Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1911-09-01
WAS 1T NEMESIS?

good family connection in this state,
was arrested in distant city,
brought back to his home city, Rich
mond, from which he had fled, tried
upon charge of stealing money from
his employers, convicted, and is to-
day serving three years term in the
penitentiary. His wife is supporting
herself and children by taking board
ers. A brother is prominent law
yer, now engaged in the famous Be-
attic case in Chesterfield county.
To go back little: There lived in
Chesterfield county years ago, a Prim-
tive Baptist minister, not far from
the city of Manchester-now South
Richmond. He ownd a good estate,
and gave much of his time to preach
ing. have seen many times, the old,
low, framed church, ytanding in the
woods near the public road, in which
this man preached for years. His peo-
pie did not believe in missions or
Sunday schools, and he, of course,
opposed both, and threw the weight
of his influence against these and all
other means looking to the evange-
lization of his community. He did not
believe in asking people to join tn
church. "What is to be will be-" he
said, and if God wants people to
join the church He will bring them in
without our help, D." was his idea of
Bible teaching.
In addition to his nice farm he kept
large country store, the only one in
the community, and consequently a !
place of public resort for the young
men and elder ones as we'll, for miles
around. His business prospered, and
he was known as a rich man. In adj
dition to groceries and general mel
chandise. he sold liquor also, in n
A"oih DoSh VI lhc sure. II was not
unusual in those days for country
stores to sell whiskey, nor unusual
for people, and sometimes ministers.
to take DRAM whenever they
"felt like it, and to give it to their
children. But public sentiment even
in those days did not sanction the
sale of liquor by a minister.
Repeated efforts, ON the part of his
wife and others, including ministers of
his own and other faiths, were made
to induce him to give up the traffic,
all OF which were unavailng. He was
finally excluded from the ministry of
his church, and if | am not mistaken.
died outside the pale of his church.
He had several sons, one of whom
remember distinctly, as a dashing
fine young fellow. He dressed well,
spent his money freely, drove or rode
nice horse, and was halefellow well
met, with the society people of his
community. He generally drove to-
church but seldom came inside. and
when he did, often misbehaved and
treated the church people and the
minister with no respect. Time
passed, and this young man was uni
4al
tea in marriage to beautiful young
woman of the community. The neigh
bors said that they hoped he would
settle down." and be a man. His
father. the aged minister, and his
mother, one of the best of women.
slept side by side in the graveyard
back of the orchard
The old home passed into the hands
OF strangers, and our young man
with, his young wife, moved to town.
Children were born, and prospects
seemed bright for usefulness and
happy life. Later, when one of his
sons was nearly grown. an officer of
the law placed heavy hand on the
shoulder of the father, and led him
away to Jail. He was charged with
stealing money in some crooked trans
action, tried, sentenced to prison
served his term, and is today a
fugitive on the face of the cart, his
whereabouts being unknown, even to
his wife and family, in Richmond.
And, now, the final chapter of this
little bit of history is written at
the beginning of this article. A son
of our dashing promising young man.
is serving three years term for
stealing money, his cell being hard