Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-30
REVEALS ARE
PRODUCTIVE OF
REAL RESULTS
Men in Community Have Started
Lives on New Track After
Hearing EVaHgelist.

or less during a campaign such as
Mr.. Sunday is conducting in Rock
Island at this time, as to the ult;-
mate outcome of a revival The
questions are repeatedly asked, are
there any real converts made
through the preaching of Bill Sun
day, do they stick after making
their confession and do they live
better and more useful lives?
Not all who take a new stand for
the Lord are faithful to their vows
after the excitement of the hour is
over, but one need not go far for
evidence to substantiate the state
ment that great good does result
and that many converts are made
who remain faithful and true TO
their vows and go into the world to
fight in the name of the Lord.
Guy o. Rogers, for seven years
known in the sport world under
the name Of kid" Rogers, now
uperintendent of the Rock Island
Rescue Mission. received his i'm
peCus towards a religious life at a
meeting conducted by Mr.. Sunday
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when he
addressed men only on the sub
ject, When the Chickens Come
Home to Roost.' Mr.. Rogers was
professional pugiIist, fighting one Of
his first fights in Davenport
and he has repeatedly appeared in
the tri-cities in the fight ring. He
holds the record of never in the
seven years of his career in the
squared ring of suffering a knock
out He had gone to Cedar Rapids
in the very prime of condition to
participate in a fight which was
staged before 1900 people.
Out of curiosity he went to hear
Mr.. Sunday, who was conducting a
series of meetings, and his mes
sage struck him with such force
that he was set on a new line of
thought and shortly after he vas
converted at mission in Sioux
Falls, s. D., by q man sent out
from the mission conducted by Mel
Trotter. He remained N Sioux
Falls and was shortly made assist
ant superintendent in the mission
there.
Case of Harry White.
Harry White, today owner Of the
largest cafe In Sioux Falls, S. D.,
once hobo, black sheep, for $50
years dealing in cigarets, booze and
bad language" as he expressed it
himself, is a convert, starting on
his right course through the eff
forts of Guy Rogers, and indirectly
by Bill Sunday.
In telling the story of his life he
says that one night he climbed
down from a freight train, ragged,
dirty, foul and decided to seek
hand out in Rock Island. A police
officer had seen him alight and in
stead of hurrying him off to the
station for the night, he was in
vited by that officer to again take
his seat in the side door Pullman
and continue his journey, giving
the information that there were
enough buns in the tri-cities with
out adding another one. He con-
tinued to Sioux Falls, where he
was put off and being attracted to
the Sunday tabernacle as a place
to keep warm he heard the mes
sage of the evangelist and was
drawn into a new train of thought. |
he did not yield at once
and one evening as he was enter
ing one Of the hell-holes of the
city Mr.. Rogers saw him and
catching him by his coat tails
dragged him back and took him to
the mission where he later con-
fessed his wrong doing and his de-
sire to live a better life.
Never a year passes that White
does not visit Mr.. Rogers and he is
in the city now, coming also to be
present at the Sunday meetings.
White operates his cafe six days |
in the week, always closing on
Sunday. He Joined the Masonic |
fraternity and rose to high office |
in that organization, his business |
grew by leaps and bounds and he
his home town.
Mel TrOtter, at one time bar
Der in Davenport, known to scores |
Of Davenport people as drunkard,
a no-count bum. He was seldom |
sober, he hit the high spots as Sun
day put it, but one night Trotter
woke up to the realization that he |
was headed in the wrong direction.
that his life was a curse to him |
and his friends, and he decided |
right there to go straight.
It was no easy task and many a |
time he would have slipped had he
cot set his face towards God and |
promised to follow him. OF his |
work Sunday recently said: ''To-
day Mel Trotter has established |
more missions and won more souls |
to Christ from the tenements and |
the whirlpools of the underworld |
than any man who walks on Gods
dirt All praise to Mel Trotter.
When the roll is called, he'll be
safe in the Lords fold, all right"
Ike Williams a Convert.
Among tri-city ministers is Rev.
Ike Williams, superintendent of |
the Open Door Rescue Mission in /
who is a Sunday con-
vert. Years ago Williams was in
charge Of a gambling joint and had
long been a saloon keeper in OF
tumwa, Iowa. Sunday visited that
city and conducted a series OF
meetings. Williams, out of curios-
ity, visited the tabernacle, heard
the message of the evangelist
which struck him square between
the eyes with such force that be-
fore he realized what he was doing
be was making his way up the saw
3ust lrali He gave up his gamb-
ing Joint an6 secured 3 position
with the machine shops Of the Dane
Nan ufaCtCring company and work