The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-03-21
w. CT. u. DEPARTMENT.
Conducted by the ladies of the w. c
L. u. of Anderson, S. c..
Burke, the Burglar, aud Moody, the
Evangelist.

for Burke was real burglar and none
OF your cheap amateurs. He had a
courage born Of many desperate
i, "jobs." Twenty years of his life
Burke had spent inoprison, here and
there. He was big, strong fellow,
with lard face, and terrible tongue
for swearing, especially at sheriffs and
jailers, who were his natural.born
> enemies. There must have been q
streak of manhood or tender spot
somewhere about him, you will say, or
this story could hardly have happen
ed. for one have yet to find the man
who is wholly gone to The bad, and is
beyond the reach Of man OF God. If
you have, skip this story, for it is a
true one, just as Mr.. Moody told it to
me in October, up in Brattleboro, Vt.
And now that dear Moody is dead,
and has spent his fret Christmas in
heaven, I remember how the big tears
fell from his eyes as he told it, and I
am think ng how happy he and Burke
are, talking it over together up there,
where B-.-r has been waiting for him
these long years.
1t was twenty-five years or more ago
that it happened. Moody was young
then, and no: long in his ministry.
He came down to St. Louis to lead q
union revival meeting, and the
"Globe. Democrat" announced that it
was going to print every word he said
sermon, prayer and exhor.ation.
Moody said it made him quake in
wardly when he read this, but he
made up his mind that he "would
weave in lot Of Scripture for the
Globe-Democrat' to print, and that
might count, should his own poor words
fail" He did it, and his printed SER
mons were sprinkled from day to day
with Bible texts. The reporters tried
their cunning at putting big, blazing
headlines at the top of the columns.
Everybody was either hearing or read
ing the sermons. Burke was in the
st. Louis Jail, waiting trial for some
piece of daring. Solitary confinement
was wearing on him, and he put in his
time railing at the guards or damniug
tae sheriff on his daily rounds. 1t
was meat and drink to Burke to curse
sheriff. Somebody threw 'Globe-
Democrat" into his cell, and the first
thing that caught his eye was big
headline like this: "How the jailer at
Philippi got caught" 7. was just
what Burke wanted, and he sat down
with chuckle to read the story of the
jailer's discontinue.
''Philippir' he said, chats up in
Illinois. I've been in that .own."
Somehow the reading had strange
look, out Of the ordinary newspaper
way. 1t was Moody's sermon Of the
night before. "What rot is this?"
asked Burke. "Paul and Silas-a
great earthquake-what must do TO
be saved? Has the Globe Democrat
got to printing such stuff?"r He look
ed at the date. Yes, it was Friday
mornings paper, fresh from the press.
Burke threw it down with an oath,
and walked about his cell like Gagged
lion. By and by he took up the pa
per, and read the story through. The
restless fit grew on him. Again aud
=sail he picked up the paper and read
its strange story. It was then that
something, from whence he did not
know, came into the burglars heart and
cut its way into the quick. "What
does it mean?' he began asking.
''Twenty years and more I've been
burglar and Jail bird, but never felt
like this. What is it to be saved,
anyway? I've lived dog life, and
I'm getting tired Of it. If there is
such God as that preacher is telling
about: I believe I'll find it out if it
kills me to do it. He found it out.
Away toward midnight, after hours of
bitter remorse over his wasted life,
and lonely and broken prayers the first
timc since he was child at his moth
er's' knee, Burke learned that there is
God who is able and willing TO blot
out the darkest and bloodiest record
at single stroke. Then he waited
for day, new creature, crying and
laughing by turns. Next morning
when the guard came round Burke had
pleasant word for him, and the guard
eyed him in wonder. When the siler-
iff came Burge greeted him as friend,
and told him how he had found God,
after reading Moody's sermon. "Jim."
said the sheriff to the guard, "you'd