Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-04-25


conducted by the state and was sub
seQuently. used for other purposes
than an orphans home. All the chill
dren were transferred to the newer
institution at Davenport. F. j. SEES.
sions, Superintendent Of the Soldiers
Orphans Home, at Davenport, says:
Howard e. and William A. Sunday
were admitted to this institution by
transfer from the Glenwood Ic.va Sol
diers' Orphans Home when the latter
was closed January %. 1875. They were
admitted to the Glenwood institution
September Is, 1874. Dismissed from this
institution June 10, 1876 The records says
to 60 home, but place is not located.
william A. Sunday, according to our
record was born November Is, 1862. His
father, William Sunday. belonged to
Company e. 23d Iowa Infantry. He died
Of disease near Pilot Mound, Missouri,
December n, 1881"
8. w. Pierce. who was superintend.
ent OF the Home when the Sunday
boys were there, Is still living, an old
man, at Davenport His recollections
though limited, are clear on the boy.
QOOu uoy6 vi Au0 CSAuSCIl6ks
He says: "I1e was always obedient, in
dustrious and active at work or at play.
He was q good student, and loved and
respected by those who had the care Of
and training Of him"
Tho years before being sent to the
orphans asylum were not without
their value in their impressions upon
the future evangelist, nor does he fail
ito mako frequent references to some
Of them. An early penchant for swim
ming and the disaster that followed
IN unauthorized attempt to crafty the
inclination, Is made the subject of q
forceful illustration in one of his ser
mons. He represents himself as say.
ing:
said, mo, Willie, It's baking day. and
you must bring in cobs and chips" We
used to have an old dish pan with holes
In 1t, and would I'LL 1t with cobs and
chips and bring them in. I went and got
some, and while I was at 1t ! heard the
fellows shouting up at the swimming
hole. I took the old pan in, then duck.
ed. went up and watched the other fel.
lows awhile, then said to myself, "Oh,
but It's hot!" SO took of my clothes
and went in and padded around on
sandbar and picked up mussel shells. Be.
fore I knew It stepped of into 10 feet
Of water. I couldn't keep myself up
and went down and got a mouthful OF
water. felt that was, going to drown
I had heard that when a man browns he
thinks Of all the mean things he has eve,
r l. ~ 1nf ~
things right there. had heard that you
would Cd down three times. and that
when you went down the third time you
would die. came up once then went
down for the second time. Again came
up gasping and choking. then I went
down for the third time.
ut happened that there was mar
lying on the bank just about asleep. j
didn't know he was there. When he
inR!' he jumped up just In time to see
me 90 down for the last time. He went
in after me and CROPPED around on the
bottom and found me- I was uncon-
scious when they took me out. They
stoOd mo on my head and let some of the
water run out of me, then they laid me
down and worked my arms to start me
to breathing again. They started to car.
ry me home, and came to myself and
said, I want to 90 to my mamma. Oh!
I'm 10 sick at my stomach! E-yah-ah
and up came q lot Of water. Mother had
missed mo, and she was out calling VII.
lie! Wil-lis!' They took me in and put
me to bed, and mother put a plaster on
mo. She ought to have put plaster on
me somewhere else. Do you know that
incident made such an impression on me
that was q good boy for-for reckon
- mach as two weeks
Another familiar incident Of these
early days in which his grandfather
figures which he frequently tells in
Ianotb>r sermon indicates the activities
Of the farm. He describes it as
follows:
when was q little boy my grand
father said to me: Willie, come on and
he took q ladder. and beeswax, a big |
5ackknife, q saw and some cloth, and we
went into the valley. He leaned the lad |
der to sour crabapple tree, climbed up
and sawed of some of the limbs, split |
them and showed in them some little pear !
sprouts as big as my finger and twice as
long, and around them he tied string |
and put In some beeswax l said, Grand
pa, what are you doing? He said, I'm
grating pear sprouts into the sour crab.
y
pears? He said Pears, I don't know
that I'll ever live to eat the pearl hope
I may-but know you will I lived to
see those sprouts which were no longer
than my finger grow as large as my limb
and I climbed the tree and picked and
ate the pears. He introduced a graft of
another variety and that changed the ma
ture Of the tree"
Shortly after he left the asylum
young Sunday came to Nevada, Iowa,
where he was given a home with
Colonel John Scott, a veteran Of the
Union army, who at one time served
his state as lieutenant governor
Colonel Scott was a breeder of She
land ponies, and TIE -. '"'-r
care for them in return for his board
and clothes.
Charles H. Hall, mayor of Nevada,
and one Of the many loyal supporters
Of the evangelist in that town, Is
always glad to talk of the man who
has brought fame to their little place.
In q letter he says:
''Bill Sunday in boyhood days was no
angel, but was a good. average. ener-
ratio hov To was foOd of all kinds Of