McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1916-05-05

wreck at Ashtabula, Ohio, in the prime
Of his young fame, but he had left an
indelible impression on the hearts Of
millions. Moody and Sankey made
his songs known and loved from Maine
to California. The Sweet BY and By
written by a school.teacher named
Webster, owed its remarkable popu-
larity to a singular simplicity and
strength of melody and wording. The
tune is Of Celtic plainness, and can
almost all Of it be played on the black
keys Of an organ. At any rate, ii
took the country by storm, and is now
and then still heard in churches.
Oae of the most interesting stories
| ever heard about a hymn was told
me by United States marine officer
whose sworn statement | took in a
pension claim at Washington. He
was one of the guards Of the Embassy
at Pekin during the Boxer Rebellion
in China in the summer of 1900.
Word came one day that the Boxers
were burning Christian Chinese to
death in a town some miles out Of
Pekin, and he was one Of a detachment
sent there in haste, with machine
guns to rescue the victims of the yell
low savages. The marine said that as
his company came in sight of the
place of death, the smoke could be
seen rolling up, and there were min
gled cries of pain, yells Of wrath and
the noise Of the beating Of tom-toms
A fusillade from the machine guns
(which fred ten shots second scat
tered the Boxers like a gang Of wild
beasts, and a terrible sight was
brought to view: A row Of fence
posts where a fence had been torn
down, the Christian Chinese. men and
women, tied to the posts with 'baling
wire, and fence palings and broken
furniture from their homes piled
around them, while a yellow devil in
painted robes went from one pile to
the other, setting it on fire with a
torch. Life was extinct in several of
the burned bodies, but as the marines
drew near they could hear the poor
Christians not yet burnt singing, in a
loud, clear voice, in Chinese language,
but in the dear old tune that we all
know:
"Jesus lover Of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom flyp
The marine said the tears came tC
his eyes as he heard this song, ahG
ran forward with all speed, along will
the company. scattering the deadly
fire-brands and rescuing the martyrs
several of whom had not been touch
ed by the flames. One poor girl hat
been scorched by the fire on one side
but with her sound arm she claspei
his neck and kissed him as he threw
the fre-wood from her and cut thu
wires Chat were holding her to cru
Ell death. How many Christians O
the white race have faith like this. il
a future life and salvation, and in th'
presence Of horror such as faced thos'
Chinese converts? There is no doub,
about the truth Of this story, as it i
now on record in the government ar
chives, as a piece Of sworn evidences
in a pension claim. The song suns
by those Chinese martyrs was m,
mothers favorite hymn. II is strang'
that in all our Southland there is nj
singer Of fame. Only one, Mrs. =. L
Ashford, Of Nashville. author Of TIL
King Of Love my Shepherd is, ha
composed music of reputation. TIL
so-called plantation songs Of the Soutl
such as Way Down on the Suwanne'
Ribber, Oil Black Joe, Ny Old Ken
lucky Home and such gems, are tn
work Of Stephen c. Foster, a Penn
sylvania man, who died in war times
He also wrote Massa's in de Cold, Col
Ground, Gentle Annie, Old Uncle Ned
and about a hundred vocal favorites
and was under forty when he died.
the greatest song genius this countr
has ever seen. And yet for this gle
rious work he received less pay tina
one tingle-tangle ditty Of Irving Bel
lin or Fred Fisher brings to-day
These songs are from the soul, an
we're not written for money. Foste
could no more help singing than ca
the mocking-bird or thrush on . sun
mer morning. Dixie" was write
by Dan Emmett. Of this city.
There are some more splendid song
such as Silver Threads Among tn
Gold, Rocked in the Cradle Of tn