Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-30
HOPE TO SAVE
REFORMER TILL
SONS ARRIVE
Francis Murphy May
Die Tonight
Physicians Have No Expectation OF
Proloneing Life After Family
Is Reunited at Bed
side

EDWARD Murphy dTTlNeu lloiu OhA
sylvania last night and went at once
to his fathers bedside. 1t was feared
that Mr. Murphy might not recognize
him, but as he leaned over the bed the
famous evangelist opened his eyes and
said:
God bless you, my son."
He was too weak to say more, and
apparently again became unconscious.
All day Yesterday Francis Murphy
Law in a seeming stupor. The nurse
in attendance said that he seemed to
be growing weaker. Probably 1t was
only his intense desire to see his sons
again before he dies that kept him
alive.
That indomitable will, that has fought
nobly against the ills of the flesh, still
retains it's vigor, and the man, even
now upon the threshold of another life,
| is fighting, fighting bravely to survive
until his loved ones reach him.
TIC helm him in the fight. though he
probably knows 1t not, hundreds of
| friends all over the city are praying
that his life may be spared long enough
to grant him the one remaining boon
his heart craves-a farewell word,
good by pressure of the hand from his
sons, now speeding as fast as steam
can carry them, to the room wherein
their father lies, stricken unto death.
Born in Ireland
| Francis Murphy. perhaps the most
persuasive temperance evangelist VINO
ever addressed an American audience,
was born in Wexford, Ireland, April
"a, 1886. He left his home for New
York at~the age of Is, and two years
later, in that city, married Miss Eliza
beth A. CHM.
Seven children blessed the union, of
whom six are living. Two of them,
| rr,,o1 1Ir NTrc Tfo
J. Holmes, are residents of Los An
geles The others are William ].
Murphy of Winsburg. Va, Thomas Ed
ward Murphy, Overbrook, Pa: John
f. Murphy, Philadelphia, Pa, and Rob-
ert Murphy, now lieutenant governor
of Pennsylvania.
| The mother died when her younger
daughter, now Mrs. Holmes. was less
than years of age, and eighteen years
| ago Mr.. Murphy married for the sec
ond time, his bride being Mrs. Rachel
Fisher, prominent temperance worker
of Illinois.
Francis Murphy has conducted tenn
perarfce work with great success on
! both sides of the Atlantic His first
meeting was held in Portland, Me-, in
1876. Soon after he decided to give
his life to the cause of temperance.
His first series of meetings was held
in old Liberty hall, in Pittsburg. From
there he travelled extensively all over
the United States and into England,
where his son Edward Joined him in
preaching the gospel of temperance.
AS result of his meetings thousands
of men signed the pledge, until the
Murphy blue badges became known all
| over the world.
Has Strong Personality
Much of his great success In his
| duo To, fhn r1oo ~
sonality, his genial spirit, his kindly
| consideration for all those with whom
| the drink habit had gained strong
hold. .
None better than he knew the power
of the habit, for drink came near to
wrecking his own life. The experience
of those years of self-indulgence left
the man not broken in health or spirit,
but rejoicing in his victory over his own
appetite, assured that others could be
saved, as he had been, through the aid
of the Lord, and firmly determined to
blaze the way for such regeneration.
| Kind he was always, for he knew the
bitterness of the struggle against drink
and he knew the strength required to
win 1t.
1t was Francis Murphy's creed that
| every man, no matter how far he had
succumbed to the drink habit, could
|
creed he preached to thousands, and
thousands he persuaded of it's truth.
| His epitaph, when he dies will exist in
| the homes of families saved from
misery, squalor and perhaps worse,
through the marvellous encouragement
of his voice, the kindly labor of his
helping hands.
Naturally Francis Murphy's work
! threw him into contact with many of
/ Of "a 1ol iGb croao q z
ing world. Among them he had, and
has today, many good friends. But his
best friends, the friends to whom his
personality means most, are those men,
| and women too, whom he saved from
degradation, in whom he implanted a
newly born self respect.
Sixty Thousand Sign Pledge
During the latter part of 1876 Mr..
Murphy held his first series of meet
| ings. For nine weeks they continued,
and at the close it was found that 10000
| persons had signed the pledge as re-
suit of his labor. This was the begin
ming. The name and fame of the great
evangelist spread rapidly. Wherever
he appeared men flocked to his meet
| ings Beginning with no preliminary
training and with little experience In
public speaking, he soon developed into
one of the most powerful orators of the
day. He seemed to possess a natural
gift for speaking perhaps an inheri-
| tance of his Celtic ancestry-and that
| it was a God given gift tens of thou
sands of men today willingly attest.
! If all the men whom Francis Murphy
| induced to sign the pledge could be
| brought together they would exceed
the present population of Los Angeles.
| If all those whom he actually saved
from drunkards' graves could assemble
in one place they would constitute the
population of good sized city.
Daughter Helps
On many of his trips he was accom-
panied by his elder daughter, now Mrs.
Wayland Trask, who sang both before
and after her father spoke and whose
singing did much to aid in the work.
In 1901 Mr.. Murphy came to Los An
geles Since that time he has made
this city his home, and he has made the
city better for his residence In it. He
has held weekly services in Blanchard
hall during the greater part of the