The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-11-19
THE PRICE OF A MAN
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/ lisEed i'm the county papers and the city
/ dailie5 have spoken of me as instrumental
| in bringing to justice a murderer. fol
| which / received a thousand dollars as
reward. l write these lines that I may
fully state the facts upon which these re-
I ports are based. and TO end the unpIeas-
ant notoricty l have gained. am not a
vanslcrious person. have my share o.
| pride. but I am not one Of those ministers
who seek to be famous outside Of their
calling. No one who knows me can deny
| that modesty is my chief characteristic:
N fact. my hest friends have told me that
this trait has often stood in the way OF
MY just Advancement
The events l shall relate here comprise
the Only remarkable episode in my life.
AZ school 7 was a weII-behaved boy. noted
for neither mischief nor intelligence. Ny
main delight is in making the rounds OF
my parish and ministering to the spiritual
wants Of lay people Ny sermons are not
/ brilliant. There was time when I
dreamed Of being a great pulpit orator.
but l have long ago made up my mind
that my gifts do nos lie in that direction.
]
TO the people; still, If / excel al all. it is
as pastor / an an unnoticed man in
company. Passing me or the street. YOU
would never think Of enquiring about me.
SO, when this fanfare appeared in the
newspapers about my ferreting out a IA
nous criminal. and all-the rude and vulgar
were agog at me. il was extremely dis
tasteful. 7 admit that al first I had a
flush of pleasure at seeing my name so
often in print, but I have put away that
satisfaction as being unworthy OF me.
l want TO tell the things in my mind in
the order of their occurrence. 1 am not
a story writer. and have no literary. skill
in arranging the events of my tale. wish
did have 1 would like to dress this mar
rauve in the language Of Robert Louis
stevenson, OF OF Charles Reade. Il seems
to NE that the character Of
James Radcliffe has much that is
beautiful in it. ana if only
had the art to arrange the incidents which
/ know, l should preach a great ser
mon.
like good story. Some brethren OBJ
jec- 10 novels. DIR. Ambrose. one Of the
leading men Of our conference. in whose
judgment I have great confidence. saws
there are real woes enough in the world
without inventing artificial ones He has
often reprOyed me for having works OF
fiction in my library. But il has always
seemed TO me that there were deeper
truths than facts One can take real oc-
currences and so turn them as 90 form
lie. So he can tell his faucies in such
way that they shall be profoundly true.
However 1 have not this latter arr. /
must coudne myself % a plain account OF
the most peculiar case OF James Rat
ellie.
/ had just finished my supper one even
ing. and was helping the children wiki
their lessons, when the maid announced
that man wished 20 see me in the
parlor. / drew on my coat and went to
him lie stood up as 1 came into the
room, and / saw that he seemed to be
well-to-do workman. He had a short,
brown beard. IighJ-blue eyes. and dig
niled and reserved appearance. although
he was evidently not one used to moving
in whd. We call good society. / took
him 10 be about thirty-Gye years Of age
His voice was deeply resonant and his Ut
trance slow. lie rarely took his eyes
from my face during our Interview.
You are me Reverend Mercer" he
asked.
Yes, sir" 1 answered. VIII you not
be seated?"
DO you believe in Jesus Christi" he
enquired, abruptly.
Certainly ! do"
do you think that His example OF self
sacrluCe should be literally followed? Is
II ever right in these days 10 give one
life 10 save another"
Under proper circumstances 1 think
it is"
Well, / have been to your church, sir,
and heard you preach. ! think you are
good man. 1 want 10 tell you the story Of
my life. / have a request to make Of you;
and before / can do II, Z must cOnhde Ia
you a sacred trust. That trust IS my
LIES secret.
l begged him TO think twice before he
did this, as / had no desire 20 miuEIe
unnecessarily in anOthers private az
fairs or receive a secret that might be
burdensOme to me
Some one must take this burden" he
replied 1t is not for you, as God S
man I'd refuse 20 take what has been
weighing me down for years
With this ne began ar once 20 relate his
story
Il never had father or mother. that
l can remember he said The earliest
thing ! can rec0IIect is being with lot
of other children in a big house some
where. with q great yard around it,
suppose IL was an orphan asylum. or
fOuudIilg's home. OF some such place.
Was sent into the country, iu Nebraska
while still young. 30 a family of good
people l worked on the farm and went
10 school some. When / was about twenty
years Old the farmer died his widow
sold the place and moved away. She made
no provision for mo. because / think,
she had some relatives that never liked
my being with the old folks, and were
afraid fhat they would give me some Of
their property. So they got the Old lady
away, and I was sent adTift.
Then 1 lived the life Of Il farm hand.
] won't 20 into all Of the details. They
are unnecessary. / viii hurry and get 10
the matter that stands ont like a blotch
on my memory II has no connection with
the rest of my life 10 seems like the
devil had just reached i'm and dabbed a
big splash Of red paint on my history.
AIM bad. ] never was not that ] am
religious. I have been converted al sev-
eral meetings. but being q hired hand. and
just drifting around from pillar 10 post.
l never was no good 10 any church, and
. finally ] quit joining them.
81 wont go over it an. sir. but Just
soy 10 Was at a party one evening that u
happened. l got drunk. / don't like Iiq-
then. 1 don't know why-ezeeDt it was
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