The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-07
STREET PREACHER LOCKED Up
RICE, Cow hoy EVANGELIST"
WAS HELPING HIS WIFE.
She Had Permit. hut He Hadn't. and when
He Sang. Folks Complained shows
How Far the Police Go 10 Prevent
Persons From Doing Good. VIE says.

| How Far the Police Go TO Prevent
! Persons From Doing Good. VIE says.
Justin r. Rice, the husband of Mrs
| Margaret Rice, the street evangelist. was
! locked up in the Tenderloin police station
Yesterday for preaching without license
The blotter charge against him. is singing
ana disturbing the peace on the southwest
| corner of Twenty-seventh street and Broad
way Policeman Martin Convey made
! the arrest
Rice is called the Cowboy Evangelist"
because Of his generally wild and woolly
appearance. His wife is the best known and
probably most successful street preacher in
town. She is middle-aged dark-haired
woman Of prepossessing appearance and
does most Of her preaching at Broadway
and Twenty-seventh street, across the way
, from the Hotel yictoria.
Mrs. Rice holds a meet ing there every
night and twice on Sunday. She has spent
most of the summer at the seaside, but
two weeks ago she came back hero and
| settled down to work again. The greater
part Of this year and last the Cowboy
Evangelist kept out OF sight Mrs. Rice
| says she asked her husband to Join her
yesterday morning and help her along with
her meeting
Rice is not SO good a talker "a his wife.
but he has a mighty loud singing voice.
He was using it for all il was worth yester-
day morning about the time many people
in the neighborhood were enjoying their
regular Sunday morning snooze Several
men made complaints to Policeman Convey
and demanded that he do sonnet hing to
stop what they declared was a nuisance.
BY the time the policeman got ready
to act. Rice had stepped singing and his
wife had begun to preach. Rice walked
half way down the block and sat on a stoop
from which he could see the rapidly in
creasing crowd around his wife. The n eN
who had complained told Convey that
Rice ought to be locked up on general prln-
ciples because he had disturbed the peace
Of the whole neghborh hood.
Convey approached Rice and asked il
he had a permit. Tie Cowboy Evange-
list" said that his wife carried the permit.
Convey interrupted Mrs. Rice's talking
and demanded to see the permit. Ii
only gave permission to Mrs. Rice to speak.
Thereupon Convey took Rice around to
the police station. Mrs. Rice didn't let
the arrest of her husband disturb her meet
ing. When she decided it was time to
stop talking, she took up the customary
collection.
She called at the police station last night
and told Sergt Wall that she didn't intend
to get bail for her husband.
His arrest was an outrage said Mrs.
Rice, -and uncalled for. My lawyer has
advised me to let my husband stay In
Jail"
From the police station Mrs. Rice went
to her accustomed stamping ground and
held another meeting. In a few minutes
she had about two hun red people litter ing
to her. She interrupted her service long
enough to talk to sun reporter.
MY husbands arrest was uncalled for,
she said, "and only goes to show how far
the police will 90 in trying 10 prevent others
from doing good, My permit was given to
me by Mayor Low and is made out in my
name. On that permit my husband has a
perfect right to help me at my meetings
in the name OF one person. but several
always take part in their open-air meetings.
l have been workin SO hard that my voice
went back on me and asked my husband
to help me this morning He came out to
sing and was arrested for it.
we are we'll used to this sort Of thing
for both my husband and myself have often
been arrested. have been preaching since
| was II years old. and have frequently
been locked up for preaching without a
license. Only few weeks ago down at
Asbury Park, couldn't get a license to
preach, but that did not stop me. was
arrested and stayed in Jail for three days
because would not pay $40 fine. Hun
dreds Of people wanted to pay the fine for
me. but would not allow them. Those
who do the Lords work must stand for
persecution such as this"
Mrs. Rice ard her husband live in fur
nished room at AS West Twenty-secor d |
street. She has five children. the youngest
being months old. At the cor clusion of
all her talks she takes up collection Mary
people have won dered what she did with
the money she collects. Mrs. Rice was
asked that question last night
Il think am entitled to what little money
get, said Mrs. Rice, lard Use it for the |
support OF myself and my children. I |
ought to be a rich woman, but I am not,
as you can tell by looking at my shabby |
clothes. Believe me or rot am pauper |
ard we live from har d to mouth. I collect |
from 81 to 50 at each OF my meet ir gs. Why, !
Only this morning. Young Corbett. the !
prizefighter, SORT me out a $40 bill. In |
deed have all I can do To got alcr "