Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-06
MAJ. GEORGE A. HILTON DEAD
FORMER UNION SOLDIER WHO
BECAME AN EVANGELIST.
Once a Resident of Washington,
Serving in the Internal Rev.
enue Department.

Maj. George A. Hilton. whose death oc-
CURED at his home in Alhambra. Cal, on
the I'd of March. 1908 was for many
years a resident of this city. where he had
a large circle of friends and acquaint-
ances. Maj. Hilton was native of
Brooklyn. y. Y. and served in the 18th
New York Regiment during the civil war
where he gained commission as a ma
jor of volunteers. Several years after
the war he entered the service-of the gov
eminent in the internal revenue depart
ment.
About the year 1850, under the ministry
of the Rev. Joseph r. Wheeler, then
pastor of the Waugh NJ. f. Church, he
became an earnest and active Christian
worker in this city. He organized the
"MiZpah Band" which held gospel tenn
perance meetings in the y. NJ. Z. A.
churches, chapels etc.
shortly thereafter he was appointed
chairman of Il committee of the Y. NJ. G..
\. in charge of religious work at the
United States Jail. and SO thoroughly and
effectively organized this branch of work
that a large number of the prisoners be-
came useful members Of the community.
In 1871. I'm association with the late Capt.
j. III. Hitchcock. Mr.. L. A. Douglass, de-
ceased. and Mr.. George w Wheeler. he
effected the organization of the Central
Union Mission. at that time the first and
only effective medium for reaching the
dissipated and criminal classes of this
city. In the same year he resigned from
the government service and entered upon
the work of an evangelist in which he
was successfully and continuously en-
gagged until his death.
In Evangelistic Campaign.
During his ministry. which covers near
ly quarter of a century. he crossed the
country from the Atlantic to the Pacific
ten or twelve times. conducting evan
gelistic campaigns in nearly every city in
the county from Boston to San Fran
cisco.
Wherever he went he attracted great
audiences By the earnest and forceful
character of his discourses. His power of
Illustration was most remarkable. in the
use of which he was regarded as almost
matchless among the men of his day. and
under the spell of which he attracted and
won the most refined and intelligent. AS
a temperance lecturer under the auspices
of the w. c. T. L. and the prohibition
lists he was most effective. his converts
to temperance. it is said. numbering many
thousands
In 1886 he orga niZed a rescue mission in
Los Angeles which is still In existence.
In September. 1902. he was ordained a
minister by the Los Angeles presbytery
and appointed superintendent of the Pres
byterian Evangelical Society for the state
of California. He held a very successful
series of evange!istic services in the Nc
kendree Nj. F.. Church of this city last
April. during which he publicly stated
that it was his last trip east and it was
source of great satisfaction to meet his
old Washington friends under such de-
lightful auspices" Among the friends of
other days who were on the committee in
charge of the services. or attended the
same. were DIR. f. D. Bailey. Maj. II. A.
Hall, DR.. George II. La Fetra. Mr.. George
w. Wheeler, Mr. III. b. Moulton, Mr.. H.
o. Hall, Mr.. George W. Havel and Judge
4. s. Taylor.
The major had made his home in Alham-
bra. Cal. for a number of years. where,
surrounded by his family, consisting of
wife. two daughters two sons and their
families, he died the afternoon of last
Tuesday,