The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-02-06
sessaseesesss 1925
B The Conversion Of
\ Rev. Billy Sunday.
Story as Told by Himself in a Sermon
at Pittsburg, last week.

Twenty EIGHT years ago walked j
own d street IN Chicago In company
glth some pail players who were IA I
nous IN this Worlu, some Of them are S
lead now, and we went lnlo saloon. Q
t was Sunday afternoon and we got
anked up and then went and sat
Town on a corner. | never go by S
hat street without thanking God for l
,aving me. 1t was vacant lot at
that time We sat down on a euro
ing. Across the street company of
men and women were playing on in.
truments-horns, flutes and slide
the others were sing
ing the gospel hymns that 1 used TO
hear my mother sing back in the log
cabin IN Iowa, and back in the Ole
church where / used to go to Sunday
school.
Ard God painted on the canvas OF
my recollection and memory a viva |
picture Of the scenes OF other days
and other faces.
Many have long since turned tc
dust. | sobbed and sooDed and q
young man stepped OUT and said:
I'VE are going down TO the Pacif-
fic Garden mission; wont you come
down to the mission? | am sure you
will enjoy it. You can hear drunk
ards tell how they have been saved
and girls tell how they have been
saved from the red light district"
| arose and said to the boys:
Il am through. | am going to Je.
sus Christ. We've come to the part,
ing of the ways" and l turned my
back On them. Some of them laugh
ed and some Of them Knocked me; one
OF them gave me encouragement, oth-
IS never said a word
Twenty eight years ago | turnea
and left that group on the corner OF
state and Madison streets and walk
ed to the little Mission and fell on my
knees and staggered out of sin anc
into the arms Of the Saviour.
Played Next Day.
! went over to the west side O.
Chicago, where was keeping compa
ny with a girl, now my wife, Nell.
married Nell. She was a Presbvte
ran, so am | Presbyterian. If sh
had been a Catholic | would hav
been Catholic-because | was ho
on the trail of Nell.
The next day | had to go out t
the bail park and practice. Ever,
morning at 10 o'clock we had to h
cut there and practice l never slep
that night. | was afraid of tn
horse-laugh that gang would give m
because | had taken my stand TO
Jesus Christ.
l walked down to the old bal
grounds. l will never forget it.
slipped my key into the wicket gat
and the first man to meet me afte
l got inside was Mike Kelly.
UP came Mike Kelly, he said: Obi
m proud of you. Religion is not m
ong suit, but I'll help you all | cal
Up came Arson, the best ball plave
that ever played the game; Pfeffel
5larkson, Flint, Jimmy Mccormick
Burns, Williamson and Dalrymplt
There wasn't a fellow in the gan
who knocked; every fellow had wor
OF encouragement for me.
That afternoon we played the oil
Detroit club. We were neck an
neck for the championship. Tha
club had Thompson, Richardson. Row
Dunlap, Hanlon and Bennett, and the
could play ball
/ was playing right field. Mix
Kelly was catching and John
Clarkson was pitching. He was a
fine pitcher as ever crawled into
uniform. There are some pitchers to
day, O'Toole, Bender, Wood, Mathew
son, johnson, Marquard, but | do no
believe any one of them stood in tn
class with Clarkson.
Prayed as He Ran.
Cigarets put him on the bum. Whe
he'd take bath the water would b
stained with nicotine.
We had two men out and they ha
man on second and one on thir,
and Bennett, their old catcher, was a
Dat. Charley had three balls and tw,
strikes on him. Charley couldn't hi
a high ball. | don't mean a Scotc!
highball, but he could kill them wheI
they went about his knee.
| hollered to GARRISON and said:
Zone more and we got EN-"
You know every pitcher puts hol,
in the ground where he puts his foo
when he is pitching. John stuck hi,
foot in the hole and he went clean t.
the ground. Oh, he could make 'en
dance. He could throw overhanded
and the ball would go down and u,
like that. He is the only man OF
earth | have seen do that. That bal
would go by so fast that the bate
could feel the Thermometer drop
degrees as she whizzed by Johl
went clean down, and as he went t.
throw the ball his right foot Slippe
and the ball went low instead of higl
saw Charley swing hard and hear,
the bat hit the ball with a terrif
Doom. Bennett had smashed the bal
on the nose. | saw the ball rise i.
the air and knew that it was goin
clear over my head.
could judge within 10 feet O
where the ball would light. | turne
my back to the ball and ran.
The field was crowded with peopl
and yelled: STAND back" and tina
crowd opened like the Red Sea open
ed for the rod of Moses. | ran on.
and as | ran | made a PRAYER; il
| n"SlA 'iSOIOS iSdIs GlNlSI, 1 Tell NOl |
chat. said, God, if you ever help. |
ed mortal man, help me to get that |
ball and You haven't very much tim,
to make up Your mind, either"
ran and jumped over the bench and
stopped.
Wins Hat and Suit
| thought | was close enough to
catch it. | looked back and | saw
It going over my head and | Jumped
ard showed out my left hand and the
ball hit it and stuck. At the rate
was going the momentum carried me
on and | fell under the feet of a team
of horses. | jumped up with the ball
IN n my hand. Up came Tom johnson.
Tom used to be mayor of Cleveland [
He's dead now ,
ILL, - aFnn ,T,.1rs