Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1905-12-14
TOMMY MASLlN
AT \. N. {, A.


| An audience something larger than
usual asst embled in Y. NJ. q. A. Hall
| Sunday afternoon TO hear the ad-
dress of Tommy Msslin. who has been
oscillatiug between this city and
Bloomsbury during a week or so past.
! Tommy Maslin is truly a wonderful
man, with a remarkable career and as
| was natural the address had about II
| a peculiar fascination. Not only, has
| the man message to lmpart that
commands attention, but he has mauy
of the gifts that make up a strong
speaker. He wastes no words, but is
terse AMI logical, often eloquent, and
he drives home the truths he utters
with great power. All this is remark
able in view of the 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 proclaims himself
the Rescued Man" and explains that
he was once a convict a drunkard and
gambler His subject yesterday was
"A Human Wreck, but 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 vet 10 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-
capped had he made a clean breast OF
what he knew, discriminating the real
offender Disgraced himself and after
dragging his parents and 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 aud many days down. =
From then on the life be led was the
usual life of the ex-convict, the gam
bier, the drunkard, until he found him
self again in the penitentiary aud
served nineteen months of two years
sentence for shooting at man In
bar room brswI. the consoling cir
cumstance of it all being that the bull
let went wide of the mark and that
the shot was fired because he was in
"a tight place.
Then after it all came his conver-
sion, through the efforts of q woman
evangelist, to whom he paid a lofty
tribute Then with his efforts 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 aud when Tommy flew TO her res
cue the drunken man stabbed him in
ficting a terribleIgash upon his face
and throat that came within hairs
breadth of severing the jugular vein.
This explains the unsightly scar upon
the evangalist's face that he will carry
to the grave.
Tommy lay at deaths door for some
time, and was told that his life could
be saved only by taking stimulants.
But he didn't believe il and chose to die
rather than put to his lips the dread
ful curse that had brought him so
much misery. He recovered while the
man who attacked him went to the
penitentiary for two years. The sin
cerity and the goodness of Maslin is
shown bg the fact that after the man
who so nearly murdered him served
his term Tommy found him cne day
and hepled him along by giving him
money out of his own scanty store and
looking after him from then on until
he finally succeeded in effecting his
conversion.
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 and guide to others.
It should be mentioned also that
Tommy Maslin served as a soldier in
the Civil War and left finger OH tue
field of battle For the last % years
he has been engaged III evangelistic
work His wife and children after see
ing him reform were claimed by death
and the poor man has had sorrow az
ter sorrow.
His home now is at Perkasei, Bukcs
county. He has a second wife, who &C
companied him to DanVille eight years
ago and assisted Tommy in his evan