Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-05-20
ANGRY AT SAN JONES.
People Of Savannah Resent His Vic.
ious Attiacks Upon Their
Fair City.

| Jones. the exnOiter. Is here. and
temporary auditorium as big as hal
q dozen churches has been erected ii
the public square to nccommoda.,
the large audiences that are expeo.
ed to attend his peculiar performan
ces. AS usual. he is advertising tn,
event by sensational attacks uuor
the immortality. follies and sinfulnes,
OF the community. popular socia
organization has been singled out b,
him for assault. and he has succeed
ed In arousing great deal of public
Indignation and excitement by the
reckless manner in which he has
been making charges. He has been
comparing Savannah to Sodom and
Gomorrah. and has declared that the
Almighty has appointed him to con.
duct n crusade against it and re.
move the city farther than half mile
from hell the distance which he es.
Inmates is now separating the two
places.
| Savannah has always been regard.
ed as one of the most moral comm,mi.
ties in the country. No city in the
world of the same size Is 80 free from
vice and crime and so given to lelIy
ious and charitable work and nj.
though like the rest of us the inhahi-
tants confess themselves miserable
sinners when they go to church on
Sunday, they do not like to be called
so by other people, and particularly
by man who proposes to convert
them from their evil ways.
Jones was invited here by the Min
| isterial association, an organization
| of city pastors who believed that he
might excite revival of religious sen
| timent. but they did not anticipate
| the brutal manner in which he has
begun work. The tabernacle was
erected with funds which they col
lected. and located upon the public
park by permission granted by the
cemmen council at their request The
| attacks of Mr.. Jones upon men and
| women of Savannah have aroused so
| much resentment that the members of
the council are sorry that they grant
| ed the privilege and would revoke IL
| If they dare do so. The men who
contributed the money are especially
indignant because OF Jones insinua-
tions concerning their wives and
daughters, and some of the hot-head-
ed young husbands and brothers are
threatening personal punishment If he
| repeats his insulting remarks. Phe
| churches are divided, the Presbyteri-
ans. Lutherans, Episcopalians and one
of the Baptist churches have with
| drawn from the movement. but the
| Methodists are still supporting
Jones. although some of the
NOSE prominent members of the
denomination are denouncing him as
mountebank. Jones has accom-
plished his object, however. which is
advertising. and the madder the peo.
pie of Savannah get the better pleas
| ed he will he.
He has been preaching at the neigh
boring town of Wayeress. and in his
| sermon one day last week he com
mented upon the excitement that his
remarks had caused In Savannah and
the threats that had been made
against him. He said that he was "a
years of age and had been preaching
to all kinds of people for nearly 30
years. ~ have been threatened with
violence many Il tins by all classes
of people" ne said. land | have kill
ed as many of them as they have of
mo, Therefore, friends who feel an
interest in my welfare need have no
fear for what Savannah will do to
Sam Jones. They better save their
tears for Savannah. for what Sam
| x.,;ll do fNr tbnt Il
plenty. If there Is anything | dis
like 1t is a dull time" he continued,
and II them Savannah rascals don t
kill each other fighting among them
selves before 1 git there I'll hold 'em
out at arms length and let EN- kick
themselves to DEATH"
In conclusion he referred to one of
the Savannah clergymen who had said
that they wanted nothing but de
cent preaching" 'If Savannah wants
decent preaching | will not go there
at ALL" he declared, "fOr how can
give them decent preaching with the
old town only half a mile from hell?'
People down here who know Jones
say that he acts this way simply to
advertise himself and attract atten
tion; that he is sincere and honest In
his ehorts to do good and convert un'
believers to christianity. In order
to accomplish his purpose. however
and reach certain classes who cannot
he reached in any other way he uses
bad grammar. tells racy stories and
plays the buffoon. His talent as an
actor cannot be exaggerated. He
can excite the emotions OF an Hitter
ate audience to a degree that Is almost
incredible. and play upon their senses
so that in one moment they may be
shriekIng with laughter and In the
next sobbing with genuine tears
Jones is said to have made preaching
pay. He started out as an ordinary
circuit rider at 5000 per year, which
was contributed jointly by half doz
en- feeble country churches. but hii
fame and influence grew rapidly. ant
has continued growing without any
relapse until now he can draw lar
ger audience than any man In thu