Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1940-07-12


of the former Wilmington Conference,
which embraced the peninsula be-
tween the Chesapeake and Delaware
bays, were among the pioneers of the
Prohibition party engaged in the agi-
tation of the question of the abolition
of the saloon and the liquor traffic.
Foremost among the ministers were:
Revs. Ralph T. Coursey, Alpheus S.
Mowbray, John A. B. Wilson, Alfred
Smith, Charles A. HILL Clarence True
Wilson, Wilbur F. Corkran, l.. E.
Poole, Vaughn S. Collins, Benjamin A.
Warren, George L. Hardesty, Robert
w. Todd, and many others. Foremost
among the laymen of the Peninsula
were, Lawrence Hastings, Levin s.
Nelson, John H. Dulaney, Daniel W..
Miles, James T. Anthony, and Walter
T. Harmon.
Realizing the effectiveness of music
and songs in any reform movement
and political campaign, Rev. Ralph T..
Coarsey, who had gained an enviable
reputation as a gospel singer, conceiv-
ed the idea of organizing male quar-
tette to travel over the Peninsula and
the State and at Sunday School pic
MICS, camp meetings and prohibition
and temperance meetings to advertise
the advantages of total abstinence,
and the efficacy of the ballot in eradi-
eating the evils of the liquor traffic
in every community.
In casting around for a name by
which the quartette would be known,
he selected the name of that fearless
and outstanding peninsula temperance
leader, the Hon. Walter F. Harmon, of
Centreville, Jueen Anne County, Md.
Mr.. Harmon sprang into prominence
in the middle Of the eighties and was
the first nominee Of the Prohibition
Party for the u. s. House Of Repre-
sentatives in the First Congressional
District of Md, which contained the
nine counties of the Eastern Shore.
The Walter Harmon Quartette was
organized by Rev. Ralph 7. Coursey,
at his Methodist parsonage home at
Cannon. Cannon is located in Sussex
County, Del, between Seaford and
Bridgeville, and the quartette was or
ganized in May, 1890. The members
selected were: Rev. Ralph T. Coursey,
Leader, soprano, Mr.. Jacob w. Wheat
ley, of Pocomoke City, Md, tenor, Mr..
Eben Hearne, of Pocomoke City, Md,
alto, and Mr.. James PARROT, of Cen
treville, Md, bass. One of Mr.. Cour-
sey's parishioners, Miss Willie A. Nor
gan, was selected as organist.
At the end of the first year, Mr..
PARROT, the bass singer and Miss Nor
gan severed their connection with the
organization and Rev. Alpheus S.
Mowbray, who at that time was the
pastor of Salem Methodist Church at
Pocomoke City, Nd, succeeded Mr..
Parrot as bass singer and Messrs.
Wheatley and Hearne were selected
as organists.
The first time the Walter Harmon
quartette appeared before the public,
they sang at a temperance rally held
in Browns Woods, grove adjoining
one of Mr.. Coursey's churches on Can
non Circuit on July 4th, 1890. An en-
thusiastic crowd of people were in at
tendance and the quartette was thus
launched upon successful career and
from that day until September, 1896,
when they disbanded, their services
were in demand and their meetings
were attended by interested crowds.
During the same summer, 1890, the
quartette was engaged to spend three
weeks, beginning around July 18th, to
furnish the music at the Md. state
temperance and prohibition camp
meeting held at Glyndon, Nd, about
20 miles from Baltimore. The camp
was located in the suburbs of Glyndon,
on the public highway and directly OPP
posite the celebrated Emory Grove
Methodist camp meeting ground. The
oCANAOOo VI PLONV0 w NC
so acceptable that for four successive
summers they were employed at the
Glyndon camp.
The camp organization was under
the management of the late Hon. Will
liam Daniel, Md. State Chairman of
the Prohibition Party. He was law
yer and resided in Baltimore. Chas.
S. Mosher and Edwin Higgins, the
latter also a lawyer, were Mr.. Dan
iel's able associates. The quartette,
during it's seven year career, sang in
every county in Delaware and in seven
counties of the Eastern Shore.
In conducting meeting they need
ed no outside assistance. The two
ministers, Rev Coursey and Mowbray
were effective and convincing public
speakers. For three seasons, in sue
cession (1S91-1893) the quartette fur