mans legs in the barrel set to work to
discover who was the owner OF them
and why he had them in such position
He took out his club and struck the in
verted man ON the soles of his feet.
These means ere sometimes resorted to
by policemen to arouse drunken men.
From the depths Of the barrel came q
voice which the policeman at once recog-
1 ulZCu. hS IdppCu kO1 dSolSCdLCCy sunA.
when another officer appeared on the
scene an effort was made to get Jimmy
from his novel but painful position.
They pulled at the protruding feet, but
Jimmy failed to respond, his clothes hav-
ing been caught on the nails which had
been driven through the barrel They
pulled until the old rotten shoes gave
way and were left in their hands. The
| policemen then threw the barrel down
on it's side, and laying hold of the unfor-
tunate mans feet they dragged the bar
rel and its howling occupant toward the
police station.
A pitiful sight was poor Jimmy when
he reached the station. His face, which
had been blackened by the toughs in tlt
dive, was all battered and bruised anl
the paint on his face, iaingled'swEitt
blood, was strongly suggestive of {
scalped Indian. His clothes were al
torn and his shoes gone. How conaplets
the ruinl How perfect the wreck!
Superintendent Byrnes suggested tia
the Salvation Army be allowed TO tn,
its hand on the man, and the result wa
his conversion, since which time he ha
served faithfully in it's ranks.-Bostoi
Herald.