Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-12-25


stormy time, as he used TO say, tab
ermckaiIin' IN this vale of tears here
below We had protracted meetin'
ohct year, generly in the fall after
the crops was laid by, and before
pullm' fodder and cuttin' tons time
come, and the folks wern't busv.
which lasted always from one preach,
in to the next if things moved ON
purity well. A 'travelin' preacher.
as they called him, used to come
around to help out in the meetin', he
preaching one sermon and our preach
CT one, sorter back and forth that
way. And sometimes the members
would GIT inter disputes as to which
one oouid beat prcachin', and two of
the members like to fit over it one
ony-one sayin' one and the tother
the tother was the best-but | am
gettin' oil'n the track.
Old Jerusalem had what they
called n diserplin committee
composed of three dcacons and
Two women. This committee was
n sort of detective burow
whose business it was to keep a
watch over the brethren and sisters,
INA # anybody strayed out'en the
straight and narrcr path he, or she,
as me case might be, was reported
20 the dlserplin committee If tho
SINNER was female member the wo-
men members, ana if man, the male
mcmbcrS-of the committee would
VISIT he cuiprit, and labor with him,
ana cite HIM TO appear before the
church. If the sinner was penitenL
the usual course was on next meetin'
day to have him come to the front,
take his stand and make confession
to the church, and promise never to
do SO amy more Then somebody
would star, II hymn, and all the mem
Eers would come forward and shake
hands with the returning prodigal,
welcoming him back into the fold,
and with each other, and the matter
was considered closed. Many time
| set IN the back part q the church
and looked on,--mnny and many u
time.
There was one mcmbcr--a long
lean, lank fcllcr, named Absoem
iiankinson, who they used to have up
regular, about every other church
mcetin'. Alb. was fond OF his dram
and he couldn't 20 to the store after
u pound of coffee and get home in
good shape to save his life. lie used
To say that some of the head mem
lers' drank heap more liquor than
l,c did but they could beat him totin'
il, that when he took Il drink il al
ways flew to his head and certain
us the world some member of the
commlttce would hear of il i'm some
way, and report il to the church, and
then. next church mectin' there would
Ec II lot of hand shakin' goin' on. Alb.
had set speech he always made,
i NyhIln thn Inkup big
brother Absolcm,' the old pastor
would say, the brethren report that
You have been guilty again of usin'
mtoXicutm' liquors to excess, and
have brought reproach upon the
church. Accordin' to the disciplin'
ana the covenant, you are required to
make IL statement and confess pub
licly before the church, Alb. would
begin: Brethren | abhor myself.
am II poor weak sinner, and MS the
Bible says, prone to do evil as the
sparks are to fly up the chimney. The
things i would not do are the very
things / turn right round and do. Ef
you all will forgive me this time III
rcver do so agin.' Whcreupon, II
vote and the usual hand-shnkin'
would follow. This same thing, and
Abs same speech had occurred so Of
ten that the boys dubbed Ab Old Alb
horrencc,' and the nickname stuck
to him to his dyin' day.
But one day somcthin' hap
pencd. Deacon Ashcrly, who hap
pencd to be II member of the
diserplin committee, sold beef
tc the town butcher, and had TO de-
liver it just before Christmas. He
tied II good, stout rope to the steers
horns, and started to town. All went
well until the steer reached Main
street, where he saw sights and
scenes a country steer wasn't use to,
and he became fractious and fright
cned, and was pulling and hauling
Deacon Asherly across from one side
OF the street to the other. There was
snow on the ground, and the deacon
was slippin' and slidin' and pullin'
back. The steer bowed his neck and
he finally got start and struck n
pretty lively clip down Main street.
The deacon swung on, but the steer
kept gettin' faster and faster. The
deacon was maxim awful strides.
People came out from the stores to
see the fun. The boys hollered. A
little town dog ran out and bit the
steer on the leg, and that ended it,
The rope somehow had got twisted
around the steers neck, and he was
awingin' the deacon some. Just as
The steer and the deacon reached the
grocery store at the end Of the street
the steer beloved, bowed his back
gave a big lunge, and the deacon's
holt broke, and he went spraWlin' in
the mud and rolled clear under the
store porch. He crawied out, picked
up his hat-his new Sunday hat, it
was, all crumpled and despatched
He looked at his hat, and then at the
steer disappearin' down the road, and
uttered just one word-a word al
most any man, under the crcum-
stances would have thought of if he
didn't actually speak it out. That
ore word was damn He said it like
man who was not in the habit Of
'cussin,' but it just slipped out like
Alb. Hankinson happened to be on the
store porch, and saw and heard it all
| Hn had haon rohhit hupt;pt ond bad