Omaha daily bee., 1911-05-15
IOWA City TZ8.ST O
EFZSSBXZZZSzAY oHURCR
ROMANCE OF A CHURCH BELL
Story that Dates Back to Early Days
in Iowa Presbyterianism.
LOST BELL FOUND OUT IN UTAH
stolen from BeIfry to Escape EnraEed
DesecratOr, sunk In River and
Finally Taken by the
MOrmOns.

IOWA CITY. Ia, May 14-(special) All
the official Mormondom of Salt Lake City
has been searching for the last month for
a bell which in the year 1s4s adorned the
brick steepe Of the First Presbyterian
church of Iowa City. II disappeared from
this city in 1886. was heard of twenty
years after that in 1866, but now is lost,
and despite the diligent search instituted
by President Joseph Smith and his Mormon
brothers, the bell cannot be found. And
thereby hangs the tale of Rev. Michael
Hummer, the bell thief" and the ira
dition which makes the SEVENTEEN ami
versary exercises of the Iowa City church,
which are to be held next Sunday, include
one of the most interesting incidents Of
pioneer church history in Iowa
1t appears that Mr.. Hummer was pastor
of the Iowa City Presbyterian church from
1S41 to 1S46 at which time he was APP
pointed by the presbytery as an agent to
go east and collect funds in the aid of the
erection of the Des Moines college at Yves
Point, in Lee county, Iowa 1t appears
that he met with good success in collecting
funds, but the small amount finding its
way into the church treasury created
suspicion that a large portion of II stuck
to the reverend gentleman's fingers. This
together with certain irregular habits and
irreverent conduct. caused the presbytery
to cite Mr. Hummer to appear before them
to answer TO certain charges preferred
against him. At the trial he behaved in
most unbecoming and disorderly man
ner, and, after having violated all the rules
of propriety, he left the house in tower
ing passion, declaring that the presbytery
was a den of ecclesiastical thieves" He
No mn hafo -h,,4n
tinued his disordery conduct, totally dis
regarding the authority of the presbytery,
until IL was rendered necessary to strip
him Of all ministerial authority and expel
him from all connection with the gospel
ministry.
Hummer After Revenge.
So much for his official church connec-
ton, but it appears that Rev. Mr.. Hum
mer, If such he may be called, and the
| church officers had a serious misunder-
standing as to the divine's salary. The
church wouldn't pay and Hummer swore
vengeance and revenge came shortly in
an attempted theft of the >Presbyterian
bell. ]. P. Schell of Erie, N. D., then,
but a Sunday school scholar of the Iowa
| City church, and who was an eyewitness
to the proceedingS has related the highly
exciting episode that followed and which
has included in it's annals all official Nor
mondom and the church officers and mem
bers of Iowa City Presbytertans for more
than half century.
| This Rev. MIR. Hummer disappeared
from the town for q time" says Mr..
Schel returning afterwards for the pur-
pose, as was privately learned, OF securing
his coveted prize, the bell. He dined at
my aunts (Mrs Theodore Sanxay) that day.
| in hmm "a
from the drift of the conversation she
shrewdly suspected his design. While.
therefore, he was proceeding to the church
with trusted assistant and a ladder, she
FASTENED to notify the church officials. and
through them to alarm the town. The lad
der was soon hoisted and the bishop as
cended airily 10 the roof, and while an
gagged In removing the bell an energetic
and indignant crowd OF citizens assembled
below.
Passing of the Bell.
~As the bell was being lowered a wagon
was driven suddenly under It, the rope was
cut and the bell carried rapidly away. The
LADDER was simultaneously removed-leav-
ing the bewildered parson wildly gesticu-
lating from his extemporized pulpit in the
tower. He was a man of lion-like mien.
and his voice and manner. in sad contrast
TO the mellow notes OF the thenceforth
Voiceless bell, fairly Numbered imprecations
OF coming doom! Indeed, some Of the I'M
godly asserted that he was actually pro-
fame! although a really powerful preacher
later, twas said that previous to his con-
version he had been a somewhat notorious
gambler on steamboat on the lower Mis-
sissippi and we must allow that the
pressure on his weakened nerves was such
as called for special reinforcement Of grace
to prevent him from lapsing into an early
hahit universally associated with the ca
reer OF a professional gambler
| From his lofty perch In the tower. he
now impotently beheld the coveted treas
ure swiftly nsceeding in the distance: and
also the bent form OF good old Elder
shoup' retaining his position In the wagon
as II glued to the bell he had so loved
to ring How indelibly this 'dissolving
view was stamped upon his mind may be
gathered from the following circumstances
t'Nearly thirty years after the event
met him in Kansas City and referring un-
guardedly to the familiar subject, which
for him was a sore that had never been
healed. the old man instantly spranR TO his
fun height and with the voice and gesture
of q maniac. exclaimed. That bell-that
BELIEVE said Il often before, and now I
say II again: IN ring II yet through
heaven. earth and hell" Then pansng a
moment he reflsctively added, All. those
villains how they robbed mel And there
was old Elder shoup; he who always used
to pray. Lord. wake us up out OF this
lethargetic sleep" and TO him the bell was
! nothing short OF a treasure.
The bell was taken first by the citizens
OF the town TO the Iowa river. which flows
past the church by a block and deposited
In the channel. from which some months