The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-12
CROWDS ON THE CORNERS
THE POLICE At LAST INTERFERE
WITH THE RELIGIONIsTS.
salvation Army. PentecostaI Band
and Mormon Elders Occupy the
Highway in Turn.

The warm evenings are great promoters
Of street-corner gatherings and last night
several of the downtown corners had at
fractions. Conspicuous among these at
fractions were the religious organizations
that are in the habit of holding street
services at the corner of Meridian and
Washington streets. Thu services last
night started with an unusually large at
tendance and the indications were that a
rousing meeting would be held. 1t has
been the custom of the Salvation Army,
the Pentecostal Band and the quartet Of
Mormon elders TO simultaneously hold their
services on the same corner. The corner
is a choice location on account of the we'll
lighted street and the number of people
that pass, and the favorite spot has been
monopolized all summer by these three or
ganizations.
Notwithstanding the great demand for
this particular corner the three creeds have
been very considerable of each other and
have not attempted to hold their services
all at the same time. 1t has been the Gus
tom to allow the first organization on the
corner the privilege of holding the first
service unmolested, while the others stand
at a respectful distance until it is through.
AN Nht hA1N lACdo DohA a assn 80
service and before the crowd has time to
dispense, the second organization imme-
diately takes possession and holds the
congregation. Then. when it is through the
third ministers to the crowd before it gets
away. In this manner the three together
manage to have a continuous service for
two hours or more each evening and one
crowd gets the benefit of all three.
The attention of the police had been
called TO the gatherings that sometimes al
most blockaded the street, and Captain
Dawson and Sergeant Hagerman were on
hand last night TO attend the services. The
Salvation Army was the first TO take pos
session of the corner. Its services were no
sooner finished than the Pentecostal Band
followed in the wax of rear rank of the
Salvation Army and formed a ring and
began its meeting. The opening remarks
to the crowd had scarcely died away when
Captain Dawson stepped up to the leaders
and asked them to move off the corner.
The band moved across the street and
started another meeting but was again
ordered TO move back from Washington
street. The band went north as far as the
alley and there held its services. In the
meantime the four Mormon elders, who had
not yet had a chance at the crowd, followed
at a respectful distance and waited on the
edge of the crowd, and argued their re-
ligiOn with the inquisitive and those seek
ing light until the Pentecosts were
through.
The police say that the corner is con-
geSted Sufflclently or evenings without an
additional crowd and that the religious or
ganizations will have to take places less
prominent. The Salvation Army, accus-
toned TO the exercise of police power, said
nothing of the order, but the members of
the Pentecostal Band took occasion to say
that the devil was behind ii all. The Nor
mons also said nothing about police orders
except that they would not talk polygamy
on the street for fear of being arrested.
Some of the other corners had crowds,
but not OF a religious character. On one
corner a man was selling spit fire" which
he said was invented by Edison, the
wizard of the age" He told the crowd
how he could transform a nickel into a
ive-dollar gold piece by throwing his
knife at il when he counted ten, but when
the critical time arrived and everybody was
craning their necks to see the wonderful
performance. he postponed the feat until
after he had explained the thousand and
one usages to which his spit fire. might
be nut.