The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-06-18
Startling Results
OF a Brief Prayer,
Northwestern Pennsylvania Convulsed with Excitement
Over What Occurred


| and the afternoon saw Contractor
Shiffer and his assistants busiIy placing
the roof on the four bright red brick
walls Of the brewery, while around the
building were playing the two sons Of
the contractors son-in-law Rev. Mr.
Cusuard by name.
Three o'clock, and suddenly hanging
over the mountains there appeared the
harbingers of thunder storm. The
town saw them and fed to shelter while.
driven furiously onward as if pursued
by revengful spirit, the clouds swept
from mountain to valley and hung over
the spot where the brewery stands. And
then there were rolls of thunder and
suddenly from the midst of the black
masses bolt of fire shot forth
Just one streak of lightning and the
clouds and the thunder and the storr,
vanished as quickly as they had come,
leaving sky as clear as that which
must have greeted the first man and the
hrst woman in the Garden of Eden.
Half an hour later every soul in the
two Stroudsburgs had heard that the
brewery had been struck by lightning.
| that Contractor Shiffer and one of his
workmen had been stunned and the two
sons of Rev. Mr.. Custard had been
Knocked from ladder by the force of
the heavenly fire.
And with the knowledge there flashed
up in 5000 minds the prayer of Rev Mr..
Dixon at the w. c. T. L. protest meet
ing, and Rev. Mr.. Dixon twenty-four
hours later had the satisfaction of know
ing that his name had been sent broad.
cast over the land, and that he had
sprung from obscurity to newspaper
fame by reason of a single prayer.
AS for the good people of Stroudzburg,
they repeated what oft they had said
before: "A wonderful prayer" "A pray
er from the heart" How earnestly he
prayed
And as for the minister himself, this
is what he said when he heard of the
lightning stroke, and when I called on
him a few days ago and asked him if
he believed that his prayer had been
the cause of the lightning:
81 believe God controls the air, the
winds the thunder and the lightning as
much as He has power over the earth,
and He has told us that our prayers
will be listened to and answered accord
ing to our needs.
IF I remember rightly, and I think
I do, I did not ask God to strike the
brewery with lightning. I said with the
lightning Of His wrath. But the light
ming is controlled by God, and if He sees
fit it can be made the lightning of His
wrath"
From all of which it will be gathered
that Rev. Mr. Dixon is too modest to
state outright that 1t was his prayer
that caused Providence to smite the
brewery. 1.-THE w. c. T. q. members
prayed for Gods Intervention, too" he
adds, but he also says, Eyes, I'll admit
they did not offer up public prayers"
But while Rev. Mr.. Dixon, who is an
SO graduate of Dickinson college shows
such modesty. there are hundreds of per-
sons in Stroudsburg who firmly believe
that the minister's prayer had much to
do with bringing down the lightning
Such seems to be the unanimous belief
of the Prohibitionsts of the Eighth con-
gressional district for they have nomi-
mated Rev. Mr.. Dixon as their candidate
for congressman they had never even
thought Of him as possible candidate
before his prayer had received it's ap-
parent answer
And close on the heels of this nomina-
ton to congress has come a rumor which
will not down that the brewery corpora
ton is going to try to hold Rev Mr.
Dixon legally responsible for stirring I'D
Providence against their undertaking.
Many laugh at such action, and with
them laughs the minister; also there are
denials of any such legal steps, but it
IS a fact that the northeastern section
of the state is not fully convinced by
these Genials. and that many are actually
looking for a lawsuit But perhaps that
Is because the residents of the Eighth
congressional district are ready to believe
and look for almost anything since the
apparent answer of Rev. Mr. Dixon's
prayer.
But through all this talk of a legal war
fare the minister remains calm.
How are they going to prove that
It was my prayer" he asks ''Didn't the
w. c. T. u. offer up prayers, too?"
With or without legal action, the pray
er and It's results will form a part of
the history and tradition Of Monroe
county long after many other things are
forgotten. But if the law is invoked then
the prayer and its consequences will be-
come international history.
But whatever happens the name Of Rev.
E. E. Dixon, minister, Stroudsburg is
not likely to be forgotten by many men
for many a day
And all this is on account Of a prayer
"a prayer of less than a hundred words!