Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-01-05
CITY SHOCKED
BY SUNDAY IN
OPENING round
Nearly $4,000 Persons Hear Bill As
He Gets Under Way For
~' Campaign.
AMAzEs OLD FATHER PENN
Leaves Vast Audience Gasping fol-
Breath As He Shouts
''Goodby."
AMAZES OLD FATHER PENN

Philadelphia, Pa, Jan. 4.-Bill!
Sunday was as tickled as big DO!
out of school last night when
preaching on the "Sins of Society,
he concluded his first days work il
Philadelphia In all he must hav'
addressed 10000 to $4,000 persons
talking a block away" as he pu
it, because his tabernacle, from en'
to end, covers just a solid block o
ground space. It left the arrange
ment. of his vocal chords sadly GU
OF joint. -. Perhaps "dislocated'
would be. better phraseology, be
cause Billy wanted everybody t,
hear him. He was 50 tired las
night when he went to bed that h
felt sure, he said, his only outing
of Monday would be walk, and :
short walk at that.
Friends lin Scranton, Pa, where
Billy conducted . a campaign in {
raging blizzard just a year ago tolt
him in a telegram of New Years
greeting. u, they. were counting or
$4,000 to 5, become soldiers of thu
cross In Philadelphia" 1t was sign
ed by p Sergeant of Police R. G
Jones, who helped to take care Of
the enormous throngs in the Goa
mining {. town. Lots of the blue
coats over there hit the trail as 9
result of Billy's preaching.
Mrs. Minnie Schiller of Del
Moines came on with the party, and
will take care of the Sunday house.
hold during the campaign of eight
weeks.
The Rev. Mr.. Sunday came to the
city little hoarse but with a good
stiff physical punch and he landed
on old Father PENIS solar plexus
right and left each, proboscis and
point of the jaw, speaking from a
pugilistic standpoint. He left his
afternoon audience gasping fol
breath when he climbed to the top.
most pinnacle of his little pine pull
pit and, waving a limp and bedrag-
gled handkerchief, shouted: Lets
give God the Chautauqua salute. u
Instantly the great mass of his
hearers, men and women, arose as
one and waved its linen like seas
of popping corn. Mr.. Sunday stood
on his pulpit until he was tired. He
hoped down at the end of an ad-
dress Of three-quarters of an hour
in which he said: II would hate
to see a hum Protestant try to be-
come a good Catholic and would
hate to see a bum Catholic try to
become a good Protestant" He
grabbed his coat, hat and Bible and
hurled back, "Goodby, old Philadel-
phia; I'll preach to you again at
1880 o'clock tonight"
Everybody who crowded about his
platform at the end Of his after
noon effort, including Director Of
Public Safety George D. Porter, said
it was the greatest business they
had ever seen. And Sunday thought
it was the greatest business he had
ever seen, for he is tackling city
with 100000 souls and he knows
he is going to give old St. Nick and
J. Barleycorn a long, long run for
their money before he is through
with the campaign.
One hundred and fifty policemen
marched in promptly at o'clock
morning, headed by al
lieutenant and sergeant. The lat
ter marched his men with precision
Of an army to the inner doors of
the big wooden shed and tolled
them off by twos at each entrance
and exit, instructing them careful
~ before passing on to his next sta
lion. There was a detail of eight
iremen on duty too and in a little
she'd in the rear of the building was
/ fire house in which they will
i've, eat and sleep, while the evan
,elist is in our midst.
Enough fishers were on hand to
10 duty in a second tabernacle of
he size of the first, if that had been
leeded, and it may be that Phila-
lelphia will need two tabernacles
With as many evangelists fighting
Or these next eight weeks, SO thor
'ughly is the city aroused to the
vangelist's mission.
Drawing paper for sale here. L