The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-25
He Once Held n Watch while the
Preacher Speeded Fast
Horse He Had Bought.
OTHER INCIDENTS RECALLED
AT ONE TIME MIR. BEECHER WAS A
RAISER OF HOGS.
He Came to indianapolis in 1880 and
Went TO Brooklyn i'm IS4s-
Fond Of N Joke.

Did ever know Henry Ward Beecher?"
said John Bradshaw. the other day in the
Denison House. why. he has been TO my
fathers house a hundred times and 1
knew him intimately when / was a youth
and he young man. At that time we lived
four miles north of the city on the Michi-
gan road. One night Beecher was at our
house for supper and during the course
of the meal 1 asked my fathers permission
TO go TO a horse race the next day. which
was at a track somewhere around the To-
cality known as North indianapolis.
Mr.. Beecher took the reply from my father
by saying 1 shouldn't be allowed TO go. as
! was too young. A few days after this
was in town and met Mr.. Beecher. He told
me that he had just bought a horse and
was going TO our house in the evening and
If l would meet him we would drive out
together. 1t was big bay horse and by a
peculiar spot on his breast 1 knew him TO be
an old running horse that had been on the
course. AS we were on the way out we came
to a stretch of smooth. level road and be-
fore we passed the first mile stone Mr..
Beecher handed me his watch and let the
horse out to speed. We fairly flew. 1 re-
member we made that mile in less than
three minutes.
nat nlSnt dN the supper NdDtS
Beecher's attention TO the fact that he
wouldn't allow to go TO the races, yet
he s9eeded his own horse on the way out
He turned TO me with a rogueish eye and
said: The Lord made that horse TO run.
and let him
LIVED ON MARKET STREET.
Henry Ward Beecher at that time lived
on Market street about where the Jewish
Il IL
one-story house around which was large
space of ground. In this he had flower
garden which he tended himself. He finally
abandoned this and started to raising pigs.
as he said the flowers made him too popular
with the women. He continued breeding
hogs till he had a hundred more. They
would run loose all over the neighborhood
and were big nuisance TO everybody.
About this time he became interested in
an agricultural magazine as its editor. One
day he sent for my father and me and
gave us everyone of the pigs. and we drove
them all out TO our farm. You see in those
days there were no packing houses in this
vicinity nor shipping facilities. and. of
course, the hogs represented very little cash
value.
"A little later Beecher built large two
story frame house on the south side OF
Ohio street between Alabama and New
Jersey 1t is still standing and was oc-
cupied until short time ago by Charles e.
Shower. Much of the carpenter work this
house was done by Beecher himself.
''Beecher preached at the Second Presby-
terrain Church which was at that time To-
Gated at the corner of Market and Monu-
ment place. which is now occupied by a
part of English's Hotel l have seen him go
| over to preach many Sunday mornings with
/ his trousers in his boots / remember an
! incident that happened there once. I went
one Sunday morning with young woman
/ afterwards my wife-and was met at the
/ door by +. j. Peck who was at that time
! a wealthy and prominent citizen and
| leading member Of the congregation. He
! was anxious for me TO pc formally united
/ with the church, was very courteous and
ushered down in front to his family
! pew. On Sundays Mr.. Peck wore a white
/ bell-crowned hat. covered with long beaver
! fur. This hat was on the seat as 1 went
4 in. 1t was big affair. one OF the kind you
used TO see in the political cartoons of the
! late Benjamin Harrison. l was young and
awkward and having young woman with
me didn't substract any from my agitation.
! L sat squarely down this big hat and it
! caved in like bellows. Beecher was in
! the pulpit just ready 10 announce a hymn.
he saw it and broke out in loud laugh.
There was smother incident happened on
| this day. Beecher, you know. even
\ in those days was a great preachers
greater pulpit orator than any that have
/ been here since His sermon that day, I
remember, was nature with its varied sea-
/ sons-spring and its creation; summer its
| life; autumn, in lis elimination OF beauty
and final death of all plant existence and
the dormant life Of winter. He likened 1t
/ all TO mans existence on earth, and IL was
a succession Of oratorical bursts. one after
another. He finally closed and held his
\ hand above his head in a dramatic pause
after mis- climax. Every one was SPELL
bound. An old man sat in front of me with
/ face intent on Mr.. Beecher. Finally ne
came to and brought his fist down on the
back Of the seat in front OF him and said.
under his breath, Now, damn them, let en-
beat that If they cam
Mr.. SMITHS PRAYER.
"Oliver II. Smith was a prominent law
I yer here in Indianapolis at that time. He
was afterwards United States senator from
Indiana He was a member OF Beecher's
church. I remember at one OF the Sunday
evening services Mr. Beecher called on Mr..
Smith TO pray. He was evidently a novice.
for IL sounded more like an argument be-
fore a jury than a prayer. he warmed up
/ and continued IL for almost half an hour.
his argumentative powers got the better Of
/ him The next day Beecher and Smith met
on the street. Mr.. Smith said: Mr.. Beeeher.
/ never ask me 10 pray again. No. said
Beecher, 1 don't think l ever will
Henry Ward Beecher was the hrst pas
tor OF the Second Presbyterian Church. he
came here. / think, In 1888. and remained
in indianapolis till lS47, when he left for
Brooklyn. y. Y, and there lived TN the
time Of his death. I at one time owned tho
ground where the Second Presbyterian
Church now stands. and Il happened this
way: I had just been married and was hv-
ing IN a one-story house the ground now
occupied by the Newton Claypool building.
For this little cottage l paid so year.
Fancy renting house for $40 a year IN this
ethyl IL was big rent. though. in those
days. and concluded was paying 80.