The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-10-18
DEATH CLAIMS SAM JONES.
Famous Evangelist Dies of Heart
Disease in Sleeping Car.

Rev. Sam P. Jones, the well-known
evangelist of Gainesville, Ga, died
early Monday of heart failure in a
sleeping car on train No. OF the
Rock Island railroad near Perry,
Ark. Mr.. Jones had ben conducting
a most successful revival at Oklaho-
ma City, l. T., and left there Sunday
night for his home in Georgia. He
wanted to attend family reunion
Tuesday it being the fifty-ninth an
niversary of his birth.
Mrs Jones and his daughters, Mrs,
Annie Pyron and Miss Julia Jones,
were with him when he passed away
Mr.. Jones arose from his berth in the
sleeper about FIVE o'clock Monday
morning and complained of sickness
in his stomach. He drank glass
of hot water and Immediately after
ward collapsed.
Rev. Wait Holcomb, who had been
associated with Mr.. Jones for NUM-
Der of years, took the dying man III
his arms and in a few minutes the
evangelist breathed his last.
Rev. Sam Jones was born in Ala
bama of religious parents and was
raised in Georgia Four of his faith
er's brothers were ministers of the
gospel and the family had been
Methodists for four generations. In
1859 Mr.. Jones went to live in Car
tersville and in 1861 his father joined
the confederate army. 1t was the few
years which followed that Mr.. Jones
was accostumed TO refer to as the
wasted years of his life.
He had the advantages of good
schools, his first instruction having
been received under Professor Stay
ton, afterward superintendent of the
public schools of Atlanta for many
years. This teacher must have had
premonition of his little pupils
coming notoriety, for he wrote par
ody for him to recite at one of the
school exhibitions, the closing lines
of which were:
In laundering peals and Thornton
tones, ,
The world shall hear of Sam p Jones
When Jones got into bad way.
during the war he neglected his stud
les sadly, but after his father re-
turned home he began work again
studying under ex-Congressman Eel
ton and his wife and Professor Ron
aid Johnson.
| A little later he was admitted te
the bar and one month after his ad
mission in 1867 he was married te
Miss Laura McElwain of Henri,
county, Kentucky.
Mr.. Jones started on his PROBES
sional career in his married life will
bright prospects, bat his dissipation
prevented him from realizing them
But in 1872 he was converted an,
felt that he was called to preach tn,
gospel. All the moinisters witt
whom he took counsel advised hin
to go into the ministry, and he short
ly started out as Methodist minis
ter. His grandfather Jones had cir
cult near Gainesville at that tim,
and Jones preached his first sermor
at one of his churches.
All of his congregation knew hin
as a wild, reckless boy. but he stood
up boldly and told of his experiepc'
and repentance in such moving lang
uage that many responded to his ex
hortation and presented themselye
as penitents at the altar. The fol
lowing August he offered himself Il
the North Georgia annual confer
ence, which made him an itineran
preacher, giving him the appoint
ment of circuit.
On his second circuit he had sever
churches and. made hundreds of con
versions. The same record was sus
tanned in subsequent circuits.
He used to preach as a pastor, 40t
sermons year, and for weeks arc
weeks at a time he has preached fota
times a day.
The first revival work he did wa!
in 1879 and in 1880 and it gave hin
a name in his own state. In 1853 h,
began his lifework in the revival ser
vice with long series of sermon,
in Memphis which were widely no
ticed by the newspapers
AT the time of his death he had no
had charge of church for man,
years, but had donated his entir,
time to evangelistic work and lectur
ling.
Thousands of people in Marshal
county have heard Sam Jones preacl
and lecture. He was at the Culve
ASSEMBLY at Maxinkuckee eight day
about seventeen years ago an,
preached every day He has Otter
iectrred in this vicinity.
An Old Country.
Recent discoveries in tho ,,,lla,, n