Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1905-12-15
TOMMY MASLlN
AT Y. N. {. A.

|
usual asse mbled in Y. NJ. q. A. Hal
Sunday afternoon TO hear the ad
dress of Tommy Maslin, who has beer
oscillating between this city ant
Bloomsbury during a week or 50 past
Tommy Maslin is truly wonderful
man, with remarkable career and af
was natural the address had about Il
a peculiar fascination. Not only, hat
the man a message to impart thai
commands attention, but he has many
of the gifts that make up strong
speaker. He wastes no words. but II
terse and logical, often eloquent. and
he drives home the truths he utters
with great power. All this is remark
able in view of tho wasted years of
his life and the utter lack of prepara-
tion on his part for public speaking
or intellectual work of any sort.
Tommy Maslin proolaims himself
the "Resoued Man" and explains that
he was once convict.a drunkard and
a gambler. His subject yesterday was
"A Human Wreck, but q Spiritual
Victory" and his talk of course. had
to do with his own experience.
The depth of degradation into which
the man had fallen was indeed great
and yet to some extent he was the
sport of circumstances. His first term
of two years in the penitentiary was
spent for crime that another COM
mitted. although he might have es.
caped had he made clean breast of
what lie knew, discriminating the real
offender. Disgraced himself and after
dragging his parents aud brothers and
sisters along down with him, at the
expiration of his term he was turned
out, as he put it "to sink or swim,
one day up and many days down. "
From then on the life he led was the
usual life of the convict, the gam
bier, the drunkard, until he found him.
self again in the penitentiary and
served nineteen months of two years
sentence for shooting at man in a
cumstance of it all being that the bull
let went wide of the mark and that
the shot was fred because he was in
"a tight place."
Then after it all came his oonver.
sion, through the efforts of woman
evangelist, to whom he paid lofty
tribute. Then with his effotts to re-
sist temptation, which came in the
form of drink and the presence of old
associates the troubles of life began to
multiply. A former companion under
the influence of liquor came into his
house aud incensed because Maslin re.
fused to drink with him became abu.
sive and disorderly and attacked his
wife and when Tommy flew to her res
cue the drunken man stabbed him in
'tiicting terrible cash upon his face
and throat that came within hairs
breadth of severing the jugular vein.
This explains the unsightly scar upon
the evangslist's face that he will carry
to the grave.
Tommy lay at deaths door for some
time, aud was told that his life could
bs saved only by taking stimulants.
But he didn't believe it and chose to die
rather than put to his lips the dread
full curse that had brought him so
much misery. He recovered while the
man who attacked him went to the
penitentiary for two years. The sim
cerity and the goodness of Maslin is
shown by the fast that after the man
who SO nearly murdered him served
his term Tommy found him one day
and hepled him along by giving him
money out of his own soanty store and
looking after him from then on until
he finally succeeded in effecting his
conversion.
The whole story was one of bitter
trial aud there was plenty Of pathos
in it as the speaker told of his desper
ate struggles to hold on to the good
and how by ever remembering Christ
and His promises he was able to resist
and hold out to the end. At every page
of his life's history there was some
Lesson to be learned that should be a
help p and guide to others.
1t should be mentioned also that
Tommy Maslin served as soldier in
the OWL War and left a finger OIL the
field of battle. For the last 2S years
he has been engaged in evangelistic
work. His wife aud children after see-
ing him reform were claimed by death
aud the poor man has had sorrow al
ter sorrow.
His home now is at Perkasei, Bukos
county. He has second wife, who ac-
companied him to Danville eight years
ago and assisted Tommy in his evan
gelistic efforts.