Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-11-10
Editor OF Courier

| Editor OF Courier
Anxious to know from what source
the letter signed by r. D. Hill OF De.
catur, ILL.,. recently published in the
Courier peoples pulpit, came. / wrote
the following letter OF inquiry to the
pastor OF the First Methodist church
at Decatur:
Ottumwa, Iowa, Nov. 4, 1908.
Pastor First Methodist church.
Decatur, H.,
Ny Dear Sir = am a stranger to
YOU am 1 member OF the session Of
our First Presbyterian church of OF,
tumWa. a business. man here for many
years, and have had great hope that
much good would be done BY the
meetings that are coming here to be
conducted by the Rev VIM. A. Sun
day
enclose to you a copy of an article
published IN our Ottumwa Courier bv
the request of one j. r. Jersey. You
will see this letter is dated Decatur
ILL.,. Oct. 2S, 1908, and signed by one
r. d. Hill, $50 South Main street, De-
catur, I'll. You see the substance of
the letter.
! would like to ask you to have one
OF two of the laymen i'll your commun-
lty who are esteemed and honorable
business men, address letter to me
together with yourself il YOU choose
10 do so, with regard to this letter
which ] enclose to YOU and also with
regard to why R. ID. Hill should send
such letter here to be published on
the eve of Mr.. Sundays beginning his
meetings. Mr.. Sunday is not here vet,
but will be in few DAYS. to com.
mence a series Of meetings.
] will be much Obliged to Won for a
reply.
Very truly yours.
lSlsned) J. G. Hutchison
The following reply was received
yesterday from Rev. John C. Willis:
Decatur. ILL.,. Nov. ). 1908.
Mr.. ]. G. Hutchison.
Ottumwa, Iowa.
My Dear Sir. Yours OF tbe 4th
inst. at, hand. containing a Ginning
from the Courier of recent date. bear
ing the signature from one r. d. Hin
OF this city.
In reply would say that have but
recently come to this city, having as
sumed the pastorate here Sept. Goth
and having come from the pastoratn
OF the First NJ. E. church in Musca.
tine, Iowa. where one year ago we
passed through a Sunday meeting
campaign. So / may not be as thor.
oushly informed as to conditions here
as others to whom | will refer your
communication.
But ] would say it would be well
to understand who this R. d. Hill is
before assuming that everything he
says is bona fide.. have made careful
inquiry as 10 who this man is and am
informed that he is one of Decatur's
eX-saloon keepers whose business was
tremendously interfered with at the
time of the closing Of all the saloons
in this city last May, think ii was. |
At present he is running what is re- !
pnted to be soft drink house. How |
soft the drinks are I have no way of |
knowing al Muscatine we found at
one time in the same kind of Joints 7 |
wagon loads of drinks that were suffi. /
GENTLY hard to put the game under (
police control. 1t is not to be expected !
hat MI. Hill or his associates in busi I
less would welcome the coming of /
Mr.. Sundai any more than your Mr. I
Jersey to whom he has written. Mr.
sunday shows no, quarter to the saloon .
business with all its damnable horrors /
and corruption in every community. /
You would not want him if he did 1
is my Judgment that the saloon
business and the other business that
always goes with it are the only bust
less interests that will suffer in OIL
umwa as result of Mr.. SUNDAYS
meeting.
Mr.. Hill speaks of many empty
business houses. admit that Decatur
las some empty business houses. I !
lsked upon n.y. arrival the cause. and
vas informed that they were ex-sa-
Don joints. 1t will take a little time to
d1nst these matters as any sensible