Carthage courier. (Carthage, Tenn.) 1913-current, 1921-04-28
Fifty Years in the Ministry
No. XIV.
Nc. XIV.


ger to S. B. Convention at Fort Worth.
The floods of that year greatly hinder
ed our trip across Arkansas. The
whole lower country was submerged
with water Brethren Crime, Ogle,
Gillian and other Middle Tennesseans
were along. We took the Cotton Belt
route and were in a race with the Iron
Mountain train as to which would
reach Fort Worth first. We had in
our company about six hundred mes
sengers and visitors from Alabama,
Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina,
Georgia, North Carolina and Tennes-
see. You can imagine our surprise
and despair on reaching Camden, Ar
kansas. We were informed the levies
on Red River had given way and the
country between US and Texarkana
for twenty miles was under water. 1t
was daylight in the morning when we
were tied up for further orders. Mr..
Adams, a Cotton Belt agent, who was
accompanying US, Informed US we
could exercise the liberty of the sun
shine and town but be ready for start
ing in thirty minutes at the sounding
of whistle and bell. About 10 o'clock
somebody suggested we have preach
ing and DIR. John L. johnson of Miss.
consented to preach. Some two hun
dred yards away under tall
pines beyond deep ditch, a great
crowd of 600 people gathered for SER
vice. It was a real Baptist Associa-
ton. DIR. johnson took his text and
launched out into what promised to
be a great sermon but just as he was
getting a fair start the train whistIed
and bell started and with that the
crowd went up in the air. Johnson
tried to hold them a minute for the
benediction but no time for benedic-
ton. About that time Johnson hit
the trail himself and was one of the
first to the train. He reminded me
of a joke told on Col. w. B. Stokes,
during the Civil War. Unexpectedly
the enemy made a dash on his COM
pany which caused stampede. Col.
Stokes ran out of his tent and began
uPbraiding his men for acting cow
ards. Just then, as a cannon ball
came galloping on the ground near
him, he suddenly changed his mind
and said: Boys, believe / will join
you and those of you who can't run
get out of the way and let somebody
run who can. We all wore bee gum hats
and busters in those days and that
rush of hats and busters across a deep
ravine was comical sight. Soon we
were all seated and happy at the
thought of starting. We sat there
for one hour when somebody said:
-'Pshaw, 1t was all a joke" Some
fool had played trick on US. Mr..
Adams then notified us that he had
orders to hold the train there till next
morning at daylight and that we were
ut 70 %01x 10 -
country.
A holiness meeting was in progress
at Camden. About rs of us preachers
attended the night service. The
preacher seeing so many strangers
decided to dispense with a sermon and
have an acquaintance meeting. Each
visitor was asked to give his name
and residence, and if a preacher, say
so. 1t was sure interesting for our
own crowd were strangers to each
other, being from half dozen states.
Things went on nicely till rose and
said: my name is John T. Oakley,
born and raised in Smith County, Ten
nessee, and am" Just then the gen
tleman at the organ began jumping
about three feet high and shouting:
Bless God, glory hallelujah, I'm
Smith Countian, Tennessean. Hal
leluJah. | never saw man Jump so
high and began to think / would be
forced into a jumping match or ske-
daddle. Just then a big fat fellow
they called Bro. Wilson, took a spin
round and round and round the pulpit
exclaiming something like he was say
ing: "Sticken in the eye, sticken in
IN the 0, Sticken in the /, sticken in
the To- The preacher in charge shout
ed: The fire is coming down, bap-
tlsm of the holy ghost. Bro. Wilson
Is speaking in the unknown tongue"
Just then that Baptist crowd thought
1T prudent to get to the train as
quickly as possible and out we went.
never did learn who my Smith Coun-
tian was and we ali agreed Bro. Will
son was speaking in an unknown ton
que to himself, his hearers and his
God, and we further decided it was
better to agree with Paul that five
words understood are better than Ten
Thousand not understood At day
break next morning we pulled out over
an unseen track for Is miles and
landed in TeXarkana about 10 O'Clock,
hungry and tired. All made q dash
for something to eat. i saw a sign:
Tennessee Kitchen" and soon / was
inside to find it crowded / ordered
eggs and steak. Soon / had a fine
locking steak on my plate. To my
surprise ana despair couldn't dent it.
l twisted the gravy out of it and
sopped it over and over and sucked
It's edges. Just then Bro Crime land
ed and called for steak. l said to
HIM that as we only had short time
to stay there and as was not hun
cry if he would pay for my steak he
might have it. He accepted it with
thanks. l pulled out and to the train.
A few minutes later Bro. Crime came
rushing down and up to me and said:
Oakley, Noah's OK is dead" / then
iaughingly told him that knew it and
what | had done to his steak and that