The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-02-18
The Conversion Of PhiIander

His was one of the most unique and
interesting recitals since the days when
Saul of Tarsus was suddenly converted
and savors of the miraculous as well,
but to get the full meat of it one must
hear it from the lips of the chief actor,
touched by the strong flavor of humor
he imparts TO it. Its quite different
heroic from the experience he gives
in prayer meeting, quite as truthfuI,
but garnished with frills of expression
that are easily forgiven to an old sol
der, Phiiander being a veteran OF the
civil war
His whole name-it comes of good
stock and is an honorable one-is PHI
lander Kile Tucker and he was a MEM
Der of the Twenty-eighth Wisconsin
volunteers, Company C, with the rank
of first sergeant. And one of the little
ironies of fate is expressed in the fact
that he fought hard and bravely and
went through the war without a scratch
to find himself many years later badly
worsted by an agent of peace. Sergeant
Tucker believes absolutely that it was
divine plan carefully laid and carried
out to bring him into the fold
II fought men part of my life, but
fought the Lord all my life. You see, if
1 wasn't for him l must be against him.
Why, was a terror in those days. l
used to swear like a trooper before /
was converted. By gum, sometimes the
air was blue with sulphur-wasn't it,
wife?''
Yes" admitted Mrs Tucker with a
smile. Her face, with its corona of
white hair and pink color, looked as
sweet and serene as a Madonna as
she sat opposite her soldier laddie and
heard his oft told tale with the same
amount of interest as If 1T We're new.
You didn't mean any harm, father,
and you were honest. but you had a
great gift of swearing. l noticed it
more after you came home from the
war;
Il always swore. ever since 1 could
speak, but you got kind of used to it.
Cuss words just seemed to come kind
of natural. When l got mad. / swore.
That was before l was converted. What
that / can't remember"
1T was along in 1877 his wife said.
Sure You're right, as you always
are. 1t was in September, at O'Clock in
the afternoon. was helping a neighbor
harvest, and was driving a steam trac-
ton harvester, and that was the time
the Lord got ready to tackle me.
Il was backing up to hitch on to the
separator before moving to the next lot,
and just at that moment the folks came
out and asked me to come in to supper.
1 wasn't hungry and would rather have
worked than eat, but farmers are kind
of huffy if you slight their vittles and
expect hands to eat early and often.
so L went in to supper, and when
come out L found that engine blowing
off at 115 pounds of steam. Whew! 1t
was hotter than-no, mother, 1 won't
sWear-than particular, and / Swore
then a blue streak. And 1 don't doubt
loud enough.
Then 1 took hold of the reverse lever
to back my engine up to take on the
separator, and the pressure of steam
was so great on the valve the lever
pulled like a runaway horse. l gave it
a quick, hard jerk. and that lever drop
ped from my hand to the bottom of the
quadrant and that left the ports wide
open, and the engine lit out like Wild
fire and run back into the separator,
and when they came together / was be-
tween the two. / was squeezed like
lemon between the two machines, and
the engine run thirty feet with me be-
fore it jounced away from the separd-
tor. 1 was saying to myself. Old bow,
if you're going to get out of this it's
time you were doing something your
SELF and with that | gave a shout, and
the men came running up and l was
taken out in sections-at least it Seemed
that way then.
Il said: Boys. catch me- I am going
to faint. This is the Lords doing, bat
if he thinks IN going to accept his love
in this fashion he'll find he's mistaken.
If I'm to go over the road. I'll go just
as 1 am And then l didn't know
another thing for two weeks. And
wasn't converted them by guml
But when they had used a barn
door to splinter me together and I was
beginning to suffer the pain of healing
wounds I began to wonder why the
Lord hadn't finished the job and
squeezed me out altogether, and a kind
of feeling came over me that 1 might
as we'll give up; if he cared enough
about my soul as to try to save ii I
might as well help along instead of
kicking against him, as 1 had done all
my life And then 1 up and asked par
don for all my meanneSS and promised
to use no more cuSs words, and if one
does slip out now and then-Pd kept
them on tap so long-he isn't going TO
be hard on me after putting me through
what he did to get me. Glory halle
luiah,"
Here Mrs. Philander ran her hands
soldier stood erect, a fine figure of
man, and as the music ceased he re-
marked:
Il tell you What-since / made it up
with the Lord I'm the happiest man IN
Cook county, by gun.' '-Chicago Rec
Herald.