Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-03-13


When your heart felt nigh to breaking
And you promised you'd serve your Cod
Will you, will you,
Say, will you meet me there?
There none but the pure and the holy
Can ever enter In
You have no hope OF its glory
II still you're the servant OF SIN
Bless God, bless God,
Bless God you may be there!
Yes, you can go there, my brother,
For Jesus has died on the tree,
And that same precious blood is flowing
That washed poor sinner like me.
VIII you, will you,
Will you now wash and be cleanf
All who enter that glorious city
Have made their garments Of white,
Have trod In the Sayiour's footsteps;
They've battled for God and for right.
long. long,
long to meet you there.
Had ever singer such IN audience,
such an occasion or such purpose In
using the divine passion Of song? Long
before she had finished Eric had faint
ed dead away, and Stuart and the doc
tor were caring for him as he lay on
the floor of the band stand, his up
turned face us CHASTITY white us those
two below. But Stuart's senses throb-
bed to that song as they never had to
any triumphant aria that ever swept
through the gilded. perfumed opera
houses of Europe. What were all
those singers there to this one who was
using her gift to help save life and pre-
vent crime? 1t is probable that Stuart
Duncan laid his heart at the feet Of
Rhena Dwight that evening. He had
already surrendered his soul 10 God.
1t was no less sacred mingling OF
that with all tine rest Of his recent ex-
perience that he lifted up his heart to
the height of loving this woman.
The song ceased. The men breathed
deeper. as If they had been holding
their breath during the singing. and q
murmur swelled over the square. 1t
grew every second, but the mob was
not the same. The better purposes In
hundreds of the men had been stirred.
They We're not brutal or cruel or law
less men for the most part; but, on the
contrary. very many of them were
deeply religious, and above all else
they desired to see the cause Of labor
triumph. The facts 80 clearly pre-
sented by Eric were undesirable. One
Of the older men began to speak now
from the stand. They had come up to
Champion to take the law into their
own hands. The question was, in the
light of sober reason, what would the
results be If they should do this thing
in hot blood2 Eric was right about It
There arose storm of cries from the
crowd ut this point for division OIL
the question, what did the union de
cide?" "Bide by the union in the mat
terw ".Aye, aye; that's reasony' vote!
"Decisionw
The vote was accordingly taken
Should the soldiers and officers be dealt
with by the miners for the death of thu
two men or should they be handed
over to the authorities to await due
process Of law? The vote was taker
by hands. Less than fourth of tht
men thrust up their hands with club
In them on the vote to deal with tht
soldiers 40 they pleased. On the mega
tive an Overwhelming majority carried
the day to submit the entire affair to
the law.
Instantly every man in the band
stand came down. Stuart and the dec.
tor assisted in bearing Eric back TO the
DOCTORS buggy. Eric revived q little
as he was being carried and asked ia
be taken to his own house. The doctor
thought that would be wiser than tc
take him back to Stuarts, and Stuax,
reluctantly consented to the transfer
He went himself with Eric, SOW hin
comfortable and then returned to tht
square.
The decision Of the union was being
| faithfully carried out. The troops and
4 their officers were placed under guard
In the engine house, and the police Of
Champion were assisted by the miners
who claimed that the firing of thu
troops had been without excuse ant
that the plncing Of them under ares
was called for by every dictate of jus
tice and fair play.
4 As we pass this incident in the cours,
Of this narrative which Is connected
with the story of our lives in Cham
! pion it is sufficient to say that mex
day the troops were taken back to d.
Mott by the authorities, and In tn
trial which came off afterward til,
case was dismissed on the ground o
insufficient evidence to convict. AS ,
matter Of fact, there had been grea
provocation on both sides, but the fiji
ing of the troops was always consid
cred by the miners as not warranted
by the facts. They always spoke o
the killing of the two men as "mul
der" and looked upon the acquittal 0
the officer who gave the command t
fire Us an outrage and clear misear
rage Of justice.
So ended that memorable night
Stuart went home at last, feeling tina
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