The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-06-26
DICE WENT OVERHEARD.
How Regiment of Crap Shooters was
Converted at Sea.

I1oW q hcSlN1chI OF SFGP SIOSsS'o
Converted at Sea.
Five hundred pairs OF dice arc iS!Hs
on the bottom of the Atlantic occAis
somewhere off tie east coast oi she
United States unless the fishes Swallow
ed ttcm and calric;i i''"ln away. he
spotted cubes were thrown ovcrD2;Id
by the negroes of the Tweniy-ihiFu
Kansas regiment during violent
storm at sea. the sacrifice having oSeli
prompted by p"li:tcnce. Il was Whl:c
the negro regiment was on board tie
ship N'igillnci;: e.! ro"te to CUBA IN
September, 1893. that 4 storm. says the
Kansas City Star. converted l score o.
boiStcrous crap games into ferVenI
religious meeting.
The Twenty-tEird Kansas %ent from
Topeka TO New York city and from
there sailed fc: Cuba. There was no
sleep Oh board the ViSi!ancia the first
night out 1t is said that practically
all Of the negroes who were not pos
trated With seasiclineSs were shooting
craps The scene is described rs one o!
mingled suffering and excitement. The
distressed pleaded for quiet and resi-.
but were unheeded by tie noisy gam
blerS.
Above the cries aud means Of the
suffering such language as this could
be heard in different parts Of the YES
sci:
Its 'leven. an l know IT." Shoot
de money" Didn't get q COON"
Little Dick"
Late at night. willie the games We're
running high. q violent storm broke
suddenly upon the sea. When the
wind struck the Vigilancia ruddc!'
was broken and she whirlcd round
and round and then dipped down into
the hollow of mighty w:ive. Tha
shock was unexpected. and in a mo-
ment the soldiers were experiencing all
Of the horrors of a storm 1T sea: The
negroes grabbed up the dice and loose
change and huddled together like cat
tie, some Of them i.,oGnirg and others
too frightened to utter 4 sound.
The storm ragged for an hour. the
soldiers thinking that every moment
would be the last. Fortunately there
was 4 negro preacher on board, the
Rev. John L. Waller 1t was for him
to rise to the occasion. He gathered
a crowd Of negroes around him and
spoke thus:
Brethren, the Lord sent this storm
on the heads of sinful crap shooters.
If we want to be saved, let us pray"
Then he dropped down on his knees
and his voice was heard praying above
the noise Of the storm.
The soldiers joined with the preach
er in his prayer In q short time lam
entations. means and promises could
be heard on every hand. 1t was a re-
vival meeting in earnest. Nearly eT-
cry one of the 800 soldiers was either
singing or praying. The whole regi-
ment was converted" in I very few
minutes.
But the rough sea continued. The
colored preacher felt that something
further must be done. An inspiration
came to him. There must be sacri-
fee.
"Our prayers and songs don't pre-
vail" he shouted. There's something
wrong. Brethren. the dice must go
into the sea,'
The suggestion had only to be made.
The dice were tossed into the angry
waters, about 500 pairs. Some Of the
negroes also threw in the money which
they had won with the dice. In half
an hour after the dice went the storm
abated.
The Rev. John L. Waller held reli-
gious services at frequent intervals
during the rest CT the VOYAGE. They