The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-12-11
san Diego Letter in the sun.

San Diego Letter in The sun.
The Rev. Stanley Wilson OF the little
town Of Ramona, a little way from san
Diego, besides being editor of the Ra-
mona Sentinel Is an all round ethlete.
He can hold his own with the gloves
with any amateur in the county, and
he Is his own fighting editor. And he
doesn't carry a gun. He Is a Baptist,
and he rides the circuit, which embra-
ces a number of small mining towns
in the hills and mountains OF southern
San Diego county. When he is OH the
circuit he breaches in q town on Sun
day morning, and in the afternoon puts
on the gloves with the lustv young
miners and ranchers, VINO are always
eager to have a Ego" with him. He
can best any of them that has turned
up so far, and they have no end of re-
spect and admiration for him. They
all crowd to- hear his sermons, which
they greatly approve, and altogether
the Rev. MIR. Wilson is the most pop
ular preacher who has ever appeared
in that region.
on one of his recent circuit trips he
saved a man named Gum from IN
dians. ldr. Wilson came up with them
in a lonely place on the road across
"
Indians. and they had Gum down and
were about to stab him to death, pre-
sumably with the intention Of robbing
him. The preacher came upon them
uncxpcctod and leapinG from his
horse scattered the Indians right and
left. one Indian got the Sullivan
Knockout On abe point Of his chin and
stretched his length on the road. An
ther received the preachers fist in the
solar plexus Then the preacher had
Just time to dodge the knife i'm the
hand Of the third Indian. after which
he did q neat hit of in-figEting, the
result of was that he captured the
knife and sent the Indian sprawling in
the dust BY this time Mr.. Gum had
scrambled to his feet and the two of
them drove the Indians ahead to the
nearest town. where they surrendered
them to the law.
Last Sunday the Rev. Mr.. Wilson
had an unusually busy day. He
preached at the mining town of Julian
He had big audience and his sermon
was full of his customary energy and
eloquerce. Tho people listened atton-
lively and afterward gathered in
groups to talk il over. In the afternoon
Dave Putnam, town bully, who has
been in many fights and has the rep
utation of being hard man to handle.
acCOstcd the preacher on the street
and demanded retraction of an un-
complimentary item about himself
which had appeared in that weeks is
sue of the Ramona Sentinel. Wilson
declined to retract. Putnam insisted,
and Wilson replied that he didn't pub
lish thing unless it was true, ard
that he proposed to stand by whatever
he had said and to publish it again
if he thought best. Then Putnam
pulled off his coat advised the preacher
to get ready for a licking, and sailed
in. But the preachers coat was off be-
fore Putnam got th3re, and the blow
he had ment for the prlestly nose land
ed in the air The bully was a bit be-
wildered Ivy this, but he took his bear.
ings and squared off again He is
much heavier than Wilson, but the
fight was ncverthelsse oneslded from
start to finish. As Putnam came on
again the man of God dealt him a
blow with the right which knocked
him off his feet and caught him on the
jaw with his left paw as he fell The
bully jumped to his feet and renewed
the attack, hut he couldn't land any
where. The preacher was too quick
for him and did not receive a single
blow. Putnam finally gave up after he
had been stretched on the sidewalk
three times, and said 1t was all mis-
take, and that he Gidnt want the item
back at all.
The young preacher Is more popular
than ever, and it is the universal
opinion that any man who can lick
Dave Putnam" Is the man for that