El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-12
WORKS AND WORDS
OF THE STREET PREACHER AND
EX-ClOWN.
How He Has Made His Way Through
the World BY Honesty and Kind

the World BY Honesty and Kind
ness
w. 5. Wheeler, the converted clown
who il doing street missionary work
in Pa-o tbis week, has with him q
little uOok in which he has pasted
many of the comments the newspaper
Of tots state and Others have made
about him during his four years In the
street. missionary work. There are
thoses no are impertioent enough TO
question his righs to be In the work
ne 10 dong and his eArnestness but to
such people Mr.. Wheeler psys no at
tension, although II he desired he
could satisfy the moss skepitcal by
allowing them TO read the clippings
from newspapers that he mas In this
book. Sometimes q newsraper can be
fooled once but there are none OF the
GLASS that the ma iority OF these clippings
are from that could be fooled twice oy
the same man, and In this COLLECTION
are several favorable notices from she
same Newspapers.
THESE clippings do not only prove his
sincerity but they tell OF many kind
act. that he has done while In the work
that he does not tell about him
self. Several OF them tell OF meetings
that be has held 10 the leading church
es OF the principal cities OF Texas III
he Was q fakir, or WAS In the business
for mercenary purposes. the people oil
abe state of Texas would have been on
to him long sgo. A fakir cannot work
the came racket over and over agsfn 10
such up TO date places as Houston,
Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio, and
Mr.. Wheeler has talked on the streets
and in the churches OF these cit!es on
several occasions.
The Newspaper articles he has tell
of his labors from the beginning OF his
itinerary ss q street missionary up u
the present. Here Is one from the
Dallas News concerning the commence
ment of his good work:
wv. 8. Wheeler, the converted
circus clown. who 10 making lecture
tour of the state in tie interest OF the
Florence C-i.tenton mission rescue
vJrk, arrived in Dallas yesterday
evening and addressed large crowd
at the corner of Main and Lamar
streets last night, taking the rescue
work for his subject.
"At one time this evangelist was
probably one of the beet known clowns
In America he entered the PROBES
sion at an early age and under the
tutorshlp of Dan Rice, the veteran
Snowman, he rapidly forged to the
front rank IN that line. He has made
the Texas circuit many times, passing
through mere once Win h'hsiAhs
Bros chow,
1.-TWO years sgo Walter L. Mains
show stopped at Dsllas. The process
sion was preceded by Q clown on stilts
who Was dressed up as countryman
ADD who created Q great deal OF smu5e-
ment for the crowd. The clown was
none other than BILLY Wheeler, she
evangelist, who is now IN Dallas. He
was con ver.ed while the show vas n
he lIe9 n
AIRY of the Florence Crfttenton rescue
nome at that place. Since April, how
ever, he has been doing rescue work
in Arkansas and other adjacent
states"
The following from she Fl. Smith
lark Times 10 q good recommends
tion for Mr.. Wheeler:
NV. s. Wheeler, the reformed |
clown. Is still holding meetings on the |
streets twice a day. BE has feir sized |
audiences and his auditors being men |
of the world say that Wheeler has |
been keen observer Of things while |
frissiug around in the sardLst arena, |
snd that no preacher, Who has been on |
the streets here, has been better post |
&c in the field in which his especial
work lies.
'.Mr Wheeler is laborine in ihe To- |
terest of the Crittenton Mission and |
the reform aston of fallen women, and |
by especial invitation he will preach |
at the Fret Methodist church Sunday |
night. he lie an earnest, forcible 1
speaker and he should be given q PACK
ed house.
II have listened to Mr.. Wheelsr's
talks three Or four simes', said Rev. F.
s. 81. johnson, pastor of the First
Methodist church, and think he IL q
very earnest man. He Is laborinR In o |
good cause l want all my people to |
hear him."
Here Is part of . clipping from an
Austin paper which tells OF some elm.
liar experiences to the ones recalled Ia
the HERALD Monday with what Mr..
Wheeler called the town clown:
"In other cities Mr.. Wheeler and
several of the small and narrow
preachers have locked horns. In re-
ference to the mst.er Mr.. Wheeler ex-
pressed himself thus:
1.-THE tin horn preachers are all
right in their way but they don't
weigh much. They may fool the peo-
pie and perhaps fool themselves but
they can not fool God >"
This one from the Ft. Worth Mail
Wheeler's kind deeds for the unfor-
tunste:
sWhiIe the city editor Of the Mall
Telegram was looking on st the pro-
ceedinRs of the police court this
he saw . man approach Judge
Jackson and plead for the discharge of
q man who had just been fined for be-
ing drunk. The Judgment was set
aside and the man allowed to go bis
way. His good Samaritan proved to
be W. S. Wheeler, Billy Wheeler,
as he lie known wherever Q circus as
male an appearance for the last
twenty years,
''Thls morning a man, who belongs
to the theatrical profession and who I