The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-07-15
Prisoners in County Jail on
'EMOurners' Bench"
"Curley the Grow" Held q
Night Revival Meeting.
BROUGHT Fem TO THEIR KNEES
FOrceful Speaker as Good in
Jail as on Platform.
stake 1t From Me, He's Some
Preacher" Declares Jailer.

f'Down on your knees, you sinners.
Get down, all of you. Get down here
with me and acknowledge your sins
to the Almighty
Charley Hixon, night jailer at the
county Jail, heard that on the nignt
air and stuck his read out the office
window. He thought there was a
curb-stone revival in progress IN the
neighborhood but the moon was IN
eclipse and he couldn't sec far. ne
put his heels back on the desk ana
dozed again.
II don't mean that you are more
deeply stepped in sin than lot OF peor
pie who don't know what the INSIDE OF
q sail looks like" continued the voice.
Down came Hixon's heels again.
ssThat fellow said something about the
JAIL said the jailer to himself IL
take a look.
peeked through the trellis work upon
which no flowers bloom. The expla-
nation, life size, was in plain view.
Ben Mcintosh, alias Curley the
Cow, was holding revival meeting.
Curley has religion; Hixon assumed d
''watchful waiting attitude and saw
the whole performance. Mcintosh
preached to the prisoners and brought
them all around him There were
scoffers who remained in their bunks
and hurled imprecations at Clusters
came right down to the mourners
bench.
Mcintosh is a public speaker. He
is a forceful speaker and magnetic
personality. He demonstrated that
three months ago when he blew into
Topeka alone and unheralded and in
less than a week had a following more
numerous than any church congrega-
ton in town. OF course he wasn't
preaching then, he was addressing
fraternal orders whose ritual he knew.
he was addressing the Y. NJ. c. A. and
as a side line, disposing of contracts
for farms of $50 acres for SIG, said
contracts to be turned in for cash later
at $40 an acre. The side line is vouch-
ed for by special agents of the federal
government and accounts for Curley's
presence in the county jail.
Brings Them to Their Knees.
But reverting to his public speaking
and his magnetic personality. he was
using both to the limit when HiXon got
to the leeward and began listening.
Carrley was telling the prisoners all
about themselves. Ten minutes later
he had part of them on their knees
praying in concert with him.
f1ixon says that after the praying
started some of the prisoners de-
veloped originality and left the route
Curley was following. They gained
confidence and strength as they went
along and placed their feet on ground
they had not trod for years.
ut was like 1t must have been when
the Almighty decided to put stop to
construction work on the Tower of
Babel" said Hixon. "They were all
praying in the same tongue but there
was lots of tongues going and each
was saying something different
aThe meeting continued for some time
and Hixon did not disturb it, He fig
uned that while it might not have
lasting results it would at least do no
ttarm.
T'I have noticed in Curley's letters to
his wife that he has been leading up
ID religion" said Hixon. II wouldn't
be surprised if he is sincere. Anyway,
take il from me, he is some preacher"