The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-08-15
BY / talking MACHINE
Blatant Infdel at Toledo, Ohio,
Was Converted.
NOW breaches THE WORD
His Own Description Of His
Spiritual Transformation.
NOW breaches THE WORD

" Chicago, Aug. 1.-THE Tribune prints
the following from its special correspon
dent at Toledo, Ohio:
Listen to the voice Of God. God Is
in the machine. God produces every
thing. Great and marvellous are the
works of the Creator. Here is the dish
that screw down on the machine; here
is the tiny needle; there is the trumpet
like transmitter Of the sound. turn the
crank to furnish the motive power. IIace
the needle in the groove, and, presto. the
sound Is produced; but how? Can any
man, be Of a scientific mini CT ctter-
wise, give any lucid explanation? No.
they cannot, for God produces the
sound"
This dramatic declaration was made by
NJ. o. Waggoner, one of the foremost
lawyers in Ohio, and who until recen ~
was considered one Of the most radical
atheists in the state, If MT the country.
No invective was too bitter. no 1rEu-
ment too blasphemous for him to hurl at
the church. and he resor;e1 to every
means a shrewd intellect could devise to
harm and hold I'D to r.dicule and scfIn
religion and all connected with 1t. HIS
large library. containing almost every
conceivable attack on Chirstia1ity, was
assiduously loaned out for this purpose.
In public and in private, at home and on
the street. he inveighed against religion,
stopping people on the corners and pour
ing into their ears violent harangues that
showed how intense was his antipathy
to the cause against which he fought
In many other ways did he show the
hatred that was in his heart for God
and mankind. His friends were a parrot
and the works of Voltaire; his amuse-
ments consisted in crushing some poor
champion of the faith under a weight Of
biting logic; his encounters were many.
Frequently, though an old man, has he
been engaged in brawls on the street,
using his heavy cane with telling effect
On one occasion he was trounced by a
prominent society man for alleged re-
peated insults to women. His present
wife, married short time ago, is now in
an asylum.
The subject of his remarks was a
gramaPhone. an ordinary inexpensive in
strument, but one destined to shape the
future Of the old mans mind and lead
him from the paths of infidelism to en-
brace religion and become an exhorter
of the word of God instead of dissemin-
ating the teachings of agnostics.
The story of Mr.. waggoner's conversion
is best told in his own words. He said:
"As you may have heard, was per-
haDs the wickedest man in the United
States. At the age Of IS I first read some
of Voltaire's works. became interested
and after that read with avidity every
thing that I could beg or borrow. After
I went out in the world to earn my own
living purchased all the books I could
hear of. until at the present time 1 own
over $50 books written by the men fore
most in the crusade against the Bible.
Many of these have loaned, as was
in the work with purpose. 1 harangued
all who would hear me on the street
corners and neglected my business to talk
infldelism. was Stunned by society in
measure and many men who would
have otherwise become my clients de-
clined to patronize me because of my be-
lief, which was distasteful to them.
became scientific reader of the Bible
and 1 called myself a scientific infdel
1 know I was one of the pest read men
in the country on the Bible. 1 can quote
whole chapters and tell you where to find
any passage in the scripture made life
uneasy for every evangelist who came to
the city. for would seek him out and
engage him in argument. I do not say
this boastingly, but 1t is a fact that /
was never worsted in an argument.
have driven many a preacher out of To-
ledo by my ridicue. Ministers without
number have visited me and begged me
to desist, but always led them into an
argument and they were glad to back out
OF my Office door. I was a personal
friend Of Ingersoll and regarded him as
one of the greatest men who ever lived
Eight months and four days before
united with the church and became one
os Gods chosen few I was converted. 1
was not brought to see the error of my
way in church. There were no prayers.
no solicitations, there was no one there
to take my hand and bid me welcome.
The circumstances surrounding my con-
verSation are at once new and novel, but
withal most effectual and solemn. For
some days 1 had been somewhat Ill al
ease. 1 had had a talk with one of the
city pastors and he remarked to me that
the teachings of infidelism might be hug
ged 10 the breast by a young man. but
when a man became as old as I. he
should cast about for something that was
stable. and that he could rely on on his
deathbed. This was q simple way OF
putting 1t, but scoffed at 1t at the time.
and told him my faith was good enough
to die with. The night of my conversion
retired at my usual hour. Icould not
sleep. and after pacing my sleeping
apartment which adjoins my Office. for