The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-08-17
MRS. NATION EAST.
Has a Large Audience at SYRIA
cuse and Pleases the Crowd.

dIence which filed eevry seat at the
Lakeside theater. breaking all records
for attendance. Mrs. Nation spoke of
Syracuse saloons and how she would
close them
The surprise of it all is that the crowd
was so orderly there were no jeers or
cat cries Somebody forgot to curtain
off the bar out of respect to Mrs. Ma
ton as she had requested but she didn't
notice this. and the bar did a big busi-
ness.
Il feel very grateful for this recep-
tiOn,' she said. 1T coTnpensates me for
the lonely days and nights I spent in
jail. It seems that since l started out
my life has been one continual round
of sunshine. In jail they whipped me
and tried to make me eat the coarse
jail fare. My cell was a regular bake
oven Most of the time I prayed and
wept. My heart is overlooking with
gratitude for the kind treatment have
received since got out" (T5olding aloft
her Bible): 7 want to show you the
best Ratchet that ever was made. II Is
the many blessed hours spent on my
knees with this book that made me take
up the Ratchet and smash the saloons
At one point during her talk she
stopped off short and shifted several
times with q disguised expression on
her nOtherly countenance- I'm
sitting she said. 1.-The dirty nicotine
from somebody's cigar is filling my
her eyes around the auditorium and
finally caught sight of a, man who was
putting a cigar. She pointed over to
him and scathingly denounced the
practice Of smoking She followed up
her denunciation by reciting a poem
from the Smasher's Mail, the paper of
which she is editor. After she got
through with her TRADE, it seemed
as though every man in the audience
was smoking. and those who weren't
were envying those who were. Perfect
clouds of smoke rolled up from the au-
ditorium One youngster lighted a
pipe. Mrs. Nation caught sight of him
and running over to the edge of the
platform with her Ratchet in her hand,
made a threatening motion in the
youngsters direction. He must have
thought that the Ratchet was coming
his way for he dropped the pipe and
hid in his seat
At the close of her lecture Mrs Ma
ton announced that she would have
hatchets, photographs and copies Of the
Snasher'a Mail to sell AS she was
about to leave the platform she was
met by several newspaper men. One
of them reached out his hand to her
and with choking voice told her that
she had converted him. II have
smoked and drank for twenty years,
he declared with mock solemnity, but
since have heard your exhortatfOn
am firmly resolved never to do so any
more
Praise the Lord exclaimed Mrs.
Nation, enthusiastically. She was so
delighted that she put her arms around
the young man, gave him a motherly
hug and kissed him. This latter was
something that he didn't bargain for.
DO you know she said to the jok-
ing convert, Il am more pleased over
what you have just told me than If
you were to give me $1,0O0-yes. sir.
$1,000
Now I'll tell you all about my life
with David Mrs. Nation said to a re-
porter. Il am just finishing the fifth
chapter of my life and that is the part
where / tell about David. after my
first husband had been killed by liquor
I taught school in Missouri. I had been
a widow six years when lost my posi-
ton. One of the trustees didn't like
me and he discharged me. In those
days I was the most diffident girl you
a man. Not a man stepped foot in my
house during the years of my widow
hood. After 1 lost my position / went
to God and I prayed to him to send
me a husband.
Il wanted to glorify God and would
take take the man He sent me- Well. it wasn't
was going down the street when met a
man He looked at me and looked at
like a shock of electricity went through
me and I said to myself: That's the man
next day got letter: Before opened
it I knew that it was from the man who
was to be my husband The letter was
signed David Nation
Five weeks after that we were mar
ried. We lived together q years and we
lived a lie all that time. He deceived me
in every way. Why, he was the, most de-
PRAYED man I knew. daren't tell young
man about the things he did. He robbed
me Of 1,600 acres of land in Texas where
the oil was discovered He let it be sold
for taxes and then bid 1t in in his son s
name It brought 81 acre and is worth
a hundred times that now Two hundred
acres he got me to sign off by fraud. oh,
he's bad man.