The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-05-31
.An4ersuta gntelltgeneer'
Talks With o Brush.
Ne,p York Advertiser.


Who is the mysterious paint brush
evangelist of Westchester County? Up
and down the beautiful hills and along
the rugged, rocky roads of Westchestsr
for mile after mile bis work can be seen.
The wayfarer cannot escape it. At every
fresh. turn in the road the painted words
of warning confront him. Even the
most ungodly sinner in all New York,
after walking mile from the little vii.
lage of White Plains, would think he
was surely on the rocky road to the New
Jerusalem.
Up in Westchester they call the mys.
terious evangelist the Scripture Singer" !"
and they say che slings it powerful
thick" So he does, and with discrimi
nation rare, in paint of the hue of heav.
EMS own blue, mixed in oil.
All along those rocky roads the fences
are made of huge bowlders, out of which
rough walls are made, separating the
pastures and bounding the roadsides.
Besides there are still other bowlders
juttiug out of the soil along the roadway.
On these, and on the stone fences, the
mysterious evangelist upfolds his warm
ings. He is little man, but energetic.
He is silent man, except with his
brush, made out of hairs plucked from
the necks of oxen. With it he speaks.
His only name is George"
He marches, Salvation Army Of one
man, carrying bugle to announce his
coming. His sandy mustache bristles,
and the lines of his face show sixty
years. There hangs upon his head an
old straw hat, summer and winter,
and on the hat is broad ribbon,
bearing the legend, "Jesus is mighty to
save" A cane, carved with innumera-
BILE Inscriptions, helps him over the hills
as he marches on, carrying battered
handbag in which repose his restless
brush, his pot of paint, his Bible and
other little things, such as comb and
cake of soap, through the use of which
he keeps himself only seminonad.
They say there is no vanity in him, nor
any glass with quicksilver back in that
battered bag.
As he marches he spies rock, big and
brown, half hidden behind clump of
weeds, and on which he left no message
when last along that way. In moment
the weeds are uprooted, and knesling by
the rock he paints, letter by letter,
"Obey the Lord" Then he marches on
reading the Bible. On a smooth worn
bowlder in the stone fence, he prints,
"Repent! Believe Aud sin no more"
Across the road he leaves the warning,
"You must repent or go to hell" A
little farther on be knee]s again, and
under his brush grow the words, "The
wages for sinners is hell fire."
There are painted words, though, along
the roads more worldly than the ones he
leave there. One of them says, "spend
your Sundays at Manhattan beach," On
finding this it is said he bowed his head
a moment. Then in deeper shade OF
blue than usual, mixed on the spot, he
painted right alongside the words,
"Where will you spend eternity ?"
Many of the farmers up in Westches
ter take summer boarders, and on 8 big
tree in the front yard each of them nails
up a nign which reads: "Pleasant sum.
mer home. Board by the day or week."
Across the road from such as these the
paint brush says, "Think of that beauti.
full home above"
So the strange evangelist goes on fight.
ing ehe world with blue paint, measure,
aud covering the surplus space with
exhorEation and advice.
To him ell things are of the world
worldly, and therefore he knows naught
of politics.
This strange man sleeps by the road.
eide, In stable or where he may, and
for months eats only what is given him.
Money is nothing to him. For little
while each year he works on the Sound
View stock farm, owned by William A.
Sammis, and it is then he pulls the hair
from the necks of oxen and makes his
stock of brushes. His paint is given
him and he mixes it himself.
He has been told to stop the task of
covering the rocks of Westchester with
blue paint, but be keeps on. By his &C.
ton be says, "Shall a man not make his
fellow man rehect7"
Township trustees threaten and resolve
in vain. The notices multiply. As
saul!s do not terrify him.. Once he was
met by two men near the Westchester
fair grounds and commanded to stop
painting a sentence be had begun. He
turned his back to them and kept on
without reply. When he had finished
be began new sentence. Then the
men rushed at him and struck him down
senseless with clubs. The unfinished
sentence read: