Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-02-20
HIS BROTHERS KEEPER.
OF, Christian Stewardship.
BY CHARLES M. SHELDON.
Steps, Philip Strong rRobt Hdys
Seven Days." uMacom Kirk,
oorrnaH- SCHOOL ,.za .oe.
OF, Christian Stewardship.
BY CHARLES M. SHELDON,


1t was a flash of time, and Stuart
gave the man blow with his fist thai
knocked him swearing against Il nan
behind him. Before any one could raise
his arm again or strike Il blow the min
sailants of the army, and a roar Went
up from the entire mass of excited and
angered men. The influence of the ar
my still was SO strong with the great
majority that 1t resented with the deep
est indignation any indignity offered its
little band Of officers and men.
Duck em in the fountain!" yelled
some one with more than touch eli
grim humor.
The fountain" was a huge cast iron
basin in the center of the square which
for several years had been used for q
watering trough. 1t had about -four
feet of water in it, supplied from the
pumping of the mines
The suggestion was just suited to tbs
coarse, rough spirit of the crowd
Struggling in the clutch of a number
of brawny hands, the offenders were
dragged up to the basin and flung into
| it. AS fast as they floundered out, drip
ping and cursing. they were thrown in
again. A great roar of laughter and
| shouts rose from the mob. In the midst
Of 1t all the army marched out of the
square singing:
| Come, Sinners to the Saviour now;
! He wore the thorn crown on his brow;
He shed his blood that you might be
| Redeemed to all eternity.
There was the same dauntless look on
the leaders face. No one could say
| that she was disappointed or disheart-
encd by the seeming lack of answer to
| her prayer or by the wild confusion all
| about her. The squad halted out in the
| street. and there another group gather
| ed about them listening to testimony
| and prayer and song.
| Stuart ana the minister hesitated
| where they We're for moment, not
knowing what to do now, when the
crowd farthest away, over by the rail
road tracks, began to run altogether to-
ward Il smaller crowd coming down the
hill from the Davis nine
II believe the men that did the burn
ing are caught" cried Stuart to Burke.
The two struggled over in the direc-
ton of the hill and We're met by the
same company that had come cut To
The house demanding Eric.
| The newcomers marched into the
square, and one of them going up into
| the stand told the news. They had
| found the engineer, fireman and pump
men locked in an old dryroom be-
longing to o recently abandoned mine
about mile up the hills, tied secure
~. but uninjured. There was no trace
of the men who had done all this for
the evident purpose of firing the engine
house and getting rid of Eric and Stu
art as two men who would be likely
to insist upon law and order as long
| as they had any influence. To the
| credit of the thousands of miners in all
the ranges about Champion the at
tempt was regarded by the vast ma
iority as cowardly ard murderous
act, disgrace to the name of work
ingmen and setback to the cause.
There was special Indignation express
ed against the attempt to kill or in.
| jure Eric by throwing the mass of ore
down the ladder hole, for that had
been done, according to the story OF
the men who were overpowered at the
shafts mouth. One or two of them
had been unwilling witnesses to the
outrage.
The telling of this story and the ap-
pearance of the Davis men had the eff
feet OF SOLDERING the crowd and caus
ing IT to disperse. The troops were
forgotten for awhile. The new mei
sent over the road by the owners OF
the upper ranges would not pass