Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-10-17
lash BARREL JIMMY"
The First Convert of the Salvation Army
In America.

Car first convert in America is still
living and serving the army in Boston.
The history Of his reform is a remarka-
BILE one.
The conversion of the first of mighty
multitude was brought about by Com
missioner Railton, then in command Of
the American forces of the army, and
Superintendent Thomas Byrnes of the
New York police. Mr.. Byrnes was an
inspector of police at the time, early in /
1890.
1t 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 &C. |
casion he was so brutally beaten in a |
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
Lc, arrived llltIt SoiiIt VI lllt uOClOIS
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 a quantity of spirits Of
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 in March,
1880. Jimmy started ont to have some
amusement, and hearing that the Saliva
ton 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 IA drunkard's economy,
| determined to spend theprice of admis-
sion in q 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 III the saw
| dust of The dive floor.-Jimmy, after sub
| hitting Is 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.
\ short time after Jimmy's acTobatic
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 are sometimes resorted to
by policemen to arouse drunken men.
From the depths of the barrel came a
voice which the policeman at once recog-
nized. He raped for assistance, and
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 Igl's which had
been driven through the barrel. They
pulled until Tie old rotten shoes gave
way and were left in their hands. The
policemen then threw the barrel down
on its side, aLdlaying hold of the unfor-
tunato mans feet they dragged the bar
rel and its bowling occupant toward the
police station.
y pitiful sight was poor Jimmy when
he reached the station. His face. which
had been blackened by the toughs in the
dive. WIS all battered and bruised, and
the paint on his face, mingled with
blood, was strongly suggestive of 4
scalped Indian. His clothes We're ali
torn and his shoes gone. How complete
the ruin! How; perfect the wreck!
Superintendent Byrnes suggested that
the Salvation Army be allowed to try
its hand on the man. and the result was
his conversion, since which time lie has
served faithfully in its ranks.-BostoI
Herald.