The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1894-02-09
A WRErCHED CLOSING.

Last Days Of the Author OF . Famous hymn
Topeka, Kan, dispatch TO the Bosio
Herald tells this story: Ten days ago an oil
man. dressed in rags, appeared at the cit
prison In CcfeyviIle, Kan, and asked tn
isiler to allow him to sleep in one of th
empty cells overnight. He declined to tel
his name, but said be had arrived on q freigh
train from Texas. His request was granted
Next morning he was found to be III, and
though properly taken care Of, died fou
days later.
A few hours before death he called the jail
er to his side and told him bis name was Ed
ward Dunbar. and that he was the author o.
the beautiful hymn "There's Light IN tn'
Window for Thee. Brother" He was buried
In the Coffeyvlle cemetery.
This man has history as Interesting as II
Is romantic. His name became byword In
the places where he was known, and from q
prison cell he went forth tramp and vaga'
bond upon the face of tho Garth. In 1867
Dunbar was arrested In Leavenworth, while
engaged In holding . series Of revival meet
ings, and taken 10 Minneapolis, where he was
tried for bigamy, convicted and sent to the
penitentiary for three years and eight months.
When Dunbar was small boy he lived In
New Bedford, Mass, and worked in factory.
HI, mother lived at the foot Of the street on
which the factory was located, and, as the
lads work kept him away till sitter dark, che
always laced light In the window to guide
his footsteps homeward. One day he took q
notion TO go to ses, and of be went on three
years. cruise.
During his absence his mother fell Ill, and
was at deaths door. She talked necessarily
about her boy, and ever night she asked those
around her to place light In the window IN
anticipation Of bis return. When she realized
that her end had come, she said: "TeIl Ed
ward that I will set light In the window of
heaven for him." These were her last words.
The lad had grown up to manhood ere be
returned homo and his mothers dying mes
sage so affected him that be reformed and be
came preacher In the course Of his refor-
nation he wrote the song "There's a Light
In the Window for Thee, Brother" The
SONG became widely known.
Rev. Edward Dunbar married a young
woman Ia New Bedford during bis work In
q great revival IN 1858 and several children
were the result Of the union. The young d.
vine soon made q reputation as . brilliant
public orator and the public was therefore
greatly surprised when ono bright Sunday |
he skipped the country, leaving his |
wife and children behind. He came to Kan |
Ing In different paris Of the state he went to |
Minneapolis and began to show the people |
The error of tte!r ways. A great revival TO- !
lowed ana hundreds we're converted.
Miss Eunics Belle Lewis, handsome |
young heiress Of Indianapolis. was one OF
bis converts. She fell In love with the evar-
&c list and married him against the wishes Of
her friends. Shortly after the wedding DuE-
bar returned to Kansas to ill 40 engagement |
at Lsavenworth. While he was away the |
friends Of the bride, who had mistrus:ed the
all along, laid their suspicious be-
fore W. d. Webb. now judge OF the second |
judicial district OF Kansas, and Judge Austin
Young. who were law partners In Minneapo
lis, and they took the rsse. The result was
that they soon found evidence sufficient to
warrant an arrest and Dunbsr's ministerial
,srecr was brought to q sudden close.
Judge Webb and Judge Young assisted In
he prosecution Of Dunbar. After Duubar's
ncarceI alton Judge Young secured divorce
for Mrs. Dunbar and married her himself.
they now live happily together In Minneapo.
Is. Judge Lochrep. the present commission
r of pensions. defended Dunbar IN the ease
Dunbsr's first wife died in Taunt IN, Mass,
bout two years ago.