Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-02-28
my memory-the chorus to that song
being something like
"Taka of yo' coats, boys, rolla up
BY w. H. CALDWELL

my mcuOTy-Luo CuOIu6 W IAoS SSAAo
being something like
"Taka of yo' coats, boys, rolla up
your sleeves,
Fo' Jordan am hard road to trabble
I believes"
Judge Rev. Flint, hard-shell Bap-
fist, used to preach in that house,
most always running up as high as
"seventeenthly." It was customary
for nearly every attendant to bring
lunch in baskets, on Sundays, for the
old Judge was slayer, usually getting
along about the eighty at the noon
hour when services would cease for
an hour while everybody ate. Q, my!
can now see the tallow candles IN
their sconces here and there on the
walls. and two in high, bright tin
sticks on the pulpit, one on each side
and the bible between which the VEN
cradle Flint is silhouetted. They used
to have great, stirring revivals IN
those days. Henry Clay Dean was the
ponderous expounder Of Methodism,
known even in that day as dirty shir
Dean" Edwards redeemed old
sailor) was the exponent of Baptism,
fervid, passionate, both Of these men
were, but powerful. I never will forget
one exhortation that Edwards got on
in appealing to converts to be up and
doing, to-wit: Don't go to the Lord
with battered pewter cup asking for
five cents worth of blessing, but hold
him up for a whole schooner FULL"
Such preachers were brought in to
stir up religious hurricane, while
steady going and devout ministers
such as Michael Hare (who became
chaplain of our 36th regiment) Rev.
Rowley (whose daughter Laura be-
came the wife of Dan Tower), John
McElroy, the good, quiet, much
revered head of the Presbyterian
church-and right here must break
in to relate the occurrence of the night
parade of the Sons or was 1t knights)
of Malta-the most wierd, ghostly. un-
canny procession Of them all. There
must have been near fifty persons IN
line, each one clad In white robe
from head to foot, his face masked,
and each carrying lighted torch, not
q sound of any kind, excepting the
rythmical tramp, tramp, as they
mached up to the old Presbyterian
church that stood fronting on Court,
between SECOND and Third Or
there was such street, and into the
right hand doorway up the aisle, past
the pulpit, where each one slapped
down q small goldfish, went right on
down the LEFT aisle and passed. out
that door. Did you ever smell real,
old-time. genuine Goldfish about two
thousand miles away from where 1t
had been caught out Of the Atlantic
and dried on it's beach? Whew! Linn
burger is as violets to dog-fennel IN
comparison. AS the last one passed
out. he drawled In sepulcheral
voice Open the cod fish" At
the time there was being held social
in the church. Some venturous guest,
holding his nose, did unfold the top
fish and found a five dollar bill, as
was the find in each one Of that pile
Of fish that by the time they had been
dissected didn't smell so rotten. but
the bills had to be fumigated before
going into the purse Of the beloved-by-
everybody Rev. John M. McElroy.
In the very early days the Meth
odist preacher was Mr.. Case, who
lived on Second. He owned a beautiful
chestnut sorrel horse that knew mere
than I did. It was as playful as kit
ten, yet, on occasion was as dignitic
as a king is supposed to be. Case was
a never-beat horse trader, but he
never parted with that pet horse.
Father Kreckle was the Catholic
priest-a good man. Roman Lutz was
the builder of the Catholic church. He
and his family removed to Beloit, Kas.,
where l renewed my acquaintance with
them. The boys all did, and are doing
we'll in Kansas. Mr.. and Mrs. Lutz are
dead.
In the spring Of 1903 the Kaw (Kan-
sas) river got on rampage and de-
luged the whole valley-spreading out
for miles. 1t reminded me of the great
flood in 1851 Of the Dea Moines, when
we rode about the .treets Of Ottumwa
as far back az Second, in all sorts OIL
craft. My uncle Paris lived in log
cabin on the bank of the river, from
which he and his family were rescued,
I now think by John Newman. That
was a frightful time. The town was
submerged. Harrow branch and Sugar