Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-02-18
PREACHER FLEES
LECION'S WRATH
Evangelist Put to Flight
For Statements From
Pulpit

LANCASTER, Pa. Feb. 18.-The
Rev. DR.. Henry W. Slough, of Wheat
on. ILL.,, nationally known evangelist,
who FIVE years ago was idolized by
thousands who crowded his taberna-
Gle here. hu led from the rear door
Of an apartment building the other
afternoon, jumped into closed motor
car and started for Philadelphia. He
was trembling from fear and was
linen white as he entered the vehicle.
As he crossed the icy yard of the
apartment he slipped and fell slightly
injuring himself.
"What am l going to do?" cried
George W. Cook, his chorister. Il
have no money"
"Oh, they'll take care of you" yell
ID the evangelist, as the machine
whirred out of the city.
Thus was written the concluding
chapter to the most turbulent forty
eight hours ever known here, period
of rioting, personal clashes and dar-
ing threats. Even while the evan
CELLS. was preparing to flee, American
Legion posses from every section of
the county were preparing to invade
Lancaster that night and uphold the
local post in their ultimatum that,
Unless Slough left the city by mid
night, they would run him out.
The ire of the service men was
aroused by a statement DR.. Slough
made in his sermon in St. Pauls
Reformed church Monday night. He
said:
when the draft law came into OPP
Grafton every class of society, from
the best homes in America through
all the grades of society down to the
riffraf and the scum, were included.
In the name of patriotism Christian
parents permitted their girls to dance
in the arms of these men, because
they wore the khaki, not realizing
khaki does not change character"
The night angry service men in
vaded St. Paul's church and demand
ed retraction. DR.. Slough was fol-
lowed to his hotel and outside a great
crowd assembled. There were cries.
of Lynch him. Drive him out Of
town. and He's Bolshevikp The
police force, hastily summoned to pre-
serve order, was unable to cope with
the crowd and the men were prepar-
ing to charge the hotel and drag DR..
Slough out, when Col. John H.
Wickersham, commander of the Lee
gion in Lancaster, appeared and in
duced the men to await the result
Of an interview with DR.. Slough by
Legion committee.
The committee saw DR.. Slough in
his room. He acknowledged having
made the statement, although he
first said he had been misquoted He
said it was ill-timed and offered an
apology, saying his heart was loyal to
the flag and the country.
This, however, was unsatisfactory
to the service men, but they dis
persed. The next day feeling rose
constantly higher, The chief of po-
lice pledged his force to do its utmost
to preserve order, but the chief warn
ed the Lancaster ministers, who were
sponsors for the Slough campaign the
situation rapidly was gettin beyond
him, and he would not be responsible
for what might occur if DR.. Slough
remained in town. He refused to
urge the evangelist to leave, putting
that responsibility upon the clergy
men.
A strong police guard was placed
around DIR. Stough's hotel and he
did not leave his room until early
n the afternoon, when he slipped out
ny a side entrance.
During the morning, a telephone
message was received from Columbia,
saying three hundred ex-service men
in their overseas uniforms were ready
to board special cars for Lancaster
to help in the expulsion of the van
gelist Similar messages came from
other towns in the country and TWEEN
ty men in full uniform actually ar
rived from York.