davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15
His Orthodoxy.

by rows of piling leaving, only mar
cow passage Which the steamers of
President Lincoln and Admiral Porter
could not so through SO Mr.. Lincoln
was placed on the twelve-oared barge
belonging to the Malvern" and was
rowed UP he river to Richmond by
twelve saiicrs The president was ex-
him were waiting for the announce.
ment of the approach of the River
Queen, so there was no one at the
landing to receive him Meanwhile
Admiral Porter had arrived, and,
forming a guard of ten of the sailors,
they walked to headquarters. The
city was on fire and the greatest confu-
sion prevailed and tire soldiers of
General Weitzel's command, all col
ored. were engaged in fighting the fire,
protecting the Inhabitants from the
lawlessness and pillage of the hungry.
and desperate crowd, many of whom
We're convicts from the penitentiary
which had been thrown open, all bent
upon ueSlIuCllOu ara DlldSes
The president was received by Gen
eral Weitzel at the Jeff Davis mansion,
and | think remained there until the
9th, when he returned to City Point
All of Monday and part of Tuesday the
fires ragged and at one time 1t was
feared that the city would be de-
stroyed but the colored troops, proved
to be good firemen as well as guards
and policemen and By Tuesday even
ing the flames had been checked, the
vicious element gotten under control
and confidence had taken the place of
terror and uncertainty. Mr., Lincoln
took an active interest in the situation
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15

very much depressed, and without
scarcely giving me the usual greeting,
said. Come out to the stable, | have
something to show you. We went to
the stable and out OF sight or hearing
OF anyone else, he said he had received
a cipher message from Fred Seward
stating that the president had been
assassinated and his father, Secretary
Seward, badly wounded, that he was
enioined not to make it known, fear
ing that the knowledge OF it in Rich
mond might excite disturbance that
could not be controlled without posi-
BILE shedding of blood. His excuse fol
telling me was that he must confide in
someone, and so relieve his mind of
the terrible pressure The informa-
tion was not made known in the city
until the afternoon when General
Weitzel was authorized to publish it
on the streets. The result was just
the reverse of what had been feared.
The excitement was intense. but al
most without exception, feeling OF
indignation that such an outrage
should be committed and an express
sion of sympathy and sorrow by those
who only a short time before were
enemies of the stricken one.
A feeling that good and true
friend had been taken away.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15

and was ready with advice and coun-
sci. He had interviews with all
classes, including the rebel vice presi-
dent and such of the confederate army
officers as were in the city. He greet
ed friend and foe alike and all seemed
to rejoice that the war was or
soon would be over 1t was glorious
occasion for the president, and while
there was much to regret and fill him
with sadness, there was much more to
cause joy and gladness. The surrender
of Lees army had not been made,
but it was sure to come.
saw Mr.. Lincoln at the DAVIS man
sion, surrounded by his friends, and
his demeanor was that of one who had
accomplished the purpose for which
he had pledged his life When the
time came for him to leave the city
his wish was that there should be nc
special escort or public demonstration
His wish was regarded to some extent,
as there was no military escort. A
strong mounted guard. however, found
it convenient to go along, mindful of
the possible danger of an attempt upon
the life of the president by some vic
ious person The public demonstration
could not be prevented Before the
carriage had fairly started the streets
began to fill up with colored people.
They came in droyes, old and young,
all alike determined to see "Massa"
Lincoln, the great deliverer. Language
fails when / attempt to describe that
scene and by way of parenthesis l
wish to say that | have never seen in
any publication of the life and doings
of Mr.. Lincoln, any account of that
scene. was one of the mounted
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15

Grant, and when that conference was
ended General Sherman returned to
his command in North Carolina and
General Grant went to Appamattox.
In the early part of the year, believing
that the war would not last many
months, | asked to be relieved of the
post of depot quartermaster and my
request was granted and Capt. E. b..
Camp, A. @. NJ. of the regular army
was assigned to the position. | was
then assigned to the 25th army corps
as chief quartermaster. upon the staff
of General Weitzel, who commanded
the corps The 25th army corps was
stationed on the north bank of the
James river and as near to Richmond
as was regarded safe, with instruc-
tons to occupy Richmond at the first
opportunity.
Sunday night, April 2, the order
came to move forward, and early
Monday morning we entered the city
The first troops to enter the city were
two companies of the 4th Mass. caval-
ry (white), commanded by Mai, A. II.
Stevens. who placed q guard at the
Jeff Davis mansion, which had been
vacated Sunday afternoon by Mr.. Dav-
is Major Stevens also hoisted a
United States cavalry guidon on the
state house. BY O'Clock General
Weitzel had arrived and established
his headquarters at the Jeff Davis
mansion. Mr.. Lincoln was at City
Point. and as early as possible he
started on the "River Queen" for
Richmond, accompanied by Admiral
Porter. OH his flagship. the Malvern. "
About thirty miles above City Point
the rebels had obstructed the channel
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15
The Last Days Of Pres. Lincoln
Paper Read by Col H. B. Blood Before Towence Post No.
2, G. A. r.. at the Last Meeting

General Grant had asked to be ex-
cused from going to Washington,
where there were SO many wise ones
always ready and anxious to give adj
vice as to the conduct of the war.
Robert Lincoln, who had Just gradual
ed from Harvard, had been placed on
General Grants staff as aide de camp
with the rank of captain. In March
General Grant invited President and
Mrs. Lincoln to visit City Point, which
invitation was accepted and on the
22nd they proceeded to City Point on
the steamer River Queen and max
ing the steamer their home, they re-
NAMED there until the evacuation of
Petersburg and Richmond, Mr.. Lin
coin spent much of his time with Gen
eral Grant, and almost daily would
accompany the general on horseback
when he went out to visit the various
commands. He was a good horseman
and seemed to enjoy such visits and
so kept in touch with the man he had
placed i'll command and in whom he
believed ] saw them several times on
such trips and the impression made
upon me was This is really the begin
ming of the end
During that time General Sherman
visited City Point and had confer
ence with the president and General
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15

guard and had good opportunity to
see it ALL Men, women and children,
who We're slaves, who had heard Of
the great proclamation that was to
make them all free, saw and had the
chance to greet the great liberator.
All the way to the river il was one
continuous ovation. God be praised!
God blass 'Massa' Lincoln, Here's
de great and good man who made US
all free, hallelujah."
And what of Mr.. Lincoln? Who
will ever know the thoughts that must
have come to him as he looked upon
that rejoicing people? Did the thought
of that day years ago, when in New
Orleans he saw just such people as
this sold like cattle on the auction
block, and he made toe vow that. God
helping him, he would exert all his
energy and ability TO abolish the wick
ed business, crowd his memory? Per-
haps such thoughts flashed through his
mind but was it rot more likely, the
awful, overwhelming responsibility,
what shall we do with them? And the
silent PRAYER to God, in whom he be-
lieved and trusted, for wisdom to
guide them in the ways of righteous
ness, which alone makes good citizen
ship.
We little thought when we bade the
president goodbye that evening at the
Richmond landing that it was the last
time we would see him alive. One
week from the next Saturday, early
in the morning, | received message
from brother officer to call upon him
as soon as possible, that he had some
thing important to communicate to
me- | went to his quarters, found him
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15

The reelection of Mr.. Lincoln in
1854 sounded the doom OF the rebel
ilon' Grant was put in command of
the armies and gave his personal at
lention to the armies operating against
richmond, which meant the Army of
the Potomac, Army of the James and
me cavalry corps under General Sheri-
udh. His headquarters were with the
Army of the Potomac, and when he
broke camp at Brandy station and en-
gagged Lees army, he announced his
tactics Il intend to fight it out on
ms line If 1t takes all summer" 1t
uid take all summer and all winter
ana at no time from the advance at
brandy station until the surrender at
Appamattox was there an interval Of
rest for the armies.
Inc spring of 1865 found everything
III good shape for an active and sue.
eesstul campaign. Petersburg was the
center OF attraction and General
1fants headquarters were at City
rotnt, on the James river. President
,nncoin made frequent visits to City
- oiht Tor conference with General
elaiit. These meetings with General
oiaht We're much more satisfactory.
~ nu no doubt much more helpful than
.or General Grant to go to Washing
ION Indeed, It has been said that
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15
A Great Denomination.

The assembling in Keokuk of the
Congregationalists of Iowa, this week,
is his doing. He invited the state as
ISOLATION here, arranged its program
around the general theme of, The
Modern Trend of the Religious Life
and arranged for the comfort of the
visiting churchmen from rooms. meals
and lap suppers to timetables and q
banquet.
The sessions are from Tuesday
evening to Friday morning. The dele
gates and ministers attending repre-
sent 500 churches, 345 ministers,
some of whom are college professors,
and 10000 communicates.
1t will surprise some people to
learn that the Congregationalist is one
of the largest denominations in Iowa.
And this seyenty-first annual conven-
ton here in Keokuk is the gathering
OF the clans for all that large body
with autonomy in the churches and
vet homogeneity of the mass in the
state.
And one of the leading men of this
statewide association Of churches is
Rev George C. Williams, pastor OF
the First Congregationalist church of
Keokuk, cosmcpolite, scientist, music
ian. philosopher. sociologist, and al
ways a theologian, the end of line
of seven preachers leading back to
Welsh minister who went to jail or
his orthodox faith.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15

an asks him for the name of some
good book to read. he is apt to rec
ommend to her William James on
pragmatism; and nobody ever laughs
at the joke, he least of all, for his
demeanor is always cheerfully sober
When two of the leading business
men of Keokuk slipped into his church
in Chicago to investigate him UNI
awares, he set them half crazy by
his questions between Sunday school
and preaching and took them home
to dinner with the explanation that he
had laid in an extra supply of eatables
and told his wife to expect them the
day before. He did this more for the
fun of it all than from his dislike of
indirect methods too
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15
AS Poet and Preacher.

He has written some good operet,
tas, both music and libretto. He is
an excellent pipe organist; that is
one reason why the organ in his
church is such wonderfully good in
strument
He has written some good poems,
and it is a pity that more are not
published each year.
AS a pulpit orator, he is deep, lucid,
logical entertaining, never fiowery,
apparently ignorant of all the many
tricks of rhetoric, consise, and with
the faculty of keeping his congrega-
ton thinking Bishop joyce. of the
Methodist church, once said that any
preacher who could not say enough in
twenty-five minutes to keep his con-
gregation thinking the rest of the
week has missed his calling. BY that
same token, abou nihety-nine per
cent of the preachers ought to be
other vocations. BIT not Rev. George
C. Williams he talks about twenty
five minutes that seem like ten, aad
his congregation keeps thinking about
what he said for month and has
thoughts come from his sermon
months after, which have laid dor
mant but potential
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15

took Ruskin's lectures on art. He al
ways was thoroughly catholic in his
study. He abhors narrowness of view
or OF action. In a recent sermon he
remarked: If you find man without
ability for scientific research, you
won't find much unless iae be mu-
sician or lover of beauty in some
FORM
When one analyses that sentence it
is found to contain all the basic prin-
eiples of a perfect pedagogy; note
also, that he says scientific research"
which is the only science worth men
tloning. although most people do not
know 1t as well as does this preacher.
The one thing he does not care for
besides bores-is biography. In an
other sermon-this study was made
chiefly from a rear pew-he said this
| Is because biography is practically all
biased. Nothing but exact truth is
interesting to him, and he dislikes BIZ
ased biography as much as he is dis
eusted with Hudson's pseudo-psy.
chology.
His Famous Friends.
He has maze friends out of adj
mirers all over the world. In his Ii
brary one may pull out autographed
copies OF books by Sturgeon, one of
WE1ch contains the inscription: ITO
Mr.. G. c. Williams with my hearty
love. c, H. Sturgeon, 1889" He has
spoken in Surgeons tabernacle by
| invitation.
Framed on the wall hangs long
and finely engrossed testimonial. the
gist of which is that the Scotch Pres
byterian church OF Capetown can rot
resist telling it, high admiration and
deep love for Mr.. Williams who
preached for them for seve.-l months
wien they were without a pastor. 1t
was church of the strictest sect and
its sincerity is proved by the state
ment on the vellum that those Scots
not only praised him, but also pre-
scented him with many pounds of real
money.
On TIE opposite wall hangs another
smaller but even more important
testimonial A rirh man gave $780,
900 to found boys reformatory in
Capetown. and Mr. Williams was
made chairman of the board while it
was being instituted. The senior JUS
tice of the supreme court signs the
parchment testifying to the perfect
manner in which Mr.. Williams full
filled this trust.
Here in Keokuk, when he asked for
a month extra vacation to visit Eng
land the trustees of his church told
him to take three months, let them
pay his substitute, and for him to ac-
cept purse sufficient to pay his
travelling expenses.
These things don't happen to man
at opposite corners of the world-the
man must deserve them
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15
Where the congregationass of Iowa Meet This Week.

from memory yards of philosophy
from Schopenhauer to the pragmatism
OF James, and he knows almost as
much about sociology as does Jacob
Riis-and the same kind of sociology,
which is very different i from the
transcendentalism of the socialists
which he abhors-or more accurately,
laughs at. He reads and absorbs
ideas like a sponge cubic mile in
dimensions he digests thorough
ly all the ideas he reads or thinks and
consequently negatives most of them.
In short his mind exactly fits the gen.
uine scientific thought of the TWEEN
tieth century which is entirely Undue
tive and accepts nothing until it is
proved by observed facts.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15
CI1UM OF SAVAGE KINGS AND NOTABLEs
Rev George c. Williams, of Remarkable and
Noted Ancestry in the Church, Has Had an
interesting Life Of Labor for the Uplift
of Humanity in Three Continents.

mittee of the convention here this
week OF the general congregational
Association of Iowa-and recently in
four consecutive days he preached four
sermons, held one prayer meeting and
two young peoples meetings, bible
class, a committee meeting, conducted
four funerals and travelled six hundred
miles.
And after that, DE ate doughnut,
which Frustrated him and made him
miss his next sermon.
He is an excellent pulpit orator, a
good organist and music composer, a
superb journalist of TIE English type,
writer of verse and libretti, humor-
list, and pastor who once apologized
Tor declining to make an appointment
with man of affairs on the ground
that it takes nearly all his spare time
to look after the sick and those in
trouble.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15
The Order of olsarace

If man lives in way that dis
graces his order, the only people con-
cerned are the other members of his
order. They, therefore. are the peo-
pie who ought to bear the cost of saw
ing their order from disgrace. London
Truth
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15
His Education.

Ills ancestors are all Welsh, but he
happened to be born in Surrey--it was
fifty-siX years ago. Besides the half
dozen grandfathers with great before
the designation, number of his uncles
and cousins, with and without great
before the relationship, were and are
n~eachers--two of his brothers are
included in this. He was as sure to
be trained for the ministry as he was
to be named Williams. That lot of
ancestors and collaterals and his
mothers father were all Congrega-
tional preachers. but his mother was
reared in the established church of her
mother
He went to boarding school when. a
boy and later to Nottingham university
before being graduated from the Uni
versity of London as bachelor of
arts. After that he spent three years
iii the London Pastors college, of
which Sturgeon was president. He
was ordained at Bedford, in 1878, when
twenty-four years old.
He was IN Africa from 1881 to 1885,
and in the latter year emigrated to
4lount Vernon. Ohio, where he was
pastor of Baptist church-in Great
Britain the Congregationalists and
Baptists have sort of community-of-
interest combination which makes
them hard to separate in fact.
He once told in the pulpit how his
admiration for American institutions
of government caused him to come to
the United States.
He preached next in Cincinnati,
Boston, and for eight years in Chicago.
and then came to Keokuk, February /,
1906. He built new church in Chicago,
and another almost as soon as he cam
here.
An Accurate Student.
In his student days, he specialized
IN old biblical mauuscriDts and also
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15
An Interesting Man

An interesting man is this Rev.
George G. Williams, and an interesting
life he has had in three continents
and the rest of the world-that is to
say England
He was the friend of King Cetawayo
and of Rev. C. n. Sturgeon; he has
Illuminated testimonials signed by
justices of the supreme court and the
session'of 2 church; he was quite well
acquainted with Cecil Rhoades and DR..
Jameson and knew Henry Drummond
in Capetown; he is now pastor OF the
FIRST Congregational church of Keo-
kuk, member of the examining board
and board of visitors of the Chicago
theological seminary, president of the
Home Missionary society of Iowa and
chairman of some of its important
committees, president of the board Of
control of home missions in Iowa.
chairman Of the committee for this
part of Iowa to apportion the benevo-
ielces, chairman OF the program COM
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15
Pre- Raphaelite Humor.

He has highly developed bump of
humor, but it is so sly in method and
delicate in quality that few people
have discovered it. If a society wom
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15

authenticity of the scriptures l was
amazed to hear competent woman
say that he is not orthodox.
Having worked out this study of the
man without suspecting him of such a
thing, spent two hours talking things
over with him one evening. | had
intended writing this article without
consulting him about any part of it;
but If this descendant of long line
of Welsh preachers was not straight
in his theology, it would make the
best phase of this story.
My artistic longings were disap
pointed, and the tumbling down of
that row of seven Welsh theological
bricks by the fall of the last one of
the row can not be featured here as
a metaphor
Rev. George c. Williams is as or
thodox as Saint Paul; he is also as
stubbornly protestant as Martin Luth-
er when the latter nailed his defiance
to formulate on the door of the church:
likewise, he is out of line, tangental
to the limited circle of most pulpit
sermons, for instead of singing:
Love divine, all love excelling!"
he shouts out the desire to know why
in thunder you don't get busy and
help the poor and the needy, the heart
sick as we'll as those who have the
mumps, the sore in spirit as well as
those with ulcers on their legs-the
people, human persons. right here in
town in 'Steenth street.
Is a Modern Scientist.
No; any preacher who suits
Scotch Presbyterian church and
moreover causes a Scotch congrega
ton to pay him more than they bar
gained for in advance is beyond any
charges of heterodoxy from American
churchmen.
The misconception has come from
SO much preaching from his pulpit of
applied christianity-more concern
about what Christ would do if He
came to Keokuk than about how
Jesus changed the water into wine
at Cana.
1t comes also from Mr. Williams
thoroughness in sociology and psy
chology and philosophy. He can quote
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-15
Click Clack of Labor.

The program of four days work for
this minister. given above, Indicates
that he is a worker.
He worked his way through the I'M
iversity and the seminary. He did it
by writing editorials for journal
that the English call newspaper,
with additional pay for proofreading.
1t was a good journal and it paid bet
ter salaries than are received in
America for editorial writing. Incl
dentally, they were tory editorials and
MT. Williams was radlcal-Which
proves him to have been above and
beyond the average British journal
list. When he graduated the paper
offered him 2 permanent position at
$4,000 year to begin with-and the
man who later took the job is now be-
ing paid $4,000 year on the en-
larged paper. But the force of six
generations o preachers in his an
cestry outweighed two thousand
pounds sterling, and English journal
ism lost one of it's best prospects.
He worked hard in Africa as assist
ant inspector of education for the
British government-filling in his
spare moments by preaching, writing.
playing the pipe organ and studying
the many native dialects in the Jungle
he can speak them fiuently. and
some of them consist principally of
facial contortions and click-clacks
that sound like q choking hen.
Martyr and Moderns.
BY this time you ought to under
stand why this Rev. George C. Will
liams is not the contracted specialist
in theological metaphysics which was
taken for granted when you read that
he was the seventh in line of preach
ers running back to a real, live, med
iaeval martyr
The fact is that the ancestry has
kept him orthodox and the large life
he has led has made him fin de steele
"The old faiths can live with the
new he said once in the pulpit
When | remarked to him that every
body who found any conflict between
science and the Bible was consider
ably ignorant of either science or the
Bible, or both, he heartily and joy
fully assented with an emphasis
which could come only from very
full knowledge of both the Bible and
the real scientific knowledge of this
twentieth century.
People who think that orthodoxy
consists in believing that certain
fixed number Of angels can convene
on the point of needle are apt to do
him the injustice of calling him
heterodoX
His Orthodoxy.
After hearing him preach a number
of sermons, including some on the