The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-05-20


when he pleaseS, in search Of odd stories
about this and that.
III PASO, Tex, May 20.-The
- Rev. L. R. Millican viii be SO
IN August. He has been a preacher
for 81 years. He is a relic Of the
wild and woolly West.
He calls himself missionary, but
in the Midwest I guess he would be
called circuit rider. He believes
he is the only old-time frontier-day
circuit rider left.
I went out and had a long talk
with Mr.. Millican. He hasn't been
feeling well lately, and he's a little
deaf. But he gets around.
mo, I never had any trouble with
anybody" he says benignly. Every
body always treated me fine. I never
had any trouble with bad men, or
Indians, or wild animals"
Mr.. Millican is a Texan. He was
born on the frontier. grew up as a
cowboy, has never lived anywhere
but Texas. His grandfather came
with Austin in 1921. His father killed
Indians, and was himself gravely
wounded by Indian arrows.
MILLICAN was converted at a
A'A Methodist camp meeting be-
fore he was 81, He heard the call,
and jumped on his horse and started
riding the great open spaces.
He stopped carrying a gun the
day he was converted. He has
never carried one since, except a few
times when he went with the officers
riding into the hills after a bad
man. But he has never taken part
in hanging.
He has never smoked, or tasted
liquor. Next to God and his wife.
he loves horses more than anything
else. He converted a saloon-keeper
once because of their mutual love
for horses.
In frontier days he rode con-
stantly, establishing churches, hold
ing meetings. Indians stole his
horses. He slept in the open. He
always carried a hair rope which
he circled around him at night, to
keep snakes away.
He wore out many horses, and
many saddle-bags. His saddle-bags
were always full of Bibles and re-
l1glous tracts to give away. Twice
ne was nearly drowned fording
swollen rivers.
He wore out buckboards, and
many buggies. When autos came,
he got an auto, for he felt that the
more distance he could cover the
greater was his work for God. He
has worn out six automobiles. He
quit driving just a few years ago,
because he couldn't hear cars COM
ing from behind, and they scared
him.
THERE is a long scar on his
- right cheek. A wild horse,
rearing and striking in the corral,
did that. Another wild horse
crushed his chest and broke his ribs.
He's the only preacher who ever
personally visited every saloon and
gambling hell in FL Paso. He went
around one day, inviting the booz-
ers and gamblers to come to church.
Nobody was nasty to him, he said.
And that night such a crowd came
to meeting they had to hold it in
the opera house.
He doesn't know how many thou
sands of people he has converted.
He had it down in his records, but
he lost them several years ago.
He and his wife have been mar
ried SO years. They have a nice
bungalow here. Their four children
are all dead, but they have many
grandchildren and great-grandchil-
dren. Mr.. Millican is planning a
trip to st. Louis to the North-South
Baptist convention.
He has accepted few stationary
church assignments, but most of his
62-year career he has been roam
er on the Texas frontier. That's why
he went over to the Baptists; they
let him do more as he pleased.
MethodistS are still his second
choice, though.
I asked him if he felt the world
is more religious now than it used to
be- He doesn't think SO. He says the
good people are better than they
used to be, and the bad people are
worse, so that Just about squares of.