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ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN; 


OR, 


Tales  of  Life,  War,  Travel,  and 
Colorado  Methodism. 


ISAAC  HAIGHT  BEARDSLEY, 

OF   THE   COLORADO  CONFERENCE, 

Author  of  "The  True  Sabbath,"  "Genealogical  History  of  the  Beardsley 
Family,"  Etc. 


INTRODUCTION 

BY 

RKV.  DAVID  H.  NIOORE;,  D.  D., 

Editor  of  the  Western  Christian  Advocate. 


CINCINNATI :  CURTS  &  JENNINGS. 

NEW  YORK:  EATON  &  MAINS. 

1898. 


Wi.^ 


COPYRIGHT,  1898, 
BY  ISAAC  HAIGHT  BEARDSLEY. 


BANCROFT 
UBRARY 


DEDICATORY. 


To  the  rank  and  file  of  the  great  itinerant  host, 

who,  in  humble  positions, 

toil  on  from  year  to  year  on  scant  pay  and  with  little 

encouragement ; 

To  their  devoted  wives,  cheerful  students  of 

economy  from  day  to  day ; 

And  to  all  who  have  been  led  to  Christ,  or  encouraged  on  their  heavenward 

journey  through  our  ministry. 

This  volume  is  sincerely  and  prayerfully 

©BbtrafBb 

BY  THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFATORY. 


THIS  book  is  the  outcome  of  a  lifetime  of  active  service, 
covering  more  than  threescore  years.  It  is  not  a  biog- 
raphy, yet  it  contains  much  that  is  biographic.  It  is  not  a 
history,  yet  it  is  full  of  historical  matter.  Those  reading  it 
will,  I  trust,  be  instructed  and  helped  the  more  bravely  to 
fight  the  battles  of  life. 

The  aim  of  the  writer  has  been  to  present  facts  in  a 
plain  way,  not  to  give  occasion  to  the  chronic  croaker,  but 
to  cheer  the  voyager  on  life's  rough  sea.  This  book  has 
been  prepared  from  the  standpoint  of  the  "Rank  and  File" 
in  the  itinerancy,  and  as  a  stimulus  to  all  laborers  in  the 
Master's  vineyard. 

Heartfelt  gratitude  is  hereby  expressed  to  those  who 
have  aided  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume,  either  by  fur- 
nishing facts  and  sketches,  or  otherwise — especially  to  Peter 
Winnie,  Esq.,  secretary  of  the  Colorado  Conference  Histor- 
ical Society,  who  has  cheerfully  given  access  to  all  its  ar- 
chives ;  also  to  my  brother,  the  present  well-known  secre- 
tary' of  the  Colorado  Conference,  Rev.  H.  L.  Beardsley,  for 
permission  to  examine  every  document  in  the  Conference 
tnink ;  to  Rev.  W.  F.  Steele,  D.  D.,  professor  in  the  Iliff 
School  of  Theology,  for  consultations,  freely  given,  and  for 
sundry  suggestions  while  reading  the  manuscript 

It  is  my  intention  that,  as  soon  as  the  sale  of  this  book 
shall  have  met  the  cost  of  production  and  publication,  both 

5 


O  PREFATORY. 

book  and  profits  shall  then  become  the  property  of  the 
"  Preachers*  Aid  Society,"  for  the  support  of  the  superannu- 
ated members  of  the  Colorado  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  their  widows  and  orphans. 

Craving  the  Divine  blessing  upon  this  volume  and  its 
readers,  now  and  through  the  years  to  come,  I  will  close 
with  the  words  of  a  writer  of  old : 

"  If  I  have  done  well,  and  is  fitting  the  story, 

It  is  that  which  I  desired ; 
But  if  slenderly  and  meanly. 

It  is  that  which  I  could  attain  unto." 

I.  H.  B. 
Denver,  Coi^orado,  1897. 


INTRODUCTION. 


nPHE  volume  its  author  now  gives  to  the  public  has 
been  in  preparation  for  nearly  all  the  years  of  his 
ripe  life.  What  a  sensible  thing  it  is  to  keep  a  carefully- 
written  diary !  Besides  training  one  to  habits  of  methodical 
perseverance,  such  a  journal  becomes  a  thesaurus  of  valu- 
able facts,  a  priceless  prompter  to  memory,  and  an  unfail- 
ing solace  in  loneliness,  sorrow,  or  age.  Its  manifold  use- 
fulness appears  when  it  becomes  the  anatomy  of  a  biography, 
whose  literary  flesh  and  blood  are  added  in  the  rounded 
fullness  of  a  noble  career. 

Few  men  have  seen  more  phases  of  life  in  more  varied 
fields  than  has  its  author.  Perhaps  none  has  entered 
into  more  intelligent  sympathy  with  all  that  he  has  seen. 
This  fact  gives  a  quaint  relish  to  his  pages.  He  sets  out  to 
tell  a  simple  tale  simply.  Therein  lies  the  charm  of  his 
book,  and  its  helpfulness  as  well.  He  puts  his  reader  in 
the  social  environments  of  a  half-century  ago,  as  he  de- 
scribes the  characters,  customs,  and  scenes  of  his  childhood. 
You  are  there.  You  touch  them.  You  see  them.  They 
fill  you.     They  ensphere  you.     Then  you   rub  open   your 


8  INTRODUCTION, 

eyes  to  the  dawning  Twentieth  Century,  and  set  the  con- 
trasts, and  mark  the  advancements,  and   learn  the  lessons. 

His  fifteen  years  of  fruitful  labor  in  Ohio  links  his  earlier 
ministry  in  New  York  with  his  later  in  Colorado;  thus  giv- 
ing the  whole  broad  land  an  interest  in  his  volume. 

Nothing  widens  a  man's  life  more  than  the  experience 
of  war;  and  no  war  of  the  century  compares  with  our  Civil 
War.  In  this  the  author  bore  an  honorable  part,  as  a 
preacher  of  good  tidings,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  The 
incidents  of  grace  abounding,  in  bivouac  and  hospital,  on 
the  march  and  on  the  battle-field,  will  touch  the  heart  and 
stimulate  the  faith  of  the  Christian  reader.  Those  entering 
their  country's  service — especially  as  chaplains  or  wearers 
of  the  Red  Cross — could  do  no  better  than  to  ponder  these 
well-told  and  thrilling  experiences.  And  many  an  old  sol- 
dier will  light  anew  the  altar-fire  of  patriotism,  as  he  goes 
from  chapter  to  chapter  that  brings  up  the  storied  past. 

Our  brother  tells  of  his  travels,  abroad  and  at  home, 
with  that  same  naivete  that  makes  his  other  narrations  so 
attractive.  From  his  own  peculiar  angles  of  vision  he  gives 
us  original  impressions  and  descriptions  that  one  so  fre- 
quently misses  in  more  pretentious  works.  An  intrusive 
•vein  of  humor,  as  charming  as  Mark  Twain's,  pushes  up 
among  the  strata  of  his  observations.  It  is  Beardsleyan 
throughout;  and  therefore  nothing  if  not  genial,  and  -orac- 
tical,  and  helpful. 

But  the  historical  value  of  the  work  is  most  evident  in 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

the  concluding  chapters,  which  are  devoted  to  the  introduc- 
tion and  growth  of  Methodism  in  Colorado.  Upon  this  the 
author  has  expended  much  research,  and  has  produced  alto- 
gether the  most  comprehensive  and  complete  history  of  his 
chosen  subject  yet  published.  Doubtless  some  would  have 
given  more  prominence  to  this  and  less  to  that  personage  or 
event ;  it  may  be  that  some  deserving  character  or  achieve- 
ment has  been  overlooked ;  but,  all  in  all,  the  consensus  of 
opinion  will  doubtless  award  Mr.  Beardsley  great  credit  and 
praise  for  having  wrought  with  such  impartial  fidelity  a  work 
that  will  be  indispensable  to  all  future  historians  of  Col- 
orado or  American  Methodism. 

Ten  years  of  Colorado  fellowship  gave  the  writer  an 
interest  in  the  author  and  his  devoted  wife,  which  these 
"Echoes  from  Peak  and  Plain'*  start  into  newer  and 
quicker  vibrations  of  sympathy  and  love.  The  work  not 
only  gracefully  rounds  out  the  author's  life,  but  also  guar- 
antees the  indefinite  perpetuation  of  its  benign  influences. 

DAVID  HASTINGS  MOORE. 
Editoriai,  Office  of 
Western  Christian  Advocate, 
June,  1898. 


CONTENTS. 


^^  PAGE. 

Introduction 7 

PART  I.— ECHOES  FROM  LIFE  IN  THE  ITINERANCY. 

Chapter  I. — Eari<y  Life, 19 

Birth — Parentage — School-days. 
N 
Chapter  II.— Spirituai.  Life 31 

Conversion — Entire  Sanctification. 

Chapter  HI.— Ministeriai,  Life, 49 

Divine  Call — ^Way  Opened. 

Chapter  IV.— Itinerancy  Begun, 58 

North  Amherst  and  Huron — Bryan  Circuit. 

Chapter  V. — Itinerancy  Continued, 69 

Waterville  —  Plymouth  Circuit —  Sullivan  —  Orange  —  Dover  — 
Lake  Shore — Dalton  —  Nashville  —  Newcomerstown — ^Bolivar — 
Canal  Dover. 

PART  II.— ECHOES  FROM  LIFE  IN  THE  ARMY. 

Chapter  I. — Off  to  the  Army,    . 117 

United  States  Christian  Commission — ^Work  in  Louisville,  Ky. 
— New  Albany,  Ind. — Run  the  Gauntlet — Nashville,  Tenn. 

Chapter  II. — B attire  in  Front  of  Nashvii,i,e, 126 

What  a  United  States  Christian  Commission  Man  saw  and  did 
on  the  Field  of  Carnage  for  three  days. 

Chapter  III. — On  to  Murfreesborough, 139 

W.  J,  Breed,  Esq. — Guerrillas — "  Contraband  "  Camp — Hospitals 
— Hostages. 

II 


12  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 
Chapter  IV.— The  Chapi^aincy, 145 

i88th  O.  V.  I.— Stone  River— Tullahoma— Chattanooga— Look- 
out Mountain — I/ightning — Nashville — Intermittent  Fever  and 
Jaundice — Mustered  out — Homeward  Bound — Discharged. 

PART  III.— ECHOBS  FROM  ABROAD. 

The  Plains — Ocean  —  Scotland  —  England  —  France /-Rhine  Valley — 
Switzerland  —  Alps  —  Italy —  Egypt  —  Suez — Joppa  —  Solomon's 
Pools — Hebron — Bethlehem — Mar  Saba —  Dead  Sea — Jordan — 
Jericho — Bethany — Mount  of  Olives — Jerusalem  —  Bethel— Ja- 
cob's Well — Nablous — Shiloh — Samaria — ^Jenin— Jezreel — Foun- 
tain —  Shunem  —  Nazareth  — Tiberias  —  Capernaum  —  Flowers 
— The  Drink  Habit — Merom — Dan — Banias — Mount  Hermon — 
Damascus — Baalbec — Bey  rout — Bishop  Kingsley's  Grave — Cy- 
prus— Patmos — Constantinople — Athens,  Greece — Smyrna — Tri- 
este, Austria — Tyrol  Alps — Saltzberg — Restaurant — Danube — 
Vienna — Prague — Dresden — Berlin  —  Frankfort — Worms — ^May- 
ence — Cologne  —  Rotterdam  —  London  —  Spurgeon — Bedford — 
Homeward  Journey, 153 

PART  IV.— ECHOES  FROM  COLORADO  METHODISM. 

Chapter  I. — Coi^orado, 217 

Gold  found — Excitement  of  1858-9 — "  Pike's  Peak  or  Bust." 

Chapter  II. — Methodist  Beginnings, 224 

Reconnoitering. 

Chapter  III. — Foundation  Buii^ders, 240 

"Pike's  Peak  Mission"  from  i860  to  1863. 

Chapter  IV. — Picket-i,ine  Extended, 254 

South   Park — Blue   River — California    Gulch — Colorado    City — 
San  Luis  Valley. 

Chapter  V.— The  Conference  Organized, 271 

A  Proposition  of  Bishop  Ames — From  1863  to  1869. 

Chapter  VI.— How  the  Writer  Came  to  go  to  Coi^orado,  ....    284 
Incidents  of  the  Journey — Ascend  the  Mountains. 


CONTENTS,  13 

*  PAGE. 

Chapter  VII. — The  Coi^orado  Conference  as  He  Found  it  in 

June,  1869, 290 

Sketches  of  those  Present. 

Chapter  VIII. — Georgetown, '. 301 

First  Appointment — Offic\al  Board — Queer  Happenings. 

Chapter  IX. — Journey  to  Conference  at  Puebi^o  in  1870,  .   .   .    312 
The  Exciting  Trip  described — New  Members. 

Chapter  X. — Pi.easurabi.e  Saunterings, 333 

Second  Camp-meeting — Ministerial  Association — Hot  Sulphur 
Springs — A  Forsaken  Cabin — An  Unwilling  Camp. 

Chapter  XI.— The  Conferences  of  187 1-2, 345 

Bishop  Foster — A  Resume. 

Chapter  XII. — Methodism  in  Denver, 356 

Begun  by  a  Carpenter — The  First  Society — Sunday-school — 
Views  of  Churches— Flood — Aggressive  Work — A  Happy  Wed- 
ding— City  Missions. 

Chapter  XIII. — Educationai.  Methodism, 387 

The  Incipient  Step — Building  erected — Embarrassments — The 
Struggle — The  Uplift — Light  dawns — Friends  —  Endowment — 
University  Park  and  Hall — Iliff  School  of  Theology — The 
Great  Telescope. 

Chapter  XIV. — Second  Decade  of  the  Conference  History,   .    410 
1873  to  1883 — Sketches  of  the  Laborers  and  Work  done — New 
Fields. 

Chapter  XV.— Personai.  History, 466 

Nevada — Erie  and  Platteville — Black  Hawk — Del  Norte — Trin- 
idad— Wheat  Ridge  and  Argo — St.  James,  Denver. 

Chapter  XVI. — Third  Decade  of  the  Conference  History,  .   .    481 
1883  to  1893 — A  Wonderful  Period  of  Church-building — Growth 
in   all  Departments  of  Church-work — Epworth    League   intro- 
duced. 


14  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Chapter  XVII.— Personai,  History,  Conci^uded, 558 

St.  James,  Platteville  and  Fort  IvUpton — A  Marvelous  Revival — 
Arvada,  Church  begun — Loveland — A  Trip  to  the  British  Isles 
— Released  from  Duty — Lecturing  Tour  and  Revival  work. 

Chapter  XVIII. — A  Brief  Epitome  of  the  Conference  from  1892 

TO  THE  Cl,OSE  OF   1896, 566 

Four  Valuable  Summaries — Concluding  Note. 


ILLUSTRATIONS, 


NO.  PAGE. 

1.  The  Author — Frontispiece.  - 

2.  New  York  Conference  Sem- 

inary,      40 

3.  German  Lasher, 41 

4.  The  Old  Home, 53 

5.  John  R.  Colgan, 67 

6.  An  Italian  Funeral  Proces- 

sion,   171 

7.  View  of  the  Bathing-place  of 

the  Jordan, 192 

8.  Jerusalem  from  Olivet,  .    .    .196 

9.  Olivet  from  Jerusalem,  .    .    .  198 

10.  The  Spanish  Peaks,    ....  223 

11.  Jacob  Adrian ce 225 

12.  Henry  Reitze, 227 

13.  Central  City  Church,  ....  229 

14.  A  '59er  Mansion, 234 

15.  Conference  Group  of  1865,  .  277 

16.  George  Richardson,   ....  281 

17.  John  L.  Dyer, 292 

18.  B.  T.  Vincent 295 

19.  Geo.  H.  Adams, 298 

20.  R.  J.  Van  Valkenberg,    .    .   .  300 

21.  The  Railroad  Loop,    .    .    .    .311 

22.  Palmer  Lake, 316 

23.  Glen  Park, 318 

24.  Garden  of  the  Gods,  ....  319 

25.  F.  C.  Millington,  .  .    .    .  • .    .  325 

26.  Thomas  Harwood, 326 

27.  Mrs.'E.  J.  Harwood,    ....  327 

28.  E.  C.  Brooks, 330 

29.  H.  J.  Shaffner, 331 

30.  GJenwood  Springs, 343 

31.  J.  H.  Merritt, .346 

32.  Gray's  Peak, 347 

33.  B.  F.  Crary, 351 


NO.  PAGE. 

34.  C.  A.  Brooks, 353 

35.  "Where  Methodism  was  Born 

in  Denver, 357 

36.  Birthplace   of  the  Colorado 

Conference, 359 

37.  Lawrence   Street  Methodist 

Episcopal  Church,   ....  361 

38.  Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal 

Church  (small  cut),  ....  363 

39.  John  Evans, 365 

40.  Peter  Winne, 367 

41.  Christ  Methodist  Episcopal 

Church, 370 

42.  St.  James    Methodist    Epis- 

copal Church, 371 

43.  Asbury  Methodist  Episcopal 

Church, 377 

44.  Bishop  H.  W.  Warren,   .    .    .  384 

45.  Colorado  Seminary,    ....  393 

46.  University  of  Denver,    ,    .    .  398 

47.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Iliff  Warren,  399 

48.  William  S.  Iliff, 401 

49.  University  Hall, 402 

50.  Girls'  Cottage, 404 

51.  The  Iliff  School  of  Theology,  406 

52.  Chamberlin  Observatory,  .  .  407 

53.  Telescope     at     Chamberlin 

Observatory, 408 

54.  L.  J.  Hall, 412 

55.  C.  W.  Blodgett, 414 

56.  W.  L.  Slutz, 415 

57.  J.  F.  Coffman, 419 

58.  O.  L.  Fisher, 421 

59.  R.  H.  Rhodes, 422 

60.  H.  L.  Beardsley, 424 

61.  H.  C.  King, 427 

15 


i6 


ILL  USTRA  TIONS. 


NO.  PAGE. 

62.  John  Collins, 429 

63.  T.  A.  Uzzell, 434 

64.  J.  F.  White, 436 

65.  K.  Cranston, 440 

66.  Conference  Group  of  1879,  .  443 

67.  T.  C.  IlifF, 445 

68.  S.  W.  Thornton, 447 

69.  D.  H.  Moore, 449 

70.  C.  S.  Uzzell, 451 

71.  N.  A.  Chamberlain, 458 

72.  C.  H.  Koyl, 460 

73.  J.  F.  Harris, 462 

74.  J.  A.  Ivong, 463 

75.  C.  W.  Brewer, 483 

76.  A.  C.  Peck, 485 

77.  Mrs.  F.  E.  Peck, 486 

78.  Interior  of  Haymarket  Mis- 

sion,   487 

79.  E.  J.  Wilcox, 490 

80.  Longmont  Church  and  Par- 

sonage,   491 

81.  Conference  Group  of  1885,  .  493 

82.  J.  A.  Ferguson,  ..;....  495 

83.  W.  C.  Madison 498 

84.  H.  A.  Buchtel, 500 

85.  D.  L.  Rader, 503 

86.  H.  D.  Seckner, 505 

87.  J.  W.  Ivinn, 506 

88.  O.  J.  Moore, 508 

89.  G.  W.  Ray, 512 

90.  A.  I..  Chase,  . 513 

91.  Kent  White, 515 

92.  J.  R.  Wood, 516 


NO 

93- 
94- 
95- 
96. 

97. 
98. 

99- 
00. 
01. 
02. 

03. 
04. 

05. 
06. 

07. 
08. 
09. 
10. 


PAGE. 

C.  B.  Allen 517 

B.  F.  Todd, 522 

J.  W.  Flesher, 524 

I.  F.  McKay, 526 

J.  Iv.  Vallow, 529 

R.  A.  Chase, 530 

J.  C.  Veeder, 532 

W.  F.  McDowell, 535 

R.  M.  Barns, 536 

A.  A.  Johnson, 538 

A.  B.  Glockner, 545 

H.  E.  Warner, 546 

R.  A.  Carnine, 548 

Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal 

Church,  Denver  (large  cut),  550 
Robert  Mclntyre,        ....  553 

J.  R.  Shannon, 554 

Wm.  John, 556 

Loveland  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  and  Parson- 
age,     565 

Claudius  B.  Spencer,  ....  567 

W.  F.  Steele 568 

W.  I.  Taylor, 569 

J.  T.  Pender, 570 

R.  Sanderson, 573 

J.  C.  Gullette, 575 

M.  F.  Sapp, 576 

C.  M.  Cobern, 580 

W.  F.  Conner 581 

A.  H.  Briggs, 582 

J.F.Smith, 583 

Grace  Church,  Denver,  .    .    .  584 


N.  B.— Over  two-thirds  of  the  cuts   in  this  book  were  made  by  The  Williamson- 
Haffner  Engraviug  Co.,  Denver,  Colorado.  ^ 


PART  I. 


Echoes  from  Home  and  Itinerant  Life. 


Saved  Through  and  Through, 

t^*      f^>      t^* 

Bom  of  the  Spirit  I    O  wondrous  new  birth! 
Bom  of  the  Spirit  I    O  hear,  all  ye  earth  I 
Saved  evermore,  I  am  saved  through  and  through, 
Saved  by  the  blood  of  the  Faithful  and  True. 

Out  of  my  vileness  and  hatred  within. 
Out  of  my  nakedness,  out  of  my  sin* 
Into  a  kingdom  of  life  and  of  love. 
Sweetly  my  soul  has  been  bom  from  above. 

Life  everlasting  my  soul  has  received, 

Life  in  Christ  Jesus  on  whom  I  believed; 

Bom  of  the  Spirit,  created  anew. 

Glory  to  Jesus,  I  'm  saved  through  and  through  I 

Q>me,  precious  soul,  and  be  bom  from  above  I 

Jesus  is  waiting  to  fill  thee  with  love; 

Come  unto  him  and  be  saved  through  and  through. 

Saved  by  the  blood  shed  for  me  and  for  you. 

— Melville  W.  Miller. 
i8 


I- 

Birth. — In  a  lovely  valley  where  two  roads  meet,  forming 
an  acute  angle,  stands  a  story-and-a-half  frame  house,  wherein 
was  born,  October  i,  1831,  a  child  so  frail  of  body  that  he 
*Svas  not  considered  worth  dressing  until  six  weeks  old."  That 
fragile  form  was  laid  on  the  hearth  by  the  fire,  wrapped  in 
flannels,  the  nurse  expecting  to  find  him  dead  each  time  the  cover 
was  lifted.  To  her  utter  surprise  he  kept  breathing,  and  after  a 
time  began  to  grow.  His  mother  often  wept  over  the  puny  form 
of  this  her  first-born,  fearing  that  he  would  never  reach  a  vigor- 
ous manhood.  No  one  then  thought  he  would  develop  into  a 
man  of  near  two  hundred- pounds,  and  live  to  cross  the  "dead- 
line" of  sixty;  but  such  is  the  fact.  That  birth  occurred  in  North 
Harpersfield,  Delaware  County,  New  York,  before  the  days  of 
cook-stoves  or  of  lucifer  matches  in  that  locality.  Large  fire- 
places were  then  used,  in  which  wood  was  liberally  burned.  At 
night  the  coals  were  covered  with  ashes  to  preserve  them.  Did 
the  fire  ever  go  out?  If  so,  a  flint  was  struck;  that  failing,  a  fire- 
brand was  secured  from  a  neighbor,  with  which  to  ignite  the 
tinder.  To  sit  in  front  of  one  of  those  wide-open  fireplaces  on 
a  frosty  night,  and  watch  the  frisky  flame  ascend  the  capacious 
chimney,  was  a  cheerful  sight. 

What  a  contrast  between  life  then  and  nozv!  Potatoes  were 
baked  in  the  hot  ashes  on  the  hearth,  and  were  invariably  good. 
Brick,  or  stone,  or  Dutch  and  tin  ovens  were  in  vogue  for  other 
baking  purposes.  The  latter  was  an  open  reflector  set  before  the 
fire,  in  which  biscuit  were  usually  baked.  The  women  spun  and 
wove  the  cloth  used,  out  of  material  grown  on  the  farm,  whether 
of  linen  or  of  flannel.  From  the  wool  they  carded  and  spun 
the  yam  for  knitting  the  socks  and  mittens  needed  in  the  family. 
Out  of  the  flax  they  also  spun  thread  for  sewing  purposes. 
Ofttimes  a  "hank  of  flax"  was  exchanged  with  a  neighbor.  The 
effort  then  was  to  see  which  could  make  the  smoothest  and 
nicest  thread  therefrom.    Their  carpetless  floors  were  swept  with 

19 


20  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Splint  brooms,  made  by  hand  from  a  small  hickory-tree.  It  was 
considered  extravagant  to  drink  "store  coffee,"  except  on  Sun- 
day mornings.  "Parched-corn  coffee"  was  drunk  on  other  days 
of  the  week.  Soap  was  made  from  hardwood  ashes,  leached,  and 
scraps  of  grease,  combined  in  proper  proportions.  "Store  sugar" 
was  seldom  used;  maple  being  cheaper,  and  much  preferred.  The 
prevailing  light  of  the  family  was  their  own  "dipped  or  molded 
candles."  The  custom  was  for  each  family,  when  attending  re- 
ligious services  at  night,  to  carry  a  candle  for  illuminating  pur- 
poses. This  practice  ceased  largely  in  1861,  when  kerosene  was 
introduced. 

This  charming  locality,  with  its  modest  hills,  wooded  slopes, 
maple-groves,  apple-orchards,  broad  meadows,  cultivated  nooks, 
crystal  springs,  rippling  rills,  neat  farmhouses,  stone  walls,  and 
well-kept  roads,  form  a  landscape  that  a  painter  might  well  covet. 

The  stream  that  flows  down  that  beautiful  valley  is  known 
as  the  Middle  Brook,  probably  so  called  for  a  family  by  that  name 
living  in  Connecticut,  whence  most  of  the  original  settlers  came. 
It  is  one  of  the  many  rivulets  formed  by  bubbling  springs  among 
the  northwestern  spurs  of  the  Catskill  Mountains,  the  water  flow- 
ing westward,  uniting  with  other  little  streams  farther  down,  to 
form  the  southern  branch  of  the  Susquehanna  River. 

The  farmhouses  are  more  numerous  now  than  then,  many 
of  the  early  structures  having  given  place  to  those  of  more 
modem  pretensions.  The  stone  fences  remain.  The  flowing 
fountains  and  numerous  streamlets  are  still  there. 

The  red  schoolhouse,  where  the  youngsters  were  flogged 
into  the  paths  of  knowledge,  and  where  the  people  gathered  lor 
religious  instruction,  is  now  gone,  and  a  white  one  takes  its 
place  on  another  site.  Two  neat  churches  adorn  a  slight  emi- 
nence, where  the  people  gather  once  a  Sabbath  to  hear  that 
gospel  proclaimed,  which  "is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation, 
to  every  one  that  believeth"  (Romans  i,  16),  and  where  the  chil- 
dren meet  every  "First-day  Sabbath"  afternoon  for  Bible  study. 

The  people  are  mostly  dairy  farmers.  Their  butter  is  su- 
perior, and  cheese  excellent.  Very  little  grain  is  grown.  Their 
market  is  New  York  City,  or  some  small  town  nearer  home. 

The   hills   of   that   charming   locality   never   echoed   to   the 


EARLY  LIFE,  21 

whistle  of  the  locomotive.  The  hum  of  our  modern  enterprises 
have  scarcely  disturbed  its  quiet  slumbers.  A  railroad  now 
passes  six  miles  north,  and  one  three  miles  south  of  it.  As  it 
was  in  the  beginning  of  this  narrative,  so  it  is  mostly  now,  thus 
it  will  likely  remain  to  the  end  of  time. 

Here,  amid  these  rural  scenes,  far  from  the  contaminating 
associations  of  town  and  of  city  life,  was  this  unpromising  boy 
raised,  and  received  his  early  education.  This  book  is  largely  the 
story  of  his  somewhat  eventful  life,  as  well  as  that  of  many  others. 

Pareintage. — His  ancestors  were  of  the  old  Puritan  stock. 
Captain  Travice  sailed  from  London,  England,  in  the  ship 
Planter,  April  2,  1635,  for  New  England.  With  him  came  Will- 
iam B ,  from  St.  Albans,  Hertfordshire,  aged  thirty  years, 

and  his  wife  Mary,  aged  twenty-six  years,  with  their  three  chil- 
dren. It  is  not  known  when  they  landed.  They  resided  in  Had- 
ley,  Massachusetts,  until  1639,  when  he,  with  others,  bought  a 
piece  of  land  of  the  Indians  on  Long  Island  Sound,  which  was 
known  at  the  time  as  "Cupheag." 

Four  years  later  the  place  was  called  ''Stratford,"  so  named 
by  him  for  Shakespeare's  birthplace,  near  which  he  and  some 
of  his  progenitors  had  at  one  time  resided.  The  grandparents 
on  the  paternal  side  were  the  descendants  of  Samuel,  the  first 
American-born  son  of  the  above-mentioned  emigrants,  and  mi- 
grated on  horseback,  over  Indian  trails,  through  wooded  wilds, 
from  New  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  in  the  spring  of  1806,  settling 
on  a  piece  of  land  one  mile  east  of  Harpersfield  Center,  Delaware 
County,  New  York.  Here  they  erected  a  house,  cleared  ofif  the 
beech-woods,  and  in  due  time  opened  up  a  farm.  In  religion, 
one  was  a  Presbyterian,  and  the  other  a  Quaker. 

On  the  maternal  side,  his  grandfather  was  a  member  of  the 
Friends  Society,  of  the  Orthodox  School.  Their  ancestral  his- 
tory is  as  follows:  Robert  Titus  (husbandman),  of  St.  Kath- 
erine's,  England,  aged  thirty-five  years,  and  his  wife  Hannah, 
aged  thirty-one  years,  with  their  two  children,  sailed  from  Lon- 
don, England,  in  the  ship  Hopewell,  William  Burdick  master, 
April  3,  1635 ;  which  was  the  next  day  after  his  paternal  ancestor 
had  left. 


22  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

This  family  first  located  near  Boston,  Massachusetts,  but 
soon  moved  to  Weymouth,  then  to  Rehoboth,  where  four  more 
children  were  born  to  them.  About  1654,  the  entire  family,  ex- 
cept the  eldest  son  John,  moved  ito  Long  Island,  and  took  up 
land  in  Huntington,  Suffolk  County.  Four  years  previous  to 
this,  Edmond,  their  second  son,  had  settled  at  Westbury,  Long 
Island,  where  he  had  acquired  a  large  tract  of  land  and  erected 
a  house,  and  where  many  of  his  descendants  still  reside.  He  and 
his  wife  were  also  Quakers.  Most  of  his  lineage  hold  to  that 
faith. 

Jacob  Titus,  the  author's  maternal  grandfather,  descended 
from  this  branch  of  the  family,  and  in  an  early  day  emigrated 
from  near  Poughkeepsie,  on  the  Hudson  River,  to  a  place  about 
three  miles  north  of  Harpersfield  Center,  Delaware  County,  New 
York,  and  improved  a  farm  there. 

His  parents  were  not  distinctively  religious,  until  he  was 
eight  years  of  age,  when  they  were  converted  in  a  Methodist  pro- 
tracted-meeting, held  in  the  old  red  schoolhouse.  His  father 
felt  at  once  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  gospel,  but  con- 
scious of  his  unfitness,  shrank  from  it,  and  fell  back  into  a  nomi- 
nal Christian  life,  never  making  a  public  profession  of  religion. 
He  was  through  all  his  life  an  earnest  defender  of  the  orthodox 
faith  against  the  wiliest  of  foes.  Previous  to  his  death,  which 
was  at  the  early  age  of  forty-three,  he  acknowledged  his  error 
to  Henry  Shears,  now  a  resident  of  Altoona,  Knox  County, 
Illinois,  concluding  with,  *'I  have  shed  barrels  of  tears  over  the 
matter  of  preaching  the  gospel." 

God  never  makes  any  mistakes.  Why  should  mortals  hesi- 
tate as  to  the  lines  of  moral  obligation? 

The  mother's  conversion  was  an  event  worthy  a  more  ex- 
tended notice.  The  protracted  meeting,  above  alluded  to,  was  in 
progress,  the  first  one  ever  held  in  that  immediate  vicinity.  One 
night  she  and  Phebe  {nee  Wickham)  Treadwell,  a  lifelong  friend, 
went  forward  to  the  "mourners'  bench,"  and  prayed  most  ear- 
nestly for  salvation.  They  were  the  only  seekers  on  that  occasion. 
About  ten  o'clock  they  gave  up  all,  and  accepted  Christ  as  their 
only  Savior  by  faith.  Immediately  the  evidence  of  their  sins 
forgiven  was  received,  and  the  "love  of  God  was  shed  abroad 


EARLY  LIFE.  23 

in  their  hearts  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  was  given  unto  them." 
They  arose,  and  sat  down  on  the  seat  beside  which  they  had 
kneeled,  and  began  to  sing.  Hymn  after  hymn  was  sung  without 
cessation  until  two  o'clock  the  next  morning.  "A  solemn  awe 
that  dares  not  move"  rested  upon  the  congregation,  none  leaving 
their  seats  until  the  singing  ceased.  Some  were  in  tears,  others 
were  praising  God  very  softly,  while  many  sat,  wondering  at  what 
they  saw  and  heard,  in  perfect  silence.  During  all  that  time  all 
eyes  were  fixed  on  the  two  singers,  and  all  ears  were  open  to 
those  sweet  melodies,  so  full  of  pathos  and  of  power.  Many  years 
after,  witnesses  of  this  joyous  scene  said  to  the  writer,  ''Her  face 
shone  as  that  of  an  angel."  While  she  lived,  the  great  burden 
of  her  heart  was  that  her  boys  might  become  useful  ministers  of 
the  gospel.  She  never  lived  to  see  those  prayers  answered,  yet 
two  of  her  sons  have  spent  unitedly  about  seventy  years  in  the 
active  work  of  the  ministry  of  Christ  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

Seven  years  after  her  remarkable  conversion  she  stood  at 
the  crossing.  There  was  light  in  the  valley.  Many  of  her  rela- 
tives and  friends  were  present.  The  last  afternoon  had  come. 
The  last  farewell  had  been  said.  A  mother's  hand  had  rested  on 
the  head  of  each  of  her  boys,  while  giving  a  mother's  counsel 
and  blessing.  The  younger  was  but  an  infant.  All  were  in  tears, 
when  in  a  scarce  audible  voice  she  whispered,  "Father,  can  we 
sing?"  The  old  Quaker,  wearing  a  shadbelly  coat  and  broad- 
brimmed  hat,  according  to  their  custom,  sat  there  weeping,  and 
replied,  ''Ann,  thee  can  sing  if  thee  wishes  to."  Elder  Hays 
asked,  "What  shall  we  sing?"  vShe  answered,  "Jesus,  my  all  to 
heaven  is  gone."  He  led,  others  joining;  and  when  they  reached 
the  chorus,— 

"  For  it 's  all  glory,  glory,  hallelujati! 
I  am  going  where  pleasures  never  die," — 

her  voice  was  clearer  and  louder  than  any  of  the  rest,  and  so 
remained  to  the  end  of  that  long  hymn.  At  the  very  last  she 
joined  with  Aunt  Jedida  T in  singing  those  precious  lines: 

"  I  'm  going  home  to  die  no  more, 
I  'm  going  home  to  die  no  more." 


24  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

These  words  she  repeated  several  times  in  a  very  feeble  voice, 
Then  the  pulse  ceased  to  beat,  breathing  stopped,  the  spirit  had 
taken  its  flight  to  the  land  of  the  living,  and  her  four  boys  vv^ere 
motherless! 

Previously  she  had  requested  that  Elder  Hays  preach  her 
funeral  sermon  from  2  Timothy  iv,  6-8,  v^hich  vs^as  accordingly 
done,  and  her  body  was  laid  away  to  await  the  resurrection 
morning,  only  a  few  steps  from  where  Christ  first  spoke  peace 
to  her  soul. 

Ofttimes  since,  the  writer  has  been  reminded  of  the  follow- 
ing lines : 

"Hundreds  of  stars  in  the  lovely  sky, 
Hundreds  of  birds  that  go  singing  by, 
Hundreds  of  bees  in  the  purple  clover, 
But  only  one  mother  the  wide  world  over." 

School. — His  school-days  began  at  the  age  of  four  years,  and 
continued,  summer  and  winter,  until  about  fourteen.  After  that 
he  only  attended  during  the  winter,  as  his  services  were  needed 
on  the  farm  in  the  summer. 

The  methods  of  teaching  in  the  district  school  of  that  day 
were  such,  that  books  seemed  very  stupid  things  (doubtless  the 
fault  of  the  pupil  in  part).  They  had  not  the  charm  of  the  ball 
and  the  bat,  or  of  the  swim  in  the  creek,  or  coasting  on  the  snow 
and  ice. 

Webster's  was  the  first  spelling-book,  in  which,  with  others, 
was  the  picture  of  a  boy  in  the  apple-tree,  helping  himself  with- 
out leave,  and  the  owner  standing  underneath  with  a  tuft  of 
grass  in  his  hand,  requests  his  descent.  The  boy  laughs  at  him! 
Throwing  down  the  grass,  said  he,  "I  '11  try  what  virtue  there 
is  in  stones."  Then  the  young  culprit  begged  for  mercy.  The 
illustration  taught  a  valuable  moral  lesson. 

Only  two  Readers  were  then  used  in  the  school — ^the  His- 
tory of  the  United  States  for  the  smaller  scholars,  and  the  New 
Testament  for  the  larger  ones.  'Teter  Parley's"  was  the  first 
geography.  "Dayball's  Arithmetic,"  which  was  on  the  plan  of 
"pounds,  shillings,  and  pence,"  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  all 
beginners,   and   to   his   young   mind   was    ''as   clear   as   mud." 


EARLY  LIFE.  2$ 

'"Kirkham's"  was  the  only  grammar,  and  Milton's  'Taradise 
Lost"  was  the  book  out  of  which  all  parsing  had  to  be  done. 

"Blackboards"  were  not  introduced  until  the  summer  of 
1848.  The  desks  ran  continuously  on  three  sides  of  the  room, 
with  long,  backless  seats  along  the  same.  Some  of  these  were 
of  slabs,  flat  side  up,  with  two  round  legs  near  each  end.  The 
scholars  usually  sat  facing  the  wall.  It  was  considered  very 
fortunate  to  sit  in  front  of  a  window.  Yet  none  were  allowed 
to  look  out,  or  to  gaze  about  the  room.  Their  eyes  must  be  on 
their  books  constantly.  Writing-pens  were  made  of  goose-quills. 
Long,  low  benches,  without  backs,  were  placed  on  three  sides 
of  the  stove,  which  stood  in  the  center  of  the  room. 

These  were  used  for  class  recitations,  and  for  the  seating  of 
the  smaller  scholars.  A  splint-bottom  chair  adorned  the  rear  of 
the  teacher's  desk.  Occasionally  a  naughty  boy  would  fasten  a 
pin  therein  during  the  teacher's  temporary  absence,  to  see  him 
jump  when  seated ! 

Parents  patronizing  the  school  had  to  furnish  their  quota  of 
wood,  which  the  children  of  that  family  chopped,  ready  to  burn. 
Usually  large  trees  were  snaked  to  the  schoolhouse  on  the 
snow,  and  these  had  to  be  prepared  for  the  stove  out  of  school 
hours. 

The  teachers  were  paid  so  much  a  scholar  per  month  for  their 
services.  The  rich  did  not  then  pay  to  help  educate  the  children 
of  the  poor. 

Women  teachers  were  always  employed  in  summer,  and  men 
in  winter.  An  idea  prevailed  that  females  could  not  manage  the 
big  boys,  who  only  attended  during  the  winter  terms.  ''Board- 
ing around,"  from  family  to  family,  was  the  custom,  and  the 
coming  of  the  teacher  was  an  event  of  no  small  moment  to  those 
concerned.  For  days  previous  the  children  were  drilled  in  eti- 
quette. 

This  reminds  me  that  there  was  also  the  itinerant  shoemaker, 
who  came  once  or  twice  a  year  to  repair  and  make  up  the  foot- 
gear of  the  household.  He  was  a  gentleman  in  whom  the  young- 
sters took  a  deep  interest. 

At  the  schoolhouse  the  girls  had  a  cloak-room,  where  their 
wraps  and  dinners  were  kept.    The  boys  were  not  so  fortunate. 


26  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

unless  one  had  a  sister  in  the  school;  theirs  was  the  entry  way, 
where  their  caps,  comforters,  or  wraps,  if  they  had  any,  and 
dinners  were  left.  Not  unfrequently  the  latter  were  among  the 
missing  when  noon  came,  having  been  stolen  and  eaten  by  some 
hungry  canine  that  had  taken  advantage  of  an  open  door.  The 
schoolboys  of  those  days  wore  neither  overshoes  nor  overcoats, 
for  the  reason  that  they  had  none  to  wear.  In  that  respect,  these 
"times"  are  better  than  those. 

Spelling  was  considered  the  prime  factor  of  an  education. 
The  class  were  required  to  stand  in  line,  with  their  toes  to  a  crack 
in  the  floor.  The  teacher's  right,  when  facing  the  class,  was  the 
head,  and  his  left  the  foot.  The  words  were  pronounced  by  the 
teacher,  when  the  spelling  began  at  the  head  of  the  class,  and 
was  continued  down  to  the  foot.  Whenever  a  word  was  mis- 
spelled, it  was  passed  down  to  each  successive  speller  until  cor- 
rectly spelled,  when  that  one  went  above  all  who  had  missed  it. 
When  the  lesson  closed,  whoever  was  head  received  a  "credit 
mark,"  and  then  went  to  the  foot  the  next  time  the  class  was 
called,  which  was  usually  twice  a  day,  just  before  school  closed 
at  noon,  and  for  the  night.  The  writer  was  nearly  always  at, 
or  very  near,  the  foot  when  the  lesson  was  finished.  Often,  after 
missing  a  word,  the  teacher  would  strike  the  scholar  on  the 
knuckles,  head,  or  arm  with  the  ferule.  This  did  not  enhance 
respect  for  that  teacher,  or  encourage  a  bashful  student. 

A  fortunate  event  happened  to  him  in  this  way.  A  womanly- 
grown  girl  was  nearly  always  at  the  head  of  the  class,  and  this 
dull  scholar  near  the  foot,  twisting  his  fingers  through  each  other 
to  keep  up  his  courage.  One  day  a  word  was  missed  by  the  head. 
"Next!"  said  the  teacher.  On  and  on  down  the  line  it  came  to 
the  diffident  one,  who,  with  head  aloft,  correctly  spelled  it,  for 
he  knew  from  the  very  start  how  it  should  be  spelled.  "Go  up 
head,"  said  the  pedagogue.  This  did  not  have  to  be  repeated 
the  second  time.  Up  he  marched  for  the  first  time  in  his  life. 
That  was  the  proudest  moment  he  ever  saw.  That  event  became 
an  inspiration  to  him;  though  missing  the  next  word,  yet  ever 
after  he  was  oftener  at  the  head  than  the  foot. 

"Spelling-schools"  were  common.  At  these,  "spelling  down" 
was  practiced.    Two  of  the  best  spellers  would  choose  sides,  se- 


EARLY  LIFE.  27 

lecting  their  assistants  alternately  from  those  present  until  all 
were  chosen  who  would  spell.  All  standing,  the  teacher  usually 
pronounced  the  words,  selecting  the  most  difficult  ones  in  the 
language.  Whoever  misspelled  a  word  sat  down,  and  spelled  no 
more  during  that  test.  Soon  there  would  be  only  one  or  two 
standing  on  a  side.  Then  the  contest  became  intensely  interest- 
ing. The  last  one  standing  was  the  victor — his  side  had  beaten. 
Sometimes  one  school  challenged  another  to  meet  it  on  a  cer- 
tain evening  in  a  contest  of  spelling  ability.  These  were  great 
occasions,  and  called  out  a  crowd. 

In  school,  each  lesson  had  to  be  mastered,  or  the  scholar  must 
take  the  consequences,  according  to  the  whim  or  likes  and  dis- 
likes of  the  teacher.  Corporal  punishment  was  the  custom,  with 
scarcely  an  exception. 

The  ferule  was  frequently  brought  in  contact  with  the  palm 
of  the  hand  so  forcibly  as  to  remind  the  subject  of  a  fiery  fur- 
nace; or  on  some  other  part  of  the  body  until  stars  appeared 
in  the  mental  horizon.  Beech  "gads"  were  favorites  with  most 
teachers,  and  were  kept  on  nails  over  the  door.  It  sometimes 
happened  that  these  would  be  exhausted  during  one  session  of 
the  school.  Then  a  boy  was  sent  to  the  woods  near  by  for  a  fresh 
supply.  Not  unfrequently  when  trimming  the  whip,  a  slight  in- 
cision was  accidentally  made,  but  in  such  a  way  that  it  was 
scarcely  observable.  When  it  came  in  contact  with  some  one's 
corporality,  it  was  sure  to  snap  asunder  about  the  second  or  third 
blow.  Certainly  the  boy  knew  nothing  of  the  erasure  (?)  made 
in  the  wood;  not  he!  Often  these  whips  were  thrust  into  the  hot 
stove,  and  wormed  about  to  toughen  them. 

Occasionally  boys  were  punished  by  seating  them  on  the 
"dunce-block,"  with  a  girl's  hood  on,  or  a  girl  with  a  boy's  cap 
on.  Another  method  was  to  require  a  boy  to  stand  on  the  floor 
near  the  teacher's  desk,  and  hold  out  a  stick  of  wood  at  arm's 
length  until  the  teacher  said,  "Drop  it."  This  was  an  exceed- 
ingly tiresome  thing  to  do  for  any  length  of  time.  If  it  was 
allowed  to  drop,  then  came  a  severer  chastisement. 

Sometimes  two  boys,  each  taking  the  opposite  end  of  a  stick 
in  his  mouth,  were  made  to  remove  their  coats  and  drop  down 
on  all  fours  like  a  couple  of  dogs,  and  be  driven  around  the 


28  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Stove  at  a  lively  pace,  while  the  teacher  laid  on  the  birch-rod 
with  a  thwack,  thwack! 

Horace  Nichols  was  never  a  bad  boy,  but  somehow  he  had 

incurred  the  displeasure  of  J M ,   the   teacher   whose 

methods  of  torture  I  have  above  described.  One  morning  Hor- 
ace came  to  school,  having  a  dried  sheepskin,  with  the  wool 
still  on,  buttoned  under  his  vest  and  coat.  A  few  of  the  scholars 
were  let  into  the  secret  on  their  way  to  school.  That  under- 
investment made  it  very  warm  for  him  in  the  schoolroom!  He 
managed  to  provoke  the  teacher.  Immediately  he  was  ordered 
to  stand  at  the  south  end  of  the  teacher's  desk,  and  hold  out  an 
unusually  heavy  stick  of  wood  at  arm's  length.  Horace  pur- 
posely let  it  fall. 

The  ire  of  Mr.  M was  aroused,  and  then  the  performance 

began.  Off  came  Horace's  coat  as  usual.  One  of  the  largest 
gads  was  taken  from  its  roost.  Soon  that  was  used  up  on  his 
back;  but  he  never  flinched.  This  enraged  ''Jo,"  and  taking 
down  another,  with  both  hands  he  applied  it  with  all  his 
strength.  His  breath  was  getting  short,  perspiration  flowed 
freely;  but  Horace  stood  there  unmoved,  as  stubborn  as  a  mule. 
The  whole  school  was  in  titters,  having  learned  the  secret  of 
Horace's  stoical  indifference.  The  third  whip  was  brought  into 
requisition,  and  used  up  as  were  the  others.  The  teacher  then 
seated  himself  with  his  face  in  his   hands,   utterly   exhausted. 

Horace  deliberately  walked  out,  never  to  return  while  M 

taught.    Such  was  school-life  fifty  years  ago. 

Near  half  a  century  of  toil  and  care  had  gone  by,  when  one 
bright  summer  day  Horace  and  the  writer  met  on  the  old  home- 
stead. The  above-described  incident  was  spoken  of,  and  heartily 
laughed  over. 

Thus  were  the  writer's  winters  spent,  either  in  the  district 
or  the  "select"  school,  until  his  eighteenth  year.  He  had  mastered 
all  the  branches  taught,  had  read  all  the  books  of  the  neighbors, 
and  still  sighed  for  more  knowledge.  ''Why  should  he  not  have 
a  higher  education?"  was  the  theme  discussed  in  the  home  and 
by  his  acquaintances.  His  custom  was,  when  tending  the  old 
sawmill,  to  keep  some  useful  book — historical  or  scientific — 
close  at  hand,  so  as  to  read  a  page  at  odd  moments,  while  the 


EARLY  LIFE.  29 

Upright  saw  was  passing  slowly  through  the  log.  Sometimes 
he  would  forget,  and  read  on  just  a  few  lines  more  after  the  saw 
had  stopped. 

In  the  early  spring  the  maple-trees  were  tapped,  the  sap 
gathered  in  pails  suspended  from  a  neck-yoke,  or  in  barrels 
placed  on  a  sled  and  drawn  with  a  team.  Then  it  was  boiled 
down  into  sugar.  Caldron  kettles  were  then  in  use.  These  were 
hung  on  a  pole,  between  forked  posts  set  in  the  ground.  Great 
logs  were  snaked  up  on  either  side  as  back-logs.  Smaller  wood 
was  placed  underneath  and  around  the  kettle,  which  was  filled 
with  the  sap,  fire  lighted,  then  sugar-making  began.  A  smaller 
kettle  came  into  use  when  it  reached  the  syrup  state. 

"Sugaring-off"  was  always  enjoyed  by  young  and  old,  es- 
pecially when  it  took  place  in  the  "sap-bush." 

Some  time  during  the  year  of  1849,  ^o<^  P^t  it  into  the  hearts 
of  the  good  people  of  Charlotteville  and  vicinity,  in  Schoharie 
County,  New  York,  to  erect  a  large  school-building,  which  was 
known  as  *'The  New  York  Conference  Seminary."  This  was 
three  miles  from  father's  newly-acquired  home,  the  old  one  at 
North  Harpersfield  having  previously  been  sold. 

The  seminary  was  opened  the  first  week  in  September,  1850, 
with  Rev.  Alonzo  Flack,  A.  M.,  as  president,  assisted  by  several 
other  teachers.  The  first  morning  found  165  scholars  present, 
and  among  them  this  writer.  All  w^ere  gathered  in  the  chapel, 
devotional  exercises  were  concluded,  when  the  president  wished 
to  know  what  they  expected  to  study.  By  vote  all  chose  geog- 
raphy, grammar,  arithmetic,  reading,  writing  and  spelling.  Pro- 
fessor Flack  and  his  assistants  laughed  heartily  at  this,  saying, 
"You  could  study  these  at  home  just  as  well.  What  have  you 
come  here  for?"  It  was  no  laughing  matter  to  the  students;  for 
they  knew  no  better.  Those  studies  were  all  they  knew  any- 
thing about.  The  professors  then  spent  three  days  in  arranging 
the  classes.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  found  himself  with  Latin, 
higher  arithmetic,  grammar  and  Wayland's  Moral  Philosophy, 
for  his  studies.  Three  years  of  close  application,  boarding  at 
home,  and  walking  three  miles  morning  and  evening,  often  with 
an  open  book  before  him,  found  him  eager  for  "Union  College 
at  Schenectady."    Just  then  death  came  to  our  home,  and  took 


30  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

from  it  the  loved  father.  The  way  to  the  college  was  now  closed. 
New  plans  must  be  formed  if  further  educational  privileges  are 
had.  A  few  months  after,  a  vacancy  having  occurred  on  the 
Windham  Circuit,  the  writer  consented  to  fill  out  the  nine 
vacant  months,  when  he  expected  to  return  to  school  and  com- 
plete his  education.  Once  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  he  found 
it  difficult  to  let  go.  Contrary  to  his  original  plan,  it  lasted 
forty  years.  The  four  years'  Conference  course  afforded  valuable 
privileges  in  securing  a  theological  education,  and  was  mastered 
within  the  prescribed  time.  Then  came  years  of  careful  research 
and  extensive  travel  at  home  and  abroad,  with  the  sole  view  of 
increased  knowledge  and  greater  usefulness;  finally,  graduation 
in  the  Chautauqua  course  of  study  in  the  class  of  1891. 


II. 

SPIRITXJAIv  IvlKK. 

Conversion. — Very  early  in  life  the  writer  thought  much  on 
the  subject  of  religion,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  strove  gently  and  con- 
stantly to  bring  about  a  definite  experience.  The  chief  instrument 
was  the  teaching  and  example  of  a  godly  mother.  It  was  her  cus- 
tom to  open  the  large  Family  Bible,  laying  it  on  her  lap,  and  then, 
with  her  little  ones  about  her,  she  would  read  the  story  of  cre- 
ation, or  of  Joseph,  Daniel,  the  fiery  furnace,  the  mocking  chil- 
dren devoured  by  the  bears,  the  story  of  Jesus  and  his  sufferings, 
or  other  facts  and  incidents  in  the  Bible  interesting  to  children. 
These  lessons  were  made  practical,  and  were  used  to  illustrate 
the  needs  of  every-day  life,  and  applied  to  their  young  hearts  as 
a  mother's  devotion  to  their  interests  for  time  and  eternity  would 
prompt.  O  that  every  child  had  such  a  mother!  Their  inquiries 
were  always  intelligently  answered.  She  was  very  anxious  that 
the  ''Golden  Rule"  should  be  the  ''Golden  Text"  of  their  lives. 
That  mother's  instructions  and  triumphant  death  are  to-day  the 
most  precious  of  the  memories  of  youth. 

He  was  quite  a  lad  before  he  had  been  to  any  other  than 
"The  Friends  Meeting,*'  which  was  held  on  every  first  and  fourth 
day  of  the  week,  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M. 

The  only  Sabbath-school  he  ever  attended  before  reaching 
man's  estate  was  one  started  by  Rev.  Heman  Bangs  in  the  old 
red  schoolhouse.  That  Sunday-school  had  neither  lesson-leaf, 
journal,  paper,  or  "help"  of  any  kind.  The  small  children  who 
could  not  read  were  taught  the  letters  of  the  alphabet.  .The 
larger  scholars  were  required  to  commit  seven  verses  of  the 
Gospel  according  to  St.  John,  beginning  with  the  first  verse  of 
the  first  chapter  for  a  lesson.  These  were  recited  in  turn  by  each 
scholar  to  the  teacher,  who  made  no  comments,  and  that  ended 
the  lesson.  This  youth  committed  and  recited  fourteen  verses 
of  the  chapter,  and  then  suddenly  became  too  large  to  attend 
Sunday-school  any  more. 

3  31 


32 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


The  Sabbath  was  usually  a  dull  day  when  there  was  no 
Church,  and  was  spent  in  roaming  through  the  fields  hunting 
for  something  to  turn  up.  Every  two  weeks  the  itinerant  min- 
isters of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  preached  in  the  school- 
house.  These  were  occasions  not  to  be  neglected.  Sometimes 
a  two-days'  meeting  was  held  in  a  large  barn,  when  the  presiding 
elder  and  others  would  preach. 

The  quarterly  love-feast  was  held  on  Sabbath  morning  at 
nine  o'clock,  with  closed  doors,  after  the  services  began.  Only 
those  holding  ''quarterly  tickets,"  or  such  as  were  vouched  for 
by  a  well-known  member,  were  admitted.  Here  is  a  sample  of 
one  of  the  tickets: 


Member. 


METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH, 

FOUNDED  A.  D.   1 784. 
QUARTERI.Y  TICKET,  1 8 

Minister. 

"  Ye  were  not  redeemed  with  corruptible  things,  as 
silver  and  gold ;  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ, 
as  of  a  Lamb  without  blemish  and  without  spot.*' — 
I  Peter  i,  i8,  19. 

I  can  not  rest  till  in  thy  blood 

I  full  redemption  have ; 
For  thou,  through  whom  I  came  to  God, 

Canst  to  the  utmost  save. 


These  services  made  lasting  impressions,  for  good,  on  the 
entire  community,  and  w^ere  the  theme  of  conversation  for  days 
after,  and  in  some  instances  for  years. 

One  Sabbath  morning.  Rev.  Arad  S.  Lakin,  the  pastor, 
preached  from  John  x,  14.  Every  seat  was  occupied.  The  writer, 
then  a  small  boy,  only  eight  years  old,  sat  at  the  end  of  a  low 
bench,  near  the  speaker,  looking  him  squarely  in  the  face,  won- 
dering how  it  was  possible  that  such  words  and  thoughts  could 
be  conceived  and  spoken  by  a  man.  That  one  discourse  made 
impressions  on  his  mind  which  have  never  been  erased. 

The  results  of  this  wayside  sowing  can  never  be  computed 
this  side  of  the  judgment-day.    Shame  on  those  clergymen  who 


SPIRITUAL  LIFE.  33 

feel  it  beneath  their  dignity  to  preach  the  gospel  in  the  out-of- 
the-way  places,  and  point  the  common  people  to  the  Son  of  God, 
who  "taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world!"  What  would  have  be- 
come of  that  people,  but  for  those  faithful,  self-sacrificing  min- 
isters of  God,  who  were  true  to  their  orders,  which  said,  "Go;  and, 
as  ye  go,  preach?"    (Matthew  x,  6,  7.) 

In  some  way  this  boy  formed  the  idea  that  religion  was  a  very 
unenjoyable  thing,  and  that  he  never  wanted  to  become  a  Chris- 
tian, for  he  would  have  to  pray  so  much.  After  his  conversion 
he  found  the  reverse  of  this  to  be  true.  At  manhood's  early 
dawn  the  allurements  of  the  world  seemed  to  say,  "Give  loose 
reins  to  your  appetites  and  passions.  In  them  ye  shall  find 
pleasure.  Enjoy  yourself.  Have  a  good  time  while  young. 
Religion  is  well  enough  for  old  people,  women,  and  idiots;  but 
it  is  not  adapted  to  you.  Later  on  in  life  you  can  attend  to  that 
matter  if  you  deem  it  best." 

In  answer  to  the  above  insinuations,  a  small  voice  seemed  to 
whisper,  ever  so  gently,  and  the  better  judgment  coincided, 
"Take  care!  Make  no  mistake  in  these  things.  'AH  is  not  gold 
that  glitters.'  'Be  not  deceived,  God  is  not  mocked;  for  what- 
soever a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap.' " 

The  mental  conflict  raged,  while  the  inward  conviction  deep- 
ened as  the  years  advanced.  Nearly  every  phase  of  unbelief  was 
canvassed,  weighed  in  the  balances  of  human  reason,  and  found 
wanting,  because  it  did  not  meet  the  demands  nor  satisfy  the 
longings  of  the  soul.  Nothing  earthly  can  fill  the  vacuum  within, 
which  God  has  left  for  himself. 

Rev.  Orin  P.  Matthews,  like  John,  "the  beloved  disciple," 
was  "a  son  of  thunder."  Rev.  J.  P.  Wells,  his  colleague,  like 
Moses,  was  one  of  "the  meekest  of  men."  These  devoted  servants 
of  God,  so  unlike,  held  a  protracted-meeting,  which  lasted  a 
month,  in  the  schoolhouse.  Three  young  ladies  only  were  con- 
verted. The  ungodly  and  hypocrites  cried,  "Failure!  Failure!" 
How  these  people  denounced  "Matthews"  for  proclaiming  the 
truth  so  earnestly,  and  at  times  with  apparent  severity.  That 
effort  was  no  failure.  The  bread  cast  upon  the  waters  produced 
an  abundant  harvest  in  after  years.  The  next  Sabbath  after  the 
meeting  closed,  some  thoughtless  boys  strolled  into  the  school- 


34  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

house  to  hear  what  the  newly-converted  would  say.  A  prayer 
and  class  meeting  was  being  held.  Scarcely  were  they  seated, 
when  the  eldest  of  the  young  converts  arose,  and  in  a  firm  and 
clear  voice,  said,  "I  have  taken  more  solid  comfort  in  the  last 
three  days  than  in  all  of  my  life  before."  What  a  revelation  that 
single  sentence  was  to  the  writer!  That  was  the  first  time  the 
idea  ever  crossed  his  mind  that  religion  produced  happiness,  and 
v^^as  not  an  irksome  duty. 

A  few  years  later,  Rev.  Noble  Lovette  was  appointed  junior 
preacher  on  the  circuit,  and  his  sermons,  exhortations  and 
prayers  had  a  wonderful  efifect  on  the  writer,  and  were  among  the 
means  of  leading  him  to  Christ. 

January  25,  185 1,  President  Flack  addressed  the  students  in 
the  seminary  chapel  on  the  importance  of  Bible  study,  closing 
his  remarks  with  the  following  request:  "All  of  you  who  will 
promise  to  read  one  chapter  a  day  in  the  New  Testament  until 
you  have  read  it  through,  please  raise  your  right  hand."  This 
writer's  went  up  with  many  others,  and  down  as  quickly,  for  fear 
it  would  be  seen.  "Conscience  makes  cowards  of  us  all!"  He 
indeed  wanted  to  be  a  Christian,  but  did  not  wish  it  to  be 
known.  At  that  time  he  supposed  that  Christian  people  were  a 
set  of  cowards,  and  were  afraid  to  die,  or  they  would  not  pro- 
fess religion.  His  idea  then  was  that  the  only  brave  ones  were 
on  the  other  side.  What  a  mistaken  notion!  The  truth  is  di- 
rectly the  reverse.  It  takes  real  manly  courage  to  be  an  out- 
and-out  Christian.  Sinners  are  cowards,  because  their  deeds  are 
evil;  "they  prefer  darkness  to  light." 

In  reading  the  New  Testament,  the  way  of  life  was  learned 
more  perfectly.  The  views  of  infidels  and  of  the  so-called  liberal 
Christians,  were  as  familiar  to  him  as  the  multiplication-table. 
But  the  recollection  of  that  mother's  life  and  triumphant  death 
gave  the  lie  to  all  such  nonsense. 

One  Sabbath  afternoon  he  called  at  Lewis  Multer's.  Dinner 
was  just  over,  and  he  was  invited  to  partake.  As  he  sat  down 
at  the  table,  Lewis  said,  "Eat,  drink,  and  be  merry,  for  to-morrow 
ye  die."  It  was  impossible  to  eat.  "What  if  that  should  be  true? 
I  shall  be  lost  forever."  That  one  remark  was  "a  nail  in  a  sure 
place,"  and  never  was  removed  until  at  the  foot  of  the  cross. 


SPIRITUAL  LIFE.  35 

Early  in  that  summer  a  camp-meeting  was  announced  to  be 
held  in  the  grove  near  the  ''Morse  Church,"  Jefferson  Town- 
ship, Schoharie  County,  New  York.  This  resolve  was  quickly 
made,  ''\  will  go  to  that  meeting,  and  if  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
religion,  I  am  going  to  have  it." 

All  through  haying  and  harvesting  he  worked  hard,  early  and 
late,  so  as  to  finish  before  the  camp-meeting  began.  That  was 
before  the  days  of  mowers,  reapers,  and  self-binders.  The  hay 
had  to  be  cut  with  a  scythe,  and  grain  with  a  cradle.  The  steel 
horserake,  on  wheels,  had  not  yet  been  invented.  A  revolving 
wooden  rake  and  a  coil-wire  rake  had  been  in  use  for  three  or 
four  years.  Either  of  these  had  to  be  lifted  by  the  hands  when 
the  driver  came  to  the  windrow.  They  were  a  great  improve- 
ment over  the  ''handrake"  of  the  fathers ;  but  not  equal  to  those 
now  used. 

Saturday  noon  the  last  load  was  in  the  barn,  and  the  meeting 
was  to  begin  on  the  following  Monday  afternoon.  Dinner  over, 
preferring  not  to  ask  for  money  needed  for  necessary  expenses 
at  the  camp-meeting,  he  walked  down  to  Samuel  Martin's,  and 
upon  meeting  that  tall,  venerable  form  in  the  front  yard,  gave 
the  usual  salutations,  when  he  hesitatingly  inquired,  ''Do  you 
want  help  for  a  few  days  to  finish  your  haying?"  The  reply  was, 
"Yes,  come  with  your  scythe  on  Monday  morning."  As  he 
walked  homeward,  this  thought  was  revolving  through  his  mind, 
"If  you  go  to  God  with  the  same  confidence,  your  sins  will  be 
forgiven,  and  you  will  get  religion."  This  was  quite  encourag- 
ing to  him  at  the  time.  That  afternoon  his  scythe  was  put  in 
order.  Sunrise  on  Monday  morning  found  him  in  Squire  Mar- 
tin's field,  one  mile  from  home,  ready  for  a  full  day's  work.  Two 
days  and  a  half,  at  one  dollar  per  day,  were  put  in  mowing  by 
hand,  spreading,  raking,  and  pitching  hay,  from  sunup  until  after 
sundown. 

Wednesday  noon  the  "Squire's"  hay  was  all  under  cover,  and 
help  paid  off.  The  "Squire"  always  enjoyed  a  good  joke.  Here 
is  one,  which  occurred  not  long  before.  A  couple  came  on  a  hot 
summer  evening  to  be  married.  The  family  had  retired,  the 
"Squire"  with  the  rest.  A  rap  was  heard  at  the  door,  the 
"Squire"  bade  them  "Come  in."     The  room  was  dark.     They 


36  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Stated  what  they  wished.  He  ordered  them  to  stand  at  the  foot 
of  the  bed,  and  rising  on  his  knees,  he  made  them  husband  and 
wife.  The  groom,  after  the  ceremony  was  over,  wished  to  know 
*'if  his  wife  might  spin  some  flax  to  settle  the  bill."  ''Certainly," 
said  the  Squire;  "but  shut  the  door  as  you  go  out." 

Thursday  morning  early  the  writer  set  out  on  foot  for  the 
camp-grounds,  six  miles  distant.  He  could  have  had  a  horse, 
but  preferred  not  to  be  incumbered,  as  he  intended  to  remain 
until  the  matter  was  settled  between  God  and  his  soul.  He  at- 
tended all  the  services  of  that  day,  but  failed  to  take  a  public 
stand  for  God. 

In  the  early  twilight  of  Friday  morning,  August  22,  185 1, 
while  out  in  the  woods  conversing  with  German  Lasher,  in  whose 
tent  he  had  spent  the  night  greatly  troubled  in  mind,  he  decided 
to  go  to  the  altar  that  morning  after  the  sermon,  and  seek  salva- 
tion. On  his  way  for  breakfast,  a  short  distance  from  the 
grounds,  he  stated  to  a  young  acquaintance  what  he  had  deter- 
mined to  do,  and  urged  his  accompaniment.  The  young  man's 
reply  was:  *1  once  enjoyed  religion,  and  wish  I  did  now.  I  am 
not  quite  ready  to  retrace  my  steps;  I  intend  to  soon;  am  glad 
you  are  going  to  make  a  start.  Never  give  it  up.  I  will  be  with 
you  shortly."  Alas  for  human  calculations!  Only  a  few  weeks 
after  he  was  smitten  with  fever,  became  delirious,  and  died.  It 
is  never  wise  to  defer  until  to-morrow  what  should  be  done  to- 
day; for  the  present  moment  may  be  the  last  opportunity  we  shall 
ever  have.  God  only  knows.  It  is  now  or  never.  To  defer,  is 
to  fight  against  God.  Submit  to  his  will  just  as  you  are,  and  be 
saved  from  all  sin. 

Rev.  Jason  Wells  preached  that  morning,  at  ten  o'clock,  on 
Abraham's  offering  up  Isaac  in  obedience  to  the  Divine  com- 
mand; all  of  which  this  penman  heard,  and  yet  did  not  hear; 
for  his  mind  was  debating  the  question  of  immediate  action  one 
way  or  the  other.  Something  kept  saying  to  his  inner  self:  **De- 
fer  it.  You  are  young  yet.  There  is  plenty  of  time.  Why  be  in 
a  hurry?  You  can  attend  to  that  later  on  in  life,  or  when  you 
come  to  die.  Will  you  deny  yourself  all  the  pleasures  of  the 
world?  You  can  not  hold  out,  and  if  you  should  turn  back  you 
will  disgrace  the  cause;  therefore  you  had  better  remain  as  you 


PIRITUAL  LIFE,  37 

are.  The  facts  are  that  you  have  no  feeling.  The  Spirit  has  left 
you.  There  is  no  hope  for  you.  Give  it  all  up,  and  do  not  be  so 
silly.  What  will  your  relatives  and  acquaintances  think?  Cer- 
tainly you  are  not  going  to  that  altar  to  be  prayed  for  alone. 
Go  out  into  the  audience,  and  get  your  cousin  David  to  go  with 
you."  They  were  of  the  same  age.  David  at  that  time  was 
thoughtless  and  indiflferent.  On  the  following  New-Year's  eve 
he  was  soundly  converted,  and  has  spent  thirty  odd  years  preach- 
ing the  gospel  in  the  "Southland,"  a  very  popular  and  useful 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ. 

To  all  of  the  enemy's  suggestions  this  answer  was  given: 
"Feeling  or  no  feeling,  friends  or  no  friends,  I  am  going  to  that 
altar  as  soon  as  the  invitation  is  given,  and  I  will  never  leave  it 
until  I  get  religion."  The  moment  the  minister  said,  "Come,  ye 
sinners  to  the  gospel  feast,"  he  deliberately,  without  a  particle 
of  feeling,  walked  down  the  main  aisle,  looking  neither  to  the 
right  nor  left,  to  that  crude  altar,  and  kneeled  at  a  slab  bench  on 
the  beech-roots.  Only  once  before  had  he  ever  kneeled.  His 
heart  seemed  as  hard  as  a  stone.  Knotty  roots  were  not  a  soft 
cushion  to  kneel  upon.  At  first  they  hurt  badly;  but  he  soon 
forgot  them  in  his  struggle  for  salvation.  For  a  short  time  his 
mind  wandered.  He  kept  saying  to  himself,  "What  will  the 
people  think?  What  will  father  say?  How  will  those  of  my 
relatives,  who  are  so  opposed  to  the  Methodist  people,  act  toward 
me  hereafter?"  They  prayed  and  sang  several  times,  during 
which  he  was  wondering  why  he  was  not  blessed,  when  some  one 
shouted  from  the  stand,  "Mourners"  (this  was  the  first  he  knew 
that  there  was  any  other  seeker  than  himself),  "repeat  these  words 
over  and  over  again,  *God,  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner!  Lord, 
I  give  myself  away,  't  is  all  that  I  can  do.'  "  He  began  repeating 
them  to  himself,  for  fear  of  being  heard;  first  in  a  whisper,  then 
aloud.  As  soon  as  his  own  voice  was  heard  pleading  for  mercy, 
the  fountain  of  the  great  deep  of  his  heart  was  broken  up,  and 
the  tears  of  true  penitence  flowed  freely.  He  then  had  all  the 
feeling  desired.  In  a  moment  he  seemed  to  be  on  a  lonely  island, 
with  no  earthly  inhabitant,  and  Jesus  was  there,  suspended  on  the 
cross,  dying  for  him  alone,  as  if  he  was  the  only  person  in  the  uni- 
verse.   He  believed  it  with  all  his  heart.    He  had  alwavs  believed 


38  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

it  with  the  head;  but  now  it  was  with  the  heart  trusting  for  sal- 
vation, then  and  there,  through  the  death  and  sufferings  of  Jesus 
Christ  alone.  At  once  he  ceased  to  try  to  save  himself,  but  ac- 
cepted Christ  as  his  own  personal  Savior.  The  work  was  in- 
stantly and  consciously  done.  The  heavy  load  of  guilt,  which 
had  so  long  rested  on  his  conscience,  was  rolled  off.  His  heart 
became  light  and  buoyant,  a  sweet  peace  dwelt  within,  of  which 
he  had  never  been  conscious  before,  and  these  familiar  words 
came  trooping  through  his  mind: 

"  How  happy  every  child  of  grace 
Who  knows 
['Thinks,'  suggested  the  enemy  ;  'do  not  be  too  sure;  perhaps  you  are  mistaken  !'] 

his  sins  forgiven ! 
'This  earth,'  he  cries,  '  is  not  my  place, 
I  seek  my  place  in  heaven — 
A  country  far  from  mortal  sight; 

Yet  O,  by  faith  I  see 
The  land  of  rest,  the  saints'  delight, 

The  heaven  prepared  for  me.'  " — Hymnal,  1030. 

After  repeating  them  over  several  times,  he  arose  and  sat  on 
the  seat  beside  which  he  had  kneeled.  German  Lasher,  who  was 
standing  at  the  foot  of  the  aisle  looking  out  for  him,  entered 
and  remained  kneeling  at  his  side  until  "there  was  a  great  calm," 
when  he  whispered,  "Do  you  feel  better?"  "Yes,"  was  the  reply. 
"Thank  God  for  that,"  said  he;  "and  he  will  give  you  more." 
What  an  abiding  comfort  those  words  have  been  during  all  these 
intervening  years!  "Thank  God  for  that;  and  he  will  give  you 
more."  They  have  turned  many  a  blessing  into  a  double  bene- 
diction. . 

Had  his  inquiry  been,  "Are  you  converted?"  the  answer  would 
have  been,  "I  am  not,"  for  he  supposed  that  religion  was  very 
different  from  that  blissful  state  into  which  he  had  just  entered. 

He  afterward  learned  that  his  father  was  on  the  grounds  that 

forenoon,  and  that  he  was  spoken  to  by  one  S S ,  who 

was  a  member  of  the  Christian  (?)  Church,  and  urged,  to  use  his 
own  words,  "Go,  and  take  your  son  out  of  that  pen,  where  those 
Methodists  are  making  a  'powwow'  over  him."  To  which 
father  replied:  "Religion  is  a  good  thing.    I  wish  all  my  children 


SPIRITUAL  LIFE.  39 

enjoyed  it.    There  is  one  kind  that  is  good  for  nothing,  and  that 

is  yours."    Mr.  S had  no  more  to  say. 

When  that  morning  meeting  closed,  having  obtained  that 
which  he  came  for,  he  started  for  home,  repeating  to  himself,  as 
he  walked  lightly  along: 

"  How  sweet  the  name  of  Jesus  sounds 
In  a  believer's  ear! 
It  soothes  his  sorrows,  heals  his  wounds, 
And  drives  away  his  fear. 

It  makes  the  wounded  spirit  whole, 

And  calms  the  troubled  breast; 
'Tis  manna  to  the  hungry  soul, 

And  to  the  weary,  rest." — Hymnal,  316. 

The  next  morning  he  started  out  to  tell  his  young  associates 
of  this  newly-found  peace,  thinking  they  would  yield  at  once,  and 
be  saved.  His  success  was  not  equal  to  his  expectations.  The 
next  Sabbath  he  testified,  for  the  first  time  in  public,  to  his  experi- 
ence, and  all  he  could  say  was,  *'I  love  Jesus,  and  I  think  he  has 
forgiven  my  sins."  Then  down  he  sat,  weeping  that  he  could 
say  no  more,  and  because  of  gratitude  to  the  blessed  Redeemer, 
who  had  been  so  very  merciful  to  such  an  unworthy  sinner. 

The  enemy  assailed  him  constantly;  sometimes  endeavored 
to  make  him  believe  that  no  one  ever  had  had  such  a  bright  ex- 
perience, or  that  he  had  never  been  converted;  for  if  he  had,  he 
would  feel  very  differently,  and  would  not  be  tempted.  "You 
had  better  give  up.  You  do  not  find  what  you  expected.  Re- 
ligion to  you  is  a  failure.  You  can  not  hold  out  over  two  years 
at  most.  You  had  better  give  it  up  at  once,  and  not  disgrace  the 
cause.  Some  other  time  you  can  make  another  start,  should  you 
feel  like  it." 

How  sorely  his  soul  was  tried  over  these  insinuations !  Dark- 
ness dwelt  within.  What  could  he  do  but  look  to  God  for  help, 
as  he  was  not  quite  ready  to  give  up  and  surrender  to  the  enemy? 
Light  came  into  his  mind  and  heart  when  these  words  occurred 
to  him : 

"  Prone  to  wander,  I^ord,  I  feel  it, 
Prone  to  leave  the  God  I  love ; 
Here  's  my  heart,  O  take  and  seal  it; 

Seal  it  for  thy  courts  above." — Hymnal,  726. 


40 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


The  tempter  fled,  never  to  assail  him  on  those  lines  again, 
proving  the  truth  of  those  words  of  James,  the  apostle,  "Resist 
the  devil,  and  he  will  flee  from  you.  Draw  nigh  to  God,  and  he 
will  draw  nigh  to  you"  (iv,  7,  8). 


Pertinent  Jottings. — At  Charlotteville,  the  LaMont  family 
were  quite  numerous,  and  very  prominent  in  every  good  work. 
Once  on  a  quarterly-meeting  occasion,  when  his  house  was  full  of 
guests  as  usual,  some  one  inquired  of  Thomas  LaMont:  "Why 
is  it  that  you  are  prospered  so  financially?    You  are  always  so 


NEW  YORK  CONFERICNCE  SEMINARY,  1854. 

hospitable  and  liberal  withal.  Some  of  us  have  wondered  that 
you  were  not  eaten  out  of  house  and  home."  The  answer  the 
writer  has  never  forgotten.  Said  he,  "I  do  not  know  why  it  is, 
but  as  I  pour  out  with  a  teaspoon,  God  pours  in  with  a  scoop- 
shovel." 

"There  is  that  scattereth,  and  it  increaseth  yet  more;  and  there 
is  that  withholdeth  more  than  is  meet,  but  it  tendeth  to  want. 
The  liberal  soul  shall  be  made  fat:  and  he  that  watereth  shall  be 
watered  also  himself."    (Proverbs  xi,  24,  25.) 

A  son  of  the  above,  Thomas  LaMont,  Jr.,  has  been  a  success- 
ful minister  of  the  New  York  Conference  for  more  than  thirty 


SPIRITUAL   LIFE.  4 1 

years.  An  uncle  of  his  was  also  a  member  thereof  for  many 
years.  A  daughter  of  Dr.  LaMont,  Kate  E.,  became  the  es- 
teemed wife  of  John  F.  Hurst,  afterward  bishop  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  The  superior  wife  of  John  P.  Newman,  now 
bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  was  a  student  at  the 
seminary  also. 

April  6,  1853,  a  Miss  Besson,  one  of  the  students,  died.  Just 
before  her  spirit  took  its  flight,  with  her  finger  pointed  upward, 
she  said:  ''I  see  that  heavenly  country  and  the  angels.  I  shall 
soon  be  there.  Blessed  Jesus!  O,  how  good  the  Eord  is  to 
me!" 

Milton  S.  Terry,  of  Evanston,  111.,  was  at  one  time  a  student 
there,  and  many  others  scattered  here  and  there  over  the  United 
States. 

On  the  morning  of  May  31,  1854,  the  writer  drove  up  in 
front  of  the  seminary  buildings  at  Charlotteville,  and  hitched 
his  horse.  On  turning  around  he  saw  smoke  issuing  from  the 
roof  of  the  northeast  wing.  The  students  were  then  in  chapel. 
The  alarm  was  quickly  given.  In  two  hours  time  nothing  was 
left  of  those  large  buildings  but  the  smoking  ruins.  Eight  hun- 
dred students  were  turned  out  of  doors. 

The  seminary  was  rebuilt  on  another  site;  but  it  stood  only 
a  few  years,  when  it  also  was  burned.  It  is  believed  that  these 
buildings  were  set  on  fire  by  some  one  envious  of  the  success 
of  the  institution. 

German  Lasher,  like  his  IMaster,  was  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
and  resided  at  that  time  in  Charlotteville.  He  was  a  devout, 
earnest,  consistent,  every  day,  Christian,  and  was  converted  at  the 
age  of  thirty,  and  maintained  his  Christian  integrity  for  over  fifty- 
five  years. 

He  entered  into  the  experience  of  holiness  very  soon  after  his 
conversion.  In  all  the  varied  changes  of  life  he  has  been  a  faith- 
ful and  useful  member  of  the  Church. 

His  photograph,  which  appears  on  the  next  page,  was  taken 
the  day  he  was  eighty  years  of  age.  For  many  years  he  has  re- 
sided at  Oak  Park,  near  Chicago,  where  he  has  been  a  prominent 
factor  in  Church  work,  being  a  charter  member  of  the  Methodist 


42 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


Episcopal  Church  there,  which  was  organized  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  century  ago. 

During  much  of  his  religious  life  Father  Lasher  has  been  a 
class-leader  and  exhorter,  or  local  preacher.  At  the  Desplaines 
Camp-meeting  he  has  been  the  leader  from  its  commencement  of 
the  six  o'clock  morning  meetings  for  the  promotion  of  holiness. 

He  was  born  in  1809;  born 
again,  1839;  sanctified 
wholly,  throughout  spirit, 
soul,  and  body,  in  April, 
1 84 1,  which  experience  he 
maintained  in  all  its  rich- 
ness and  fullness  at  the  age 
of  eighty-six.  He  was 
transferred  to  the  upper 
world,  August  31,  1895.  To 
this  man  of  God  many  are 
indebted  for  rich  experi- 
ences in  Divine  things. 
Among  them  is  the  writer. 
His  life  was  **as  ointment 
poured  forth,"  for  "he 
walked  with  God"  con- 
stantly. 

Entire  Sanctifica- 
TiON. — ^Very  soon  after  his 
conversion,  the  author  be- 
came conscious  of  something  wrong  within,  though  he  had 
not  for  a  moment  lost  **the  witness  of  the  Spirit."  What 
could  this  mean  ?  There  had  been  no  known  neglect  of  duty, 
public  or  private;  yet  evil  propensities  arose:  such  as  anger, 
pride,  malice,  evil  speaking,  etc.  Besides  all  this,  he  found  his 
religious  emotions  vacillating ;  when  in  meeting  he  would  be  ex- 
ceedingly happy,  but  much  of  it  would  be  gone  before  reaching 
home.  This  was  the  source  of  no  little  anxiety;  for  the  enemy 
whispered:  'If  you  were  truly  converted,  you  would  not  feel  these 
risings  of  evil,  nor  these  *ups  and  downs'  in  your  religious  experi- 


G^RMAN  I^ASHER. 


SPIRITUAL   LIFE.  43 

ence;  therefore  you  are  deceiving  yourself  in  supposing  that  you 
are  a  Christian." 

Rev.  William  Hall,  then  a  fellow  student  and  local  preacher, 
and  who  afterwards  was,  for  nearly  thirty  years,  a  faithful  min- 
ister of  the  gospel  in  the  New  York  Conference,  going  home  to 
glory  finally,  shouting  the  praises  of  God,  was,  at  this  period,  of 
great  help  to  him.  When  with  this  beloved  brother,  walking  arm 
in  arm  on  the  public  highway  just  west  of  town,  and  conversing 
on  Divine  things.  Hall  said,  "Live  close  to  the  blood  of  Jesus!" 
The  inquiry  was:  ''What  do  you  mean  by  this?"  Hall  repHed, 
"When  I  lie  down  to  sleep,  I  fold  my  hands  commending  my  all 
to  God,  feeling  if  I  die  before  morning  I  shall  be  with  Jesus. 
Do  you  feel  thus?"  Without  waiting  for  an  answer,  he  dwelt  at 
some  length  upon  the  blessedness  of  that  state  into  which  his  soul 
had  entered  by  Divine  grace.  There  was  something  in  the  man- 
ner of  the  speaker,  and  in  the  expression  of  his  countenance, 
which  carried  conviction  to  his  listener's  mind,  and  assured  him 
that  there  was  a  blessed  verity  in  what  had  been  spoken.  As 
they  continued  their  walk,  this  penman  said  to  himself:  "I  want 
all  there  is  for  me.  If  there  ig  such  an  experience  as  that,  I  am 
going  to  have  it."  From  that  moment  his  soul  became  athirst 
for  all  the  fullness  of  the  blessing  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Thus  far  he  had  lived  up  to  all  the  light  he  had  received.  Now 
that  a  new  ray  had  dawned,  he  cried  day  and  night,  "Create  in 
me  a  clean  heart,  O  God;  and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me." 
(Psalm  li,  10.)  The  more  earnestly  he  sought,  the  farther  away 
he  appeared  to  get.  This  seemed  passing  strange,  since  he  had 
made  a  full  surrender  to  God;  consecrating  soul,  body,  spirit, 
all,  to  him  for  time  and  eternity.  What  was  the  matter?  When 
he  endeavored  to  believe  that  the  promise  was  sure,  that  "the 
altar  sanctifieth  the  gift"  (Matthew  xxiii,  19);  for  "Whatsoever 
toucheth  the  altar  shall  be  holy"  (Exodus  xxix,  37),  doubts  would 
arise  as  to  the  entireness  of  the  sacrifice.  Then  Satan  would 
suggest:  "You  are  too  sinful  to  believe  now.  Wait  until  you 
are  more  holy.  Do  this  or  that  first,  before  God  will  bless  you. 
If  God  wants  to  save  you  completely,  he  will  do  it  without  your 
believing  first."  It  seemed  so  diflftcult  to  believe  a  naked  promise 
without  some  inward  assurance.    Sometimes  the  blessing  seemed 


44  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

SO  near  it  was  almost  within  his  grasp,  when  the  tempter  would 
divert  his  mind  to  his  unfitness  to  receive  it.  Thus  the  struggle 
was  prolonged  for  three  months,  when  it  could  have  been  settled 
in  a  moment  of  time.  Language  fails  to  describe  the  agony  of 
his  soul  during  that  period. 

It  was  Saturday  evening,  February  8,  1852,  when  the  vic- 
tory came.  Wrestling  with  God  in  prayer,  he  was  enabled  to 
lay  hold  of  the  promise  by  faith,  and  claim  the  blessing.  He 
was  so  wonderfully  emptied  of  all  opposing  influences  that  he 
realized,  ''I  do  love  God  with  all  my  heart."  The  contest  was 
ended,  and  a  complete  victory  had  been  won.  God  said,  "Arise 
and  confess  it."  Once  more  the  enemy  whispered:  "Do  not  be 
too  sure.  You  may  be  mistaken.  What  you  have  received  may 
not  be  that  for  which  you  have  been  seeking.  You  have  not  the 
witness  yet.  Wait  until  you  are  certain  before  you  testify." 
These  suggestions  seemed  plausible,  and  not  wishing  to  be  over- 
confident, he  allowed  that  quarterly-meeting  prayer-meeting  to 
close  without  testifying  to  what  God  had  done  for  him. 

He  left  the  meeting  under  a  cloud.  Two  weeks  after,  being 
urged  by  the  brother  above  referred  to,  he  went  to  the  chapel 
evening  services,  determined  to  make  a  public  confession  of  the 
cleansing  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  applying  the  blood  of  Christ 
to  the  soul,  removing  the  last  stain  of  sin.  "Standing  by  faith 
alone,"  without  the  direct  "witness  of  the  Spirit"  to  the  work 
of  full  salvation,  he  arose  tremblingly,  being  exceedingly  diffi- 
dent, to  say,  "I  do  love  Jesus  with  all  my  heart,"  when  the  enemy 
suggested:  "Take  care.  Do  not  be  too  sure.  You  may  be  mis- 
taken. You  had  better  say,  *I  think  I  love  Jesus  with  all  my 
heart.' "  Not  wishing  to  be  overconfident,  the  word  "think''  was 
inserted,  and  the  testimony  given  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  the 
devil  was  foiled. 

This  timid  acknowledgment  of  Christ's  power  to  save  fully 
from  all  sin  brought  great  satisfaction  and  comfort  to  his  heart. 
Faith  had  triumphed.  The  full  witness  of  the  Spirit  to  this 
greater  work  came  in  upon  him  like  a  flood.  What  peace!  what 
love!  what  joy!  thrilled  his  whole  being!  So  great  was  this  in- 
dwelling Presence,  that  for  days  he  could  scarcely  pursue  his 
studies,  or  recite,  without  shouting  the  praises  of  God.    The  bap- 


SPIRITUAL  LIFE.  45 

tism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  rested  upon  him.  All  evil  propensities 
were  taken  away.  ''Perfect  love"  reigned  supreme.  God  was 
"all  and  in  all."  His  peace  was  like  a  river.  ''The  joy  of  the 
Lord  was  his  strength."  It  became  "a  pillar  of  fire  by  night," 
and  the  indwelling  "shekinah"  by  day. 

"Tongue  can  never  express 
The  sweet  comfort  and  peace 
Of  a  soul  in  its  earliest  love." — Hymnal,  442. 

To  believe  then  seemed  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world.  He 
wondered  that  he  had  not  done  so  before.  He  did  not  hesitate 
to  embrace  every  suitable  opportunity  to  tell  what  God  had  done 
for  him.  Blissful  as  was  his  state,  he  did  not  rest  there;  but 
pressed  on  after  richer  pastures  and  fuller  fountains.  His  con- 
stant experience  was : 

"Insatiate  to  this  spring  I  fly; 
I  drink,  and  yet  am  ever  dry: 
Ah!  who  against  thy  charms  is  proof? 
Ah!  who  that  loves,  can  love  enough?" 

— Hymnal,  z^7- 

He  saw  before  him  an  ocean  of  love,  of  which  he  had  barely 
tasted,  his  barque  having  put  out  only  a  little  from  the  shore. 

(The  above,  in  substance,  was  published  in  the  Guide  to  Holi- 
ness, April,  1854.) 

A  few  short  extracts  from  his  private  journal,  illustrating  this 
experience,  may  not  be  out  of  place  here : 

Under  date  of  January  31,  1853,  I  find:  "All  day  Jesus  has  been  my 
joy  and  my  song.  I  love  him  with  all  my  heart.  I  hope  to  glorify  him 
always  with  a  perfect  heart  and  a  willing  mind." 

"February  ist. — This  morning  I  had  a  glorious  time  in  secret  prayer, 
and  a  delightful  view  of  the  doctrine  of  holiness.  My  soul  was  perfectly 
happy  in  the  love  of  God.    This  day  has  been  one  of  constant  joy  within." 

"March  ist. — A  good  time  communing  with  God  in  secret.  A  few 
students  met  for  prayer.  My  whole  being  was  charged  with  Divine 
power.     I  was  just  as  happy  as  I  could  be,  and  dwell  in  the  body." 

"April  i8th. — While  engaged  in  family  prayer  this  morning,  my  soul 
was  filled  with  the  Spirit,  and  running  over." 

"May  nth. — My  heart  has  feasted  all  day  on  the  love  of  God,  which 
has  filled  me." 


46  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

"June  2d. — A  flame  of  heavenly  love  burns  upon  my  heart,  and  the 
Savior's  blood  purifies  and  keeps  me  clean." 

"June  15th. — In  answer  to  fervent  prayer  the  Lord  gave  a  clearer 
evidence  that  I  was  wholly  sanctified  throughout  soul,  body,  and  spirit. 
(i  Thessalonians  v,  23.)  I  felt  the  tingle  in  the  very  tips  of  my  fingers, 
and  through  my  whole  being." 

Less  than  two  years  after  stepping  into  the  fountain  of  cleans- 
ing^'^the  Holy  of  Holies" — he  entered  the  work  of  the  min- 
istry, to  which  he  realized  clearly  God  had  called  him.  For 
years  one  continuous  sea  of  glory  rolled  over  his  soul,  w^ave  on 
wave,  billow  on  billow\  The  cleansing  stream  was  a  living  foun- 
tain to  his  soul.  How  inadequate  is  human  language  to  describe 
the  unspeakable  peace  and  joy  of  those  years!  Sinners  were 
convicted  of  sin  and  converted  to  God,  and  believers  sanctified 
on  every  charge.  He  aimed  at  this  in  every  prayer,  exhortation, 
and  sermon,  and  as  well  in  all  his  conversations  with  young  and 
old.  He  was  absolutely  a  man  of  "one  work,"  and  that  work  was 
to  save  souls.  Many  of  them  have  gone  home  to  glory,  while 
others  remain  firm  and  true  to  God  to  this  day  (1897),  and  are 
living  witnesses  to  this  "great  salvation."  Many  of  them  are 
preaching  the  same  gospel  to  others,  which  so  wonderfully  saved 
them. 

His  "preaching  was  not  with  enticing  words  of  man's  wis- 
dom, but  in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of  power"  (i  Co- 
rinthians xi,  4),  his  aim  being  to  feed  the  soul  without  starving 
the  intellect,  and  to  feed  the  intellect  without  starving  the  soul. 

He  was  never  popular  with  cold-hearted  Church  members. 
Such  never  liked  him  until  they  got  in  touch  with  the  Holy 
Spirit,  when  they  became  ardent  supporters  of  holiness  teaching. 

One  day  it  was  suggested  that,  "If  he  would  not  preach  so 
definitely  on  the  holiness  line,  but  give  the  subject  a  more  gen- 
eral treatment,  he  would  evoke  less  opposition,  and  accomplish 
more  for  the  Master."  This  seemed  so  plausible,  wishing  Hke 
David,  "peace"  (Psalm  cxx,  7),  and  anxious  to  be  as  useful  as 
possible,  he  complied,  believing  it  to  be  for  the  glory  of  God  and 
the  salvation  of  men.  Holiness  was  placed  in  the  background, 
and  other  subjects  brought  to  the  front.  What  was  the  result? 
In  a  short  time  he  found  himself  like  Samson,  "shorn  of  his 


SPIRITUAL  LIFE.  47 

Strength."  His  ministry  became  comparatively  barren.  Few 
were  converted,  and  none  sanctified.  He  loved  holiness  still, 
and  occasionally  preached  it;  but  the  jingle  was  gone.  Yet  he 
clung  to  the  Savior  as  his  Redeemer  and  Sanctifier,  though  he 
had  not  the  evidence  to  the  fact.  He  stood  "by  faith,  and  not 
by  sight,"  not  daring  to  doubt  for  one  moment.  Realizing  he 
had  been  foiled  by  the  devil,  he  longed  for  the  return  of  Holy 
Ghost  power.  At  times  he  would  soar  on  the  pinions  of  faith 
and  prayer  into  the  very  heavens,  and  seemingly  almost  grasp 
the  coveted  prize,  when  the  enemy  would  suggest,  "If  you  yield 
now,  your  hopes  will  never  be  gratified."  Thus  the  struggle 
went  on  for  thirteen  years  before  the  point  was  given  up ;  then,  in 
the  early  morning  of  July  17,  1886,  he  was  enabled,  by  God's 
grace,  to  surrender  fully,  and  claim  the  promise. 

In  a  moment  the  chain  which  had  held  him  so  long  was 
severed.  Complete  victory  came  to  his  soul.  He  felt  that  he 
was  a  free  man  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  so  declared  to  all  present 
in  that  early  Conference  prayer-meeting.  The  light  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  shone  through  and  through  his  inner  being.  How  the 
very  bells  of  heaven  rang  within  for  weeks  and  months!  Such 
rapture  he  had  never  known  before.  Returning  to  his  charge 
filled  with  the  Spirit,  he  proclaimed  a  free  and  a  full  salvation 
from  all  sin,  to  all.  What  was  the  result?  Nearly  two  hundred 
souls  were  brought  to  Christ  on  his  circuit  within  the  next  few 
months.  Then,  as  in  other  years,  like  Bishop  Asbury,  he  "felt 
called  of  God  to  preach  Christian  perfection  in  every  sermon." 
From  that  day  the  prayer  of  the  writer  has  been : 

"My  dying  Savior,  and  my  God, 
Fountain  for  guilt  and  sin. 
Sprinkle  me  ever  with  thy  blood, 
And  cleanse  and  keep  me  clean." 

Bishop  R.  S.  Foster,  D.  D.,  has  said  of  holiness:  "It  breathes 
in  prophecy,  thunders  in  the  law,  murmurs  in  the  narrative, 
whispers  in  the  promises,  supplicates  in  the  prayers,  sparkles 
in  the  poetry,  resounds  in  the  songs,  speaks  in  the  types,  glows 
in  the  imagery,  voices  in  the  language,  and  burns  in  the  spirit 
of  its  whole  scheme,  from  its  Alpha  to  its  Omega,  from  its  be- 
ginning to  its  end.  Holiness!  holiness  needed!  holiness  required! 
4 


48  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

holiness  offered!  holiness  attainable!  holiness  a  present  duty,  a 
present  privilege,  a  present  enjoyment, — is  the  progress  and 
completeness  of  its  wondrous  theme!  It  is  the  truth  glowing  all 
over,  webbing  all  through  revelation;  the  glorious  truth  which 
sparkles,  and  whispers,  and  sings,  and  shouts  in  all  its  history, 
and  biography,  and  poetry,  and  prophecy,  and  precept,  and  prom- 
ise, and  prayer;  the  great  central  truth  of  the  system.  The  won- 
der is,  that  all  do  not  see  it,  that  any  rise  up  to  question  a  truth 
so  conspicuous,  so  glorious,  so  full  of  comfort." 

Glory  be  to  God!  ''The  blood  of  Jesus  his  Son  cleanseth  us 
from  all  sin"  (i  John  i,  7),  and  ''The  peace  of  God,  which  passeth 
all  understanding,  shall  keep  your  hearts  and  minds  through 
Christ  Jesus,"    (Philippians  iv,  7.)    Amen!  and  Amen! 


III. 

NUNISTTKRIAL  LIKK? 

The  Call. — For  years  the  impression  rested  upon  him,  "If 
I  am  ever  converted,  I  will  have  to  preach."  This  conviction 
deepened  as  he  neared  manhood's  estate,  and  was  one  of  the 
arguments  used  by  the  Holy  Spirit  that  this  matter  of  sub- 
mission to  God  should  not  be  deferred.  Often  he  would  dream 
of  exhorting  people  to  repent  and  be  saved.  The  next  week 
after  his  conversion  he  learned  how  fervently  his  sainted  mother 
had  prayed  that  her  boys  might  become  useful  ministers  of  the 
gospel.  An  aged  Christian  gentleman  said  in  a  "covenant  meet- 
ing" one  Saturday  afternon,  "vShe  would  carry  a  whole  audience 
up  to  the  very  throne  of  God  when  pleading  on  this  subject."  Yet 
it  seems  strange  that  seven  months  passed,  after  he  was  born  of 
the  Spirit,  before  those  early  convictions  returned.  But  when  they 
did  return,  there  was  no  getting  rid  of  them.  The  more  he  tried, 
the  deeper  they  became.  It  was,  "Woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not 
the  gospel."  He  pleaded  unfitness,  mental  and  moral,  for  such 
a  work.  Who  ever  succeeded  when  fighting  against  God?  He 
wept,  fasted,  and  prayed  over  it  for  days,  weeks,  and  months. 
His  cry  was,  "Send  by  whom  thou  wilt,  but  not  by  me."  "The 
word  of  the  Lord  was  in  him,  like  fire  shut  up  in  his  bones." 
(Jeremiah  xx,  9.) 

A  few  extracts  from  his  diary  of  this  period  will  show  the 
character  of  his  convictions: 

"February  3,  1853. — Some  convictions  of  its  being  my  duty  to  travel 
and  proclaim  a  free  and  a  full  salvation." 

"February  4th. — I  earnestly  desire  to  be  an  instrument  in  the  hands 
of  God  for  the  conversion  of  one  soul.  Yea;  more,  if  it  should  please 
the  Lord." 

"April  loth. — Rev.  G.  B.  Crippin,  a  fellow  student,  and  he  were  on 
their  way  to  hold  religious  services,  when  he  stopped  in  the  road,  and 
said:  'I  am  almost  persuaded  to  give  up  all  claims  to  the  Atonement, 
and  let  sinners  go  to  hell,  and  go  there  myself,  rather  than  try  to  preach.* 
Crippin  urged  him  on  to  fill  their  appointment,  where  they  had  a  good 
time  proclaiming  the  truth.     'Souls  were  blessed.'  " 

49 


50  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

"April  20th. — While  going  to  prayer-meeting  my  impressions  of  duty 
were  so  great  that  I  could  not  refrain  from  weeping  along  the  way. 
What  shall  I  do?    I  am  not  fit  for  so  responsible  a  work,  yet  God  calls." 

"May  8th. — If  all  the  world  were  mine,  I  would  gladly  give  it  to  be 
freed  from  ministerial  duty.  The  Lord  blessed  me  much  while  exhorting 
the  people." 

"June  loth. — The  burden  of  souls  is  upon  me.  It  becomes  more  and 
more  intolerable,  and  almost  crushes  me  to  the  earth." 

These  show  the  struggle  it  cost  him  to  enter  the  ministry  of 
the  Word.  He  very  much  preferred  a  mercantile  life.  God 
ordered  it  otherwise,  and  he  reluctantly  complied. 

The  Way  Opens. — His  entrance  upon  what  proved  to  be  his 
life-work  occurred  in  this  way.  I  turn  to  the  old  diary,  and  read 
under  date  of  June  25,  1853:  ''While  engaged  in  prayer  in  my 
room  at  noonday,  I  was  led  to  ask,  *If  it  be  my  duty  to  preach, 
let  the  way  open  to-day.'  God  was  near  to  me,  and  I  felt  a  won- 
derful closeness  to  him.  With  the  above  petition  came  the  im- 
pression, 'Go  to  town,  where  a  letter  awaits  you,  telling  you 
what  you  are  to  do.'  The  enemy  whispered:  'It 's  all  a  delusion. 
Do  not  fool  yourself.  You  can  never  preach.  What  could  you 
say?  The  people  would  not  receive  you.  You  would  starve.' 
The  above  insinuations  were  repelled  by  this  promise:  'If  you 
enter  the  ministry,  you  shall  never  want  for  something  to  say, 
or  for  the  necessaries  of  life.'  " 

Thus  assured,  I  hastened  to  the  field  for  my  horse;  but 
when  I  found  her,  she  had  lost  a  shoe.  This  convinced  me  that  it 
was  of  the  Lord;  for  I  had  an  appointment  the  next  day,  seven 
miles  distant,  and  over  a  very  stony  road. 

At  the  post-ofifice  I  found  a  letter  from  Rev.  Seymour  Van 
Deusen,  presiding  elder  of  the  Prattsville  District,  New  York 
Conference,  in  which  he  said:  "Come  on  immediately  to  the 
Windham  Circuit,  to  fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the  removal  of 
Brother  William  Hall  to'Catskill.  Stop  at  Scienceville  [now 
Ashland]  with  Brother  WilHam  S.  Bouton." 

Here  was  the  direct  answer  to  my  prayer,  as  the  Holy  Spirit 
had  indicated.  That  letter  was  read  with  indescribable  feelings. 
At  its  conclusion,  I  said  to  Thomas  LaMont,  Jr.:  "I  can  never 
preach.    Why  did  he  not  send  for  some  one  else?    If  it  was  only 


MINISTERIAL   LIFE.  5 1 

some  Other  place,  then  I  would  go;  but  I  can  not  go  there.  It  is 
useless;  they  will  not  receive  me." 

He  encouraged  me  to  go.  I  again  answered,  *'No;  I  can  not." 
The  letter  was  shown  to  Brother  Lasher,  who,  after  reading  it, 
began  praising  the  Lord,  and  exclaiming,  "I  told  you  the  way 
would  open,  and  you  must  go."  I  answered,  '1  can  not,"  and 
returned  home;  but  said  nothing  further  on  the  subject. 

The  conflict  raging  within  was  intense  during  most  of  the 
night.  All  I  could  think  of  was,  ''Windham  Circuit!"  Near 
morning  a  complete  willingness  to  do  God's  will  came  over  me, 
and  with  this  decision,  this  blessed  assurance,  *'Go  and  do  your 
best;  I  will  be  with  you."  Then  I  said,  "If  Jesus  is  with  me,  all 
will  be  well." 

The  next  day,  as  I  rode  along  to  my  appointment,  I  could 
but  ask:  "Why  did  not  the  elder  send  for  some  one  else?  Why 
should  I  be  compelled  to  go?  Why  did  not  the  Lord  call  an- 
other, instead  of  me?" 

To  these  inquiries  something  seemed  to  say,  "Why  do  you 
ask  such  questions,  since  God  has  opened  the  way,  and  promised 
to  be  with  you,  and  to  supply  all  your  needs?" 

One  expression  in  the  elder's  letter  was  encouraging:  "If 
God  has  called  you  into  the  ministry,  he  will  open  the  way  before 
you;  and  he  w^ill  help  you  in  the  use  of  the  means  within  your 
reach." 

Squire  Martin  was  the  executor  of  father's  estate,  and  to  him 
I  went  for  a  small  favor,  which  was  cheerfully  granted.  The 
"Squire"  inquired,  "What  have  you  decided  upon  for  your  life's 
work?"  Hesitatingly  was  the  answer  given.  To  this  he  replied: 
"I  thought  so.  If  you  follow  that  calling,  you  will  never  secure 
the  applause  of  the  world,  nor  its  honors,  nor  its  wealth;  but  if 
you  are  faithful,  it  ends  zvcll."  How  often  have  those  three  words 
cheered  the  heart  cf  the  weary  itinerant,  when  discouragements 
were  on  every  hand!  "It  ends  well"  served  as  an  inspiration 
under  difficulties,  when  another  effort  would  be  made,  and  vic- 
tory secured. 

Once  more  let  the  old  diary  speak: 

"June  30,  1853. — ^This  morning  I  set  out  from  home  on  horseback,  as 
an  itinerant  preacher,  bidding  all  farewell.    While  ascending  the  hill  east- 


52  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

ward,  I  gave  the  old  fields  I  had  helped  to  cultivate  a  long,  lingering 
look.  In  the  vale  beneath  to  my  left  stood  the  sawmill,  where  my  tears 
had  so  often  fallen  and  prayers  ascended  over  the  duty  of  preaching,  on 
which  I  was  now  so  reluctantly  entering.  A  tear  moistened  my  eye  as 
I  said,  'Must  I  leave  all?'  With  a  heavy  heart,  onward  I  slowly  wended 
my  way,  weeping,  pleading  for  Divine  guidance  and  help.  About  sunset 
I  reached  my  destination,  with  feelings  I  can  not  describe.  That  evening 
I  attended  a  good  prayer-meeting.  Wished  myself  home.  Almost  de- 
cided to  go,  when  these  words  came  to  me:  'No  man,  having  put  his 
hand  to  the  plow  and  looking  back  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God.'  (Luke 
ix,  62.)     Here  I  am.     I  will  make  the  best  of  it.     The  Lord  is  with  me." 

Windham  Circuit,  New  York  Conference,  at  that  time  had 
ten  appointments;  namely,  Windham  Center,  Eastkill,  Henson- 
ville,  Mitchell  Hollow,  North  Settlement,  Ashland,  West  Settle- 
ment, Red  Falls,  West  Hollow,  and  Fuller  School-house. 

They  had  preaching  at  Windham  Center,  Ashland  (Science- 
ville,  as  it  was  sometimes  called),  and  West  Settlement  once 
every  Sabbath;  and  at  the  other  places  once  in  two  weeks.  This 
necessitated  three  sermons  every  Sabbath,  and  one  on  Saturday 
evening  every  two  weeks. 

Rev.  J.  W.  Smith  was  the  preacher  in  charge.  He  was  an 
earnest,  conscientious,  and  very  useful  minister  of  the  gospel. 
In  a  communication  received  from  him  by  this  penman  thirty 
years  after,  among  other  things  he  wrote:  "We  had  a  good  re- 
vival at  old  North  Settlement,  and  also  at  Hensonville.  God 
was  with  us.  But  how  many  of  those  congregations  are  gone! 
A  goodly  company,  I  trust,  of  those  departed  are  with  the  Church 
that  is  without  spot  before  the  throne."  Brother  Smith  has 
joined  that  throng. 

Quarterly-meeting  being  held  on  the  first  Sabbath  at  East- 
kill,  my  labors  did  not  reallv  begin  until  the  second  Sabbath  of 

A  few  extracts  from  that  old  diary  show  the  results  of  this 
young  pastor's  work: 

"July  10,  1853. — This  morning  at  ten  o'clock  I  preached  my  first  ser- 
mon as  an  itinerant,  at  Ashland,  from,  'Behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings 
of  great  joy.'  (Luke  ii,  10.)  The  Lord  helped  me.  I  have  been  happy 
all  day.     God  is  better  to  me  than  I  deserve." 

"July  17th. — An  awful  weight  of  responsibility  rests  upon  me.  Who 
is  sufficient  for  these  things?" 


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54  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

"i8th. — The  Lord  blessed  me  to-day  in  visiting  from  house  to  house, 
in  talking  and  praying  with  the  people  about  their  soul's  salvation." 

"August  I2th. — My  soul  is  on  the  stretch  after  God.  Finished  read- 
ing the  'Life  of  Bramwell'  to-day.  Heavenly  fire  burns  on  the  altar  of  my 
heart.  The  Lord  is  so  good,  that  I  can  not  praise  him  enough.  I  want 
to  sink  into  all  the  will  of  God,  and  have  no  will  but  his.  Christ  is  'all 
and  in  all'  to  me.     I  am  nothing.     To  him  be  all  the  glory." 

"September  23d. — My  soul  dwells  in  love.  I  can  not  describe  the 
peace  I  enjoy.  I  praise  God  with  all  my  heart.  I  was  made  very  happy 
last  night  while  confessing  what  the  Holy  Spirit  had  done  for  me." 

During  these  three  months  he  had  held  only  an  exhorter's 
license,  which  was  dated  June  27,  1853,  and  signed  by  (Rev.) 
D.  Gibson.  At  the  second  quarterly-meeting  he  was  critically 
examined,  *'on  Doctrine  and  Discipline"  by  the  presiding  elder. 
The  following  is  an  exact  copy  of  his  first  license  to  preach: 

"To  All  Whom  It  May  Concern:  This  certifies  that  the  bearer,  Isaac  H. 
Beardsley,  is  a  regularly-authorized  preacher  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Examined  and  approved  at  a  Quarterly  Conference  for  the 
Windham  Circuit,  held  at  North  Settlement,  September  28,  1853. 

"(Signed  by)  S.  Van  Deusen,  P.  E." 

The  society  at  this  place  had  been  rent  asunder  by  dissen- 
sions until  there  was  only  a  handful  left,  and  they  were  greatly 
disheartened.  There  was  no  indication  of  a  revival;  yet  a  pro- 
tracted-meeting was  begun  by  the  pastors,  October  11,  1853. 
The  third  night  after  the  meeting  began,  three  young  ladies 
came  to  the  altar,  kneeled  for  prayers,  and  were  converted.  Once 
more  I  turn  to  that  old  diary  for  a  few  extracts : 

"October  4th. — Thank  God,  we  walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight.  I 
can  not  recall  when  the  Lord  was  more  precious.     I  have  perfect  peace." 

"October  i6th. — To-day  I  preached  four  times.  The  three  usual  serv- 
ices and  the  funeral  of  an  old  lady,  aged  seventy-four  years.  This  was 
the  first  funeral  service  I  ever  condri:ted.     Text,  Revelation  xiv,  13." 

"October  25th. — Brother  Smith  preached.  Several  came  forward  for 
prayers,  and  among  them  was  a  young  married  couple,  Enos  Trayer  and 
Sarah,  his  wife.  They  invited  me  home  with  them.  After  some  conver- 
sation we  knelt  in  prayer,  which  lasted  for  over  an  hour.  His  agony 
became  so  great  that  he  threw  himself  on  the  floor,  rolling  over  and 
over,  crying  for  mercy.  As  soon  as  deliverance  came  he  kneeled  beside 
his  wife,  and  began  praying  for  her.  In  a  few  moments  her  doubts  and 
fears  fled,  and  she  was  made  happy  in  the  pardoning  sense  of  God's 
love.     A  visiting  brother  of  his.  who  had  not  been  at  the  meeting,  was 


MINISTERIAL  LIFE.  55 

also  happily  converted.     All  acted  like  little  children,  shouting  and  prais- 
ing God." 

"November  6th. — At  West  Settlement  in  the  class-meeting,  held  at 
the  close  of  the  sermon,  one  entered  into  the  experience  of  perfect  love. 
How  she  shouted  for  joy!  Our  protracted-meeting  closed  this  eyening. 
About  fifty  conversions;  among  them  were  eight  or  nine  entire  families. 
To  God  be  all  the  glory!  I  feel  like  dying  for  sinners.  The  Lord  is  very 
precious." 

I  find  also  this  entry: 

"A  stormy  night;  not  many  out.  A  wicked  man,  who  resided  not  far 
from  the  church,  but  had  not  been  inside  of  it  for  ten  years,  came  over 
to  see  what  those  detested  Methodists  were  doing.  Sermon  over,  the 
membership  were  urged  to  reconsecrate  themselves  to  God,  by  coming 
to  the  altar  and  engaging  m  prayer.  When  the  few  present  stood  about 
the  altar  waiting  for  prayers  to  begin,  that  wicked  onlooker  said  to  him- 
self, 'There  you  have  got  the  toughest  flooring  you  will  have  to  thrash 
out  this  winter.'  Before  that  meeting  closed  he  was  struck  under  con- 
viction; hastened  home,  but  not  to  sleep.  The  next  morning  he  went 
out  to  chop  woodj  After  a  few  blows  of  the  ax,  he  said  his  mind  became 
so  absorbed  about  his  lost  condition  that  he  stood  on  that  log  for  three 
hours,  with  his  ax  elevated  ready  for  a  stroke,  but  forgot  to  bring  it 
down  until  his  wife  called  him  to  dinner.  For  three  days  the  struggle 
went  on.  He  could  neither  eat,  drink,  sleep,  or  work.  Finally  he  came 
to  Church,  yielded,  and  at  that  hated  altar  was  blessedly  saved.  He  went 
home,  hunted  up  the  long-neglected  Bible,  and  started  family  worship 
that  very  night,  when  his  wife  was  converted.  She  had  not  been  near  the 
meeting  on  account  of  her  physical  condition.  A  few  days  after,  he  sent 
this  word  to  his  sister  in  town  by  the  young  preacher:  'Tell  her  that  her 
brother  Dan  is  dead.  He  do  n't  live  up  here  any  more.  Another  Dan 
lives  here  now.'  " 

Here  is  another  item: 

"During  the  forepart  of  the  meeting,  a  poor  man,  in  feeble  health, 
having  quite  a  family,  and  living  back  in  the  field,  died.  One  morning 
early,  the  nearest  neighbor,  living  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  heard  shout- 
ing at  this  poor  man's  dwelling.  Over  he  went  to  learn  what  was  up. 
Nearing  the  house,  he  heard  the  sobbing  of  the  little  ones  about  the  door; 
but  from  within  came  songs  of  praise  and  hallelujahs.  Upon  entering,  he 
saw,  lying  on  a  bed  of  straw,  the  emaciated  form  of  the  husband  and 
father,  and  near  him  the  wife  and  children  in  tears,  while  he  was  shouting 

and  singing, — 

'Jesus  can  make  a  dying  bed 

Feel  soft  as  downy  pillows  are; 
While  on  his  breast  I  lean  my  head. 
And  breathe  my  life  out  sweetly  there.' 

— Hymnal,  976. 


56  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

This  gloriously  triumphant  death  made  a  profound  impression  on  that 
community.  Each  one  said  in  his  heart,  'Let  me  die  the  death  of  the 
righteous.    Let  my  last  end  be  like  his.'  " 

"December  4th. — The  Lord  baptized  me  with  the  Holy  Ghost  while 
engaged  in  prayer.  The  power  of  God  rested  upon  me.  I  have  that 
peace  which  passeth  all  understanding.  My  greatest  desire  is  that  I  may 
not  become  spiritually  proud." 

"December  7th. — We  began  a  meeting  at  Hensonville,  in  a  school- 
house.  It  was  war  to  the  hilt.  Satan's  seat  seemed  to  be  here.  A  goodly 
number  were  converted,  and  joined  the  Church.  This  meeting  continued 
for  over  a  month.  One  day  Brother  Smith  called  at  a  shoemaker's  shop. 
The  cobbler  was  very  busy.  The  preacher  abided  his  time,  when  he  gently 
hinted  the  subject  of  religion,  and  invited  him  to  the  meeting.  He 
gruffly  responded,  'I  am  a  Jev/;'  when  Smith  repHed,  'Are  you  circum- 
cised?' This  broke  the  shell,  and  a  lengthy  religious  conversation  fol- 
lowed.   This  man  attended  the  meetings,  and,  I  believe,  was  converted." 

"December  28th.— Rev.  Orin  P.  Matthews,  from  the  Jewett  Circuit, 
preached.  He  was  a  large  man,  with  a  stentorian  voice,  and  of  remark- 
able pulpit  power.  Wishing  to  show  the  difference  betw^een  a  formal  and 
a  real  religon,  he  used  the  following  illustration:  'You  go  to  the  woods, 
fill  your  caldron  kettle  with  sap,  put  foxfire  under  it,  pile  on  the  wood; 
you  have  no  eflfect.  Now  put  real  fire  under  that  kettle,  lay  on  the  wood, 
and  what  is  the  result?  Soon  the  water  begins  to  co-whallop,  co-whal- 
lop.'  Several  souls  were  converted  that  night.  That  discourse  was  long 
remembered." 

"December  30th.— I  preached  in  Hunter,  on  the  Jewett  Circuit.  While 
engaged  in  prayer,  before  the  sermon,  God  so  filled  me  and  those  about 
me  with  the  Holy  Spirit  that  they  shouted  and  laughed  for  joy,  and  I 
was  compelled  to  cease  praying  and  join  with  them.  Formality  was 
removed.  What  mighty  power  came  upon  the  people!  Several  were 
saved." 

•  The  year  wound  up  May  10,  1854,  very  pleasantly  to  all  con- 
cerned. The  New  York  Conference  met  that  year  in  Allen 
Street  Church,  New  York  City.  Bishop  Waugh  presided.  Bish- 
ops Scott,  Ames,  and  Hedding  were  visitors.  On  the  evening  of 
the  i8th  inst.  the  appointments  were  read  out.  Rev.  J.  W.  Smith 
was  returned  to  the  Windham  Circuit,  with  Rev.  A.  M.  Hough 

as  junior  preacher.     Brother  H afterward  married  the  sister 

of  Jay  Gould.  For  years  he  has  done  efficient  service  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  His  home  is  in  Los  Angeles,  California.  He  and 
the  writer  were  associates  at  the  New  York  Conference  Seminary 
for  two  vears. 


MINISTERIAL   LIFE.  57 

A  mile  west  of  Windham  Center  lived  a  prominent  family 
by  the  name  of  Steele.  Here  was  born  the  Rev.  Daniel  Steele, 
D.  D.,  of  the  Boston  University.  His  son,  Wilbur  Fletcher,  is 
now  Professor  of  Exegetical  Theology  in  the  Iliff  School  of 
Theology,  in  the  University  of  Denver. 

Close  to  the  Center,  on  the  south,  was  the  early  home  of  Rev. 
William  V.  O.  Brainard,  whose  itinerant  career  began  in  the 
spring  of  1853,  under  the  presiding  elder.  He  joined  the  New 
York  Conference  in  1854. 

One  stormy  Saturday  night,  while  driving  slowly,  through 
deep  snow  to  an  appointment,  these  words  came  to  the  mind  of 
this  young  preacher  with  great  force,  as  from  the  throne  of  God: 

"  'Preach  for  Souls.'    Why?    Because, — 

"i.  Mankind  are  perishing. 

"2.  Many  are  hungering  and  thirsting  for  the  bread  and  water  of  life. 

"Life  is  uncertain;  and  wliat  is  done,  must  be  done  quickly.  'There 
is  but  a  step  between  me  and  death.' 

"4.  Eternity  is  an  awful  reality;  'For  our  God  is  a  consuming  fire.' 

"5.  Jesus  is  waiting  to  be  gracious.  *If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come 
unto  me  and  drink.'    'I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the;  life.'  " 

Preach  for  Souls  kept  ringing  in  his  soul.  How?  The 
answer  came:  "Go  preach  the  preaching  that  I  bid  thee."  (Jonah 
iii,  2.)  "Whom  we  preach,  warning  every  man,  and  teaching  every 
man  in  all  wisdom:  that  we  may  present  every  man  perfect  in 
Christ  Jesus."  (Colossians  i,  28.)  "Preach  the  Word."  (2  Tim- 
othy iv,  2.) 


IV. 

ITINERANT  LIKK. 

Taking  the  advice  of  Horace  Greeley,  ''Go  West,  young 
man,"  June  29,  1854,  found  this  penman  visiting  relatives  in 
Penfield,  Lorain  County,  Ohio.  Soon  after  his  arrival,  he  was 
urged  to  allow  his  name  to  come  before  the  Quarterly  Meeting 
Conference  for  a  recommendation  to  the  Annual  Conference. 
Believing  he  would  not  be  received,  he,  at  the  last  moment  before 
it  convened,  consented.  The  Quarterly  Conference  renewed  his 
license,  and  recommended  him  to  the  Annual  Conference  as  a 
suitable  person  for  the  traveling  connection.    The  renewal  read: 

"The  license  of  I.  H.  B ,  a  local  preacher  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  is  renewed  by  order  of  the  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference 
of  Wellington  Circuit,  Elyria  District,  North  Ohio  Conference,  July  24, 
1854.                                             (Signed,)         Henry  Whiteman,  P.  E." 

The  Annual  Conference  met,  August  23,  1854,  in  Tiffin,  Ohio. 
He  gave  it  no  attention  whatever,  as  he  felt  willing  to  abide  the 
verdict  of  his  ministerial  brethren,  only  five  of  whom  were  per- 
sonally known  to  him.  It  was  September  ist  before  he  knew 
the  result.  On  the  8th,  the  Western  Christian  Advocate  came, 
and  announced  to  him  that  he  had  been  received,  and  appointed 
junior  preacher  on  the  "Amherstville  and  Huron  Mission,"  Rev. 
F.  W.  Vertican  preacher  in  charge,  and  W.  B.  Disbro  presiding 
elder. 

That  afternoon  he  started  on  horseback  for  his  work,  stop- 
ping en  route  over  night  with  relatives.  The  next  day,  about 
five  o'clock,  he  reached  North  Amherst,  one  hour  before  his 
colleague,  whom  he  had  never  seen.  This  town  was  the  head- 
quarters of  the  circuit,  and  was  the  place  of  the  financial  meeting 
on  that  day.  They  both  found  a  hearty  welcome  at  Brother 
Jackson's,  who  was  one  of  the  stewards.  The  next  day  was  the 
Sabbath,  when  their  year's  work  began.  There  were  seven  ap- 
pointments on  the  circuit;  namely.  North  Amherst,  Huron, 
Brownhelm,  Wells's  Corners,  Vermillion,  Lake  Shore,  and  Joppa. 

58 


ITINERANT  LIFE.  59 

At  the  two  first  named  there  was  preaching  every  Sabbath 
morning;  at  the  others,  once  in  two  weeks. 

Every  other  Sabbath  we  had  to  preach  three  times.  There 
were  only  four  church  buildings  on  the  work,  which  were  at 
North  Amherst,  Brownhelm,  Huron,  and  Joppa.  Their  archi- 
tecture was  not  modern.  The  entire  membership  did  not  exceed 
one  hundred  and  thirty,  and  were  scattered  along  the  lakeshore 
for  several  miles.  They  were  "a  feeble  folk,"  with  very  little 
courage.  Other  denominations  had  the  field  well  in  hand,  and 
had  no  use  for  Methodist  preachers  so  long  as  they  were  true  to 
Methodism. 

The  law  of  the  Church  at  that  time  read:  ''The  annual  allow- 
ance of  the  married  traveling  preachers  shall  be  two  hundred 
dollars  and  their  traveling  expenses.  Each  child  under  seven 
years  of  age,  sixteen  dollars;  over  seven  and  under  fourteen, 
twenty-four  dollars." 

The  fourth  Quarterly  Conference  was  required  "to  appoint 
a  committee  to  make  an  estimate  of  the  amount  necessary  to 
furnish  fuel  and  table  expenses  for  the  family." 

The  junior  preacher's  salary  was  fixed  by  the  law  at  $ioo, 
and  his  board  by  the  committee  at  $55.  On  this  he  must  pay 
his  board,  clothe  himself,  keep  his  horse,  buy  books,  and  help 
the  needy  on  the  entire  charge.  Of  the  above  allowance,  $103.14 
was  received  by  the  junior  preacher.  Preaching  the  gospel  was 
not  a  paying  business  in  those  days;  yet  there  were  plenty  of 
people  who  said,  'Treachers  preached  for  salaries  alone!" 

Not  one  traveling  preacher  in  the  North  Ohio  Conference, 
which  then  included  what  is  now  the  Central  Ohio  Conference, 
received  for  that  year  $600.  The  salary  of  Edward  Thomson, 
President  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  was  only  $1,200; 
and  Adam  Poe,  who  was  Agent  of  the  Western  Methodist  Book 
Concern,  received  $1,500. 

Once  more  I  turn  to  that  old  diary,  and  read  under  date  of 

"September  18,  1854.  Monday. — My  soul  is  deeply  pained.  O,  my 
God,  what  will  become  of  thy  Church?  Several  of  our  members  wear  ear- 
rings. Some  of  them  finger-rings,  etc.  Lord,  pity  them!  Give  me  grace 
and  wisdom!" 

"October  17th. — How  my  heart  mourns  over  the  condition  of  this 
charge.     Membership  few  and  far  between.     Hundreds  of  sinners  rushing 


6o  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

down  to  ruin.  Religion  is  a  matter  of  form,  largely,  in  all  the  Churches. 
Holiness  is  never  thought  of  by  the  great  majority.  'There  are  a  few- 
names  in  Sardis  whose  garments  are  undefiled.'  When  I  see  this  state 
of  things,  like  Jeremiah,  I  feel  like  exclaiming,  'O  that  my  head  were 
waters,  and  mine  eyes  a  fountain  of  tears,  that  I  might  weep  day  and 
night  for  the  slain  of  the  daughter  of  my  people!'  God  is  the  same 
everywhere,  and  we  will  hope  for  the  best." 

"November  19th. — God  gave  us  a  wonderful  blessing  at  Vermillion, 
in  the  class-meeting.  Our  hearts  were  touched  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Father  Coppin,  a  local  preacher,  of  precious  memory,  was  filled  with  the 
love  of  God,  with  the  rest.  He  attempted  to  smother  it;  but  it  would 
burst  out,  in  his  'te-hee-ees;'  and  'thank  the  Lord!  Glory  be  to  God! 
te-he-hee!'  All  joined  in  praising  God  'with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory.'  There  were  tears  of  joy.  This  was  the  first  shout  that  this  little 
band  of  Christians  ever  had  in  Vermillion.  I  see  such  riches  of  grace 
in  Jesus.  My  peace  fiows  as  a  river.  I  love  God  with  all  my  heart. 
While  the  longing  of  my  soul  is  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ,  yet  I 
am  perfectly  willing  to  abide  God's  time,  and  do  his  will.  I  have  proved 
that  God  is  a  very  present  help  in  every  time  of  need.  Never  did  that 
promise  seem  so  sweet  to  me  as  now,  'My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee.' 
The  greatest  desire  of  my  heart  is  to  be  a  living  epistle  read  and  known 
of  all  men.'    A  true  Bible  Christian." 

"February  18,  1855. — While  engaged  in  prayer  at  Brother  Reming- 
ton's, the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  us  to  overflowing.  We  wept,  adored, 
and  shouted  the  praises  of  God.  Such  precious  baptisms  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  strengthen  and  encourage  us  in  the  upward  way.  I  can  not  de- 
scribe my  enjoyments  of  late — such  heavenly  peace,  and  yet  such  a  sense 
of  helplessness  and  dependence  on  God." 

"February  22d. — Delightful  communion  with  God  in  secret  prayer 
this  morning.  I  could  hardly  cease  praying.  I  have  just  finished  Wat- 
son's 'Life  of  John  Wesley.'     Thank  God  that  he  ever  lived!" 

"March  19th. — By  the  urgent  req'.iest  of  the  brethren,  I  began  a  pro- 
tracted-meeting at  Brownhelm  to-day.  I  just  learned  that  four  weeks 
ago,  when  here,  God  had  used  the  word  spoken  in  the  salvation  of  one 
soul.  The  following  is  her  statement  in  the  class-meeting:  'God  drove 
the  words  to  my  heart  that  I  was  a  barren  fig-tree,  bringing  forth  no 
fruit.  I  was  alarmed,  found  no  sleep  that  night,  prayed  until  God  par- 
doned my  sins.     I  am  now  rejoicing  in  the  love  of  Christ.'  " 

"April  4th. — I  closed  the  protracted-meeting  (my  first)  last  evening. 
Eight  joined  on  probation.  Several  went  to  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
This  was  to  all  a  very  profitable  meeting.  God  honored  us  with  his 
presence  at  every  service.    To  his  name  be  all  the  glory!" 

"April  21  St. — I  attended  the  funeral  of  Mrs.  Murry.  She  had  talked 
freely  of  her  death,  and  urged  all  to  meet  her  in  heaven.  Gave  directions 
as  to  her  infant,  then  said,  'I  have  no  more  to  say.'     Closing  her  eyes, 


ITINERANT  LIFE.  6l 

whispering,  'happy,  happy;'  and  soon  her  soul  took  its  flight  to  the  realms 
of  bliss." 

"May  15,  1855. — While  praying  with  a  seeker  of  salvation  to-day,  I 
felt  that  God  was  blessing.  He  did  bless.  I  was  not  disappointed.  To 
God  be  all  the  praise!     Amen.'* 

That  young  lady  afterward  became  the  faithful,  devoted,  and 
useful  companion  of  him  whom  God  had  used  in  her  immediate 
conversion.  The  writer,  after  a  lapse  of  over  forty  years,  grate- 
fully places  the  above  event  on  record,  to  the  glory  of  God,  and 
states  that,  but  for  her  continued  entreaties  and  help,  this  volume 
would  never  have  been  written.  They  were  married  November 
2^,  1856,  in  Vermillion,  Erie  County,  Ohio,  by  Rev.  M.  L. 
Starr,  a  relative  of  the  groom,  and  one  of  the  oldest  members 
of  the  North  Ohio  Conference. 

After  May  20th,  the  entire  work  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
junior  preacher,  as  the  senior  had  been  transferred  to  the  Pitts- 
burg Conference,  and  entered  upon  work  there. 

Again  I  quote  from  that  old  diary: 

"June  19,  1855. — Largely  through  reading  the  'Lrife  of  John  Wesley/ 
by  Richard  Watson,  Sister  Goodrich,  the  wife  of  one  of  our  most  effi- 
cient stewards,  but  a  Presbyterian,  has  experienced  the  blessing  of  entire 
sanctification.  Her  soul  is  perfectly  happy.  Her  testimony  was,  *If  this 
is  enthusiasm,  it  is  a  happy  one.'  Soon  after  receiving  this  wonderful 
blessing,  she  left  her  Church  and  joined  with  her  husband's.  If  ever  I 
felt,  'Woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel,'  it  is  now.  'I  live,  yet  not  I; 
Christ  liveth  in  me.*  The  following  words  have  been  of  great  comfort  to 
me  of  late: 

'Who  are  these  arrayed  in  white, 

Brighter  than  the  noonday  sun; 
Foremost  of  the  sons  of  light, 

Nearest  the  eternal  throne? 
These  are  they  that  bore  the  cross. 

Nobly  for  the  Master  stood; 
Sufferers  in  his  righteous  cause, 
Followers  of  the  dying  God.'  " 

— Hymnal,  1066. 

"August  25th. — The  last  Quarterly  Conference  was  held  to-day.  They 
unanimously  requested  my  return." 

"September  2d. — At  our  last  service  in  Brownhelm,  a  sister  in  class- 
meeting,  after  the  sermon,  addressing  the  young  preacher,  said:  'I  am 
glad  you  ever  came  here  to  preach,  for  it  was  through  you  that  the  Lord 


62  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

sent  the  truth  to  my  poor  sinful  heart.  I  cried  to  him,  and  he  heard  me. 
Now  I  am  happy  in  his  love.'  O  my  God,  how  thankful  I  am  that  thou 
canst  use  such  a  feeble  worm  in  the  salvation  of  souls!  Keep  me  humble 
at  Jesus'  feet!" 

"September  i6th. — My  Conference  year  Is  closed,  and  I  can  but  ask. 
Have  I  done  all  I  could  to  win  souls  to  Christ?  Are  my  skirts  clear? 
Upon  the  whole,  this  has  been  a  profitable  year  to  me  and  to  many. 
What  has  been  accomplished  eternity  alone  will  tell." 

"September  19th. — The  Annual  Conference  met  to-day  in  Sandusky 
City,  Bishop  E.  R.  Ames  presiding." 

One  day  while  the  Conference  was  in  session,  there  was  a 
leakage  in  the  gaspipe,  when  the  bishop  laconically  remarked, 
"We  usually  have  plenty  of  gas  at  Conference;  but  not  of  this 
kind."  This  was  in  many  respects  a  notable  Conference,  On 
Sabbath  morning,  Rev.  William  Arthur,  of  England,  being  in 
attendance  as  a  visitor,  preached  a  most  remarkable  sermon, 
with  tremendous  power  from  on  high.  The  entire  audience  was 
swept  as  by  a  hurricane,  rising  to  its  feet  with  outstretched 
hands,  eyes  and  mouths  wide  open,  eager  to  catch  every  word  as 
uttered.  When  the  climax  was  reached,  each  one  dropped  back 
into  his  seat,  unconsciously  to  repeat  the  same  thing  later  on. 
Shouts  of  glory  and  tears  of  joy  were  frequent  during  the  de- 
livery of  that  wonderful  discourse  on  "Grace:  The  Source,  the 
Sufficiency." 

The  justly-renowned  Rev.  Charles  Elliott  preached  in  the 
afternoon,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Collins,  of  Michigan,  at  night.  Thus 
ended  the  writer's  first,  and  a  most  memorable.  Conference  Sab- 
bath. 

Bryan  Circuit. — Conference  adjourned  September  26,  1855, 
when  this  itinerant  heard  himself  announced  junior  preacher 
on  Bryan  Circuit;  with  Henry  Warner  in  charge,  and  David 
Gray  presiding  elder. 

October  loth,  he  bade  the  family  with  whom  he  had  made 
his  home  for  nearly  a  year, — Allen  H.  Atherton,  Esq.,  of  Ver- 
million, Erie  County, — "farewell,"  and  started  with  horse  and 
buggy  for  his  new  field  of  labor. 

After  crossing  the  Maumee  River  at  Perrysburg,  he  found 
the  road  much  of  the  way  exceedingly  rough.  For  miles  through 
swamps  and  heavy  timber  it  was  corduroyed.    The  ends  of  some 


ITINERANT  LIFE,  63 

of  the  logs  having  decayed  and  broken  off,  a  wheel  would  drop 
nearly  to  the  axle,  first  on  one  side,  then  on  the  other.  It  was 
next  to  impossible  to  tell  where  these  dip-places  were,  owing  to 
the  water  and  mud  which  nearly  covered  the  logs. 

About  three  o'clock  of  the  third  day  he  reached  the  Church 
at  Evansport,  where^  the  financial  meeting  was  being  held.  The 
preacher  in  charge,  being  engaged  at  the  moment  of  his  entrance, 
did  not  notice  him.    Soon  after  he  said  to  the  brethren,  speaking 

of  his  colleague:  "I  do  not  know  why  Brother  B has  not 

come;  I  suppose  he  is  sick."  Several  brethren  spoke  at  once, 
saying,  "I  guess  he  is  here."  Henry  Warner,  as  brotherly  a  col- 
league as  ever  filled  the  pastorate,  looking  up,  saw  him  and  said, 
*'Yes!  yes!"  and  hastened  to  greet  him,  giving  him  a  hearty  wel- 
come, and  an  introduction  to  those  present. 

Bryan  was  the  county-seat  of  Williams,  the  northwest  county 
of  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  was  the  headquarters  of  that  large  cir- 
cuit, having  fourteen  appointments.  These  were:  Bryan,  Shaf- 
fer's, Lafayette,  Leatherwood,  Lockport,  Thicket,  Colgan's, 
Stryker,  Bear  Creek,  Evansport,  Union,  Brown's,  Mud  Creek, 
and  Georgetown.  At  the  first  named,  there  was  preaching,  morn- 
ing and  evening,  every  other  Sabbath;  and  at  the  others  once 
in  two  weeks,  on  Sunday  or  on  a  weekday.  The  pastors  were 
compelled  to  preach  three  times  every  Sabbath,  and  several  times 
during  the  week,  often  riding  seven  or  more  miles  between  ap- 
pointments. Hence,  with  their  visiting,  funerals,  and  extra  calls, 
they  were  in  the  saddle  nearly  every  day  of  the  year.  The 
preacher  in  charge  resided  in  Bryan;  while  the  junior  preacher 
found  an  excellent  home  in  the  family  of  Rev.  Everett  W.  Fuller, 
a  local  preacher  of  superior  ability  and  a  merchant,  in  the  town 
of  Stryker,  seven  miles  east  of  Bryan,  on  the  Air-line  Railroad. 
In  this  Christian  home  he  rested  for  three  or  four  days  only  of 
each  month,  after  making  the  rounds  of  that  large  circuit  on 
horseback,  which  was  the  only  possible  method  of  traveling. 
The  roads  in  some  places  were  good ;  but  in  others  were  next  to 
impassable.  From  Georgetown  to  Bryan  the  road  was  a  mere 
trail,  indicated  by  blazed  trees  through  the  dense  forests,  where 
the  foliage  was  so  thick  that  the  sun  seldom  reached  the  soil: 
Ofttimes    the    saddlebags,    in    which    were    Bible,    hymn-book. 


64  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

Discipline,  and  a  few  other  books,  would  thump  against  a  tree 
on  the  right  or  left,  as  the  horse  slowly  picked  his  way  through 
the  swamps  and  timbered  lands. 

In  those  times  the  Maumee  Valley,  if  so  level  a  country  could 
be  called  such,  was  considered  the  ''breaking  ground  of  young 
preachers."  If  they  endured  through  one  or  two  years,  and 
came  out  unscathed,  they  would  do.  This  whole  country,  for 
miles  and  miles,  was  nearly  level,  with  a  rich  soil;  but  swampy 
and  heavily  wooded.  The  settlers  had  built  log  cabins  for  their 
homes,  and  cleared  ofif  little  patches  on  which  to  grow  corn  and 
vegetables.  Ofttimes  cornmeal  pancakes  were  their  only  food 
for  days  and  months  together.  This  was  not  very  palatable  to  a 
dyspeptic.  The  people  gave  their  pastors  the  very  best  they 
had;  hence  there  was  no  reason  to  complain. 

Often  some  members  of  the  family  would  shake  with  the 
ague  nine  months  of  the  year;  frequently  the  entire  household 
would  be  shivering  on  the  same  day.  Quinine  was  in  great 
demand. 

A  few  extracts  from  the  old  diary  will  give  an  idea  of  the 
character  of  society: 

"October  31,  1855. — To-day  while  on  a  train,  occupying  the  seat  with 
a  gentleman,  the  conversation  turned  to  the  subject  of  religion.  This 
man  presented  the  usual  threadbare  arguments  of  infidels  generally. 
They  were  answered  by  rebutting  statements,  to  which  he  was  unable  to 
reply.  He  became  furious,  drew  a  dirkknife,  brandishing  it  in  a  threaten- 
ing manner  within  an  inch  of  my  breast,  declaring  that  he  was  tempted 
to  cut  out  the  heart  of  any  one  who  dared  to  defend  Christianity.  Dur- 
ing all  this  furor  I  felt  perfectly  safe,  for  God  was  with  me.  Before  leav- 
ing at  a  way  station  this  man  begged  my  prayers,  and  promised  to  be- 
come a  Christian." 

"November  21st. — I  met  a  gentleman  on  train  to-day,  who  said,  'My 
wife  is  a  Christian.  I  am  putting  off  till  the  last  of  life  what  should  be 
attended  to  in  the  beginning.'  After  a  lengthy  conversation  on  the  sub- 
ject, he  promised  not  to  defer  longer." 

"November  30th. — My  soul  is  full  of  gratitude,  because  I  am  so  happy 
in  God  to-day.  How  precious  Jesus  is  to  me!  I  could  hardly  stop  pray- 
ing in  secret  this  morning,  so  sweet  was  my  communion  with  him.  This 
world  would  be  a  blank  were  it  not  for  his  smile." 

December  loth  he  preached  in  Georgetown,  a  small  hamlet 
in  the  woods,  consisting  of  a  blacksmith's  shop,  a  grocery  store 


ITINERANT  LIFE.  65 

where  the  people  got  their  mail,  a  schoolhouse,  and  a  few  dwell- 
ing-houses. That  night  he  stopped  with  the  family  where  the 
schoolteacher  boarded,  occupying  the  same  room  and  bed. 
After  retiring,  the  subject  of  religion  came  up,  when  the  teacher 
affirmed  that  he  was  an  infidel.  Said  he:  ''For  ten  years  I  was 
a  Christian;  three  of  that  time  a  Methodist  exhorter.  T  went 
to  Angola,  Steuben  County,  Indiana,  where  I  was  advised  to  read 
certain  books.  I  complied,  and  became  an  unbeliever;  have  been 
such  for  the  past  six  years.  My  parents  are  Methodists,  and  I 
would  not  have  them  know  where  I  stand  for  the  world.  I  am 
ashamed  to  be  called  an  infidel.  To  say  I  do  not  believe  in  the 
Bible  is  uttering  a  big  word,  and  is  saying  much.  Sometimes  I 
think  I  may  be  wrong.  Not  long  ago,  one  Sabbath,  while  pass- 
ing through  a  piece  of  woods,  the  thought  came  to  me  that  I 
ought  to  go  out  one  side,  kneel  down,  and  pray.  I  remembered 
what  sweet  communion  with  God  I  used  to  have  under  an  old 
oak-tree,  where  I  went  regularly  every  day.  I  yielded  to  the 
impulse,  walked  out  into  the  woods,  kneeled  beside  an  old  log, 
and  prayed  to  God  as  fervently  as  in  days  past.  I  left,  laughing 
at  my  weakness.  I  am  now  just  as  good  as  Jesus  Christ,  and 
stand  in  his  shoes.  Perhaps  I  ought  not  to  say  that.  It  would 
have  been  far  better  for  me  if  I  had  never  heard  of  these  views. 
When  I  went  to  Angola  I  was  worth  two  thousand  dollars.  I 
am  a  tailor  by  trade.  I  work  hard  summers,  and  teach  winters. 
Now  I  am  not  worth  over  eight  hundred  dollars.  When  I  gave 
up  my  religion,  I  fell  fast.  I  went  to  gambling  and  into  other 
vices.    I  must  stop.     I  am  saying  too  much."  . 

The  above  were  his  answers  to  questions  propounded  and 
recorded  at  the  time.  Christianity  is  the  only  system  that  satis- 
fies the  cravings  of  the  immortal  mind.     It  pays. 

In  that  Monday  night  congregation  there  sat  a  sandy-com- 
plexioned  young  man,  a  Universalist,  who  spoke  the  evening 
before  from  Hebrews  xii,  2:  "Looking  unto  Jesus,  the  author 
and  finisher  of  our  faith."  Twelve  years  afterward  this  same 
man  was  preaching  his  very  plausible  doctrines  in  New  Phila- 
delphia, Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio.  He  had  quite  a  following 
there,  and  was  lauded  for  his  ability.    He  challenged  the  entire 


66  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

ministry  of  the  county  to  debate  the  question  of  future  punish- 
ment with  him. 

Bishop  Weaver,  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  though  not 
a  resident  of  the  county  at  the  time,  accepted  the  challenge. 
They  met  October,  1867,  in  New  Philadelphia,  and  debated  one 
hour  each,  for  four  successive  nights,  in  a  crowded  hall.  The 
verdict  of  nearly  the  entire  community  was  that  the  Bible  did 
not  teach  Universalism.  Nineteen  more  years  rolled  by,  when 
this  same  man.  Sage,  bowed  the  knee  at  a  Methodist  altar  in 
Canal  Dover,  just  across  the  river  from  where  the  debate  oc- 
curred, and  was  ordained  deacon  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  by  Bishop  Mallalieu,  and  received  on  trial  in  the  North 
Ohio  Conference.  He  said  to  this  penman  after  his  ordination: 
"Bishop  Weaver  cleaned  me  out  completely  in  that  debate.  I 
never  was  satisfied  after  that,  until  I  gave  up  Universalism  and 
accepted  the  orthodox  faith." 

On  his  next  visit  to  Georgetown,  our  young  preacher  stopped 
with  a  family  in  which  the  husband  was  a  Universalist,  and  the 
wife  a  Methodist.  The  next  morning  the  former,  when  out  at 
the  stable  looking  after  the  horses,  took  the  liberty  to  give  the 
young,  inexperienced  preacher  a  little  advice.  In  substance, 
said  he:  "You  are  just  starting  out  in  the  ministry;  and  of  course 
you  wish  to  be  popular.  Let  me  tell  you  how  to  become  so. 
Do  not  say  anything  about  future  punishment.  You  can  hold 
whatever  belief  you  please,  but  keep  it  in  abeyance.  Universalism 
is  such  a  comfortable  doctrine.  It  sits  so  easy  on  the  conscience. 
My  advice  is  for  you  to  preach  a  liberal  gospel,  and  give  up 
those  terrible  doctrines  of  orthodoxy."  It  need  not  be  said  that 
this  advice  was  never  followed. 

Protracted-meetings  were  held  by  the  "Boy  Preacher,"  as 
he  was  then  called,  at  Colgan's,  Evansport,  Bryan,  Lafayette, 
and  Leatherwood.  Brother  Warner  preached  a  few  times  only 
at  two  of  them.  Nearly  one  hundred  souls  were  converted,  and 
quite  a  number  sanctified. 

In  these  meetings  three  young  men  were  quickened  into  a 
new  spiritual  life,  and  afterwards  entered  the  ministry  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 
John  R.  Colgan  was  one  of  them,  and  has  spent  thirty-eight  years 


ITINERANT  LIFE, 


67 


in  the  active  work  in  that  Conference.  He  is  an  able  and  suc- 
cessful expositor  of  the  Word,  and  is  the  author  of  several 
hymns,  one  of  which  is  sung  far  and  near;  namely,  *7^sus 
Lives." 

At  the  "Thicket"  lived  a  family  by  the  name  of  Boyers.  Out 
of  this  home  went  three  children  into  the  itinerant  ranks;  two 
sons,  John  and  Henry,  and  a  daughter  Kate,  who  became  the 
consort  of  him  whose  photograph  appears  on  this  page.  She 
was  converted  in  one  of  the 
meetings,  and  has  been  true 
to  God  ever  since. 

A  younger  brother  of  the 
above  was  led  to  Christ  in 
a  singular  way,  and  it  illus- 
trates what  a  casual  remark 
may  sometimes  do  in  the  sal- 
vation of  a  soul.  Four  years 
after,  at  the  close  of  an  after- 
noon service,  he  addressed 
the  preacher  thus:  **  I  want 
to  thank  you  for  a  remark 
you  made,  which  resulted  in 
my  conversion.  We  were 
at  a  funeral.  The  expected 
preacher  did  not  come 
They  called  on  you  to  offi- 
ciate. You  stepped  forward 
to  the  stand,  and  said,  *A  minister  ought  always  to  be  ready  to 
preach,  to  pray,  or  to  die.'  That  remark  was  an  arrow  to  my 
heart;  and  I  never  had  peace  until  I  found  it  in  Christ." 

At  several  points  two-days'  meetings  were  held,  at  which 
great  good  was  done,  and  souls  saved.  The  year  was  one  of  in- 
cessant toil,  many  exposures,  great  sacrifices,  and  of  greater 
blessings.    Receipts  for  that  year's  hard  work  were  $91.61. 

On  May  15th  the  young  preacher's  valuable  horse,  for  which 
he  had  refused  $150,  died.  This  was,  to  him,  a  great  loss,  as 
he  had  no  money  with  which  to  buy  another.  From  that  time 
until  Conference,  about  three  months,  he  traveled  that  great 


JOHN  R.  COI^GAN. 


68  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

circuit  mostly  on  foot.  Unknown  to  the  young  preacher,  John 
R.  Colgan,  in  the  nobleness  of  his  benevolent  nature,  raised  by 
personal  solicitation  $55,  to  assist  in  purchasing  another  horse, 
and  presented  the  money  to  his  pastor  before  he  left  for  Confer- 
ence. Such  was  itinerant  life  in  the  Maumee  Swamps  over  forty 
years  ago. 


V. 
ITINKRANCY  CONTINUED. 

The  General  Conference  of  May,  1856,  divided  the  territory 
of  the  North  Ohio  Conference.  The  western  portion  is  now 
known  as  the  Central  Ohio  Conference,  and  met  in  Lima,  Allen 
County,  September  2.6,  1856,  Bishop  Beverly  Waugh  presiding. 
Bishop  E.  R.  Ames  was  a  visitor  for  a  day  or  two. 

The  examination  on  the  course  of  study  of  those  to  be  ad- 
mitted was  thorough  and  satisfactory.  The  venerable  bishop, 
whose  hair  was  as  white  as  snow,  made  one  remark  to  the  gradu- 
ating class,  which  has  never  been  forgotten.  "My  young  breth- 
ren," said  he,  "never  preach  without  relating  something  of  your 
own  experience."  The  importance  of  this  was  made  very  em- 
phatic during  his  excellent  address.  A  class  of  nineteen  was 
admitted  into  full  connection,  and  elected  to  deacons'  orders. 
The  following  Sabbath,  September  28th,  after  a  very  practical 
sermon  by  the  bishop  from  Romans  i,  16,  they  were  ordained. 
The  Conference  adjourned  about  noon  of  October  i,  1856. 

The  preachers  of  that  day  were  never  consulted  as  to  their 
appointments.  If  they  were,  the  writer  never  heard  of  it.  They 
were  required  to  go  where  they  were  sent,  or  retire  from  the 
work.  If  by  any  means  it  became  known  to  the  appointing 
power  that  a  brother  wished  a  certain  charge,  he  was  most  sure 
to  be  sent  as  far  the  other  way  as  possible. 

This  young  man  heard  his  name  read  out  for  Waterville, 
Maumee  District.  David  Gray  was  still  his  presiding  elder,  and 
was  a  very  successful  minister  of  the  gospel.  Waterville  was 
a  small  town,  and  stood  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Maumee  River, 
six  miles  above  Maumee  City.  This  was  a  two-weeks'  circuit, 
with  the  following  preaching-places;  namely,  Waterville,  Mon- 
clovia,  Springfield,  White  House,  Swanton,  and  Centerville,  with 
occasional  services  at  East  Swanton  and  Allman's.  This  neces- 
sitated three  sermons  every  Sabbath,  with  several  miles  ride 
between  them;  but  the  roads  were  usually  good,  and  the  work 

69 


70  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

a  comparatively  easy  one.  His  salary,  as  fixed  by  the  stewards, 
was:  Table  expenses,  $65;  horse-feed,  $35;  Church  law,  $200 
more  (as  he  was  about  taking  to  himself  another  ''rib");  total, 
$300. 

He  held  a  ten-days'  meeting  in  the  Springfield  schoolhouse. 
Very  little  interest  was  manifested,  though  the  attendance  was 
good.  On  the  tenth  night,  February  12,  1857,  the  outlook  was 
so  unpromising  the  meeting  was  closed.  That  last  evening  a  boy 
only  stood  up  for  prayers.  He  was  urged  to  give  his  heart  to 
Jesus,  prayed  with,  and  the  benediction  pronounced.  On  our 
way  home  that  night,  the  enemy  whispered:  ''What  a  fizzle!  You 
have  made  a  failure.  There  was  no  good  done;  never  hold  an- 
other meeting." 

For  thirteen  years  the  author's  moral  pulse  went  below  zero 
whenever  he  thought  of  that  meeting.  One  day  the  following 
letter  was  received,  since  which  time  he  has  thanked  God  un- 
ceasingly that  he  held  that  meeting: 

"EVANSTON,   Il.Iv.,  August  29,   187O. 

"My  Dear  Brother, — It  may  be  that  you  have  forgotten  me;  but  I 
have  not  forgotten  you.  No!  I  can  not  forget  you.  At  the  close  of  the 
service,  when  all  seemed  so  dark,  you,  dear  brother,  said,  'If  there  is  any 
one  here  that  feels  the  need  of  Christ,  remain  standing  while  the  rest 
will  be  seated  after  the  singing.'  I  thank  God  that  I  remained  on  my 
feet;  and  it  was  not  long  after  that  I  found  the  new  life,  of  which  I  was 
an  entire  stranger  before.  From  that  day  to  this  'goodness  and  mercy 
have  followed  me,'  and  I  am  determined  'to  dwell  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord  forever.'  I  have  been  preaching  over  two  years,  endeavoring  to 
lead  souls  to  Christ.    I  remain.  Yours  in  Jesus, 

"(Signed,)        Nathan  N.  Clark." 

February  23d  a  protracted-meeting  was  begun  in  Waterville, 
which  lasted  seventeen  days.  Twenty  souls  were  converted,  and 
the  membership  greatly  quickened.  Two  incidents  connected 
with  this  meeting  will  be  related.  On  the  evening  of  March  4th, 
a  business  man,  the  head  of  a  family,  who  had  staid  away  from 
the  meetings  for  fear  of  being  caught,  came  in  during  prayer, 
and  kneeling  down  beside  his  wife,  said  to  her,  "I  am,  by  the 
grace  of  God  and  your  help,  determined  to  lead  a  different  life." 
They  arose,  came  to  the  altar,  and  kneeled  side  by  side,  where  he 
was  presently  converted.     This  gentleman  was  a  strictly  moral 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  71 

man;  yet,  like  every  other  sinner  who  expects  to  get  to  heaven, 
he  had  to  be  born  again. 

Just  across  the  street  from  the  church  lived  quite  a  different 
character.  He  was  profane,  and  ugly  in  his  family.  By  trade  he 
was  a  cabinetmaker  and  undertaker.  His  wife  dreaded  to  hear 
of  a  death ;  for  she  had  to  trim  the  coffin.  He  would  give  her  no 
directions  as  to  how  he  wanted  it  done.  If  the  work  did  not 
suit  him,  he  would  knock  her  down.  Poor  woman!  How  could 
she  discern  what  his  whims  might  be?  for  they  were  never  twice 
alike.  This  kind  of  life  had  gone  on  for  years  unknown  to  any 
save  themselves.  The  end  was  reached  in  this  wise.  He  came 
over  to  the  church  one  night,  taking  a  back  seat.  God  sent  the 
truth  to  his  heart.  He  was  convicted  of  sin,  hastened  home  be- 
fore the  services  closed,  to  curse  this  preacher  in  particular,  and 
Methodists  generally.  He  raved  like  a  madman  through  that 
entire  night,  pacing  to  and  fro,  and  frothing  at  the  mouth.  His 
family  was  alarmed  for  its  own  safety.  For  three  days  he  re- 
mained away  from  the  church,  when  curiosity  brought  him  back 
to  see  what  was  going  on.  Again  the  truth  cut  him  to  the 
quick.  He  trembled  like  Belshazzar  of  old,  feeling  that  he  "was 
being  shaken  over  hell"  (his  own  words).  He  left  the  church  in 
a  fury,  pronouncing  all  manner  of  imprecations  upon  him  who 
dared  to  preach  the  Word  so  plainly,  and  upon  Christian  people 
universally.  These  anathemas  were  poured  out  without  stint 
until  near  morning,  as  he  walked  the  floor  in  his  own  house. 
His  wife  and  children  were  in  terror.  Just  before  dawn  he  began 
to  pray,  and  asked  his  wife  to  pray  for  him.  When  the  morning 
light  streaked  up  over  the  Eastern  sky,  light  from  heaven  came 
into  that  household.  That  wretched  man,  wife,  and  daughter 
were  happily  converted.  Until  this  time  they  were  entirely  un- 
known to  him  who  was  conducting  the  meeting.  The  lion  be- 
came a  lamb,  and  that  home  a  paradise. 

When  that  Conference  year  closed,  the  people  and  the  entire 
Official  Board,  without  one  exception,  desired  the  return  of  their 
pastor.    So  also  did  the  presiding  elder.    The  result  we  shall  see. 

Plymouth  Circuit. — The  Conference  that  year  convened 
September  17,  1857,  i"  Toledo,  Ohio,  Bishop  Osman  C.  Baker 


72  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

in  the  chair.  The  second  day  of  the  session,  the  bishop  walked 
down  the  aisle,  and  handed  the  writer  an  envelope.  On  opening 
it,  he  found  himself  transferred  to  the  North  Ohio  Conference, 
and  appointed  junior  preacher  on  Plymouth  Circuit,  in  Rich- 
land County.  Richard  Hager  was  preacher  in  charge,  and  Hiram 
Humphrey  presiding  elder.  This  was  a  four-weeks'  circuit,  with 
nine  appointments;  namely,  Plymouth,  McKendree,  West  Au- 
burn, Goodwell,  Ripley,  Greenwich,  Nineveh,  New  Haven,  and 
Salem. 

He  found  his  colleague  a  good  preacher  and  superior  re- 
vivalist; one  that  God  honored  with  rich  and  abundant  blessings. 
He  has  long  since  gone  to  his  reward. 

The  junior  preacher  assisted  him  in  revival  work  at  Ply- 
mouth and  at  Ripley;  but  held  meetings  alone  at  Nineveh  Cor- 
ners (sometimes  called  East  Greenwich),  and  at  Salem,  while 
his  colleague  conducted  meetings  elsewhere  on  the  circuit. 

It  was  a  most  blessed  year.  Many  souls  were  saved.  After 
all  shrinkage,  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  were  taken  into  the 
Church  in  full  connection.  It  was  a  year  of  the  right  hand  of 
God,  the  like  of  which  was  never  seen  on  that  circuit  before. 
From  those  revivals  at  least  two  preachers  have  gone  out  to 
bless  and  save  humanity, — Richard  Culver,  now  in  the  local 
ranks,  and  James  P.  Mills,  for  many  years  an  effective  member 
of  the  North  Ohio  Conference. 

Not  far  north  from  the  "Corners"  was  a  Quaker  settlement. 
These  "Friends"  often  attended  the  services,  and  became  quite 
interested  in  the  meetings.  One  evening  the  young  preacher 
was  riding  to  Church  in  a  sleigh  with  Brother  Doud,  a  local 
preacher,  when  he  asked,  "What  shall  I  preach  about  to-night?" 
In  the  back  of  the  sleigh  were  a  number  of  young  people. 
Among  them  was  a  young  Quakeress  by  the  name  of  Sarah 
Gififord,  who  was  still  unsaved.  She  had  been  taught  that  all 
preachers,  but  theirs,  either  memorized  or  read  their  sermons. 
That  question,  propounded  to  see  what  the  answer  would  be 
as  much  as  anything  else,  caught  the  ear  of  that  intelligent 
young  lady.  She  said  to  herself,  "I  will  listen  to  him,  for  his  ser- 
mons are  not  committed."  The  Holy  Spirit  sent  the  word  to 
her  heart,  and  the  result  was  her  conversion.     The  house  was 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  73 

SO  packed  with  people  that  an  altar  service  was  impossible.  All 
that  could  be  done  was  to  ask  those  who  desired  to  start  for 
heaven  to  rise  up,  or  if  standing  to  raise  their  hands.  Quite  a 
number  did  so  signify.  Sarah  was  among  the  first  to  rise.  The 
request  was  made  for  all  to  kneel  if  they  could;  if  not,  to  bow 
the  head.  Some  one  led  in  prayer.  Sarah  knelt  right  where 
she  was  seated,  only  a  few  feet  from  the  stand,  and  began  to 
pray.  Soon  her  countenance  shone  with  the  glow  of  "the  Sun 
of  righteousness."  There  on  the  floor  she  remained,  with  face 
upturned,  clapping  her  hands  ever  so  gently,  and  in  the  softest 
of  whispers  exclaimed,  ''Glory!  Glory!  Glory!"  until  the  meeting 
was  dismissed.  Her  Quaker  friends  stood  with  their  broad- 
brimmed  hats  on,  gazing  at  the  scene,  while  the  tears  were 
coursing  down  their  cheeks.  Sarah  Gififord  has  ever  since  been 
proclaiming  that  same  gospel  to  others,  which  so  gloriously  saved 
her  on  that  eventful  night. 

In  the  back  of  that  sleigh  sat  Leander  L ,  a  son  of  Brother 

Doud,  who  has  since  become  quite  prominent  in  Church  and 
business  affairs.  He  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  A.  B. 
Chase  Company,  manufacturers  of  pianos  and  organs,  at  Nor- 
walk,  Ohio,  and  senior  superintendent  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Sunday-school  at  that  place. 

An  old  man  who  had  been  a  Universalist  was  converted,  of 
which  no  one  had  the  least  doubt,  so  great  was  the  change. 
This  was  shown  in  all  that  he  said  or  did.  One  morning  he  did 
not  come  to  his  breakfast  as  usual.  His  daughter,  supposing 
he  had  overslept,  sent  one  of  the  children  to  call  him.  He  was 
kneeling  by  his  chair,  his  Bible  lay  open  before  him,  and  his  head 
leaned  forward;  he  was  dead!  The  spirit  had  taken  its  flight  to 
the  land  of  the  saved. 

Squire  S and  his  family  were  on  their  way  to  the  services, 

when  his  wife  said  to  him  in  a  casual  sort  of  way:  ''Our  neighbors 
are  coming  out  on  the  Lord's  side.  Will  they  not  expect  some- 
thing from  you  and  me?"  He  responded  by  taking  her  hand 
in  his,  and  giving  it  a  gentle  pressure;  at  the  same  time  the 
tears  were  flowing  freely.  That  night  the  entire  family,  consist- 
ing of  several  grown-up  children  and  the  parents,  were  brought 
into  the  kingdom  of  grace. 


74  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

During  the  progress  of  this  meeting  a  young  doctor,  Uving 
three  miles  away,  became  alarmed  about  his  soul's  salvation. 
He  kneeled  in  his  office  for  prayer,  and  was  soon  converted.  In 
one  of  our  day-meetings  the  fact  was  related,  either  by  him  or 
some  one  who  knew  of  it.  This  was  none  other  than  Rev. 
William  Jones,  M.  D.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  of  the  St.  Louis  Confer- 
ence. He  has  been  a  useful  minister  of  the  gospel  for  over  thirty 
years. 

M.  M.  Burgess  was  the  class-leader.  His  eldest  daughter, 
Ann,  had  married  Samuel  Watson  some  years  before.  He  re- 
quested his  father-in-law  to  invite  the  young  preacher  to  dinner 
on  a  given  day,  that  they  might  become  acquainted.  The  inter- 
vening period  he  spent  in  studying  infidel  works,  for  he  was  a 
pronounced  unbeliever,  that  he  might  demolish  the  young  strip- 
ling, and  demonstrate  the  falsity  of  the  Christian  system.  They 
were  introduced  at  the  home  of  the  class-leader,  where  they  were 
to  dine.  The  pastor  then  knew  nothing  of  Watson's  prepara- 
tions. Having  decided  to  have  no  controversy,  he  led  the  con- 
versation on  history,  science,  politics,  farming,  horses,  cattle, 
etc.;  anything  and  everything,  except  religion.  Each  time  Wat- 
son endeavored  to  introduce  his  favorite  theme,  the  conversation 
was  adroitly  turned  in  another  direction.  The  repast  over,  Wat- 
son had  to  hasten  home  to  do  his  chores;  not  in  the  best  of 
humor,  to  think  he  had  been  outgeneraled.  He  spent  the  night 
boiling  in  rage  over  his  folly.  The  next  morning  he  and  his 
family  came  to  the  services,  the  first  for  him  in  years.  During 
the  brief  discourse,  this  illustration,  a  flash  of  the  moment,  was 
used:  As  the  iceberg  floating  down  into  the  Gulf  Stream  is  dis- 
solved by  the  effect  of  the  water  and  of  the  sun's  rays,  so  is  un- 
belief and  the  hardened  character  by  the  influence  of  the  true 
Christian  in  the  home  and  in  the  community. 

The  speaker  somehow  felt  that  the  Holy  Spirit  had  sent  that 
thought  direct  to  Watson's  heart.  His  head  dropped  as  if  pene- 
trated by  a  bullet.  The  services,  consisting  of  singing,  prayer, 
and  testimony,  went  on  for  nearly  two  hours;  but  there  sat 
Watson  with  his  head  down.  No  one  went  near  him.  W^hen  all 
had  gone  save  two,  they  approached  him,  saying,  ''Shall  we  pray 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  75 

for  you?"  Watson  answered  by  falling  on  his  knees,  and  calling 
upon  God  for  mercy.  The  struggle  went  on  hour  after  hour; 
unbelief  was  strong;  it  was  difficult  for  him  to  grasp  the  promise 
and  believe.  Finally,  as  the  sun  was  disappearing  in  the  far  west, 
relief  came  to  his  sin-burdened  soul,  and  a  calm  peace  dwelt 
therein.  For  nearly  six  hours  that  meeting  lasted;  yet  we  were 
not  tired! 

He  and  his  family  were  at  the  morning  meeting  the  next  day, 
when  he  gave  a  testimony  in  substance  as  follows:  "For  seven 
years  I  have  tried  to  be  an  infidel.  I  procured  and  studied  all  the 
works  on  unbelief  published.  I  have  talked  my  infidel  views. 
Because  my  wife  would  not  give  up  her  religion,  I  have  perse- 
cuted her,  while  by  her  meek  and  quiet  spirit  she  was  all  the 
time  refuting  my  infidel  arguments.  I  knew  that  she  was  right, 
and  I  was  wrong.  That  fact  maddened  me.  Yesterday,  when  the 
preacher  spoke  of  the  dissolving  iceberg,  it  all  came  home  to 
me,  and  I  had  to  yield.  I  prepared  a  trap  for  him,  intending  to 
clean  him  out;  but  I  was  foiled.  Last  night,  just  about  sundown, 
God  had  mercy  on  my  soul,  and  from  this  on  I  am  determined 
to  live  a  Christian.  Pray  for  me."  After  the  above  testimony, 
the  scene  can  be  imagined,  but  not  described.  He  and  his  long- 
suffering  wife  wept  in  each  other's  arms.  There  were  no  dry 
eyes  in  that  house.  From  that  day  forward,  Watson  has  been  a 
faithful  and  consistent  Christian. 

That  meeting  lasted  only  eighteen  days.  Forty-five  were 
born  of  the  Spirit,  and  united  with  the  Church;  the  majority  of 
them  were  heads  of  families.  About  a  year  after,  a  neat  church 
was  erected  and  paid  for.  When  this  pastor  preached  therein  on 
a  week  night  the  house  was  filled  with  attentive  listeners.  Wat- 
son shouted  his  old  pastor  down  three  times  during  that  one 
short  sermon.    God  be  praised! 

March  22d,  a  meeting  was  commenced  at  Salem,  which  con- 
tinued twenty-two  days.  Thirty-four  were  converted,  and  joined 
the  Church.  The  farmers,  not  unfrequently,  left  their  teams 
standing  in  the  field  tied  to  the  fence,  and  came  to  Church. 
Manning  Bray,  a  very  promising  young  man,  was  converted 
March  31st,  and  died  happy  July  15th. 


76  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

At  Plymouth,  a  man  past  middle  life,  after  his  conversion, 
was  asked,  "How  he  managed  to  live  in  sin  so  long?"  The 
reply  was,  "I  rushed  on  from  sin  to  sin  so  rapidly  that  I  did  not 
take  time  to  think." 

W S had  been  a  very  wicked  man.  At  Ripley,  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1858,  he  came  to  the  altar  of  prayer  with  many  others. 
He  wept  freely  as  he  pleaded  for  mercy.  His  whole  soul  was 
deeply  in  earnest.  Relief  came  to  his  burdened  heart.  He 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and  started  down  the  aisle,  exclaiming, 
''Glory  to  God!  Glory  to  God!  I  have  found  a  new  Father!  I 
have  found  a  new  Father!"  With  each  shout  he  seized  the  hair 
of  his  head,  first  with  one  hand,  then  with  the  other,  as  he 
marched  up  and  down  the  aisles  of  the  church.  Some  of  the 
people  wept;  others  shouted  for  joy. 

These  examples  are  given  as  samples  of  God's  work  among 
men  that  year.  They  could  be  duplicated  over  and  over  again. 
Only  a  few  instances  are  presented,  to  show  the  character  of  the 
work  done,  and  not  as  a  history  of  the  whole. 

The  junior  preacher's  table  expenses  on  this  charge  were 
fixed  at  $115;  horse-feed  at  $35;  Church  law,  $200;  total  salary, 
$350.     All  of  which  were  paid,  beside  several  liberal  donations. 

Most  of  that  Official  Board  have  gone  from  the  stage  of 
action.  Others  equally  effective  have  taken  their  places. 
Though  the  workmen  fall,  the  work  goes  on.  Gladly  would  I 
sketch  their  lives  had  I  room;  but  space  forbids.  Yet  I  am 
tempted  to  insert  two. 

J.  A.  Field  and  family  were  active  members  of  the  Church 
in  Plymouth.  He  was  engaged  in  merchandising.  Afterward 
he  moved  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  became  prominent  in 
Simday-school  and  Church  work.  He  was  a  lay  member  of  the 
General  Conference  at  Omaha  in  1892.  His  has  been  an  active 
and  a  very  useful  life. 

Another  remarkable  man  on  this  charge  was  Samuel  Parker. 
He  worked  hard  every  day  at  his  trade  as  a  wagonmaker.  He 
was  an  earnest,  devout  Christian  man,  full  of  the  Spirit,  and 
constantly  exemplified  this  in  his  life.  He  shrank  from  the  duty 
of  preaching  the  gospel,  and  devoted  himself  to  business.  His 
liberality  was  proverbial.     He  gave  all  his  income,  save  a  bare 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  77 

living.  His  contributions  annually  to  the  general  benevolences 
of  the  Church  were  extremely  liberal;  often  as  high  as  $500  to 
missions,  and  $250  to  Church  Extension.  Other  benevolences 
were  never  overlooked.  He  has  gone;  but  a  son  bearing  his 
name  follows  in  his  steps. 

Sullivan. — A  few  extracts  from  the  diary  of  1858  will  be  in 
place  here: 

"September  21st. — Drove  into  Wooster  this  morning  with  fear  and 
trembling,  on  account  of  the  Conference  examinations,  which  ended  about 
four  o'clock.  What  a  relief  to  my  mind!  How  exceedingly  thankful  I 
am  that  the  four  years'  course  has  ended  successfully!" 

"22d. — The  North  Ohio  Conference  opened  its  Annual  Session  this 
morning,  with  Bishop  E.  R.  Ames  in  the  chair.  James  Wheeler  preached 
the  missionary  sermon." 

"23d. — Daniel  Wise,  D.  D.,  gave  an  excellent  lecture  on  the  Sunday- 
school  Union.  F.  S.  De  Hass,  D.  D.,  presented  the  Tract  Cause  in  a 
glowing  speech." 

"24th. — William  Taylor,  of  California  (since  Bishop  of  Africa),  was 
introduced,  and  made  a  telling  speech.  At  three  o'clock  he  preached 
a  flaming  sermon  from  Hebrews  v,  11-14,  and  vi,  i.  I,  Spiritual  Babes; 
II.   Spiritual  Men." 

"Sunday,  September  26th. — An  excellent  love-feast.  God's  presence 
was  manifest.  Bishop  Ames  preached  at  eleven  o'clock,  from  i  Thessa- 
lonians  i,  5,  a  sermon  of  great  force  and  power,  after  which  several 
were  ordained  deacons.  At  three  P.  M.  William  L.  Harris,  afterward 
bishop,  preached.  Then  nine  were  ordained  elders.  It  was  an  epoch  to 
one,  who  had  fasted  and  prayed  much  over  his  ordination,  that  he  might 
receive  all  that  it  meant,  and  that  he  might  be  worthy  of  the  same.  The 
bishop's  hands  were  laid  on  his  head,  and  those  impressive  words  re- 
peated for  the  ninth  time:  'The  Lord  pour  upon  thee  the  Holy  Ghost 
for  the  office  and  work  of  an  elder  in  the  Church  of  God,  now  committed 
unto  thee  by  the  imposition  of  our  hands.  And  be  thou  a  faithful  dis- 
penser of  the  W^ord  of  God,  and  of  his  holy  sacraments;  in  the  name  of 
the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Amen.'  During  the 
utterance  of  these  words  there  came  upon  him  such  a  mighty  baptism  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  that  there  was  scarcely  room  to  receive  it.  The  bishop 
leaped  and  shouted.  So  did  'Father'  Jacob  Young,  of  the  Ohio  Con- 
ference, who  had  assisted  in  the  ordination  service.  They  embraced  each 
other,  and  wept  for  joy.  The  fire  spread.  There  were  tears  of  gladness, 
hallelujahs,  shouts,  and  clapping  of  hands  in  various  parts  of  the  house, 
while  songs  of  praise  were  being  sung.  When  he  turned  from  that  sacred 
altar,  one  who  had  been  ordained  the  vear  before  extended  both  hands. 


78  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

tears  were  coursing  down  his  cheeks,  exclaimed,  'O,  how  I  wish  1  had 
waited  another  year  before  being  ordained!'  " 

Bishop  Ames  told  the  writer,  eleven  years  after,  "The  like 
of  .that  ordination  service  I  never  witnessed  before,  or  since. 
The  Holy  Ghost  came  upon  me  with  such  force,  while  repeating 
those  words  the  last  time,  that  I  could  hardly  restrain  myself 
from  shouting  before  they  were  finished,  so  great  was  my  joy." 

"September  27th. — ^The  Conference  adjourned  this  morning  at  seven 
o'clock.  My  name  followed  that  of  Sui^livan.  O,  my  God,  give  me 
success!" 

This  was  a  two-weeks'  circuit,  with  five  appointments; 
namely,  Sullivan,  Homer,  North  Orange,  Troy,  and  Rochester. 

The  stewards  made  the  estimate  as  follows:  Table  expenses, 
$75;  horse-feed,  $20;  Church  law,  $216.  A  little  one  had  been 
added  to  our  family.  Total,  $341.  Of  this  amount,  $285.65  was 
received  by  the  close  of  the  Conference  year. 

The  entry  of  October  14th  says:  "Almost  discouraged,  in  view  of  my 
surroundings.  No  house  can  be  had  in  which  to  live.  I  have  no  en- 
couragement from  any  direction  save  the  grace  of  God." 

"October  27th. — After  much  prayer,  I  have  determined  to  raise  the 
money,  and  buy  a  parsonage  of  six  rooms  in  Sullivan.  Began  soliciting 
funds  to-day." 

"October  28th. — Continued  the  collection.  The  writings  were  drawn 
this  evening,  and  the  house  is  ours.  How  thankful  I  am  that  we  have  a 
home  once  more!" 

"October  29th. — Moved  in  to-day,  and  began  unpacking." 

"December  26th. — Filled  with  Divine  glory.  Jesus  was  never  more 
precious.    I  want  to  see  at  least  sixty  souls  converted  at  North  Orange." 

"December  27th. — Began  a  protracted-meeting  there  this  evening. 
A  dull  time.  Not  one  sign  of  a  revival  in  or  out  of  the  Church.  Only 
on  the  pastor's  heart  does  the  burden  rest." 

"January  5th. — The  Church  has  been  asleep  so  long,  that  it  is  only 
beginning  to  awake.  They  seem  so  indifferent,  I  am  tempted  to  leave 
them  to  themselves." 

The  above  was  written  during  the  day;  but  behold  what  was 
added  before  retiring: 

"Evening  services  closed.  Eight  forward  to-night.  Six  converted. 
To  God  be  all  the  glory!" 

"January  7th, — Good  meeting  to-day.  Many  wept  over  their  short- 
comings.   Fifteen  forward  this  evening.     One  made  very  happy." 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED,  79 

"January  12th. — The  meeting  is  sweeping  on  gloriously.  Many  for- 
ward, morning  and  evening.  One  who  had  been  seeking  a  number  of 
days,  when  the  light  broke  through  the  darkness  of  her  soul,   praised 

God  with  all  her  might.     So  did  her  brother.     H.  L.  B was  filled 

with  the  Spirit,  and  shouted,  'Glory  to  God!  Hallelujah!'  and  clapped 
his  hands  for  joy." 

"January  i8th. — An  interesting  meeting  this  morning.  Two  hardened 
sinners  forward  for  prayers.  One  wore  long  hair,  parted  in  the  middle, 
and  a  very  long  beard.  That  night  he  came  again.  Though  he  prayed 
with  all  his  might,  he  prevailed  not." 

"January  19th. — He  came  again,  and  presented  himself  at  the  altar. 
His  wife  had  a  babe  on  her  arm  only  three  weeks  old,  and  was  sitting  in 
the  back  part  of  the  house,  the  very  picture  of  despair.  The  pastor's  wife, 
who  had  a  nursing  child  of  her  own,  went  to  her,  saying,  'Let  me  take 
your  little  one.*  She  complied,  and  hastened  to  that  altar.  Soon  her 
husband  was  converted.  Looking  round,  saw  his  wife  kneeled  at  his 
side,  threw  his  arms  around  her  neck,  and  shouted,  'Hallelujah!  Glory 
to  God!  I  am  saved.'  She  was  blessed  at  the  same  moment.  Then  for 
the  first  time  she  thought  of  her  babe,  and  hastened  back  to  get  it.  The 
next  morning  when  they  came  to  Church,  his  hair  and  beard  were  neatly 
trimmed.  The  former  was  parted  on  the  side,  though  not  a  word  had 
been  said  to  him  on  the  subject.  There  was  a  shout  in  the  camp  this 
evening.  Ten  converted.  Glory  shone  in  their  very  faces.  How  they 
praised  God!    What  power  was  manifest?    O  Lord!  carry  on  thy  work!" 

"January  21st. — The  Lord  helped  in  preaching  the  Word  in  an  un- 
usual manner.  It  was  prayer  and  praise  all  around  the  altar.  God's  power 
was  manifested  to  saint  and  sinner." 

"January  24th. — ^Twenty-six  started  to-night.  They  rushed  to  the 
altar  like  sheep  over  a  wall.  The  devil  is  fighting  us;  but  the  Lord  is  on 
our  side,  and  we  shall  prevail." 

"January  25th. — Three  young  men  were  happily  converted  while 
kneeling  side  by  side.  Many  were  prostrated  to  the  floor.  The  shouting 
was  almost  deafening." 

"January  26th. — A  precious  and  solemn  meeting.  Several  conver- 
sions. The  power  of  God  rested  on  many.  Thirteen  at  one  time  lay 
helpless  in  different  parts  of  the  church.  Some  came  to  in  a  few  mo- 
ments. Others  in  an  hour  or  more,  and  one  lay  for  three  days,  entirely 
unconscious  of  all  her  surroundings.  The  only  evidence  of  life  was  her 
breathing.  Some  wicked  fellows  confessed  afterward  that  they  stuck 
pins  into  the  arms  and  limbs  of  some  of  those  prostrated,  expecting  to 
see  them  jump;  but  there  was  not  a  flinch  of  a  nerve  or  muscle." 

The  Christian  people  remained  at  the   Church  until  three 
o'clock  the  next  morning,  when  nearly  all  had  regained  their 
consciousness.    Those  who  had  not  were  taken  to  their  homes, 
6 


8o  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

or  to  the  nearest  house.  Rachel,  the  wife  of  Alexander  Phillips, 
lay  helpless  for  some  time  before  she  began  to  show  signs  of  life. 
She  spoke  with  a  heavenly  sweetness  that  no  pen  can  describe: 

"Precious  Jesus!  Praise  the  Lord!  Glory  to  Jesus!  I  saw  Jesus. 
He  is  so  sweet.  He  says  I  was  converted  ten  years  ago.  I  will  doubt 
no  more.  I  saw  such  pretty  things  there.  Jesus  stood  on  the  edge  of  the 
throne.  He  smiled  so  sweetly,  saying,  if  I  will  be  faithful  a  little  longer 
he  will  take  me  home.  I  saw  a  great  many  folks  there.  They  were  not 
angels.  There  were  all  sizes  of  children.  No  wonder  we  love  Jesus! 
I  long  to  go  and  dwell  with  him.  I  do  love  Jesus.  They  all  praise  him. 
No  sinners  in  heaven.  There  are  wonders  there  which  I  saw,  that  I  am 
not  permitted  to  tell.  Who  is  fanning  me?  I  felt  a  breeze.  It  is  so 
sweet." 

No  one  was  fanning  her.  That  scene  can  never  be  forgotten. 
Long  since  Jesus  has  taken  her  home.  She  was  true  to  him  to 
the  very  last.  The  above  statements  were  written  as  they  were 
uttered. 

The  testimonies  of  all  were  very  similar.  One  said:  *'I  saw 
my  brother  there,"  as  she  pointed  upward;  "how  sweetly  he 
smiled!     Precious  Jesus!" 

"January  27th. — A  meeting  of  power  this  morning.  The  very  air 
seemed  impregnated  with  the  Divine  presence.  No  sermon  would  fit. 
God  was  so  near.  There  was  weeping,  wailing,  and  prostrations  in 
different  parts  of  the  house.  How  wondrously  God  did  save  and  bless  the 
people!" 

Samuel  Smith,  out  of  curiosity,  came  to  Church  one  night. 
The  pastor,  who  always  kept  a  supply  of  religious  books  for  sale 
at  the  close  of  each  service  during  the  week,  showed  him  Jesse 
T.  Peck's  little  book,  entitled,  ''What  Must  I  Do  to  Be  Saved?" 
He  read  the  title  and  shook  his  head,  and  walked  away,  not  to 
return  for  three  days.  An  arrow,  however,  had  pierced  his  soul, 
and  he  could  not  extract  it. 

The  diary  continues: 

"February  2d. — He  was  converted,  and  made  very  happy.  His  wife 
found  Jesus  precious  to  her  in  the  evening." 

"February  5th. — I  preached  my  fifty-second  sermon  since  these  meet- 
ings began.  Nearly  two  a  day.  There  have  been  at  least  sixty  souls  con- 
verted. My  request  has  been  granted.  To  God  be  all  the  praise!  Over 
that  number  joined  the  Church." 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  %X 

"February  7th. — One  young  man,  who  had  been  seeking  for  four 
days,  became  despondent,  and  was  about  to  give  up.  On  his  way  to 
Church,  having  learned  of  his  intention,  the  pastor  urged  him  to  make 
one  more  effort,  trusting  God  alone  for  the  result.  The  house  was  very 
much  crowded.  He  had  to  take  his  seat  close  up  to  the  stand.  Just  as 
the  text  was  being  announced,  that  young  man  was  blessed.  He  sprang 
to  his  feet,  and  told  the  people  what  God  had  done  for  him.  He  exhorted 
with  great  vehemence  the  unsaved  to  seek  salvation  at  once.  The  power 
of  God  descended  upon  the  congregation.  There  was  no  need  of  a  ser- 
mon. The  invitation  was  given,  and  the  people  came  rushing  to  the 
altar.    Many  were  saved." 

''February  loth. — Two  were  converted.  The  past  six  weeks  has 
shown  the  greatest  display  of  Divine  power  mine  eyes  ever  witnessed. 
All  the  glory  belongs  to  God.     Closed  the  meetings  to-night." 

A  protracted-meeting  was  held  in  Homer  for  twenty-one  days. 
A  few  were  saved.  Those  of  the  "baser  sort"  broke  up  the  meet- 
ing. The  Church  of  Christ  and  the  liquor-trafiBc  are  antago- 
nistic. Their  interests  can  not  be  harmonized.  The  success  of 
the  one  means  the  overthrow  of  the  other.  Which  shall  it  be? 
is  for  the  religious  people  to  decide.  The  good  people  of  Homer 
were  cowed  by  the  whisky  element.  There  was  no  church-build- 
ing there  then.  All  meetings  were  held  in  the  schoolhouse. 
Nothing  but  absolute  prohibition  of  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
all  intoxicants  will  save  this  Nation.    God  hasten  the  time! 

The  church  in  Sullivan  was  repaired.  The  year  closed  pleas- 
antly to  all  concerned,  with  a  unanimous  request  for  the  pastor's 
return. 

Orange  Circuit  was  his  next  charge,  which  called  for  a 
move  of  only  seven  miles.  On  this  circuit  three  services  were 
held  every  Sabbath.  Orange,  Polk,  Hopewell,  New  Pittsburg, 
Rousburg,  and  Lafayette  were  the  names  of  the  several  places. 

The  parsonage  was  at  Orange,  and  not  in  a  suitable  condition 
for  occupancy.  It  had  been  rented  for  several  years,  and  was 
greatly  out  of  repair  and  extremely  filthy.  The  cistern  had  caved 
in,  and  there  was  no  well.  The  barn  had  been  used  for  a  hog- 
pen. No  one  volunteered  to  help  renovate  things,  or  to  repair 
that  which  was  needful.  The  pastor  had  no  money  with  which 
to  hire  it  done.  He  and  his  wife  had  all  this  cleaning  and  re- 
pairing to  do  before  they  could  go  to  housekeeping.    The  people 


82  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

were  indifferent.  Anything  was  good  enough  for  a  poor  itin- 
erant; while  they  Hved  in  good  comfortable  homes,  and  were 
well-to-do. 

A  sixteen-days'  meeting  was  held  in  Rousburg,  with  little 
apparent  results.  During  the  month  of  February  a  meeting  was 
commenced  in  Orange.  The  Church  was  greatly  benefited,  and 
about  forty  souls  converted.     One  incident  is  worth  mentioning: 

There  lived  two  doors  north  of  the  parsonage  a  man  having 
a  wife  and  two  small  children.  She  was  convicted  of  sin,  and  felt 
that  if  she  did  not  start  for  the  kingdom  that  night,  she  would  be 
lost  forever.  Consulted  her  husband  on  the  subject  of  duty.  He, 
being  a  bitter  opponent  of  religion,  replied:  "If  you  go  to  that 
Methodist  altar  to-night,  I  will  drag  you  out  by  the  hair  of  your 
head."  After  conversing  with  some  of  her  friends,  she  decided  to 
**obey  God  rather  than  man;"  came  to  the  Church,  and,  after  the 
sermon,  kneeled,  with  many  others,  at  the  altar  of  prayer.  While 
the  congregation  was  standing  to  sing,  and  the  invitation  was 
being  urged,  the  above-mentioned  gentleman  was  seen  elbowing 
his  way  up  through  the  crowded  aisle.  The  pastor,  having 
learned  his  intent,  met  him  just  before  he  reached  the  altar,  and 
placing  one  hand  on  his  shoulder,  called  on  Jacob  Fluke  to  pray. 
The  singing  ceased.  All  went  down  on  their  knees,  the  en- 
raged man  with  the  rest,  who  trembled  from  head  to  foot,  as  if 
shaken  by  the  power  of  God.  Brother  Fluke  prayed  as  never 
before.  The  Holy  Ghost  power  came  down  on  the  people.  That 
man's  wife  knew  not  that  her  incensed  husband  was  within  arm's- 
length  of  her  as  she  prayed  and  when  she  was  converted.  After 
two  or  three  prayers,  they  arose  to  sing,  when  the  infuriated  man 
fled  from  the  church,  as  if  shot  out  of  a  gun.  The  next  morning 
early  he  endeavored  to  hang  himself  to  spite  his  wife.  She  inter- 
cepted this  little  scheme.  He  next  got  a  razor,  declaring  he 
would  cut  the  preacher's  throat,  and  then  his  own.  For  this  pur- 
pose he  secreted  himself  in  the  parsonage  barn,  where  he  was 
found  by  some  men,  called  in  by  his  wife,  who  took  the  razor 
from  him,  and  conveyed  him  home.  For  some  unknown  cause 
the  pastor  was  prevented  from  going  to  the  stable  as  early  as 
usual  that  morning;  or  he  would  not,  in  all  probability,  write 
these  lines.     Soon  after  being  conveyed  to  his  house,  he  clan- 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED,  83 

destinely  took  a  big  dose  of  ''corrosive  sublimate,"  which  caused 
his  death.  Though  medical  aid  was  secured,  it  failed  to  counter- 
act the  effects  of  the  poison. 

The  pastor  labored  against  odds  all  that  year,  because  he  was 
not  the  choice  of  the  people,  they  having  expected  another.  On 
account  of  this,  he  asked  to  be  removed  when  Conference  came, 
and  his  request  was  granted. 

Dover,  on  the  lakeshore,  west  of  Cleveland,  was  his  next 
appointment.  This  was  a  half-station,  with  preaching  at  Dover 
every  Sabbath  morning,  and  at  Rockport  or  Dover  lakeshore 
on  the  alternate  afternoons.  On  Monday  evenings,  once  in  two 
weeks,  at  Brigg's.  He  had  some  good  meetings  at  Dover  and 
at  the  other  points,  but  no  sweeping  revivals.  Only  a  few  con- 
versions. The  year  was,  in  some  particulars,  a  hard  one.  He 
received  very  little  pay.  Once  his  family  supplies  were  reduced 
to  a  handful  of  flour  and  a  few  potatoes. 

Just  as  these  were  being  consumed,  God  sent  a  wagon-load 
of  supplies.  Ofttimes  was  the  bottom  of  the  flour-barrel  reached, 
but  somehow  or  in  some  way,  just  before  it  was  scraped  clean, 
needed  aid  always  came.    God  knew  all  about  it. 

The  last  of  February  (1861),  Abraham  Lincoln,  on  his  way 
to  be  inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States,  halted  in  Cleve- 
land long  enough  to  witness  a  procession  in  his  honor,  and  to 
address,  from  the  balcony  of  the  Lindel  Hotel,  the  thousands 
who  listened  with  closest  attention  to  this  most  remarkable  man. 
That  tall  form,  intelligent  face,  and  benevolent  features  impressed 
every  onlooker  with  the  goodness  and  sincerity  of  his  heart, 
which  was  so  often  exhibited  in  after  years.  His  were  words  of 
wisdom  and  of  intense  earnestness.  The  large  majority  of  his 
listeners  felt  that  he,  who  had  requested  the  prayers  of  the  Nation, 
was  the  sent  of  God,  and  they  were  willing  to  grant  his  wish. 

In  the  following  April  the  tocsin  of  war  was  sounded  through 
all  our  land.  Drums  were  beating,  fifes  playing,  martial  music 
sounding  everywhere.  The  flag  had  been  fired  upon,  and  some- 
thing had  to  be  done.  The  Government  of  the  fathers  was  in 
danger.  Men  and  women  were  ready  to  sacrifice  the  comforts 
of  home — yea,  even  life  itself — for  their  country's  sake.    The  Gov- 


$4  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

ernment  can  never  repay  the  Nation's  defenders,  no  matter  what 
they  may  do.  Justice  demands  that  they  be  rewarded  according 
to  his,  or  her,  necessities.  The  years  spent  in  the  service  would 
have  been  used  in  laying  up  a  competence,  instead  of  standing 
in  the  ranks  to  be  shot  at  by  an  enemy.  Niggardly  is  the  policy 
that  begrudges  to  the  old  veteran  the  little  pittance  which  he 
receives  from  the  Government. 

Once  more  this  penman  said  to  his  presiding  elder,  though 
the  year  had  been  an  harmonious  one,  *'Send  me  somewhere  else; 
I  can  do  nothing  here." 

DaIvTon  Circuit  came  next,  with  John  McNabb  preacher  in 
charge,  and  Joseph  Kennedy  presiding  elder.  Brother  McNabb 
was  a  superior  sermonizer,  but  a  very  poor  conversationalist. 
Out  of  the  pulpit  he  never  seemed  to  know  what  to  say;  but  in 
it,  that  often  "unruly  member"  hung  on  a  swivel,  and  swung  both 
ways.  His  sermons  were  masterly  efforts,  and  were  delivered 
with  great  force.  John  McNabb  was  a  good  man,  and  had  few 
equals  as  a  preacher.    He  rests  from  his  labors. 

In  the  spring  of  1862,  his  eldest  son,  Joseph,  enlisted  in  the 
Union  army.  His  colleague  hastened  to  extend  his  sympathies 
to  the  family.  With  a  deep  sigh.  Brother  McNabb  replied :  "It  is 
much  easier  to  send  other  people's  sons  to  the  army  than  your 
own." 

This  was  a  four- weeks'  circuit,  with  nine  appointments; 
namely,  Dalton,  Greenville,  Canal  Fulton,  Clinton,  Doylestown, 
Brookfield,  Union  Chapel,  Bristol,  and  Orrville.  McNabb  lived 
at  Dalton  in  the  parsonage.  His  colleague  resided  "in  his  own 
hired  house"  in  Doylestown.  They  were  about  fifteen  miles 
apart.  At  the  latter  place  a  new  church  was  dedicated,  Decem- 
ber 15,  1861,  by  W.  B.  Disbro.  McNabb  decided,  in  January, 
1862,  to  hold  a  protracted-meeting  there,  where  it  was  greatly 
needed,  but  was  not  even  desired  by  the  people  in,  or  out  of,  the 
Church.  On  Sunday,  January  12th,  "the  little  preacher,"  as  they 
then  called  him,  preached;  the  preacher  in  charge  on  Monday 
evening.  Tuesday  morning  he  said  to  the  junior  preacher:  "I 
am  going  home;  you  preach  to-night  and  to-morrow  night.  I 
will  be  back  on  Thursday  night,  and  will  preach  and  close  the 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  85 

meeting,  if  you  do  not  close  it  before.  Nothing  can  be  done 
with  such  a  quarrelsome  set.     I  can  see  no  signs  of  a  revival." 

His  orders  were  obeyed  to  the  letter.  Thursday  he  preached 
at  ten  and  one-half  o'clock  A.  M.,  when  three  out  of  the  few  pres- 
ent agreed  to  pray  three  times  a  day  until  a  revival  came.  That 
evening,  no  McNabb.  The  junior  preacher  had  to  conduct  the 
services.  All  but  those  three  members  advised  "that  the  meet- 
ings close.  Nothing  can  be  done  without  McNabb.  There  has 
not  been  a  revival  here  for  twenty  years.  Greater  men  have  tried 
it,  and  always  failed." 

God  had  laid  on  that  young  pastor's  heart  such  a  burden 
for  souls  that  he  could  not  rest.  He  was  assured,  when  pleading 
in  secret,  that  a  glorious  revival  was  impending.  Of  this  he  was 
just  as  certain  as  if  he  saw  it.  This  is  what  gave  him  the  courage 
to  continue  the  meetings,  though  the  entire  officiary,  save  one, 
opposed  their  continuance.  God  had  anointed  him  afresh  for 
this  special  work.  Thus  equipped,  he  neither  feared  men  nor 
devils. 

There  were  two  other  Protestant  Churches  and  a  Roman 
Catholic  Church  in  town,  with  large  audiences,  but  with  a  mem- 
bership as  cold  as  ribbed  ice.  These  bitterly  opposed  efforts  of 
this  kind.  'Xearn  the  Catechism,"  **join  the  Church,  and  do  the 
best  you  can,"  was  all  that  they  required.  "Live  your  religion," 
said  those  leaders  of  the  "blind;"  "but  keep  away  from  all  those 
Methodist  fanatics."  Our  people  had  largely  come  into  sympathy 
with  these  views. 

Notwithstanding  all  of  this  persistent  opposition  from  our 
own  and  other  Churches,  the  meetings  went  steadily  on  for  six 
consecutive  weeks,  with  unabated  interest.  In  two  services  a 
day,  except  on  Mondays  and  Saturdays,  that  servant  of  God 
thundered  forth  the  words  of  life  and  of  death  for  thirty  days, 
before  hearing  one  solitary  word  from  his  colleague.  Then  a 
letter  came,  saying:  "I  have  been  very  sick.  Am  convalescent. 
Will  come  up  as  soon  as  able." 

Ten  days  more  that  meeting  swept  on,  removing  all  oppo- 
sition, like  the  Johnstown  flood.  There  had  come  to  that  Church 
and  community  a  mighty  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  so  that  over 
two  hundred  souls  had  been  saved  and  blessed.    The  other  min- 


86  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

isters  in  the  town  did  all  they  could  against  the  meetings,  en- 
deavoring to  keep  their  people  away.  Many  of  them  were  con- 
verted at  our  altars.  As  a  last  resort,  they  held  opposition  meet- 
ings during  the  last  two  weeks.  Not  one  word  or  hint  was  given 
in  public  or  in  private  during  those  forty  days  that  could  be  con- 
strued into  a  desire  to  proselyte  by  the  leader  of  these  meetings. 

Yet  the  other  ministers  were  at  it  from  morning  to  night 
during  the  last  weeks  of  the  meeting.  They  did  everything  in 
their  power  to  keep  their  people  from  attending  the  services. 
The  result  was,  that  one  of  the  Churches  took  in  eighty-five  mem- 
bers, and  the  other  quite  a  number.  Methodist  converts  were 
good  enough  for  them. 

This  is  usually  the  case.  The  conductor  of  the  meeting 
adopted  his  usual  practice,  saying:  "I  am  not  here  to  make  sec- 
tarians of  you.  I  do  not  ask  you  to  join  any  Church.  Settle 
that  between  God  and  your  own  conscience.  After  you  are  con- 
verted, go  where  you  can  get  the  most  good." 

From  Brother  McNabb  himself  the  following  facts  were 
learned.  Said  he:  "I  had  fully  made  up  my  mind  to  close  the 
meeting  on  Thursday  night,  if  you  had  not;  and  to  forbid  you 
going  on  with  it.  Joseph  brought  out  my  horse.  Roy  [who  has 
since  been  a  missionary  in  Central  China,  and  is  now  a  pastor 
in  the  Colorado  Conference,  doing  good  work]  got  in  to  go  with 
me.  I  was  feeling  as  well  as  ever  in  my  life,  and  told  my  wife 
I  wouli  be  home  the  next  morning.  When  I  put  my  foot  on  the 
step  of  the  buggy,  something  seemed  to  seize  my  throat  on  the 
inside.  I  thought  it  would  pass  away  in  a  few  minutes.  The  far- 
ther I  drove  toward  Doylestown,  the  worse  I  became.  As  I 
crossed  the  bridge  over  the  creek  below  town,  I  was  taken  with 
a  chill.  My  throat  had  become  so  swollen  that  I  could  scarcely 
speak.  The  town  was  in  sight.  The  church  steeples  were  in 
full  view.  I  turned  my  horse  around,  and  hastened  home,  went 
to  bed,  and  did  not  get  out  for  four  weeks.  It  came  very  near 
costing  me  my  life.  God  set  his  seal  on  me,  that  I  should  not 
interfere  with  you  in  conducting  the  meeting."  "God's  ways  are 
not  as  our  ways,  nor  his  thoughts  as  our  thoughts." 

In  these  jottings  I  can  give  only  three  incidents  of  this  most 
wonderful  work  of  grace,  the  effects  of  which  remain  to  this 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  87 

day.  To  God  be  all  the  praise!  The  power  of  God  so  rested  on 
the  entire  community  that  many  were  convicted  of  sin  and  con- 
verted who  had  not  been  near  the  meetings,  some  while-  in 
their  homes,  and  others  on  the  public  highways.  Of  the  former 
was  a  man  by  the  name  of  Siberlain,  the  inventor  of  the  ''Drop 
Reaper."  He  afterward  moved  to  Akron,  and  became  famous  as 
a  reaper  manufacturer.  Did  he  in  the  days  of  great  financial 
prosperity  forget  ''the  Christ?" 

One  day  a  man  past  middle  life,  moral  and  a  Universalist, 
who  had  not  been  near  the  meetings,  was  driving  down  to  his 
coal-bank  for  a  load  of  coal,  when  he  was  so  convicted  of  sin  that 
he  cried  aloud  for  mercy.  The  wagon-seat  became  his  "mourn- 
ers' bench,"  the  altar  of  God  to  his  soul.  His  prayer  was  an- 
swered, and  he  was  born  of  God.  Like  the  woman  at  Jacob's 
well,  who  came  to  draw  water,  after  finding  the  Messiah,  forgot 
her  errand,  and  hastened  to  tell  the  glad  news  to  her  friends 
(John  iv,  28),  so  this  man  turned  his  team  around  in  front  of  his 
coal-bank,  forgetting  what  he  had  come  for,  and  hurried  back  to 
town  to  tell  of  his  new-found  joy.  The  first  man  he  saw  was 
the  preacher  who  was  conducting  the  meeting,  and  as  they  met 
in  the  public  square  he  declared  to  him  the  glorious  news  of  his 
conversion.  That  very  night  this  dignified  man  sat  on  the  front 
seat  of  the  church,  and  after  bowing  the  knee  at  the  altar  of 
prayer  with  many  others,  stood  before  the  amazed  audience  of 
nearly  five  hundred  people,  and  told  how  remarkably  God  had 
converted  him  that  day.  Many  wept  for  joy  while  listening  to 
the  recital  of  his  experience.  He  told  how  he  had  staid  away 
from  the  meetings,  because  of  his  hatred  for  the  Methodists,  and 
how  he  had  fought  against  them.  But  now  God  had  had  mercy 
on  his  soul,  etc.  He  had  no  further  use  for  Universalism  since 
he  had  found  salvation.  Neither  has  any  one  else  under  a  like 
experience. 

On  one  side  of  the  public  square  was  a  carpenter-shop,  and  on 
the  opposite  a  place  where  intoxicating  drinks  were  sold.  A  well- 
beaten  path  led  across  the  green  sward  from  one  to  the  other. 
That  mechanic  worked  early  and  late  all  the  time;  yet  somehow 
he  did  not  get  on  very  well.  He  went  shabbily  dressed.  His 
family  lived  just  at  the  east  edge  of  town.   •  The  house  needed 


88  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

paint.  The  rooms  were  few  and  sparsely  furnished.  Where 
many  of  the  window-panes  once  were,  were  now  rags  or  old  hats, 
which  did  not  add  to  the  comfort  of  the  inmates  or  to  the  ap- 
pearance from  the  outside.  The  gate  was  off  its  hinges,  and  the 
barn-door  gone.  The  cow  stood  lowing  for  the  food  which  sel- 
dom came.  The  garden  was  unkept.  Everything  about  the 
place  had  a  slovenly  look.  His  wife  and  children  were  scantily 
clad,  even  in  winter,  and  were  very  poorly  fed.  They  were  the 
pictures  of  despair.  The  husband  and  father  was  never  known 
to  get  drunk.  Yet  the  first  thing  in  the  early  morning  was  an 
"eye-opener;"  then  after  his  scanty  breakfast,  "a  digester;"  be- 
fore dinner,  *'an  appetizer;"  and  after  it  a  drink  to  "aid  the  diges- 
tion." His  supper  was  washed  down  by  an  *'eye-shutter."  Oft- 
times  between  meals,  when  a  customer  paid  a  bill,  they  stepped 
over  to  the  saloon  for  a  drink.  This  man  considered  himself 
only  a  moderate  drinker.  He  could  quit  any  time  if  he  would. 
He  was  no  drunkard!  His  wife  and  children  were  too  meanly 
clad  to  attend  Church  or  Sunday-school.  The  dispenser  of  bev- 
erages and  his  family  lived  in  very  comfortable  quarters,  and  were 
well-dressed;  the  latter  in  their  silks  and  satins.  They  considered 
themselves  very  respectable  people,  and  far  above  the  unfortunate 
family  above-mentioned. 

A  month  or  so  passes  quickly  by  after  the  above-mentioned 
observations  were  made;  and  what  a  change  in  that  drinking 
man's  family!  They  occupy  the  front  seat  in  the  church,  plainly 
but  neatly  clad.  Cheerfulness  marks  every  feature  of  their  faces. 
They,  with  many  others,  are  admitted  into  the  Church  on  proba- 
tion. The  pastor  calls  on  them  once  more.  What  a  transforma- 
tion! The  gate  is  on  its  hinges.  The  barn-door  is  in  place.  The 
cow  has  plenty  of  feed.  The  window  stuffings  have  disappeared, 
and  glass  takes  their  places.  The  rooms  are  carpeted,  and  needed 
furniture  added;  wife  and  children  contented  and  happy.  Sum- 
mer comes,  the  dust  lies  undisturbed,  and  the  grass  is  growing 
in  the  untrodden  path  over  to  the  saloon,  which  is  now  closed 
for  the  want  of  patronage. 

What  made  the  change?  The  religion  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  which  came  into  that  home,  converting  husband  and  wife. 
Their  children  saw  and  felt  the  difference,  and  as  well  the  dumb 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED,  89 

animal.  The  money  now  earned  goes  to  add  comforts  to  his 
own  home,  and  not  to  that  of  the  man  who  is  too  indolent  to 
earn  an  honest  living  so  long  as  he  can  catch  in  his  trap  the 
unwary,  and  fill  his  till  with  their  hard  earnings. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  P ,  living  next  door  to  the  pastor, 

was  soundly  converted,  and  joined  the  Church  on  a  Sabbath 
morning.  His  wife  and  two  children  accompanied  him  the  next 
time  he  went.  She  had  been  "confirmed"  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  and  supposed  herself  a  Christian ;  but  no  one  else,  not  even 
her  own  husband,  entertained  such  a  thought.  She  was  con- 
victed of  sin;  but  would  not  go  to  the  altar  or  join  the  Church 
on  probation.  She  searched  the  house  from  garret  to  cellar, 
emptied  drawers,  took  up  carpets;  all  to  find  the  evidence  of  her 
Christian  character.  The  missing  confirmation  certificate  could 
not  be  found.  Her  convictions  deepened;  still  she  would  not 
yield.  One  night,  after  reaching  home  from  the  services,  her 
husband  proposed  family  worship.  She  said  as  she  dropped  on 
her  knees,  'Tray  for  me."  That  prayer  was  not  answered  until 
near  midnight,  when  she  was  joyously  saved.  The  blessing  did 
not  come,  however,  until  she  was  willing  to  go  to  the  altar,  or  to 
any  place  God  might  require;  then  the  victory  came.  The  next 
Sabbath  she,  with  many  others,  joined  the  Church  on  probation. 
How  the  Holy  Spirit  can  mellow  the  pride  of  the  human  heart! 

Meetings  were  held  at  several  points  and  in  Canal  Fulton, 
with  good  results  to  many  in  and  out  of  the  Church.  Dr.  L.  A. 
Markham  was  a  practicing  physician  there,  and  an  active  member 
of  the  Church.  The  "regulars"  called  him  a  "quack,"  but  he  was 
more  successful  in  his  practice  than  the  best  of  them.  He  after- 
ward entered  the  ministry.  His  labors  therein  have  also  been 
remarkably  successful.  In  the  North  Ohio,  Missouri,  and  the 
Kansas  Conferences,  he  has  proven  himself  a  workman  that 
needeth  not  to  be  ashamed.  Brother  Markham  joined  the  re- 
deemed on  the  other  shore  August  27,  1893.  His  three  sons 
stand  high  where  they  are  known.  One  is  a  professor  in  Bald- 
win University,  Kansas,  where  his  mother  resides. 

When  that  Conference  year  closed,  the  presiding  elder  said 
to  the  junior  pastor:  "You  have  had  a  most  successful  year. 
There  is  a  place  to  which  I  would  like  to  send  you,  and  where 


90  •  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

you  can  do  a  great  deal  of  good."  This  was  the  first  time,  in 
eight  successive  years,  that  he  was  consulted  about  his  appoint- 
ment. As  to  his  conferring  with  the  authorities,  that  was  never 
thought  of.  Every  charge  was  received  as  direct  from  the  hand 
of  God.  All  the  reply  he  made  to  the  above  was,  ''Do  with  me 
as  you  please."  As  usual,  he  did  not  know  where  he  was  going 
until  the  bishop  read  the  appointments  at  the  close  of  the  Con- 
ference. 

Nashvii^Iv^  Circuit,  our  next  appointment,  had  eight 
preaching-places;  namely,  Nashville,  Temple,  Mashman's,  Lou- 
donville,  Drake's  Valley,  Newkirk's,  and  Bigelow  Chapel. 

Charles  D.  Lakey  was  preacher  in  charge.  He  was  a  good 
preacher  and  genial  associate.  Some  way,  preaching  and  he  were 
not  a  fit.  After  three  months  he  gave  up  the  work,  and  entered 
upon  other  employment.  His  home  for  years  has  been  in  New 
York  City,  where  the  writer  met  him  while  at  the  session  of  the 
General  Conference  in  1888. 

The  junior  preacher  had  a  long  move  with  wagons,  which 
was  no  small  task,  since  the  "olive  plants"  around  his  table  had 
increased  to  the  number  of  three.  Two  sons  and  a  daughter  had 
been  gladly  received  as  gifts  of  God,  and  were  the  joy  of  the 
household. 

Protracted-meetings  were  held  during  the  months  of  Janu- 
ary, February,  and  March,  as  follows:  Napoleon,  fourteen  days; 
Nashville,  eleven  days;  Bigelow  Chapel,  seven  days;  Newkirk's, 
twelve  days ;  Temple,  two  days ;  Loudonville,  three  days ;  Drake's 
Valley,  six  days.  During  these  meetings  the  Church  was  greatly 
strengthened,  and  nearly  one  hundred  souls  saved. 

"Father"  Jacob,  a  colored  man,  was  sexton  of  the  church  at 
Nashville.  He  was  a  Christian  gentleman,  and  greatly  beloved. 
He  entered  by  faith  during  the  meeting  into  the  "Holy  of 
Holies,"  and  was  as  happy  as  a  mortal  could  well  be  and  live, 
pastor  walked  into  the  church  one  morning  when  Jacob  was 
ringing  the  bell.  Every  time  he  pulled  the  rope  there  came 
bubbling  up  from  within  the  shout  of  "Glory!  Glory!"  His  up- 
turned face  fairly  shone  with  the  light  from  heaven's  own  altar. 
He  has  long  since  joined  the  blood-washed  before  the  throne. 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  9 1 

Lewis  Everly,  a  merchant,  was  the  leading  man  of  the 
Church,  who,  with  his  excellent  family,  royally  supported  the 
pastor  in  his  work. 

John  Knox  was  a  mechanic,  quaint,  devout,  and  an  able  de- 
fender of  the  Word. 

James  Johnson  was  a  local  preacher,  and  resided  at  New- 
kirk's.  The  meetings  helped  him  into  a  richer  experience.  He 
soon  after  entered  the  Conference,  and  became  a  useful  minister 
of  the  gospel. 

Near  Bigelow  Chapel  lived  a  superior  young  man  by  the 

name  of  B ,  who  has  been  for  years  a  missionary  in  China, 

under  the  auspices  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

There  were  many  excellent  men  and  women  on  this  charge, 
as  there  were  on  all  of  the  charges  served. 

These  were  war  times,  and  the  excitement  ran  high.  Holmes 
County  was  no  exception  to  the  rule,  especially  the  southwestern 
portion,  which  was  full  of  "Copperheads,"  as  they  were  then 
called.  Several  hundred  of  this  class  gathered  on  a  hill,  just 
south  of  Napoleon,  built  a  sort  of  fort,  and  stored  supplies.  Guns 
of  every  description  were  brought  together  for  use.  The  town 
of  Napoleon  was  under  guard.  No  one  not  loyal  to  the  rebel 
cause  was  permitted  to  pass  in  or  out. 

Just  what  they  expected  to  accomplish  no  one  knew.  They 
probably  did  not  know  themselves.  But  for  the  strategy  of  a 
woman,  no  one  can  predict  what  this  little  rebellion  might  have 
led  to.  Mrs.  Beaty,  with  a  large  family,  lived  just  east  of  the 
town.  She  determined  that  the  authorities  should  know  what 
was  going  on.  So  she  put  a  small  boy  on  a  horse,  with  a  basket 
of  cabbage-plants  for  a  sick  woman,  who  lived  on  the  road  to 
Nashville.  The  boy  rode  slowly  along  through  the  lines,  dropped 
the  basket  where  it  was  designed,  and  then  ran  his  horse  into 
Nashville,  giving  the  alarm.  Word  was  immediately  telegraphed 
to  the  governor,  and  the  next  day  four  hundred  "Boys  in  Blue" 
marched  into  Nashville.  The  town  of  Napoleon  was  taken  by 
surprise.  The  enemy  never  stopped  to  fire  a  gun,  but  fled  pre- 
cipitately. Their  fort  was  taken,  with  all  its  contents,  by  the  firing 
of  only  one  volley  over  their  heads,  when  every  man  "ske- 
daddled!" 


92  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

The  Beaty  family  afterward  sold  out,  and  moved  to  North- 
eastern Missouri,  where  many  of  them  still  reside. 

Between  Newkirk's  and  Bigelow's,  off  a  little  to  the  left, 
stood  on  a  knoll  in  a  grove  the  Ellsworth  schoolhouse.  Here 
was  a  ''Butternut"  neighborhood.  They  threatened  the  life  of 
any  man  who  dared  to  defend  the  prosecution  of  the  war  in  their 
midst.  The  junior  preacher,  who  had  charge  of  the  circuit  after 
his  colleague  quit,  heard  of  this,  and  announced  that  he  would 
speak  there  at  four  o'clock  P.  M.  of  June  28,  1863.  When  he 
reached  Newkirk's  that  Sabbath  morning,  his  brethren  begged  of 
him  not  to  go,  fearing  that  they  would  ^^^  and  hang  him.  When 
the  brethren  learned  that  the  appointment  would  be  met,  one  of 
them  said,  ''I  will  go  with  you."  The  pastor  preached  that  morn- 
ing and  afternoon,  riding  several  miles  between,  and  drove  up 
to  the  designated  place  for  the  four  o'clock  service.  A  crowd  of 
people  had  gathered.  In  front  stood  a  man  with  a  coil  of  rope  on 
his  arm,  and  beside  him  another  with  a  basket  of  eggs.  This 
looked  like  business.  They  all  seemed  determined  and  defiant; 
as  much  as  to  say,  "How  dare  you  to  come  here  and  defend  the 
Government?"  The  horse  was  hitched  to  a  tree  beside  an  up- 
raised window.  The  man  with  the  coil  of  rope  and  the  one  with 
the  eggs  on  his  lap  were  as  calm  as  a  May  morning,  after  taking 
their  seats  within.  A  few  verses  were  sung,  prayer  offered  for 
the  support  and  maintenance  of  the  Government,  and  for  mercy 
on  all  those  who  were  in  arms  against  the  same.  The  speaker's 
text  was  Leviticus  xxv,  44-46.  From  this  he  endeavored  to  show 
that  human  slavery  was  not  sustained  by  a  correct  interpretation 
of  the  Bible,  and  that  those  in  authority  were  there  by  Divine 
appointment,  and  therefore  should  be  sustained.  For  over  two 
hours  he  addressed  that  audience  on  these  vital  questions.  After 
a  time  the  ^^%  man  slipped  his  basket  under  his  seat.  The  rope 
man  did  the  same.  Some  wept  and  others  cheered  as  the  dis- 
course proceeded.  So  great  did  the  enthusiasm  become  that 
they  would  allow  no  halt  until  the  sun  was  sinking  out  of  sight. 
Rebellion  was  never  heard  of  in  that  community  again. 

Aaron  Y kept  a  saloon  in  Nashville,  and  did  a  thriving 

business.  His  home  was  diagonally  across  the  street  from  the 
parsonage.     Just  below  town  resided  a  drinking  man  having  a 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  93 

family.  The  wife  and  mother  worked  hard  for  their  support, 
while  the  father  spent  all  he  earned  for  drink,  often  stealing  her 
little  savings  and  spending  them;  then  coming  home,  would  abuse 
his  family  shamefully,  and  smash  up  things  generally.  This  kind 
of  conduct  had  gone  on  for  a  long  time,  until,  in  fact,  patience  had 
ceased  to  be  a  virtue.  One  evening  his  wife  came  home  from 
doing  a  hard  day's  work,  weary  and  tired,  to  find  what  little 
money  she  had  laid  by  was  gone.  Her  husband  returned  earlier 
than  usual,  and  was  more  abusive  to  her  and  the  children  than 
ever  before,  turning  them  all  out  of  doors.  She  became  desper- 
ate, borrowed  a  revolver  for  self-protection,  and  hastened  to  the 
saloon.  It  was  near  midnight.  Aaron  was  cleaning  up  for  the 
night.  She  begged  of  him  not  to  sell  her  husband  any  more 
liquor.  He  ordered  her  to  shut  up,  or  he  would  put  her  out. 
He  was  a  strong  man  and  she  a  slender  woman;  but  she  drew 
the  revolver,  and  pointing  it  toward  him,  said,  **You  lay  your 

hand  on  me,  and  I  will  kill  you."     Y retreated  behind  the 

bar,  retorting,  '1  will  sell  liquor,  so  long  as  God  gives  me  breath;" 
when  she  exclaimed,  "May  God  not  give  you  breath  long!" 
The  cowardly  cur  fled  out  of  the  back  door,  when  the  fun  began. 
The  wronged  woman  smashed  every  bottle,  decanter,  and  show- 
case in  the  establishment  before  she  left  for  her  home.  It  was  a 
sorry-looking  place  the  next  morning.  The  consensus  of  the 
community  was  that  she  did  right.     About  two  months  after, 

word  came  to  the  parsonage  that  Aaron  Y was  dying.    His 

wife  sent  for  the  preacher  to  come  over  and  do  something  for 
him.    He  went,  and  commended  him  to  Christ  and  prayed  with 

him;  but  the  heavens  were  as  brass.     Y ,  turning  his  head 

away,  said,  "I  have  no  time  now,  wait  until  I  get  better."  His 
wife  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  elegant  bed  on  which  he  lay,  wringing 
her  hands  in  deep  concern ;  but  it  was  of  no  use.  Her  prayers  and 
tears  effected  nothing.  He  died  that  evening  in  great  agony. 
It  was  too  late! 

Late  in  the  summer  of  1863  an  epidemic  raged  in  and  about 
Nashville,  in  the  form  of  a  bloody  flux.  People  died  off  like 
sheep.  Not  unfrequently  three  funerals  a  day.  This  lasted  for 
six  long  weeks.  The  physicians  did  all  in  their  power  to  retard 
its  progress.    The  pastor's  wife  lay  for  weeks  with  the  disease, 


94  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

not  expected  to  live  from  day  to  day.  During  the  time  of  her 
illness  the  Conference  met  in  Mt.  Vernon.  This  penman  was 
appointed  to  New  Comerstown  Circuit;  but  could  not  leave,  for 
some  time  after,  the  bedside  of  his  sick  wife.  Their  three  chil- 
dren had  been  sent  to  their  grandparents  on  the  lakeshore,  near 
Vermillion,  to  keep  them  from  the  disease.  His  wife  was  a  little 
better  on  Friday.  In  the  afternoon  he  decided  to  start  for  his  new 
field  of  labor,  stay  at  Millersburg  that  night,  and  proceed  the 
rest  of  the  way  on  the  next  day;  after  spending  the  Sabbath,  re- 
turn on  Monday. 

At  Millersburg  he  stopped  with  David  McDowell,  a  leading 
merchant  of  the  place.  A  goodly-sized  boy  accompanied  him 
to  put  out  his  horse;  and  a  smaller  lad,  about  five  years  old, 
walked  by  his  side.  He  appeared  to  be  very  much  interested,  and 
was  exceedingly  considerate  to  the  weary  itinerant.  That  little 
boy  is  to-day  the  Rev.  W.  F.  McDowell',  Ph.  D.,  S.  T.  D.,  the 
honored  chancellor  of  the  University  of  Denver,  Colorado. 

The  evening  was  spent  in  religious  conversation  with  the 
family;  the  boys  were  attentive  listeners.  After  prayers  had  been 
said,  the  clock  struck  nine,  when  Brother  McDowell  picked  up 
a  lighted  candle,  and  said,  "I  will  light  you  to  bed."  They 
stepped  into  the  hall,  leading  to  the  stairway,  when  a  rap  was 
heard  at  the  front  door.  The  door  was  opened,  a  telegram  was 
handed  to  Brother  McDowell,  who  looked  at  it,  and  said,  ''This 
is  for  you."  It  was  from  Vermillion,  and  read,  "Your  child  is 
dead."  That  sad  message  reached  Nashville,  just  after  the  father 
had  started.  They  did  not  dare  to  show  it  to  the  mother,  for  fear 
of  serious  results.  It  was  sent  on  by  a  courier.  Immediately 
the  tired  horse  was  hitched  up,  and  the  backward  journey  began. 
The  night  was  dark  and  chilly.  Who  can  describe  the  feelings  of 
the  father's  heart,  on  that  lonely  drive  of  eighteen  miles,  not 
knowing  how  he  might  find  his  loving  companion?  The  serious 
question  was.  How  can  I  impart  the  sad  intelligence  to  her,  and 
what  would  be  the  result?  Where  shall  our  precious  one  of  only 
two  summers  be  buried?  The  fact  of  his  unexpected  return,  at 
such  an  hour,  suggested  something  wrong.  That  helped  him  out 
of  the  difficulty  very  much.    At  four  o'clock  A.  M.  he  was  off  to 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.         .  95 

catch  an  early  train  at  Loudonville,  not  having  had  a  wink  of 
sleep,  that  he  might  go  and  attend  to  the  burial  of  that  dear  little 
one.  No  one  can  tell  what  this  means  until  he  has  had  a  similar 
experience.  At  Mansfield  an  almost  insurmountable  difficulty 
arose  in  making  the  connections.  It  was  Saturday.  There  would 
be  no  passenger  trains  on  the  Sabbath,  and  he  must  get  through 
that  day,  or  be  delayed  until  Monday;  but  he  can  not,  unless  the 
freight  train,  standing  on  the  track,  can  get  him  to  Shelby,  nine 
miles  distant,  in  time  for  the  Cleveland  express  on  another  road. 
There  was  only  ten  minutes  in  which  to  do  this.  The  conductor 
replied,  **It  can  not  be  done,  as  we  have  one  stop  to  make  be- 
tween the  points." 

On  the  platform  of  the  depot  he  met  a  former  acquaintance, 
to  whom  the  telegram  was  shown.  This  gentleman  spoke  a  few 
words  to  the  conductor,  when  the  train  pulled  out  quickly,  and 
pushed  on  at  a  furious  rate,  reaching  Shelby  in  time  for  the  other 
train,  which,  fortunately,  had  been  delayed  a  few  minutes. 

Who  was  that  gentleman  whose  magical  words  produced  such 
a  wonderful  effect?  He  was  D.  R.  Locke,  at  that  time  editor  of 
a  local  paper  in  Plymouth,  Ohio,  and  afterward  better  known  as 
"Petroleum  V.  Nasby,"  associate  editor  of  the  Toledo  Blade. 
This  enabled  me  to  reach  the  point  of  destination  that  day,  and 
complete  the  arrangement  for  the  sad  burial  service.  The  next 
day  our  darling  one  was  laid  to  rest  in  Maple  Grove  Cemetery, 
and  ofttimes  have  we  been  impressed  with  the  following  lines : 

"A  gracious  one  from  us  has  gone, 
A  voice  we  loved  is  stilled; 
A  place  is  vacant  in  our  home, 
Which  never  can  be  filled. 

God  in  his  wisdom  has  recalled 

The  boon  his  love  has  given; 
And  though  the  body  slumbers  here, 

The  soul  is  safe  in  heaven. 

Farewell,  dear  one,  but  not  forever; 

There  will  be  a  glorious  dawn; 
We  shall  meet  to  part,  no,  never, 

On  the  resurrection  morn. 


96   '  JSCHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

The  little  crib  is  empty  now, 

The  little  clothes  laid  by; 
A  mother's  hope,  a  father's  joy, 

In  death's  cold  arm  doth  lie. 

Go,  little  pilgrim,  to  thy  home, 

On  yonder  blessed  shore; 
We  miss  thee  here,  but  soon  will  come 

Where  thou  hast  gone  before." 

New  Comerstown  was  a  four-weeks'  charge,  of  ten  appoint- 
ments: Bakersville,  Taylor's,  Wesley  Chapel,  Union,  Salem,  New 
Comerstown,  Mt,  Zion,  Hopewell,  White  Eyes,  and  Kimball's. 
These  were  filled  every  two  weeks,  by  the  two  preachers,  alter- 
nately. 

George  W.  Pepper,  a  popular  preacher,  an  Irish  orator  of 
no  ordinary  ability,  and  a  grand,  good  colleague,  was  in  charge. 
He  remained  on  the  work  only  for  a  short  time,  when  he  accepted 
the  chaplaincy  of  the  40th  United  States  Infantry,  General  Miles's 
regiment.  Previous  to  this  he  had  been,  for  a  time,  a  captain 
in  the  80th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  The  Emerald  Isle  was 
his  birthplace.  He  emigrated  to  this  country  in  185 1;  spent  a 
year  in  Kenyon  College;  entered  the  North  Ohio  Conference 
in  1853.  After  the  war  closed  he  was  the  superintendent  of  the 
Freedmen's  Bureau  in  North  Carolina,  and  at  the  same  time 
edited  the  North  Carolina  Standard.  He  was  subsequently 
United  States  consul  at  Milan,  Italy,  for  five  years.  He  has 
visited  Egypt,  Palestine,  and  portions  of  Turkey,  and  yet  re- 
mains in  the  pastorate  in  his  old  Conference. 

The  junior  preacher,  after  the  departure  of  his  colleague, 
became  preacher  in  charge.  He  held  protracted-meetings  as 
follows:  Eleven  days  at  Kimball's;  twenty-five  days  at  Bakers- 
ville, where  he  resided;  fourteen  days  at  Union,  ten  days  at  Wes- 
ley Chapel.  The  result  was  one  hundred  conversions,  with  many 
sanctified.     While  the  meeting  was  in  progress  at  Bakersville, 

Henry  P ,  one  of  the  stewards,  came  to  the  parsonage,  of  his 

own  free  will,  and  made  the  following  offer:  *'If  you  can  get  my 
son  Joseph  converted,  I  will  give  you  fifty  dollars."  This  propo- 
sition was  repeated  at  his  own  home  a  day  or  two  after.  Before 
that  meeting  closed  Joseph  was  brought  into  the  kingdom,  joined 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  97 

the  Church,  and  has  been  a  useful  member  thereof  ever  since. 
That  fifty  dollars  was  never  paid,  though  often  greatly  needed. 

Andy  Y was  a  drunkard.    His  house  stood  within  a  few 

feet  of  the  back  door  of  the  parsonage,  on  lower  ground,  but 
fronted  on  another  street.  His  family  consisted  of  a  wife  and 
two  daughters.  Their  drunken  brawls  were  very  annoying  to 
the  pastor's  family.  The  end  came  in  this  way.  Andy  died  a 
horrible  death,  calling  for  "Whisky!  Whisky!"  His  groans 
were  distinctly  heard  in  the  parsonage  and  on  the  street.  So 
horrible  was  his  agony,  that  he  was  left  almost  to  die  alone.  His 
body  turned  black  in  large  spots  a  full  half-day  before  the  grim 
messenger  gave  him  relief. 

The  Conference  year  passed  quickly,  and  on  the  whole  pleas- 
antly; when,  strange  as  it  then  seemed,  without  consultation  he 
was  returned  in  charge  for  the  second  year,  which  was  as  long 
as  the  law  of  the  Church  then  allowed  any  pastor  to  remain.  The 
year  started  in  very  agreeably  to  all  concerned,  and  without  a 
particle  of  friction  anywhere  on  the  charge. 

By  the  wish  and  consent  of  his  Official  Board,  on  December 
8,  1864,  the  pastor  left  for  a  six  weeks'  work  in  the  Union  army, 
under  the  authority  of  the  United  States  Christian  Commission. 
There  he  remained  for  four  months,  when  he  was  appointed 
chaplain  of  the  i88th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  not 
mustered  out  for  more  than  five  months  after  Lee  surrendered. 

(For  an  account  of  Army  Life,  see  Part  H.) 

Showers  of  Blessing. — ^While  yet  a  chaplain  in  the  army 
he  was  sent  to  Bolivar,  a  two-weeks'  circuit.  The  appointments 
were:  Bolivar,  Milton  (afterward  changed  to  Wilmot),  Ragers- 
ville,  Shanesville,  and  Dundee. 

Shanesville  was  the  native  place  and  early  home  of  Adam 
Miller,  D.  D.,  M.  D.,  who  was  justly  celebrated,  for  many  years, 
in  the  German  work  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Some 
of  his  relatives  resided  there  at  the  time. 

During  his  pastorate  of  two  years  the  old  parsonage  in 
Bolivar  was  sold,  and  a  better  one  bought  and  paid  for,  near  the 
church. 

The  society  in  Milton  was  weak  and  very  much  disheartened. 


98  ECHOES' FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

The  other  two  Churches  there  were  in  the  ascendency  in  num- 
bers. A  blatant  infidel  living  there,  with  less  sense  than  brains, 
had  terrorized  the  people,  and  poisoned  the  minds  of  the  young. 
*'One  sinner  destroyeth  much  good.''  (Ecclesiastes  ix,  i8.)  One 
day  a  terrific  thunderstorm  came  up,  and  this  boasting,  God- 
defying  unbeliever  hastened  from  the  field  to  the  house.  Once 
there,  so  great  was  his  terror  he  crept  between  two  feather  beds, 
without  waiting  to  disrobe,  not  even  to  remove  his  soiled  boots, 
and  remained  there  until  the  storm  had  abated.  This  was  too 
good  a  joke  for  his  wife  to  keep.  His  power  over  the  community, 
from  that  time,  was  broken,  which  prepared  the  way  for  a  won- 
derful work  of  grace. 

The  Lord  put  it  into  the  pastor's  heart  to  hold  a  protracted- 
meeting,  though  there  was  no  sign  of  a  revival,  not  even  one 
as  'large  as  a  man's  hand."  The  outward  look  was  dark  and 
unpromising;  yet  the  meetings  were  begun  on  the  loth  of  De- 
cember, 1865,  and  continued  for  twenty  days,  without  inter- 
mission, with  two  sermons  a  day,  excepting  on  Mondays  and 
Saturdays.  Large  audiences  greeted  the  pastor  at  almost  every 
service.  Never  did  he  have  more  liberty  in  preaching  the  gospel 
than  here.  Thirteen  souls  claimed  to  be  converted.  The  society 
took  a  new  lease  of  life,  and  became  strong  in  God. 

Meetings  were  begun  in  Ragersville  January  15,  1866,  with 
only  twelve  present.  These  lasted  for  twenty-six  days.  Among 
the  many  incidents  which  might  be  related  of  this  meeting  are 
the  following:  The  class-leader  of  the  United  Brethren  Church, 
in  which  the  services  were  held,  came  one  night  when  the  meet- 
ings first  began,  and  saw  that  the  preacher  wore  a  full  beard,  the 
like  of  which  he  had  never  seen  in  the  pulpit  before;  this  was 
contrary  to  his  views  of  propriety  in  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 
He  tucked  his  head  down  on  the  back  of  the  seat  in  front  of  him, 
and  remained  as  quiet  as  a  church-mouse.  At  the  close  of  the 
service  he  notified  the  pastor,  through  another,  that  ''that  beard 
must  come  ofif,  especially  the  mustache,  or  he  would  not  at- 
tend. No  good  could  be  done  by  a  minister  wearing  such  a 
beard  as  that."  He  was  a  man  in  good  circumstances  and  of 
great  influence  in  the  community.  The  few  Methodist  brethren 
were  alarmed  at  the  state  of  affairs,  and  urged  their  pastor  to 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  99 

comply  with  the  old  gentleman's  request.  This,  to  him,  was  a 
poser.  He  took  it  to  the  Lord  in  prayer,  and  very  soon  decided 
not  to  comply  with  such  an  unreasonable  and  unscriptural  de- 
mand. The  morning  he  started  to  the  army  he  shaved  for  the 
last  time.  He  found  his  beard  a  great  protection  to  the  throat 
and  lungs,  and  therefore  determined  to  wear  it  full.  When  this 
writer  reached  the  seat  of  the  next  Conference  he  was  the  only 
minister  wearing  a  full  beard.  One  year  after,  there  were  several 
others  with  beards.  God  never  designed  that  men  should  shave 
their  faces,  any  more  than  their  heads. 

But  to  return  to  the  meeting.  The  brother  who  had  objected 
to  the  beard,  learning  that  his  wise  (?)  counsel  had  not  been  fol- 
lowed, left  his  home  Church  in  disgust,  to  attend  meetings  else- 
where, where  the  ''minister  had  sense  enough  to  shave."  The 
meetings  increased  in  interest  from  day  to  day.  About  two 
weeks  had  passed,  when  lo!  our  disgusted  brother  returned,  to 
find  several  of  his  grown-up  children  had  been  converted,  with 
many  others.  His  youngest  daughter  was  now  a  seeker.  In 
the  congregation  he  sat  with  head  up,  and  tears  flowing  freely, 
while  joy  beamed  from  his  clean-shaved  face  as  the  sermon 
was  being  delivered.  When  the  invitation  was  given,  his  only 
unsaved  child  came  to  the  altar  of  united  prayer.  He  was  in- 
vited within  to  converse  and  pray  with  the  seekers.  The  Lord 
blessed  his  daughter  and  him  so  powerfully  that  he  fell  on  the 
altar  floor,  and,  rolling  from  side  to  side,  praised  the  Lord. 
Seizing  the  bearded  man,  he  pulled  him  down  as  if  he  had  been 
the  merest  child.  Beards  were  all  proper  now,  for  such  a  meet- 
ing had  never  been  witnessed  there  before.  There  is  a  Christian 
lady  now  living  in  a  fine  residence  on  Capitol  Hill,  Denver,  Colo- 
rado, who  was  converted  in  that  meeting. 

One  incident  further  must  suffice:  On  the  hill  just  south  of 
town  there  lived  a  tanner  in  easy  circumstances,  by  the  name  of 
James  Stout,  whose  family  consisted  of  a  wife  and  one  child. 
This  daughter  is  now  grown,  and  her  husband  is  one  of  the  pro- 
fessors in  Baldwin  University,  at  Berea,  Ohio. 

Stout's  father  had  given  him  a  good  start  in  the  world.  His 
wife  had  been  taught  to  disbelieve  the  Bible,  and  that  all  pro- 
fessors of  religion  were  hypocrites.     Their  religious  views  were 


lOO  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AKD  PLAIN, 

in  harmony,  as  these  suited  their  kind  of  Hfe  best.  They  seldom 
went  to  Church;  but  for  some  cause  they  attended  two  or  three 
of  these  services,  and  became  uneasy.  The  pastor  sought  an  in- 
terview; but  they  avoided  him.  They  were  the  leaders  of  "so- 
ciety," and  fond  of  music  and  dancing.  He  played  the  fiddle 
for  all  of  their  gatherings.  She  had  the  reputation  of  being  a 
very  fine  dancer.  To  avoid  the  meetings,  and  to  stifle  their  con- 
victions, they  went  off  on  a  frolicsome  tour  for  about  two  weeks, 
thinking  by  that  time  the  meetings  would  be  closed.  Some  way 
they  did  not  enjoy  themselves  in  these  diversions  as  formerly; 
yet  they  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of  ever  becoming  Christians. 
They  were  too  strong-minded  for  that.  As  soon  as  they  re- 
turned, however,  learning  that  several  of  their  neighbors  had 
been  converted,  and  that  the  meetings  were  still  going  on,  Mrs. 

S went  around  from  house  to  house,  working  up  a  dance, 

with  the  hope  of  breaking  up  the  meetings.  She  had  never  failed 
before.  Why  should  she  this  time?  And  yet  she  did.  Just  then 
a  question  arose  in  their  minds,  If  religion  was  as  false  as  it  had 
been  represented  to  them,  why  had  it  gotten  such  a  hold  on  this 
community?  They  determined  to  go  and  see  for  themselves. 
Something  was  wrong  with  them.  They  could  not  tell  what. 
Every  sermon  seemed  aimed  at  them  alone!  The  preacher  read 
their  hearts   as   he  would  a  book,   they  thought.     One  night 

Mr.  S said  to  the  minister:  "You  have  knocked  out  the  last 

prop  to-night;  go  home  with  us."  The  invitation  was  gladly 
accepted.    Very  little  was  said  to  them  on  the  subject  of  religion 

that  night,  as  it  was  quite  late.     Mr.  S remarked,  with  a 

deepdrawn  sigh,  on  lighting  his  guest  to  bed,  as  he  closed  the 
door  behind  him,  "O  that  this  thing  was  over!  My  wife  has 
no  feeling  on  the  subject  of  religion.  I  do  not  want  her  to  know 
that  I  have."  A  few  encouraging  words  were  uttered.  How  that 
preacher  wrestled  with  God  that  night  before  retiring,  that  salva- 
tion might  come  to  that  house  immediately!  He  was  assured  that 
it  would,  when  he  turned  in  and  rested  sweetly  till  morning. 
They  were  keeping  their  convictions  from  each  other,  each  one 
ashamed  to  let  the  other  know  that  there  had  been  a  weakening 
on  former  views  and  practices.  The  Spirit  was  at  work  in  their 
hearts,  and  very  little  was  said  to  them,  except  to  pray  with  them. 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  lOI 

Under  date  of  February  5,  1866,  I  read  from  the  old  diary: 
"James  W.  S and  wife  were  converted  to-day,  while  kneel- 
ing side  by  side  at  the  altar  of  prayer,  though  neither  knew  that 
the  other  was  there." 

The   next   morning   Mrs.    S handed   the   pastor    Tom 

Paine's  ''Age  of  Reason,"  saying:  "This  was  our  Bible;  we  have 
no  use  for  it  now,  having  found  something  better."  That  morn- 
ing at  the  breakfast  table,  Mr.  S said:   "We  have  always 

gotten  along  very  nicely  in  married  life.  Better  than  most  per- 
sons. Now  it  seems  as  if  we  had  been  married  over,  so  great 
is  our  happiness."  The  religion  of  Christ  sweetens  the  domestic 
relation.  Her  testimony  in  public  a  few  days  after  was:  "They 
need  tell  me  no  more  that  Christianity  is  untrue.  I  know  for 
myself  that  it  is  true.  Who  would  have  thought  that  such  a 
dancer  as  I  was  would  ever  bow  at  a  mourners'  bench  or  altar? 
No  more  dancing  for  me.  As  much  as  I  have  loved  it,  it  is  no 
longer  a  temptation  to  me.  I  have  found  something  better.  I 
find  more  solid  comfort  in  religion  in  one  short  hour  than  in 
all  of  my  life  before."  The  concluding  record  is :  "Forty-five  con- 
versions.   This  was  one  of  the  best  meetings  of  my  life." 

From  the  diary  I  read  again:  "February  13th. — Meetings  were 
begun  in  Bolivar."  Seven  days  later,  the  entry  says:  "Meetings 
drag.  Good  attendance.  Very  quiet.  O  for  more  power!" 
"March  9th. — Closed  in  Bolivar.  Nearly  fifty  saved.  A  very 
pleasant  and  profitable  meeting." 

From  March  12th  to  April  4th,  meetings  were  conducted  in 
Shanesville.  Of  this,  the  record  says:  "Over  thirty  conversions. 
A  blessed  meeting.  Fourteen  weeks  of  continuous  revival  effort." 
There  were  during  these  meetings  about  140  conversions,  mostly 
young  or  middle-aged  people.  The  large  majority  remain  stead- 
fast to  this  day. 

A  meeting  of  one  week  was  held  in  Dundee,  with  no  apparent 
results.  Here  the  "Disciples"  had,  for  some  years,  had  things 
their  own  way.  One  of  this  sect  had  drawn  a  former  Methodist 
pastor  into  a  controversy  on  the  subject  of  immersion.  The 
community  thought  the  result  was  unfavorable  to  the  latter  gen- 
tleman.   This  gave  the  first-named  society  quite  a  "boost." 

One  Sabbath  as  the  present  pastor  was  leaving  the  pulpit, 


I02  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

some  one  handed  him  a  sUp  of  paper  on  which  was  written, 
*Tlease  preach  from  Romans  x,  14,  15,  at  your  earhest  conven- 
ience." The  request  was  comphed  with  .October  7,  1866.  There 
was  no  service  at  the  "Disciple  Church/'  The  Methodist  church 
was  packed  from  door  to  pulpit.  Subject  of  the  discussion  was: 
"A  call  to  the  ministry,  as  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  be- 
lieved by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church."  The  following  appli- 
cation sent  the  shaft  home:  ''There  are  those  who  claim  to  preach 
a  whole  gospel,  and  yet  declare  they  were  never  called  of  God  to 
preach  the  Word.  If  God  did  not  call  them,  who  did?  There 
are  but  two  powers  in  the  world  influencing  men,  the  good  and 
the  evil.  Jesus  taught  his  disciples  to  pray  that  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest  send  forth  more  laborers  into  his  vineyard.  If  God  does 
not  send  them,  who  does?"  That  was  the  clincher.  The  "Dis- 
ciples Church"  in  that  community  has  not  prospered  from  that 
day  to  this,  while  the  Methodist  Church  has  steadily  grown. 

January  10,  1867,  another  protracted-meeting  was  started 
in  Dundee,  which  lasted  for  twenty-eight  days.  Deep  conviction 
rested  on  the  entire  community.  Two  wicked  men,  during  a 
Sabbath  morning  service,  were  so  smitten  by  the  truth  that  they 
fled  from  the  house.  They  started  from  opposite  sides  of  the 
church,  and  at  the  door  ran  against  each  other.  Both  fell  flat 
to  the  floor;  but,  scrambling  up,  they  managed  to  get  out  of  the 
house.  Both  of  these  men  afterward  embraced  the  religion  of 
Christ.  A  son  of  one  of  them  accepted  the  Savior  of  sinners  soon 
after  the  meeting  closed,  and  has  been  preaching  the  gospel  for 
over  twenty-five  3^ears  in  the  local  ranks.  The  record  says: 
"Eight  souls  were  saved." 

A  report  reached  the  pastor  that  four  physicians  had  decided 
that  one  of  his  members,  who  was  seriously  sick,  could  not  live. 
She  was  the  mother  of  a  large  family.  He  drove  out  to  see  her 
at  once.  The  husband  had  just  gone  to  town  for  medicine,  which 
had  been  recommended,  as  the  last  resort.  When  the  pastor 
entered  the  sick-room,  she  requested  the  attendants  to  leave  the 
room  for  a  few  moments.  They  did  so;  but  left  the  door  ajar. 
In  a  feeble  voice  she  said:  "I  want  you  to  pray  with  me."  He 
kneeled  by  her  bedside,  with  no  thought  for  what  he  should 
pray.    The  sight  of  those  soon  to  be  motherless  children  touched 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  103 

his  heart.  He  was  led  to  ask  for  her  recovery,  if  it  was  God's 
will.  The  burden  became  heavier.  He  then  pleaded  that  she 
might  be  restored  to  health  this  moment;  that  God  would  now 
say  to  her,  "Be  ye  healed."  His  faith  grasped  the  promise,  and 
held  on  until  the  assurance  came  that  the  request  was  granted. 
When  the  ''Amen"  was  reached,  she  called  those  in  the  adjoin- 
ing room,  who  had  been  listening  at  the  door,  to  come  in,  and 
told  them  God  had  healed  her.  Now  she  said:  'Tut  up  your 
horse  and  stay  for  supper.  I  will  get  up  and  prepare  it  for  you." 
She  would  allow  no  assistance  in  dressing,  or  in  getting  the  meal 
ready.  She  prepared  the  entire  meal  by  herself,  making  biscuit 
and  cooking  other  things.  That  was  truly  a  joyous  occasion. 
When  her  husband  returned,  he  found  his  companion  well  and 
hearty.  Many  years  after,  she  sent  word  to  the  writer  that  she 
was  well,  and  still  happy  in  God.  Praise  the  Lord  for  his  good- 
ness to  the  children  of  men!    To  him  be  all  the  glory!     Amen! 

A  year  and  three  days  after  the  close  of  the  first  meeting  in 
Wilmot,  as  it  was  now  called,  a  second  meeting  was  begun.  This 
one  began  February  13th,  and  ran  for  one  month.  This  meeting 
was  remarkable;  not  for  the  numbers,  but  for  the  class  of  per- 
sons reached.  The  wives  of  the  leading  business  men  first  started 
out  to  seek  God.  They  filled  the  large  altar.  Within  a  week 
they  were  saved,  and  boldly  testified  to  all  what  a  dear  Savior 
they  had  found.  Then  every  one  of  their  husbands  came  to  that 
same  altar.  One  by  one  they  accepted  Christ.  This  went  on 
until  there  was  not  an  unsaved  man  in  town  outside  of  the 
Churches. 

Space  forbids  a  lengthy  description  of  the  thrilling  incidents 
of  this  revival.  One  day,  while  walking  down  street  with  a 
merchant  who  had  been  raised  an  unbeliever  and  appeared 
utterly  indifferent  to  the  subject  of  religion,  the  writer  remarked, 
"I  wish  you  enjoyed  what  we  enjoy."  "J^^^"  replied,  "I  do  n't 
believe  in  those  things."  ''You  do  n'tT  was  uttered  very  slowly, 
but  emphatically.  These  were  the  only  words  that  ever  passed 
between  the  two  on  the  subject  of  religion.  The  Sabbath  before 
he  had  refused  to  go  to  Church  with  his  wife  and  daughters.  He 
shut  himself  in  his  room,  and  would  scarcely  speak  to  any  of 
them.    Such  conduct  alarmed  his  wife,  who  became  very  anxious 


I04  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

about  his  soul's  salvation.  Consulting  her  pastor,  they  agreed 
to  pray  three  times  a  day,  in  secret,  until  he  should  be  converted. 

J.  W was  a  tall,  dignified,  fine-appearing  man,  who  lacked 

only  the  *'one  thing  needful."  A  few  nights  after  the  above- 
mentioned  agreement,  he  bowed  at  the  altar  with  others  and 
wept,  as  he  earnestly  prayed  like  any  other  sinner  seeking  his 
soul's  salvation.  After  a  short  prayer  service,  the  seekers  were 
requested  to  occupy  the  front  seats  next  the  altar,  which  had 
been  vacated  for  them.  While  the  congregation  was  singing, 
the  pastor,  beginning  on  the  right,  conversed  a  moment  with 
each  seeker  to  ascertain  where  he  stood  religiously,  and  to  sug- 
gest what  was  then  most  needful  for  him. 

J.  W was  the  last  one  on  the  left  of  the  altar.  Just  be- 
fore coming  to  him  the  pastor  noticed  that  he  straightened  him- 
self up,  wiped  his  eyes,  and  assumed  a  peculiar  fixedness  of 
countenance.  That  pastor's  heart  sank  for  a  moment,  saying  to 
himself:  'Tie  has  not  got  through.  I  fear  he  has  given  it  up." 
With  such  thoughts  in  mind,  he  stooped  to  speak  a  few  encour- 
aging words  to  him,  intending  to  place  one  hand  on  his  knee. 
Just  as  the  longest  finger  of  his  right  hand  touched  the  cloth  of 
J.  W 's  pants  there  descended  upon  each  of  them  such  a  bap- 
tism of  Divine  power  that  J.  W could  not  hold  himself  in 

check,  but  leaped  as  high  as  the  bench,  exclaiming:  "I  have  got 
it!  I  have  got  it!  Glory  to  God!  My  sins  are  forgiven!  My 
sins  are  forgiven!"  The  dry  eyes  in  that  crowded  church  were 
very  few.  Afterward  he  said,  ''When  I  wiped  my  eyes  I  decided 
never  to  give  up  until  I  got  it."  That  was  why  the  blessing  came. 
God  always  answers  the  prayer  of  faith,  "and  do  n't  you  for- 
get it!" 

On  God's  appointed  Sabbath,  which,  under  the  Christian  dis- 
pensation, is  Sunday,  after  the  sermon,  a  recently-converted 
woman,  who  was  a  member  of  another  Church,  arose  in  the 
class-meeting,  and  spake  in  substance  as  follows: 

"God  has  blessed  my  soul.  I  am  happy  in  him.  I  never  knew 
this  before.  My  husband  opposes  me.  He  threatens  to  turn 
me  out  of  doors,  and  lock  the  door  against  me,  so.  I  shall  not 
even  see  my  children,  if  I  continue  to  attend  Methodist  meetings. 
He  suggested  that  if  I  did  not  desist,  he  would  burn  me  alive." 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED,  105 

She  was  in  great  distress  as  to  the  proper  Hne  of  duty,  and 
had  come  to  the  Church  for  sympathy  and  help. 

The  class-leader,  a  man  in  quite  moderate  circumstances, 
and  with  a  very  large  family,  arose,  and,  addressing  the  weeping 
woman,  said:  ''Sister  M ,  come  to  my  house.  You  are  wel- 
come.    As  long  as  we  have  a  loaf  of  bread,  we  will  share  it 

with  you." 

"Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds 

Our  hearts  in  Christian  love; 
The  fellowship  of  kindred  minds 

Is  like  to  that  above." — Hymnal,  797. 

was  sung,  when  all  joined  in  earnest  prayer  for  the  sobbing  one, 
and  prayed  especially  that  God  would  intervene  in  her  behalf, 
by  converting  her  husband.  It  was  thought  advisable  that  she 
go  first  to  her  home,  from  which  she  supposed  she  had  been 
thrust  out  forever.  Two  brethren  followed  close  behind,  to  see 
that  no  bodily  harm  came  to  her.  The  front  door  was  unlocked. 
She  stepped  quietly  into  the  hall,  the  sitting-room  door  stood 
ajar,  and  looking  through  this  she  saw  her  husband  kneeling  by 
a  chair,  with  the  open  Bible  before  him,  praying  for  mercy. 
Quickly  she  dropped  by  his  side,  when  he  cried  out,  "Pray  for 
me!     God  have  mercy  on  my  soul!"    That  little  prayer  service 

lasted  until  J.  M was  blessedly  saved.    She  had  no  need  now 

of  the  new  home  so  generously  offered  her.  They  both  became 
faithful  members  of  the  Church,  which,  under  God,  had  been  the 
means  of  their  salvation. 

Two  more  incidents  of  God's  work  at  Wilmot;  and  recollect, 
it  was  God's  work.  Man  had  very  little  to  do  with  it.  The  meet- 
ings closed  March  13,  1867.  The  preacher  had  spoken  with  much 
freedom  from,  ''With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness, 
and  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation."  (Ro- 
mans X,  10.) 

J.  H was  a  member  of  a  manufacturing  firm.    The  last 

one  unsaved.  He  had  bolstered  himself  up  on  his  honesty  and 
morality.  He  was  a  superior  man  every  way,  quiet  and  unde- 
monstrative. For  several  days  he  had  been  confined  at  home  with 
rheumatism.  His  wife  had  been  a  faithful  Christian  for  years. 
When  this  service  closed,  he  urged  the  preacher  to  go  home  with 


I06  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

him,  and  would  take  no  refusal.    That  pastor  saw  that  there  was 

a  meaning  to  this,  and  therefore  went.    Seated  by  the  fire,  H 

said:  "That  sermon  was  for  me  alone.  I  see  my  difBculty."  The 
preacher  replied:  ''Then  govern  yourself  accordingly.  Let  us 
pray."  The  prayer  ended,  being  wearied  with  mental  anxiety 
and  the  exhausting  labors  of  the  previous  weeks,  he  asked  ''to 
be  permitted  to  retire."  He  soon  fell  into  a  sweet  slumber,  and 
had  a  most  delightful  dream;  namely,  "that  J.  H was  con- 
verted, and  was  the  happiest  man  he  ever  saw." 

When  consciousness  returned,  J.  H had  his  arm  around 

his  neck,  shaking  him,  and  exclaiming:  "Wake  up!  Wake  up! 
God  has  blessed  me.  I  wanted  to  tell  you.  I  could  not  wait 
till  morning.    I  must  tell  it.    I  can  not  keep  it  to  myself."    Then 

H paced  the  floor,  to  and  fro,  in  the  dark,  praising  the  Lord 

with  all  his  might. 

The  next  morning  the  pastor  was  informed  that  H ,  upon 

retiring,  uttered  this  prayer,  believing  that  God  would  hear  and 
answer:  "God,  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner,  for  Christ's  sake!" 
The  next  moment,  like  the  lame  man  at  the  beautiful  gate  of  the 
Temple  who  was  healed,  he  went  leaping  and  praising  God  from 
room  to  room  through  the  house.  His  wife  kept  him  from  going 
upstairs  until  about  midnight,  when  the  pressure  became  so 
strong  that  he  went.  His  joy  was  so  great  that  it  knew  no 
bounds.  Did  his  experience  soon  pass  away?  No!  No!  The 
exultant  spirit  quieted  down  into  a  tranquil  state  of  mind,  which 

became  permanent.    John  H praised  God  that  whole  night. 

The  next  morning  he  went  down  town  telling  every  one  whom  he 
met  what  God  had  done  for  him.  He  became  a  useful  and  active 
member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  so  remains. 

In  one  of  the  day  meetings,  when  all  were  on  their  knees 
during  a  season  of  prayer,  there  was  a  good  deal  of  shouting 
among  the  sisters.  It  was  impossible  for  the  pastor  to  determine 
who  had  been  distinctively  blessed.  This  continued  until  the 
meeting  for  that  day  was  closed.    As  the  pastor  walked  down  the 

aisle,  he  was  greeted  by  Sister  W ,  a  modest,  quiet  widow 

lady,  who  had  that  day  been  sanctified  wholly.  Her  face  was 
radiant  with  joy.  Said  she:  "I  did  not  shout.  It  shouted  itself." 
When  God  fills  the  heart,  do  not  "quench  the  Spirit." 


ITINERANCY   CONTINUED.  107 

There  are  those — some  ministers  even — in  the  Church  who 
claim  that  such  experiences,  as  above  described,  are  ephemeral. 
These  persons,  though  often  high  in  authority,  oppose  the  pre- 
senting of  the  altar.  Some  say:  "That  is  v^ell  enough  for  the 
w^eak-minded ;  but  the  strong  do  not  need  it:  they  go  to  their 
closets,  and  there  determine  to  serve  God  from  that  time  for- 
ward." 

Other  ministers  feel  called  to  show  people  their  sins,  and  to 
point  them  to  the  remedy  for  sin,  Jesus  Christ;  then  urge  an 
immediate  decision,  by  coming  out  on  the  Lord's  side,  just  as 
publicly  as  they  have  sinned. 

Which  method  is  the  most  successful  in  leading  men  to 
Christ?  Let  the  results  answer.  "The  proof  of  the  pudding  is 
in  the  eating."  The  great  majority  of  the  active  men  and  women 
in  the  Church  to-day  are  those  who  were  brought  to  Christ  in 
revival  effort.  They  are  not  the  drones  of  the  Church.  Would 
that  all  of  God's  servants  were  flaming  revivalists.  May  kind 
Heaven  speed  the  day! 

The  county  paper  of  that  date  said:  "Twenty-eight  heads 
of  families  have  been  saved,  the  family  altar  erected,  thirty  sets 
of  Whedon's  Commentary  introduced,  besides  an  Advocate  in 
nearly  every  family.  Their  experiences  have  the  gospel  ring  to 
them,  (i  Peter  i,  8.)  Church  debts  have  been  liquidated.  The 
finances  of  the  charge  have  all  been  met." 

Half-way  between  Bolivar  and  Wilmot  was  Sugar  Creek 
Falls;  which  had  become  quite  a  place  of  resort  in  summer. 
This  place  had  only  a  large  hotel,  schoolhouse,  blacksmith-shop, 
and  a  few  dwelling-houses.  There  were  no  religious  services 
of  any  kind.  So  indifferent  were  the  people,  they  would  neither 
allow  religious  services  to  be  held  in  the  schoolhouse  or  in  the 
hotel.  An  announcement  was  made  for  this  writer  to  preach 
in  the  covered  bridge,  October  28,  1866,  at  half-past  two  P.  M. 
The  day  was  beautiful.  The  people  came  from  far  and  near  to 
hear  that  gospeler  proclaim  the  truth,  from  Daniel  v,  2^.  The 
line  of  argument  was  largely  that  of  Butler's  "Analogy,"  com- 
paring the  religion  of  nature  with  that  of  revelation.  Among 
the  hundreds  present  were  a  number  of  unbelievers,  for  whose 
benefit  the  discourse  was  especially  delivered.    After  a  full  dis- 


I08  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

cussion  of  the  theme,  an  opportunity  was  given  for  any  one  to 
refute  what  had  been  said.  The  doubters  and  quibblers  who 
were  gathered  in  the  far  end  of  the  bridge  slunk  away  out  of 
sight  as  soon  as  possible,  and  made  no  attempt  to  defend  their 
negations.    They  were  never  heard  of  afterward. 

May  I,  1867,  closed  a  discussion  had  by  the  author  with  a 
Universalist  preacher  of  Bolivar,  who  had  made  all  the  arrange- 
ments for  the  debate  before  his  opponent  knew  a  word  of  it, 
announcing  even  time,  place,  and  subject!  This  man  had  poi- 
soned the  minds  of  the  people,  young  and  old,  by  his  preaching 
against  the  orthodox  faith  as  to  future  rewards  and  punishments. 

Drawn  into  the  controversy  through  such  methods,  the  writer 
felt,  to  back  out  would  be  cowardice;  and  it  would  look  to  those 
outside  of  the  Church  that  Universalism  was  in  the  right.  Much 
as  he  disliked  discussion,  there  seemed  no  alternative  but  to  go 
ahead.  For  two  nights  they  debated  the  question,  ''Does  the 
Bible  teach  the  doctrine  of  endless  future  punishment?"     Mr. 

C denied,  while  the  other  affirmed.    The  speeches  were  each 

a  half-hour  long,  and  each  debate  lasted  two  hours.    The  house 

was  very  much  crowded.    Mr.  C was  a  pleasant  talker  and 

an  adept  controversialist,  while  his  opponent  had  never  discussed 
the  subject  before,  and  was  also  very  much  the  younger  man. 
It  is  enough  to  say  that  the  last  word  was  scarcely  uttered,  when 

C and  his  adherents  fled  from  the  house.    Two  weeks  after, 

when  the  pastor  returned  from  holding  a  protracted-meeting  else- 
where, he  learned  that  C had  been  very  sick,  having  been 

taken  ill  the  evening  the  debate  closed.     So  far  as  the  writer 

knows,  C was  never  known  to  preach  Universalism  afterward ; 

their  society  was  entirely  broken  up  in  Bolivar,  and  orthodoxy 
had  a  clear  field  afterward.  There  is  nothing  like  "bearding  the 
lion  in  his  den,"  and  "defending  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the 
saints." 

There  lived  near  W ,  David  D ,  a  man  owning  four 

farms,  well  stocked  with  horses,  sheep,  cattle,  and  with  money 
at  interest.  He  lived  a  miserly  life,  excluding  himself  from  the 
society  of  his  fellows,  went  ragged  and  slovenly  in  appearance. 
Had  no  family.  One  day  he  returned  from  town  with  a  new  suit 
of  clothes,  saying  to  his  neighbors,  "Now  I  am  going  to  quit 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  IO9 

work  and  enjoy  life."  Alas!  how  frail  are  human  calculations! 
In  less  than  two  months  after,  he  was  thrown  from  a  mowing- 
machine  (July  I,  1867),  and  had  an  arm  and  leg  severed.  He 
lived  only  a  half-hour.  The  first  time  he  wore  that  new  suit  of 
clothes  was  when  he  was  buried! 

Near  S lived  P K ,  talented  and  wealthy;  but  a 

hater  of  God,  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  the  Holy  Bible. 
He  talked,  lectured,  wrote  and  published  books  and  tracts  against 
the  Savior  and  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  circulating  them  freely 
wherever  he  could.  His  influence  for  evil  had  been  very  great 
in  all  that  country  for  years.  The  writer  passed  his  residence  the 
third  day  after  his  decease.  From  a  near  neighbor,  and  from 
members  of  his  household,  he  learned  facts  concerning  his  death 
as  given  below.  His  death-bed  beggars  description.  He  clinched 
his  teeth,  blood  spurted  from  each  nostril,  while  he  cried,  "Hell! 
Hell!  Hell!  Hell!"  with  a  terror  that  no  pen  can  describe.  A 
neighbor  declared  that  he  heard  him  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away. 
His  family  could  not  endure  the  agony  of  that  death-scene.  They 
fled  to  an  adjoining  wood  across  the  road,  and  there  remained 
among  the  trees  until  all  became  quiet  at  home.  One  by  one 
they  ventured  back,  to  find  husband  and  father  cold  in  death. 
He  literally  had  been  left  to  die  alone,  abandoned  of  God  and 
of  man. 

Some  members  of  his  family  were  converted  before  that 
"death-bed  scene,"  and  the  remainder  have  been  since.  They 
felt  that  "if  that  is  the  way  infidels  die,  we  want  none  of  it  in 
ours."  One  grandson  has  been  preaching  and  singing  the  gospel 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

The  second  Conference  year  closed  auspiciously,  and  the 
unanimous  request  of  all,  in  and  out  of  the  Church,  was  that  their 
pastor  be  returned  for  the  third  year,  as  the  law  of  the  Church 
had  now  been  extended  to  three  years.  The  pastor  was  equally 
anxious  to  be  returned.  At  the  Conference,  his  presiding  elder 
requested  that  he  consent  to  be  removed  to  an  adjoining  charge, 
which  had  asked  for  him.  He  found  it  hard  to  give  up  his  spir- 
itual children,  and  not  be  permitted  to  give  them  nourishing  food, 
best  calculated  to  make  "stalwart"  Christians.  After  due  deliber- 
ation and  much  prayer,  he  said  to  his  elder,  "Do  with  me  as 


no  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

you  deem  wise  and  best  for  the  glory  of  God."  This  was  the 
second  time  in  fourteen  years  that  he  had  been  consulted  on  that 
subject. 

No  more  was  known  until  the  bishop  announced  his  name 
after  that  of  his  next  appointment. 

Canal  Dover  was  a  half-station,  with  preaching  there  every 
Sabbath  morning.  One  afternoon,  services  were  held  at  Old- 
town,  and  the  next  at  Goshen  and  Trenton. 

This  was  an  exceedingly  pleasant  charge  every  way.  Salary 
and  perquisites  amounted  to  about  one  thousand  a  year.  It  had 
a  good  seven-room  parsonage  in  which  to  live,  and  a  most  hos- 
pitable people  to  serve.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  pastor  and  his 
family  felt  at  home  from  the  very  start? 

After  getting  moved  and  settled,  on  the  third  Sabbath  after- 
noon, September  2.2,  1867,  a  son  one  year  old,  the  youngest  of 
the  family,  who  bore  the  name  of  Dempsey  Dempster,  passed 
away.  From  two  weeks  old  he  had  been  a  sufferer.  On  account 
of  this,  he  was  very  near  to  his  parents'  hearts.  His  remains 
were  interred  beside  his  brother  and  sister  in  '*The  Maple  Grove 
Cemetery,"  near  Vermillion,  Erie  County,  Ohio.  God's  grace 
alone  is  sufficient  in  an  hour  like  this.  Mere  words  are  empty 
things,  for  none  can  know  what  it  means  to  bury  their  offspring, 
until  they  have  passed  through  a  like  experience. 

"One  by  one  the  stars  were  lighted; 
'One  by  one  the  roses  fall;' 
One  by  one  our  prayers  indited;. 
Only  one  God  over  all. 

One  by  one  we  lose  our  jewels; 

One  by  one  have  spirits  flown; 
One  by  one  bright  crowns  are  gathered 

By  the  just  before  the  throne. 

One  by  one  bright  angel  singers 

Thrill  their  music  in  my  ear; 
And,  in  dreams  of  yonder  city, 

Well-known  voices  oft  I  hear. 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED.  Ill 

One  by  one  my  days  are  gliding 
Toward  an  unknown,  boundless  sea; 

Angel  bands  I  see  up  yonder: 

Lo!  their  white  hands  beckon  me." 

—J.  W.  Carhart,  D.  D. 

Rev.  Joseph  Kennedy,  presiding  elder,  dedicated  a  new  neat 
church,  free  of  debt,  at  Oldtown,  November  lo,  1867.  This 
church  was  largely  due  to  the  labors  of  Rev.  G.  W.  Ball,  my 
predecessor,  who  always  did  superior  work  wherever  he  was  sent. 

Protracted-meetings  were  begun  December  26,  1867,  and 
ended  March  15,  1868:  Upper  Oldtown,  two  weeks;  Lower  Old- 
town,  two  weeks;  Goshen,  two  and  one-half  weeks;  Trenton,  two 
weeks;  and  Canal  Dover,  eleven  days.  As  a  part  of  the  visible 
results,  twenty-three  were  added  to  the  Church. 

About  this  time  A.  M.  Collins  lectured  in  Canal  Dover  on 
the  temperance  question  for  several  nights.  The  rum  power 
was  thoroughly  aroused.  He  must  be  put  out  of  the  way.  At 
the  midnight  hour  he  was  dragged  from  his  room,  beaten  over 
the  head,  and  hustled  off  for  the  canal.  A  terrific  thunderstorm 
was  raging  at  the  time.  The  lightning  flashes  were  appalling. 
By  some  *'hook  or  crook,"  as  they  ran  in  the  darkness  between 
the  flashes,  they  struck  a  tree,  their  grip  was  loosened,  and  he 
escaped  to  a  place  of  safety. 

The  next  evening  a  county  temperance  convention  met  in 
Union  Hall,  New  Philadelphia.  Collins  was  to  speak;  but  his 
bruises  and  nervous  condition  were  such  that  he  could  say  but 
a  few  words.  The  pastor  at  Canal  Dover  was  called  upon  to 
take  his  place.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury of  solid  temperance  work. 

At  the  dawn  of  the  second  year  a  new  church  was  dedicated 
on  Goshen  Hill.  The  apparent  results  of  this  year's  labor  were 
seventy  additions  to  the  Church,  including  the  members  of  the 
new  society  organized  at  Lockport.  In  Dover  the  meeting  lasted 
for  nearly  two  months,  and  at  Lockport  for  twenty-five  days. 
Lockport  was  a  small  town  on  the  canal  between  New  Phila- 
delphia and  Oldtown,  without  Church  or  Sunday-school  of  any 
denomination,  and  given  up  to  all  manner  of  vice. 
8 


112  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

The  Dover  pastor,  having  to  pass  through  that  place  every 
Sabbath  afternoon,  determined  to  hold  a  protracted-meeting  in 
the  schoolhouse,  if  it  could  be  had.  His  request  was  granted; 
about  thirty  were  converted,  a  class  organized,  a  Sunday-school 
started,  and  a  church-building  erected  during  the  next  year. 

Near  the  last  night  of  the  meeting,  a  little  girl  ten  years  old 
and  a  man  seventy-four  bowed  at  the  ''mourners'  bench,"  side 
by  side.  They  were  there  but  a  short  time  when  the  pastor  asked 
each  how  it  was  with  them.  The  younger  replied:  *'I  have  peace 
within.    I  do  love  Jesus." 

The  other  had  been  a  Universalist  all  his  life,  and  had  delved 
in  nearly  all  manner  of  vice.  His  reply  was:  "I  am  too  great  a 
sinner  to  be  saved.  Do  you  think  Jesus  will  have  mercy  on  my 
soul?  The  gospel  never  got  hold  of  me  before."  He  was  en- 
couraged to  believe  in  the  Divine  promise  then  and  there,  for  a 
present  salvation.  In  a  moment  he  took  hold  of  God  in  Jesus 
Christ,  when  he  declared  to  all  "that  his  sins  had  been  forgiven." 
The  next  morning  the  pastor  called  at  his  home,  and  found  him 
praising  God,  using  expressions  like  this:  ''I  am  so  happy."  He 
was  instructed  and  prayed  with.  That  old  man's  *'joy  was  un- 
speakable and  full  of  glory."  We  have  no  room  to  insert  any 
more  incidents  of  these  meetings. 

Upton  C.  Deardorff  was  the  recording  steward,  and  a  better 
one  a  Church  never  need  to  have.  Daniel  Hildt  made  an  effi- 
cient Sunday-school  superintendent.  His  daughter  Fidelia,  a 
graduate  of  the  Female  College  of  Delaware,  was  the  organist, 
and  had  charge  of  the  music.  For  years  she  has  been  Mrs. 
W.  H.  DeWitt,  M.  D.,  of  Walnut  Hills,  Cincinnati. 

Rev.  Wesley  B.  Farrah,  when  on  this  charge,  received  Jonas 
Warner,  wife,  and  some  of  their  children  into  the  Church.  This 
meant  for  Methodism  a  great  deal  more  than  either  of  them 
knew,  or  suspected,  at  the  time. 

Jonas  Warner  was  the  class-leader  at  Goshen  Hill,  but  lived 
nearer  Trenton.  Before  his  conversion  he  was  a  firm  believer 
in  the  doctrine  of  universal  salvation.  God  permitted  affliction 
to  enter  his  home.  Below  is  given  a  brief  statement  of  its  result, 
as  related  by  him  in  June,  1868,  and  then  recorded:  "My  girl, 
five  years  old,  was  taken  ill.     Two  weeks  of  watching  and  of 


ITINERANCY  CONTINUED,  II3 

anxiety  followed.  My  heart  sank  when  we  laid  her  body  in  the 
grave.  I  then  looked  down,  without  hope;  not  up,  as  I  do  now. 
Then  I  turned  to  God  full  of  skepticism.  He  took  another  before 
I  yielded  to  be  saved."  He  became  an  earnest,  conscientious 
Christian,  as  did  his  entire  family.  Neither  he  nor  his  eldest  son 
Jesse  believed  in  shouting.  It  was  a  senseless  enthusiasm,  that 
should  be  kept  under  control  like  they  did.  In  one  of  the  day- 
meetings  in  Trenton  the  Holy  Spirit  came  upon  them  in  a  mighty 
shower.  O!  what  a  change  there  was!  They  praised  the  Lord 
with  all  their  might.  Such  shouting,  clapping  of  hands,  stamp- 
ing of  feet,  and  parading  up  and  down  the  aisles,  and  from  one 
side  of  the  church  to  the  other,  the  people  had  never  witnessed 
before.  The  gust  of  praise  lasted  for  fully  an  hour.  Brother 
Warner  became  very  hoarse,  while  his  son  literally  stamped  the 
soles  off  his  boots.  His  father  had  to  purchase  him  a  new  pair 
before  going  home.  They  were  never  afterward  heard  to  utter 
a  word  against  shouting.  Brother  Warner,  after  equipping  each 
of  his  sons  with  a  liberal  education,  gave  them  to  the  ministry 
of  the  Church  of  his  choice.  Jesse  went  early  from  labor  to  re- 
ward. Millard,  his  second  son,  after  years  in  the  pastorate,  is 
now  president  of  Baldwin  University,  at  Berea,  Ohio.  The  other 
two  are  doing  pastoral  work  in  the  North  Ohio  Conference. 

Thomas  J.  Frazier,  for  many  years  steward,  class-leader,  and 
trustee,  was  one  of  God's  noblemen ;  died  in  great  triumph,  sing- 
ing near  the  last, 

Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me." 


When  the  Mists  Have  Qcarcd  Away* 

(^*      ^2^      tfi^ 

^Whcn  the  mists  have  rolled  in  splendor 
From  the  beauty  of  the  hills, 
And  the  sunshine,  warm  and  tender. 

Falls  in  kisses  on  the  rills, 
"We  may  read  love's  shining  letter 
In  the  rainbow  of  the  spray, — 
"We  shall  know  each  other  better 
When  the  mists  have  cleared  away: 
"We  shall  know  as  we  are  known^ 
Nevermore  to  walk  alone, 
In  the  dawning  of  the  morning, 
"When  the  mists  have  passed  away» 

If  we  err  in  human  blindness, 

And  forget  that  we  are  dust. 
If  we  miss  the  law  of  kindness. 

When  we  struggle  to  be  just, 
Snowy  wings  of  peace  shall  cover 

All  the  pains  that  cloud  our  day, 
"When  the  weary  watch  is  over 

And  the  mists  have  cleared  away: 
We  shall  know  as  we  are  known, 
Nevermore  to  walk  alone. 
In  the  dawning  of  the  morning. 

When  the  mists  have  cleared  away« 

When  the  silvery  mists  have  veiled  us 

From  the  faces  of  our  own. 
Oft  we  deem  their  love  has  failed  us, 

And  we  tread  our  path  alone ; 
We  should  see  them  near  and  truly. 
We  should  trust  them  day  by  day. 
Neither  love  nor  blame  unduly. 
If  the  mists  were  cleared  away: 
We  shall  know  as  we  are  known^ 
Nevermore  to  walk  alone, 
In  the  dawning  of  the  morning. 

When  the  mists  have  cleared  away*'* 
114 


PART  IL 


Echoes  from  Army  Life. 


"5 


A  Kind  of  Man. 

^w      t^*      t^* 

I  like  a  man  who  all  mean  things  despises, 
A  man  who  has  a  purpose  firm  and  true; 

Who  faces  every  doubt  as  it  arises. 

And  murmurs  not  at  what  he  finds  to  do* 

I  like  a  man  who  shows  the  noble  spirit 

Displayed  by  knights  of  Arthur's  table  round; 

"Who,  face  to  face  with  life,  proves  his  real  merit, 
"Who  has  a  soul  that  dwells  above  the  ground* 

And  yet,  one  who  can  understand  the  worry 
Of  some  chance  brother  fallen  in  the  road, 

And  speaks  to  him  a  kind  word  *mid  the  hurry, 
Or  lays  an  easing  hand  upon  his  load* 

Lai^e-hearted,  brave-souled  men  to-day  are  needed. 
Men  ready  when  occasion's  doors  swing  wide; 

Grand  men,  to  speak  the  counsel  that  is  heeded. 
And  men  in  whom  a  nation  may  confide* 

The  world  is  wide,  and  broad  its  starry  arches. 
But  lagging  malcontents  it  can  not  hold ; 

The  way  of  life  to  him  who  upright  marches 
Has  ending  in  a  far-off  street  of  gold* 

— Meredith  Nicholson 

ii6 


OKK  TO  THE   ARNIY  * 

One  day,  while  conversing  with  a  Christian  gentleman  at  his 
own  home,  he  inquired:  *'Why  do  you  not  go  to  the  army,  and 
labor  for  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers?  You  are  the  very  man 
for  the  position."  The  matter  was  urged  until  I  consented  to 
write  and  ascertain  if  my  services  were  needed.  In  a  few  days 
the  reply  came  from  the  secretary  of  the  United  States  Christian 
Commission,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio:  ''Come  at  once,  and  we  will 
send  you  forward  to  the  army." 

The  necessary  arrangements  were  quickly  made,  and  farewells 
said.  December  8,  1864,  found  me  on  train  en  route  for  the  front. 
On  the  cars  were  soldiers  going  to  and  coming  from  the  army. 
Some  had  been  home  on  sick-leave,  and  were  returning  to  their 
regiments ;  while  others  were  being  transferred  from  one  portion 
of  the  army  to  another.  The  depot  floor  at  Columbus,  Ohio, 
was  covered  with  soldiers  sleeping  on  the  hard  plank,  with  their 
knapsacks  for  pillows,  and  with  their  guns  beside  them. 

Cincinnati  was  reached  in  the  early  morning  of  the  9th.  At 
the  office  of  the  United  States  Christian  Commission  I  received 
my  "commission"  and  badge.  This  last  was  in  form  not  unlike 
a  breastpin,  tinged  with  silver,  and  inscribed,  "U.  S.  Christian 
Commission."  This  badge  enabled  the  wearer  to  pass  guards, 
enter  hospitals,  barracks,  and  prisons.  Should  any  question  the 
right,  *'the  commission"  was  to  be  shown.  The  side  book  was 
for  noting  facts  and  incidents.  If  anything  shall  be  said  to  profit 
or  please  in  these  jottings,  it  will,  in  the  main,  be  due  to  the 
scribblings  in  this  book.  The  evening  boat  was  taken  for  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  below  on  the  Ohio  River. 

On  board  were  men  representing  all  classes,  conditions,  busi- 
ness, and  divisions  of  human  society;  as  judges,  lawyers,  phy- 


*  These  jottings  arc  mostly  selected  from  published  correspondence  just  after 
the  war  closed,  which  will  exhibit  more  clearly  the  character  of  .the  work,  and  the 
need  as  well,  for  the  helpful  presence  of  this  organization.  The  incidents,  con- 
flicts, and  sufierings  are  described  as  seen  at  the  time. 

117 


Il8  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

sicians,  divines,  farmers,  mechanics,  merchants,  speculators,  sol- 
diers, citizens,  sailors,  landsmen,  refined  and  unrefined,  moral 
and  immoral,  gentlemen  and  loafers.  Cards  were  plenty,  and,  I 
am  sorry  to  state,  were  freely  used  by  the  fairer  sex.  From  the 
piles  of  money,  I  should  judge  that  gambling  formed  a  part  of 
the  program.  Profanity  and  drinking  were  indulged  in  by  not  a 
few;  they  usually  go  together,  and  are  the  handmaidens  of  the 
same  destiny,  which  is  hell.  This  motley  group  did  not  retire 
until  a  late  hour  of  night. 

The  morning  light  found  me,  with  valise  in  hand,  seeking  the 
Commission  rooms  in  Louisville,  to  secure  assignment  for  the 
special  duty  awaiting  me.  The  Christian  Commission  work 
consisted  in  visiting  barracks,  camps,  prisons,  and  hospitals ;  dis- 
tributing small  books,  papers,  tracts,  Testaments;  caring  for  the 
sick  and  wounded,  and  preaching  to  the  boys  as  opportunity 
offered. 

As  a  rule,  delegates  remained  six  weeks,  without  fee  or  re- 
ward, except  the  consciousness  of  having  done  their  duty,  and 
the  "God  bless  you"  of  grateful  men.  A  few  remained  longer, 
and  received  a  small  salary. 

New  Albany,  Indiana,  is  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  just 
below  the  falls  or  rapids  of  the  Ohio,  and  about  four  miles  from 
Louisville,  which  is  at  the  head  of  the  rapids.  Here  there  were 
a  number  of  hospitals  located.  I  was  assigned  to  them,  and 
entered  on  my  labor  at  once.  In  company  with  another  delegate, 
having  filled  our  haversacks  with  Testaments,  hymn-books,  pa- 
pers, etc.,  we  set  out  for  Hospital  No.  4,  i/hich  was  a  large  brick 
building,  formerly  used  as  a  female  seminary.  What  scenes  of 
suffering  met  our  gaze!  We  go  from  ward  to  ward,  conversing 
briefly  with  each,  learning  his  wants,  and  supplying  them  as  far 
as  we  were  able.  One  said,  ''The  Commission  did  much  for  me 
in  New  Orleans."  One  man  was  wounded  in  the  thigh  and  arm. 
In  sympathy,  I  remarked,  "The  Johnnies  served  you  rather 
meanly."  The  answer  exhibited  the  pluck  of  most  wounded  men: 
"I  '11  give  it  to  them  again  when  I  get  well."  Before  we  get  near 
through,  a  messenger  calls  us  to  the  cot  of  one  who  is  dying. 
Counsel  is  given,  prayer  offered,  and  we  hasten  to  the  cots  of 
others  who  need  our  instructions  and  ask  our  aid. 


OFF  TO   THE  ARMY,  '■  I19' 

At  noon  our  supply  is  gone,  but  we  go  to  Hospital  No.  6, 
where  nearly  six  hundred  badly  wounded  men  demand  our  at- 
tention. We  took  separate  wards,  and  passed  through  them. 
From  my  side  book  I  select  the  following,  which  will  give  some 
idea  of  the  needs  and  wants  of  the  soldiers  at  that  time  and  place : 

L.  W wanted  a  pair  of  crutches;  one  would  do  W.  H.  H ; 

M.  G desired  a  blanket,  as  his  had  been  stolen:  S.  B.  G 


wished  a  bottle  of  blackberry  brandy  and  a  can  of  peaches;  J.  W. 

S would  be  suited  with  blackberry  syrup;  another  desires 

something  that  he  can  eat;  No.  964  (the  number  on  his  card 
being  at  the  head  of  his  bed)  wants  pen,  pencil,  postage  stamps, 
and  a  French  Testament;  another  desires  a  transfer  to  Columbus, 

Ohio;  D.  A.  M thinks  port-wine  and  a  can  of  peaches  would 

do  him  good;  while  G.  M is  satisfied  if  he  gets  a  German 

Testament;  H.  R wants  a  pair  of  mittens;   C.  D.   G- 

a  handkerchief  and  gloves ;  J.  J is  almost  dead  for  the  want 

of  some  tobacco;  J.  B calls  for  a  Testament,  and  others  ask 

for  paper  and  envelopes.  Many  desired  the  same  thing;  all  de- 
sired something  to  read.  I  have  given  a  variety,  so  that  the  reader 
may  see  the  amount  and  kind  of  work  the  Commission  had 
to  do  in  meeting  and  supplying  their  demands. 

Sabbath  morning  came.  I  went  to  the  Soldiers'  Home, — a 
long,  narrow  room,  in  which  were  three  stoves,  with  little  fire 
in  either,  and  a  cold,  piercing  wind  without.  In  this  uncomfort- 
able and  unpleasant  room,  I  found  nearly  two  hundred  mechanics, 
who  were  on  their  way  to  Nashville,  kept  back  under  guard,  to 
send  forward  more  soldiers.  Some  were  playing  cards;  a  few 
were  quietly  reading  their  Testaments,  or  humming  some  familiar 
hymn;  while  the  rest  amused  themselves  in  other  ways.  Few 
seemed  to  notice  me,  and  those  who  did  said  nothing.  I  quietly 
studied  the  men  and  their  methods  of  amusement  for  a  half-hour 
or  more,  when  I  summoned  courage  to  speak  to  a  clever-looking 
fellow  from  the  north  of  Michigan,  or  some  other  place  in  that 
region,  who  went  to  the  different  squads  huddled  around  the 
stoves,  and  announced  that  a  *'U.  S.  C."  man  had  come  to  preach 
to  them.  Said  they,  "Is  it  possible  that  any  one  thinks  enough 
of  us  to  hunt  us  up  in  this  God-forsaken  place."  I  mounted 
an  old,  greasy  cracker-box,   midway  between  the   stoves,   and 


I20  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

announced  that  I  would  preach  and  give  them  something  good 
to  read,  that  would  remind  them  of  loved  ones  at  home.  I  gave 
out  some  soldiers'  hymn-books.  The  services  consisted  (the  or- 
gan was  the  cold  wind  whistling  through  the  crevices  of  the 
building)  of  singing,  prayer,  text,  sermon,  and  benediction.  They 
sang  "Am  I  a  soldier  of  the  Cross,  a  follower  of  the  Lamb?"  with 
a  will.  Tears  fell  from  many  eyes.  Papers  were  distributed,  and 
a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand,  responded  to  with  a  ''God  bless  you 
for  conducting  these  services." 

I  then  returned  to  the  United  States  Commission  rooms  for 
refreshments.  Dinner  was  scarcely  over  when  in  came  the  hos- 
pital steward  of  the  R.  C.  Wood,  a  steamboat  which  had  just 
arrived,  and  reported  that  it  had  on  board  three  hundred  sick 
and  wounded  men  in  great  need  of  supplies.  They  also  desired 
religious  services.  In  company  with  a  gentleman  from  Boston, 
I  hastened  to  the  river,  went  on  board,  saw  the  captain,  and  got 
permission  to  preach  in  the  center  of  the  boat,  the  soldiers  mostly 
lying  on  their  cots.  When  the  short  services  were  over,  we  went 
from  cot  to  cot,  distributing  reading-matter  and  conversing  with 
the  men.  Here  lies  a  poor  fellow,  nearly  gone,  with  a  family  far 
away.  I  asked,  ''How  are  you  to-day?"  "No  better,"  was  his 
reply.  "Do  you  love  Jesus?  Is  he  precious  to  your  soul?"  The 
tears  started  as  he  answered,  "Yes."  O  how  my  heart  yearned 
over  him!  In  my  note-book,  at  the  close  of  that  day's  work,  I 
read  these  words:  "A  glorious  Sabbath.  At  home  in  my  work. 
Hallelujah,  praise  God!" 

December  12th  and  13th  visited  the  hospitals  in  New  Albany, 
the  floating  hospital,  and  the  hospital  boat,  where  were  similar 
scenes  to  those  described  above.  Just  as  I  was  becoming  habitu- 
ated to  my  work,  and  attached  to  the  "boys,"  an  order  came  for 
me  to  report  without  delay  at  Nashville,  Tennessee. 

On  the  morning  of  December  14th,  long  before  light,  all  were 
astir  at  the  Commission  rooms.  The  cold,  chilly  blasts  of  winter 
were  whirling  without.  The  snow  lay  in  heaps  along  the  streets. 
In  the  early  morning,  I  bade  adieu  to  my  new-made  friends,  and 
started  for  the  Nashville  Depot,  seeking  transportation  to  the 
"Rock  City"  of  the  South,  which,  by  the  way,  was  no  easy  task 
at  the  time.    A  battle  was  impending.    Thousands  were  eager  to 


OFF  TO   THE  ARMY.  121 

go.  Fathers,  mothers,  brothers,  sisters,  wives,  and  friends  were 
anxious  to  reach  the  front,  that  they  might  see  their  loved  ones, 
care  for  them  as  no  others  could,  or  wipe  the  cold,  damp  sweat 
from  their  brow  before  they  were  mustered  out  of  the  service 
and  discharged  "from  this  war." 

To  secure  a  seat  in  the  cars  each  must  have  a  pass  from  the 
commandant  of  the  post  certifying  to  his  loyalty,  and  a  permit 
to  pass  the  guards  without  arrest.  Each  car  was  guarded,  with 
from  two  to  five  soldiers  at  the  door,  and  an  officer  to  examine 
the  passes.  If  memory  serves  me  correctly,  three  cars  were 
allotted  to  officers,  soldiers,  and  civilians.  The  rear  car  was  re- 
served exclusively  for  ladies  and  officers  who  had  their  wives 
or  sisters  with  them;  the  second  for  officers  and  gentlemen  not 
immediately  connected  with  the  army,  and  perhaps  a  few  laborers 
were  allowed  in  this  car;  but  the  third  was  packed  with  officers 
returning  to  their  regiments,  with  two  exceptions.  When  each 
seat  became  filled,  no  more  were  allowed  to  enter,  no  matter  how 
urgent  the  case. 

Unfortunately  for  us,  the  cars  were  full,  or  nearly  so,  when  we 
reached  them.  I  use  the  term  "we"  to  include  a  Congregational 
minister  from  Western  Ohio,  who  was  my  associate.  We  pre- 
sented ourselves  to  the  guard  of  the  rear  car.  With  the  bayonet 
at  our  breast,  he  replied,  ''This  car  is  full;  no  admittance,  sir!" 
At  the  second,  ''Not  an  empty  seat,  sir;  pass  on!"  At  the  third, 
the  same  repulse  met  us;  but  the  guard  seeing  our  badges,  and 
knowing  who  we  were  and  what  our  mission  was,  remarked  in  a 
low  tone,  "See  the  officer  in  command  of  this  car;  perhaps  he  will 
admit  you;  there  is  one  vacant  seat."  A  moment  before  the  train 
was  leaving,  the  officer  was  found,  our  passes  examined,  and 
there  being  no  mistake,  the  guard  conducted  us  to  the  vacant 
seat  in  the  forward  end  of  the  third  car.  Scarcely  were  we  seated 
when  the  long  train  began  slowly  to  move,  while  hundreds  were 
left  disappointed,  having  failed  to  get  on  board.  As  we  left  the 
depot  our  cogitations  were  not  of  the  most  pleasant  kind.  The 
prospect  was  dark  before  us ;  we  were  to  pass  through  an  enemy's 
country;  guerrilla  bands  were  numerous;  the  enemy  had  Nash- 
ville by  the  throat,  gloating  over  their  victory  at  Franklin. 

He  may  have  crossed  the  Cumberland  River  either  above  or 


122  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

below  Nashvill«fe$^  wh«^i*e  our  forces  lay,  and  hurried  northward 
to  intercept  oit^i"'  fi^f),  cut  off  our  retreat,  tear  up  the  railroad 
track,  capture  u's'  as  prisoners  of  war,  and  convey  us  to  some 
filthy  den  of  the  South,  there  to  starve  and  die.  Then,  again, 
our  loved  ones  were  all  behind  us,  far  away  among  the  rural  hills 
of  Ohio.  We  might  see  them  no  more.  These  were  some  of  our 
thoughts  as  we  journeyed  southward.  Yet  we  did  not  forget 
that  there  was  One  who  neither  slumbers  nor  sleeps,  in  whom  we 
could  and  did  confide  all  our  interests  for  time  and  eternity,  be- 
lieving that  ''He  doeth  all  things  well." 

As  the  rising  sun  pushed  back  the  gloom  of  night,  I  took  a 
survey  of  those  who  were  to  be  our  associates  for  the  entire  day. 
What  an  appalling  scene  met  my  gaze!  From  what  I  had  read 
in  history,  I  thought  and  imagined  that  army  ofificers  were  al- 
ways perfect  gentlemen.  Here  were  large  and  small  men — from 
colonels  down  to  second  lieutentants — the  most  of  them  in  all 
shades  of  drunkenness.  A  few  continued  their  drinking,  having 
brought  bottles  with  them.  One  would  judge,  from  their  low 
slang,  that  they  had  come  from  the  most  abandoned  places  of  the 
city,  where  debauchery  reigned  supreme.  Their  faces  were  red 
and  bloated,  eyes  inflamed;  while  many  could  scarcely  sit,  much 
less  stand.  Their  minds  were  so  bethrottled  with  rum  that  their 
tongues  moved  just  about  as  glibly  as  an  army  wagon  after  a 
defeat.  They  spent  all  the  former  part  of  the  day — when  they 
were  not  sleeping  and  snoring  like  a  steam-engine  on  an  upgrade 
with  a  heavy  train — playing  cards,  passing  their  bottles,  and  puff- 
ing cigars  to  keep  up  their  spirits,  and  make  them  courageous. 
I  said.  Can  it  be  possible  that  these  are  the  men  that  govern  our 
forces,  on  whose  word  the  lives  and  destinies  of  our  boys  hang? 
A  little  time  in  the  service  soon  convinced  me,  however,  that 
these  were  no  fair  representation  of  the  army.  In  soldier  par- 
lance, they  and  all  like  them  were  called  "bummers"  drones  and 
leeches  upon  the  Government;  caring  mostly  for  their  fat  salaries 
and  the  continuance  of  the  war. 

For  thirty-four  miles  we  pass  over  what  is  called  the  lowlands 
of  Kentucky.  At  Colesburg  we  arrive  at  the  foot  of  Muldraugh's 
Hill.  Here  we  begin  to  ascend  the  ranges  of  hills  which  bring 
us  to  the  highlands  of  Kentucky.     The  ascent  of  the  railroad 


OFF  TO   THE  ARMY.  1 23 

is  Up  a  grade  of  eighty  feet  to  the  mile  for  a  distance  of  nearly 
five  miles,  thus  giving  an  aggregate  rise  of  about  three  hundred 
and  fifty  feet.  The  first  object  of  interest  in  the  ascent  is  the 
large  trestle  which  crosses  the  ravine  through  which  flows  the 
principal  branch  of  Clear  Creek.  This  can  be  seen  from  the  train 
as  it  winds  around  a  few  more  sharp  curves;  a  second  trestle- 
work  is  thrown  across  a  second  ravine  of  great  depth.  Both  of 
these  were  totally  destroyed  by  John  Morgan  in  December,  1862. 
Almost  before  we  have  finished  our  observations  of  these  works, 
with  their  military  defenses,  the  train  enters  a  tunnel,  which  ex- 
tends 1,500  feet  through  the  heart  of  Muldraugh's  Hill.  Emerg- 
ing from  the  darkness  of  the  tunnel,  the  traveler  finds  himself 
in  a  new  country.  Instead  of  the  bleak,  bald  knobs,  which  a 
moment  before  surrounded  him,  he  is  now  on  the  table-land  of 
the  State,  and  in  as  rich  a  district  as  the  State  can  boast.  The 
plain  stretches  out  right  and  left  in  magnificent  proportions. 
With  an  occasional  hill,  these  undulating,  beautiful  plains  extend 
southward  for  one  hundred  and  thirteen  miles,  until  we  cross  the 
State-line  of  Tennessee.  After  passing  through  two  small  tun- 
nels, we  descended  to  the  Valley  of  the  Cumberland,  thirty-three 
miles  from  the  capital  of  Tennessee.  From  the  foot  of  these  hills 
we  pass  over  a  most  delightful,  rolling  country.  John  Morgan 
nearly  destroyed  these  tunnels  by  running  into  them  a  train  of 
cars  loaded  with  w^ood,  setting  the  whole  on  fire,  and  so  heating 
the  rocks  that  large  masses  fell  upon  the  track.  It  took  over 
three  months  of  incessant  labor  to  repair  the  damages.  The 
scarrings  of  battle  mark  every  step  of  our  progress.  The  scarcity 
of  houses,  houseless  chimneys,  deserted  fields,  deep  trenches,  and 
elevated  breastworks  frequently  meet  the  gaze  as  we  rush  on  to 
our  destined  place,  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  miles  distant. 
The  rebels  at  one  time,  September  7,  1861,  made  a  raid  on  Shep- 
pardsville,  and  captured  eighty-five  men  belonging  to  a  home 
guard  regiment  from  Indiana.  Salt  River  bridge,  close  by,  was 
destroyed  by  John  Morgan  in  one  of  his  raids.  At  Bardstown 
Junction  a  skirmish  occurred  in  the  afternoon  of  September  19, 
1861.  At  Long  Lick,  a  small  stream  crossing  the  railroad  a  few 
yards  south  of  the  Junction,  John  Morgan  captured  a  two  days' 
mail  and  a  heavy  train  of  passengers,  on  July  6th,  previous  to  his 


124  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

disastrous  invasion  of  Indiana  and  Ohio.  The  rebels  destroyed 
the  RoUing  Fork  bridge,  and  retreated  to  Muldraugh's  Hills  on 
the  opposite  side.  General  Sherman  determined  to  dispossess 
them.  At  sunrise  on  September  22d,  he  addressed  the  troops, 
saying:  *'We  cross  this  ford,  never  to  return.  Our  course  lies 
straight  before  us,  and  our  duty  is  to  press  forward."  On  the 
command  to  advance  being  given,  Colonel  Rousseau  rose  in  his 
saddle,  and  crying  to  his  men,  the  5th  Kentucky,  ''Follow  me, 
boys!  I  expect  no  soldiers  to  undergo  any  hardships  that  I  will 
not  share,"  he  sprang  from  his  horse,  and  waded  to  the  other 
shore.  His  men  followed  with  cheers.  The  battle  of  Elizabeth- 
town  occurred  on  December  27,  1862,  between  Morgan's  cavalry 
and  the  91st  Illinois  Infantry,  in  which  the  latter  surrendered 
after  two  hours'  fighting.  At  Munfordville,  the  rifle-pits,  once 
occupied  by  our  forces,  were  seen.  After  a  hard  fought  battle  in 
September,  1862,  they  surrendered  to  General  Bragg.  At  Row- 
lett's  Station  another  battle  was  fought  in  December,  1861.  Our 
forces  were  victorious. 

At  Cave  City,  a  city  only  in  name,  for  it  has  only  a  tavern 
and  two  or  three  eating-houses,  we  stop  a  half-hour  for  dinner. 
This  place  is  eighty-four  miles  from  Louisville.  As  we  leave 
Cave  City,  for  a  few  miles  the  country  is  a  little  hilly;  but  long 
before  we  reach  Bowling  Green  it  assumes  its  wonted  loveliness. 
This  place  was  evacuated  on  the  fall  of  Fort  Donelson,  and  occu- 
pied by  General  Mitchell,  of  the  Union  army,  February  15th. 
We  had  only  left  Bowling  Green  when  the  conductor  came  to  me, 
and  said,  in  a  low  tone  of  voice:  "Hood's  cavalry  are  making  for 
this  train;  we  are  liable  to  be  thrown  from  the  track  any  moment, 
fired  upon,  and  captured.  Forty  miles,  and  we  are  safe.  If  it  is 
possible  to  head  them,  it  will  be  done ;  lay  low."  He  had  scarcely 
left  when  an  officer  stepped  up — while  the  train  swept  on  at  al- 
most lightning  speed — and  wished  to  know  if  there  was  any  dan- 
ger. After  a  moment's  hesitation,  I  replied  as  above,  when  all 
swearing  ceased,  cards  were  thrown  out  of  the  window,  bottles 
were  dispensed  with,  conversation  stopped,  and  such  squatting, 
twisting,  and  turning,  coiling  up  in  every  possible  shape  so  as  to 
avoid  the  range  of  the  windows,  no  man  ever  saw  before!  The 
cars  would  occasionally  jostle  some  fellow  out  of  his  seat,  and 


OFF  TO   THE  ARMY,  1 25 

then  came  a  nice  adjusting  of  affairs.  Many  countenances  hitherto 
very  flushed,  turned  deathly  pale.  On  reaching  Gallatin,  Ten- 
nessee, thirty-nine  miles  from  Bowling  Green  and  twenty-six 
from  Nashville,  the  conductor  came  back,  and  said,  ''Thank  God, 
we  are  safe;  the  gauntlet  has  been  run  at  a  fearful  rate!"  Here 
several  battles  have  been  fought.  Just  as  night  encircled  us,  we 
entered  the  Union  Depot  at  Nashville.  In  the  darkness  we  are 
passing  through  the  narrow,  crowded  streets  of  the  capital  of 
Tennessee,  hunting  the  rooms  of  the  United  States  Christian 
Commission,  where  we  are  welcomed  to  a  hearty  supper  of  mush 
and  molasses.  There  were  present  at  our  evening  devotions 
twenty-five  or  more  delegates.  At  the  close  an  officer  entered, 
and  handed  Brother  Smith,  the  field  agent  in  charge,  a  letter,  and 
retired:  "The  battle  will  open  to-morrow  morning  at  eight 
o'clock,  unless  Hood  attacks  us  before.  Send  all  your  men  to 
the  field  to  assist  in  caring  for  the  wounded."  This  was  heard 
with  feelings  that  were  indescribable.  I  wrapped  up  in  a  blanket, 
and  lay  down  upon  the  floor  to  rest  as  best  I  could.  Long  before 
day  all  were  astir,  preparing  to  do  their  part  in  the  impending 
conflict.  The  streets  were  crowded  the  latter  part  of  the  night 
with  men,  horses,  ambulances,  caissons,  and  wagons,  all  moving 
on  to  unknown  destiny. 


II. 

THK    BATTLK    IN    KRONT   OK 
MASHVIIvL/K. 

First  Day. — As  we  journeyed  southward,  the  icy  grasp  of 
winter  was  gradually  unloosing  its  hold,  so  that  when  we  reached 
the  city  it  seemed  more  like  spring  than  winter.  The  streets  and 
ground  everywhere  were  covered  with  mud,  which  was  more  like 
a  mortar-bed  than  anything  we  can  think  of. 

Nashville  stands  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Cumberland  River, 
which,  in  passing  the  city,  runs  from  east  to  west,  making  a  little 
to  the  southward  as  it  winds  on  its  course.  The  river  is  a  very 
deep,  ugly  stream  to  cross.  The  banks  are  so  steep  and  high 
that  it  is  not  unlike  a  canal. 

Halve  an  apple,  lay  the  flat  surface  downward,  and  you  have 
a  correct  idea  of  the  ground,  or  limestone  rock,  on  which  Nash- 
ville stands.  Encircling  the  city,  like  a  horseshoe,  is  a  low 
hollow.  The  ground,  when  there  is  any,  or  rock,  gradually  rises 
from  this  ravine  and  from  the  river  imtil  it  culminates  in  a  bald 
knob.  On  this  summit  the  capitol  stands.  Its  base  is  above  the 
cone  of  the  roofs  of  most  of  the  surrounding  buildings.  Its  size 
is  240  by  135  feet,  and  is  built  of  fine  limestone,  much  like  marble, 
which  was  quarried  on  the  spot.  Its  cost  was  about  $1,000,000. 
It  can  be  seen  at  many  miles  distance  on  all  approaches  to  the 
city,  and  from  any  part  of  Rock  City  itself. 

Beyond  this  ravine  the  ground  gradually  rises,  until  it  forms 
a  range  of  hills,  on  the  east  about  one-half  a  mile,  on  the  south 
and  west  three  miles,  from  the  city.  On  this  broad  plateau  of 
ground  the  army  of  General  Thomas  lay  previous  to  the  battle 
of  Nashville.  Between  these  hills,  roads — or  pikes,  as  they  are 
called — lead  out  of  the  city.  On  their  highest  points  forts  were 
erected,  and  along  their  entire  length  of  about  seven  miles  were 
breastworks  and  rifle-pits.  On  the  east,  between  Murfreesboro 
and  Franklin  pikes,  and  nearest  the  city.  Fort  Negley  was  erected 
on  the  most  prominent  one.  This  hill  was  once  covered  with  a 
beautiful  forest;  now  hardly  a  tree  is  left  standing,  and  only  the 

[26 


THE  BATTLE  IN  FRONT  OF  NASHVILLE.  12/ 

heavy  earthwork  of  the  great  fort  is  visible,  covering  the  summit. 
The  fort  is  a  huge  bastion,  faced  with  stone,  and  looks  invul- 
nerable. 

To  the  right  of  the  Franklin  Pike  is  Fort  Confiscation,  a 
smaller  work  of  similar  make.  Fort  Emancipation  is  to  the 
south  and  west  of  the  above,  and  to  the  left  of  Hardin  Pike.  The 
three  forts,  thus  connected,  form  a  large  triangle,  and  with  their 
huge  guns  were  prepared  to  defend  the  cause  of  the  Union.  On 
other  elevations  batteries  were  placed.  From  these  hills  the 
ground  breaks  off  abruptly  in  many  places,  and  in  others  slopes 
ofT  gradually,  forming  an  extended  valley  and  rolling  country 
in  most  directions  for  four  or  five  miles  in  extent;  when  on  the 
south  and  to  the  right  and  west  of  the  Franklin  Pike,  another 
range  of  hills  is  encountered,  higher  than  those  already  described. 

On  these  hills  and  valleys  the  battle  was  fought.  The  Union 
forces  with  their  base  on  the  first;  while  the  Rebels  rested  on  the 
second,  and  the  uneven  ground  between  was  the  scene  of  the 
struggle. 

Patches  of  woodland  and  cultivated  fields,  meadows,  and  pas- 
tures were  interspersed  over  this  area.  An  occasional  brook 
meandered  along  its  useful  course,  its  crystal  waters  unbroken, 
except  by  sporting  trout. 

The  morning  of  December  15,  1864,  was  warm,  calm,  and 
balmy.  Clouds  obscured  the  sun,  except  at  times,  when  it  shone 
only  for  a  moment;  then  hiding  itself,  refused  to  look  upon  the 
dreadful  scenes  of  the  approaching  day.  In  the  early  morning 
I  was  wondering  how  and  where  the  battle  would  commence. 
Our  haversacks  were  packed  with  lint,  bandages,  dried  beef  and 
crackers,  etc.  About  six  o'clock  I  stood  on  the  porch  of  one  of 
the  elegant  residences,  three  squares  southeast  of  the  Capitol, 
waiting  for  my  companions,  when  suddenly  I  exclaimed,  ''What 
sound  is  that  I  hear?"  The  earth  fairly  trembled,  the  houses 
shook,  the  glass  rattled  in  the  windows;  and  stepping  into  the 
yard,  I  saw  columns  of  smoke  rising  from  Fort  Negley.  The 
booming  of  cannon  was  so  incessant,  for  one-half  hour  that  we 
could  not  distinguish  the  sounds.  ''Ah!"  said  I,  "she  is  uttering 
the  notes  of  freedom,  and  no  compromise  with  traitors." 

Each  one  seized  his  hat,  swung  his  haversack  over  his  shoul- 
9 


128  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

der,  and  was  off,  through  mud  over  ankle-deep,  to  hunt  up  the 
Second  Division,  to  which  we  were  assigned.  My  first  effort 
was  to  find  the  51st  Ohio  Regiment,  as  I  had  special  messages 
from  fathers,  mothers,  sisters,  and  wives,  to  several  of  our  boys. 
After  the  battle  might  be  too  late.  We  passed  up  close  to  the 
guns  of  Negley,  and  then  crossed  over  to  the  ''xVckland  Place" — 
a  magnificent  residence,  formerly  occupied  as  the  headquarters 
of  the  4th  Corps — hoping  there  to  learn  where  we  could  find  the 
object  of  our  search. 

Infantry  cover  the  left  as  far  as  we  can  see.  In  our  front,  fac- 
ing the  west,  the  whole  valley  is  covered  with  cavalry  just  com- 
mencing to  move  out  around  yonder  mound  to  the  westward,  to 
turn  the  left  flank  of  the  enemy.  Acres  on  acres  are  covered  with 
men,  horses,  wagons,  caissons,  and  ambulances.  An  hour  after, 
scarcely  a  man  or  horse  is  to  be  seen.  They  have  passed  beyond 
the  breastworks,  and  are  engaging  the  enemy.  About  seven 
o'clock  I  found  the  51st.  I  pass  along  the  line,  and  take  each 
of  my  acquaintances  by  the  hand,  conveying  words  of  sympathy 
from  their  loved  ones  at  home.  They  were  just  ready  to  move 
out  on  the  field  of  carnage.  I  walked  with  them  until  we  came 
to  a  narrow  gap  in  the  breastworks,  which  had  been  built  of  logs 
and  dirt.  At  this  point  the  works  were  about  eight  feet  high. 
The  opening  was  so  narrow  that  a  man  could  barely  squeeze 
through.  The  commanding  officer  forbade  my  going  any  fur- 
ther; but  I  wanted  to  see  which  way  the  boys  went,  and  what 
they  did;  so  I  mounted  the  breastworks,  and  saw  them  file  a  little 
to  the  left  and  lie  flat  on  the  ground,  awaiting  further  orders. 
While  standing  there  on  the  topmost  log  the  enemies'  bullets 
whizzed  thick  and  fast  around  me.  I  had  not  the  remotest  idea 
they  were  firing  at  me;  yet  I  could  see  men,  here  and  there,  in 
the  distance  leaning  against  trees  firing  in  my  direction.  Why 
should  they  shoot  me?  I  had  never  done  them  any  harm.  I 
had  no  thought  of  danger  as  I  stood  there,  and  watched  the 
movements  of  troops  getting  ready  for  the  encounter.  Suddenly 
I  felt  some  one  tugging  away  at  my  coat-tail,  and  looking  down 
I  saw  an  orderly,  who  said:  "Chaplain,  you  had  better  get  down 
from  there;  the  enemy's  sharpshooters  will  pick  you  off."  I 
replied:  *1  guess  not.    They  are  not  shooting  at  me."    In  a  firm 


THE  BATTLE  IN  FRONT  OF  NASHVILLE.  129 

voice  he  responded,  "General  Cox  says  you  must  come  down." 
"If  that  is  the  order,  I  suppose  I  must  comply,"  when  I  clam- 
bered down.  Then  it  was  I  noticed,  in  the  rear  a  short  distance, 
a  squad  of  horsemen,  dismounted,  with  no  insignia  of  rank  about 
them.  They  wore  the  simple  uniform  of  the  common  soldier. 
The  orderly  took  me  back,  and  introduced  me  to  General  Cox, 
who  was  in  command  of  that  division. 

He  held  in  his  hand  a  field-glass,  by  the  aid  of  which  we  could 
see  the  movements  of  the  colored  troops  far  to  our  left.  Look 
yonder!  the  enemy  has  just  run  a  battery  upon  a  knoll  near  a 
brick  house  right  in  our  front,  and  are  throwing  shells  at  us! 
The  first  one  falls  short.  The  next  one  passes  over  our  heads, 
and  bursts  in  our  rear.  The  scream  is  like  to  what  we  can  easily 
imagine  to  be  the  cry  of  lost  souls  flying  through  the  regions  of 
the  damned,  exclaiming,  "Lost!  Lost!"  When  this  last  shell 
passed  over  us.  General  Cox  remarked:  "The  Johnnies  shoot  well 
this  morning.  We  had  better  move  down  on  lower  ground. 
Here  we  are  a  rather  prominent  mark.  The  next  time  they  will 
get  the  range  more  accurately."  The  group  of  six  or  eight  horse- 
men walked  down  a  short  distance  to  the  left.  A  little  way  off 
I  saw  a  short,  heavy-set  man,  unattended,  walking  slowly  toward 
our  lines,  looking  carefully  in  every  direction.  He  was  plainly 
dressed,  wearing  a  sack  coat  and  a  broad-brimmed  planter's  hat. 
Turning  to  the  general,  I  said,  "What  business  has  that  old 
planter  within  our  lines?"  To  my  astonishment,  he  replied, 
"That  is  Pap  Thomas,"  and,  taking  out  his  watch,  he  added: 
"You  will  see  in  about  three  minutes  what  he  is  here  for."  Just 
as  the  pointer  indicated  eight  o'clock  that  old  sombrero  was 
swung  three  times  around  his  head  at  arm's-length,  as  he  stood 
looking  toward  the  fort  in  front  of  him.  Immediately  "Fort 
Emancipation,"  only  a  short  distance  from  us,  opened  a  most 
terrific  fire,  which  lasted  for  fifteen  minutes.  Every  fort  and 
battery  along  the  whole  line  then  followed  suit.  The  roar  was 
almost  deafening.  When  that  ceased,  our  men,  lying  on  the 
ground  in  front  of  the  breastworks,  arose  and  charged  the  en- 
emy's lines  with  a  terrific  yell,  that  made  everything  quail  before 
them.  The  enemy's  intrenchments  were  in  the  woods,  so  we 
could  not  see  all  that  was  accomplished  by  this  movement;  but 


130  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

this  much  was  certain,  our  boys  did  not  return  to  the  breast- 
works. General  Cox  and  his  aids  mounted,  and  rode  quickly 
away.  Some  years  after,  when  the  general  was  running  for 
Governor  of  Ohio,  I  met  him  on  a  railway  train,  and  renewed  the 
acquaintance,  when  the  above  events  were  recalled  and  laughed 
over. 

In  this  charge  some  of  the  boys  were  wounded,  others  killed. 
Several  prisoners  were  also  taken.  The  ambulances  began  to 
move  out  to  bring  back  the  wounded  to  the  field  hospital.  This 
was  usually  established  in  the  rear  of  the  fighting  line,  and  not 
always  out  of  range  of  the  enemy's  guns.  Having  been  assigned 
to  the  4th  Corps,  Second  Division,  in  caring  for  the  wounded,  I 
sought  at  once  my  proper  place  of  work,  when  through  that  nar- 
row passageway  I  saw  a  man  coming  along,  bleeding  and  faint. 
I  assisted  him  to  the  hospital,  that  his  shivered  hand  might  be 
dressed.  The  hospital  consisted  of  tents.  The  wounded  were 
laid  on  blankets  on  the  ground  in  the  tent,  that  they  might  be 
cared  for,  and  protected  from  the  sun  and  wet.  It  is  impossible 
for  me  to  describe  all  the  scenes  of  that  dreadful  day.  Men  were 
brought  in,  wounded  in  every  possible  manner;  while  some  were 
stunned  with  shells. 

Near  night  I  heard  some  one  singing  one  of  the  sweet  songs 
of  Zion : 

"There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood, 
Drawn  from  Immanuel's  veins: 
And  sinners  plunged  beneath  the  flood 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains." 

I  hastened  to  him,  and  found  that  he  was  badly  wounded 
through  the  thigh,  and  suffering  intensely.  He  had  embraced 
religion  since  joining  the  army.  I  gave  him  such  encouragement 
and  comfort  as  was  in  my  power,  and  left  to  look  after  the  wants 
of  others.  Hark!  What  beautiful  strains  are  those  I  hear? 
Again  that  voice  is  heard,  above  the  din  of  battle.  My  heart 
grows  warm  as  I  listen : 

"Streaming  mercy,  how  it  flows! 
Now  I  know  I  feel  it. 
,.  The  half  has  never  yet  been  told, 

Yet  I  want  to  tell  it. 


THE  BATTLE  IN  FRONT  OF  NASHVILLE.  131 

Jesus*  blood  has  healed  my  wounds, 

O,  the  wondrous  story! 
I  was  lost,  but  now  I  *m  found, 

Glory,  glory!" 

This  man  was  a  native  of  the  State  of  Mississippi,  and 
until  now  had  fought  against  the  Union  cause.  The  last  I  saw 
of  him  was  about  nine  o'clock  at  night,  when  he  was  lying  on  the 
amputation-table.  The  surgeons  had  just  taken  off  his  leg  above 
the  knee. 

Wearied  and  tired,  about  ten  o'clock  we  left  the  field,  and 
walked  through  deep  mud  to  the  Commission  Rooms,  and  after 
some  refreshments,  wrapped  up  in  a  blanket,  and  lay  down  on  the 
floor,  and  tried  to  rest.  It  was  utterly  impossible.  I  thought 
of  home — of  the  many  other  homes  made  vacant  to-day — and 
of  the  long  nights  and  days  of  waiting,  and  yet  ''father  does 
not  return."  Those  ghastly  wounds  and  piles  of  amputated  limbs 
outside  the  surgeon's  tent  kept  staring  me  in  the  face. 

Then  the  battle  was  undecided;  another  day  of  blood  and 
thunder  was  upon  us.  Who  would  be  the  victors?  True,  our 
forces  had  been  successful  thus  far;  but  some  adverse  wind  might 
blow  and  turn  the  tide  of  war. 

Second  Day. — At  about  two  and  a  half  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing the  delegates  were  up,  and  commenced  writing  to  friends  at 
home  the  requests  of  wounded  men.  As  each  finished,  he  would 
turn  to  a  comrade  and  relate  the  scenes  of  the  previous  day.  The 
recitals  were  extremely  interesting.  ''Did  you  see  our  forces 
when  they  swept  across  the  cornfield  and  up  that  hill,  right 
in  the  face  of  shot  and  shell  which  flew  like  hail,  and  captured 
those  guns  and  took  some  prisoners?"  Many  similar  questions 
were  asked,  and  answered  as  the  experience  of  each  happened 
to  be. 

After  partaking  of  mush  and  molasses,  without  either  tea  or 
coflfee,  at  early  dawn  we  are  wading  through  the  mud  on  the 
hunt  for  the  4th  Corps,  carrying  our  well-filled  haversacks  of 
needed  supplies.  We  first  went  to  where  we  left  the  field  hospital 
tents  the  night  before.  They  were  not  there.  They  had  been 
moved;  but  none  could  tell  us  where.    We  marched  around  for 


132  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

an  hour  or  more.  Finally,  some  one  said  our  forces  had  moved 
out  in  the  night  some  two  or  three  miles  beyond  the  breastworks. 
We  started  for  the  Franklin  Pike,  as  we  saw  the  4th  Corps  wag- 
ons and  ambulances  moving  in  that  direction.  ''HaltT  cries  the 
picket,  as  we  approach  the  place  of  exit  through  the  breastworks. 
Our  badges  are  seen  and  passes  exhibited,  when  we  were  allowed 
to  proceed.  The  soil  was  all  pulverized  by  the  ploddings  of 
horses,  mules,  cattle,  artillery,  cavalry,  and  infantry.  After  four 
or  five  miles  of  such  walking,  we  at  last  find  them  driving  stakes 
and  putting  up  their  hospital  tents  near  a  spring  of  excellent 
water,  on  a  once  grassy  plot,  sloping  a  little  to  the  pike  south- 
ward and  to  the  spring  eastward,  and  in  sight  of  those  ''Overton 
hills"  where  the  rebels  had  made  their  final  stand.  These  hills 
were  covered  with  woods.  All  along  up  their  sides  masked  bat- 
teries had  been  placed,  and  from  these,  volumes  of  fire,  smoke, 
and  shells  were  issuing  every  moment  of  time.  Our  batteries 
were  on  the  plain  below,  and  w^ere  replying  in  a  most  gallant 
manner,  making  the  very  heavens  ring  with  their  awful  fire.  This 
lasted  for  nearly  the  whole  day.  Add  to  this  the  constant  clatter 
of  musketry,  which  was  as  incessant  as  hailstones  in  a  thunder- 
storm, especially  when  the  several  charges  were  made,  in  order 
to  capture  one  point  after  another  along  that  frowning  hillside. 
Until  about  four  o'clock,  when  the  last  charge  was  made,  the 
volleys  of  musketry  were  enough  to  make  the  stoutest  heart 
tremble.  Frequently,  bullets  whizzed  past  our  heads,  or  dropped 
at  our  feet,  as  we  hurried  along  caring  for  the  needy.  Several 
crashed  through  the  surgeon's  tent,  where  they  were  dressing 
wounds  and  amputating  limbs.  Add  to  this  the  yell  with  which 
charges  are  made,  and  you  can  have  a  faint  idea  of  the  terror 
and  storm  of  battle.  Never  did  I  know  what  excitement  meant 
until  I  stood  amid  scenes  like  the  above, — every  pale  face  as 
death,  and  every  nerve  strung  to  its  highest  pitch,  and  nearly 
every  one  feeling  as  if  the  issues  of  the  battle  depended  on  his 
individual  exertion.  A  braver,  nobler  set  of  men  never  drew  the 
sword,  or  shouldered  the  musket,  than  those  engaged  in  this 
battle  for  the  right  and  the  true. 

With  a  gentleman  from  Pennsylvania  as  my  associate,  we 
commenced  to  look  after  and  care  for  the  wounded  as  best  we 


THE  BATTLE  IN  FRONT  OF  NASHVILLE.  133 

were  able.  We  assisted  in  handling  them,  dressing  their  wounds, 
giving  them  drink,  and  noting  down  in  the  meantime  any  com- 
munication for  friends,  and  in  imparting  religious  counsel.  Few 
were  despondent,  however  badly  they  were  wounded;  all  ex- 
pected to  get  well.  Here  lay  a  man,  formerly  from  the  "Emerald 
Isle,"  wounded  in  both  legs  below  the  knees.  One  is  literally 
pulverized,  pants,  drawers,  bootleg,  bones,  and  flesh  all  smashed 
into  a  common  jelly.  As  I  approach  him,  he  exclaims:  *'0 
chaplain,  can't  you  help  me;  won't  you  ease  that  foot?"  I  change 
it  as  he  requests.  But  the  pain  will  not  cease.  "I  wish  you  would 
write  to  my  friends  at  Louisville,  Kentucky."  His  wife  had  died 
six  months  previous,  leaving  him  six  small  children.  He  says: 
"Tell  them  I  will  soon  be  able  to  get  a  furlough,  and  come  home." 
Alas!  how  frail  are  human  hopes  and  calculations!  An  hour 
after  I  return.  His  place  is  vacant.  The  life-blood  has  fled. 
Death  has  mustered  him  out  of  the  service.  They  have  borne  his 
mangled  body  away  for  burial. 

So  very  busy  were  we  all  day,  relieving  the  wants  of  others, 
that  we  never  so  much  as  thought  of  food  or  drink  for  ourselves, 
until  invited  to  partake  of  some  refreshments  by  an  orderly,  at  the 
direction  of  a  surgeon.  This  surgeon's  tent  was  an  awning 
stretched  over  a  pole  against  a  tree. 

We  soaked  the  ''hardtack"  in  coffee,  nibbled  off  the  corners, 
ate  some  dried  apple-sauce,  and  hastened  to  our  work. 

Many  touching  incidents  were  recorded  as  we  hurried  from 
one  sufferer  to  another. 

One  soldier  requested  a  sheet  of  paper  and  an  envelope,  say- 
ing, *'I  just  got  a  letter  that  my  father  is  dead,  and  I  wish  to 
write  home."    The  tears  were  coursing  down  his  sunburnt  cheeks. 

While  down  at  the  spring  for  water,  two  colored  soldiers,  hav- 
ing two  guns  each,  passed  in  single  file,  with  a  captured  rebel 
between  them,  marching  him  to  headquarters,  amid  the  cheers  of 
our  brave  defenders  of  the  old  flag.  The  "Johnnie's"  eyes  were 
front,  and  hands  down  at  the  side.  This  was  probably  the  most 
humiliating  position  of  his  life.  I  could  but  pity  him.  He  knew 
what  an  attempt  to  escape  or  to  retreat  meant;  for  the  colored 
troops  never  called  "Halt"  three  times,  as  the  army  instructions 
required;  but  with  them  it  was,  "Halt,  Bang!" — death. 


t34  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

One  of  the  soldiers  had  been  stunned  by  a  ball.  On  regain- 
ing his  senses  he  found  the  ball  had  penetrated  and  lodged  in  a 
Testament  which  he  carried  in  the  side-pocket  of  his  blouse,  over 
the  heart.  As  he  approached  me,  face  all  aglow,  holding  out 
the  little  volume,  he  said:  ''This  Book  has  saved  my  life.  See, 
the  ball  nearly  passed  through  it;  but  for  this  it  would  have  gone 
through  my  heart."  I  looked,  and  found  it  as  stated.  He  refused 
to  part  with  that  precious  treasure.  Ofttimes  have  I  wondered, 
What  has  become  of  that  little  Testament,  and  of  him  so  won- 
drously  saved?  That  little  Book  accepted,  studied,  becomes  a 
"savor  of  life  unto  life"  to  all  who  obey  its  precepts :  "For  whoso- 
ever shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved."  It 
will  never  lose  its  power  to  save  men,  for  "the  law  of  the  Lord 
is  perfect,  converting  the  soul." 

A  rebel  captain  received  a  flesh  wound  in  the  leg,  which  bled 
freely.  This  weakened  him  very  much.  He  was  brought  to  the 
surgeon's  tent  in  an  ambulance,  placed  on  the  ground  near  a 
stump,  against  which  he  was  leaning  v/hen  I  saw  him,  pale  as 
death  from  the  loss  of  blood.  I  spoke  kindly  to  him,  as  I  did 
to  all  who  wore  either  the  blue  or  gray,  "What  can  I  do  for  you?" 
for  we  were  no  longer  enemies,  now  that  he  was  a  needy  pris- 
oner of  war.  His  reply  to  my  inquiry  was,  "Will  you  give  me 
a  chew  of  tobacker?"  "I  never  use  it,  and  hence  have  none." 
Just  then  an  officer  passed,  and  I  said:  "Hello,  lieutenant;  this 
man  wants  some  tobacco.  Have  you  any?"  Thrusting  his  hand 
into  his  pocket,  he  threw  me  nearly  a  whole  plug,  and  then 
rushed  on.  I  gave  it  to  the  rebel  captain,  who  eagerly  bit  off 
a  good-sized  hunk,  and  offered  it  to  me.  I  said,  "No!  it 's  yours; 
keep  it."  The  tears  started  as  he  replied,  "I  never  expected  such 
kind  treatment."  To  this  I  stated,  "We  claim  to  be  civilized,  and 
treat  prisoners  of  war  as  our  own  friends."  Said  he,  as  the  tears 
continued  to  flow:  "For  years  I  have  fought  against  the  flag.  I 
will  never  do  so  again.  We  were  repeatedly  told  if  we  surren- 
dered we  would  be  ill  treated."  He  was  borne  into  the  surgeon's 
tent,  and  I  saw  him  no  more. 

On  a  small  hill  northwest  of  the  spring,  in  a  grove  stood 
a  large  mansion,  now  vacated  by  its  owner  and  his  family,  which 
was  used  as  a  hospital.     The  bare  floors  were  literally  covered 


THE  BATTLE  IN  FRONT  OF  NASHVILLE.  135 

with  the  worst  wounded,  lying  in  swathes,  with  just  room  enough 
to  walk  between  the  feet  of  one  row  and  the  head  of  the  next. 
What  a  sight!  I  shrink  from  the  task,  and  yet  I  must  describe 
it,  if  I  can.  Here  is  a  man  with  an  arm  and  shoulder  smashed 
to  pieces.  There  is  another  with  one  or  both  legs  shattered. 
Over  yonder  is  one  with  one  side  of  his  jaw  and  head  gone.  His 
brains  are  oozing  out  on  the  floor.  Farther  on  lies  a  poor  fellow 
with  his  bowels  partly  on  the  floor  beside  him,  and  yet  he  is 
breathing. 

Such  scenes  as  these  few  pens  can  describe,  or  imaginations 
picture.  So  intent  were  we  in  doing  something  for  these  suffer- 
ing men  that  we  never  thought  of  the  flight  of  the  hours,  or  of 
weariness,  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  slowly  we 
plodded  through  mud  and  rain  to  the  Christian  Commission 
Rooms  in  the  city,  and  lay  down  on  a  cot  to  rest.  Be  it  re- 
corded that,  among  all  of  those  wounded  men,  not  one  did  we 
hear  expressing  a  regret  that  he  had  enlisted. 

Third  Day. — Before  light  we  ate  a  little  mush  and  molasses, 
and  started  off  for  the  field  of  battle.  The  walking  was  horrible, 
owing  to  the  passing  of  so  many  men,  horses,  and  wagons.  The 
road  did  not  seem  nearly  so  long  as  the  night  before;  though  if 
memory  serves  me  correctly,  it  was  about  five  miles.  On  reach- 
ing the  scenes  of  the  previous  day,  we  found  that  the  firing  had 
almost  ceased  at  the  front,  there  being  only  now  and  then  a 
volley.  Hood,  with  his  broken,  scattered,  vanquished  forces,  was 
on  the  retreat,  and  ours,  flushed  with  victory,  were  in  hot  pur- 
suit. How  changed  their  feelings  since  they  vacated  Franklin 
only  a  short  time  before!  While  we  would  gladly  have  gone  with 
them,  our  plain  duty  was  to  remain  and  care  for  the  wounded 
and  dying,  so  we  repair  to  the  house  left  only  a  few  hours  be- 
fore. Many  had  been  borne  away  to  their  last  resting-place. 
Some  were  then  dying,  while  others  by  their  side  were  calling  for 
wife,  sister,  mother,  or  friend  to  come  and  ease  their  sufferings — 
"for  God's  sake  to  give  them  water  to  drink." 

The  most  heart-rending  scenes,  if  there  was  any  difference, 
were  in  the  rooms  filled  with  the  colored  wounded,  who  had  been 
mowed  down  the  day  before  when  charging  one  of  the  masked 


136  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

batteries  of  the  Overton  hills.  Their  piteous  cries  for  assistance 
still  ring  in  our  ears.  The  spirit  of  these  men  may  be  shown  by 
one  incident:  An  unfortunate  fellow,  whose  limbs  had  been  taken 
ofif  below  the  knee  by  a  cannon-ball,  as  I  began  to  extend  to  him 
my  sympathy,  exclaimed:  "Massa,  I  would  rather  have  both 
legs  and  hands  off  and  be  free,  than  to  have  them  on  and  be  a 
slave." 

We  go,  as  we  did  the  evening  before,  from  one  to  another, 
giving  them  water  and  such  other  refreshments  as  we  carried 
in  our  haversacks.  What  were  a  few  crackers  and  two  cans  of 
oysters  among  so  many? 

The  dead  were  buried,  without  shroud  or  coffin,  in  trenches 
side  by  side,  as  close  as  they  could  lie,  wrapped  in  their  blankets 
or  overcoats.  If  their  name,  regiment,  and  company  were  known, 
a  little  board  or  shingle  told  the  fact.  There  were  many  "un- 
known" graves. 

Some  time  during  the  day  we  came  across  Captain  Anderson, 
from  Indiana,  who  was  wounded  through  the  small  of  the  back, 
and  unable  to  move.  "It  is  only  a  flesh  wound,"  he  said;  "I 
shall  be  all  right  if  I  can  get  to  the  officers'  hospital  in  the  city." 
He  was  very  weak  from  the  loss  of  blood,  and  from  having 
neither  water  nor  food  for  nearly  two  days.  We  hailed  a  passing 
ambulance,  lifted  him  in,  and  started  him  for  the  city;  but  he 
insisted  on  my  accompanying  him,  because  he  was  so  faint;  be- 
sides, he  wished  me  to  telegraph  for  his  wife  to  come  to  him  im- 
mediately. About  six  months  later,  the  writer  saw  the  captain 
in  Rushville,  Indiana,  moving  around  on  crutches. 

After  three  days  and  nights  of  such  nervous  strain,  tired 
nature  gave  out.  We  wended  our  way  to  the  Commission 
Rooms  for  a  little  rest,  and  to  send  the  sad  messages  to  waiting 
ones  in  the  distant  homes. 

HosPiTAiv  Work  began  the  next  day  after  the  battle.  Store- 
buildings,  residences,  halls,  hotels,  and  churches  were  used  for 
hospitals.  These  were  numbered  as  warJs;  several  of  them  under 
one  management. 

The  nervous  strain  of  the  battle,  as  well  as  gunshot  wounds, 
had  sent  many  to  the  hospitals  for  treatment.    This  made  a  great 


THE  BATTLE   IN  FRONT  OF  NASHVILLE.  137 

deal  of  work  for  the  voluntary  agents  of  the  United  States  Chris- 
tian Commission,  who  were  expected  to  visit  all  the  wards,  and 
furnish  reading-matter,  write  letters,  converse  with  the  sick  and 
the  dying;  also  to  preach  in  all  the  wards  as  often  as  circum- 
stances would  admit.  These  services,  as  conducted  by  the 
writer,  never  excejeded  half  an  hour.  Those  in  charge  of  the 
ward  were  always  consulted  as  to  the  best  time  and  place  for 
holding  the  services.  The  "boys"  remained  on  their  cots,  either 
sitting  or  reclining,  as  they  were  able.  They  always  did  the 
singing.  Often  prayer  and  speaking  meetings  were  held  among 
the  convalescent. 

From  eight  to  ten  hours  were  spent  every  day  by  the  writer 
in  this  blessed  work.  A  few  extracts  from  that  old  memorandum 
will  give  a  better  idea  of  what  was  done  than  could  otherwise  be 
obtained : 

''A  wicked  man  was  lying  on  his  cot,  nearing  the  end  of  his  career; 
but  in  despair.  That  passage  which  is  the  sheet  anchor  of  the  Christian 
faith  was  quoted  to  him:  'God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life.'  'Is  that  true?'  inquired  the  dying  man.  Being 
assured  that  it  was,  'Thank  God,'  said  he,  'that  whosoever  includes  me. 
I  trust  that  promise.'    He  died  in  peace." 

"December  20,  1864,  in  Ward  3,  one  said:  'Jesus  has  blessed  me.  He 
has  removed  my  burden.     I  am  happy.'  " 

"Another:  'Tell  my  mother  that  I  am  determined  to  be  a  Christian. 
I  will  cleave  to  God.'  " 

"At  midnight,  December  29th,  word  comes  that  Rolla  S.  Sherman 
is  dying,  and  wishes  to  see  me.  I  hasten  to  his  ward.  He  whispers  in 
my  ear:  'O  chaplain,  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you!  I  was  afraid  you  would 
not  come.  I  want  you  to  talk  about  those  good  things  I  have  heard 
you  speak  of  so  much;  then  sing  and  pray  with  me.'  His  wishes  were 
complied  with.  When  assured  that  he  could  not  recover,  Rolla  said: 
'Thank  the  Lord.  He  knows  it  is  all  for  the  best,  or  he  would  not  take 
me.'  He  then  threw  his  arms  around  the  neck  of  a  comrade,  exclaiming, 
'He  is  a  strong  tower  in  the  day  of  trouble,'  and  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 

"  Xet  me  get  hold  of  him,'  said  one  on  an  adjoining  cot,  just  before 
he  expired." 

When  I  contemplate  these  scenes  on  battlefield  and  in  hos- 
pitals, I  seem  to  hear  the  deep  sigh  of  that  stricken  mother  and 
lonely  widow  when  the  fatherless  ask:  "When  will  father  come 


138  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

home?  Why  does  he  tarry  so  long?  Mother,  will,  he  ever 
come?"  I  hear  the  tearful  reply:  ''Ah!  my  child,  your  father 
sleeps'in  the  'Southland.'  He  gave  his  life  for  the  defense  of  the 
old  flag.  His  voice  you  will  hear  no  more.  The  qoming  gener- 
ations will  strew  his  grave  with  flowers  on  each  Decoration-day." 

To  return  to  my  "jottings."  One  day  as  I  was  distributing 
papers  in  the  Zollicoffer  Barracks,  I  happened  to  inquire  of  a 
soldier,  who  was  waiting  for  orders  to  join  his  regiment,  ''Where 
are  you  from?"  "New  York."  "What  county?"  "Schoharie." 
"Excuse  me,  sir;  but  what  township?"  "Summit."  My  heart 
beat  quickly  as  I  looked  on  his  noble,  manly  form,  "What  part?" 
"Charlotteville."  "Can  it  be?"  I  said;  "that  is  where  I  attended 
school."    He  quickly  grasped  my  hand,  and  inquired,  "Who  are 

you?"    "They  used  to  call  me  I.  H.  B ."     "Is  this  Isaac?" 

On  being  told  that  it  was,  he  said:  "I  have  been  to  your 
father's  house.  Philip  Multer  has  a  son  upstairs."  'In  the  fifth 
story  we  find  a  tall,  pale-faced  young  man,  just  out  of  the  hos- 
pital, who  did  not  much  favor  the  little  Joseph  we  knew  years 
before. 

Some  months  after,  when  visiting  Hospital  No.  4,  at  New 
Albany,  Indiana,  a  soldier,  noticing  me  as  I  walked  through 
the  ward,  accosted  me  with,  "You  took  my  name  on  the  battle- 
field of  Nashville,  and  gave  me  my  first  drink  of  water.  I  never 
shall  forget  you." 

The  same  day,  in  Hospital  No.  6,  a  similar  scene  occurred, 
when  another  said:  "You  took  my  name,  and  gave  me  my  first 
drink  of  water.  I  shall  never  forget  your  voice.  You  were  so 
kind  to  us  who  were  wounded." 

In  1869,  as  our  train  was  speeding  through  Indiana  on  toward 
the  mountains,  a  gentleman  in  the  car,  hearing  me  speak,  threw 
his  arms  around  my  neck  and  wept,  saying:  "I  shall  always  re- 
member you.  You  gave  me  my  first  drink  of  water  after  I  was 
wounded  in  front  of  Nashville.    That  voice  I  shall  never  forget." 

These  personal  references  are  inserted  to  show  that  the  brave 
defenders  of  the  flag  appreciated  what  was  done  for  them  in  the 
day  of  their  necessity. 


III. 

ON   TO    JVIUJRKREESBORO. 

December  28th,  the  soldier  in  charge  of  the  United  States 
Christian  Commission  Rooms  in  Murfreesboro  arrived  in  Nash- 
ville, having  walked  the  entire  distance  seeking  supplies  for  the 
sick  and  wounded  in  their  hospitals.  Their  communications  hav- 
ing been  cut  off  for  several  weeks,  no  assistance  had  reached 
them.    The  railroad  had  been  torn  up  by  Hood's  cavalry. 

The  method  they  used  in  destroying  the  railroad  was  this: 
the  rails  were  laid  across  log-heaps,  which  were  set  on  fire;  and 
when  the  iron  was  hot  it  was  bent  and  warped  out  of  shape,  so  as 
to  render  it  unfit  for  use  again;  which  made  it  difficult  to  repair 
the  road. 

This  call  for  help  was  immediately  responded  to,  with  two  six- 
mule  teams  hauling  Government  wagons  loaded  to  the  very  top 
of  the  covers.  The  drivers  of  such  teams  always  rode  the  rear 
near  mule,  and  drove  with  a  *'jerk-rein."  Two  soldiers  were  sent 
along  as  guards.  The  man  wanted  two  assistants  to  return  with 
him.  The  Nashville  agent  appointed  the  writer  and  W.  J.  Breed, 
Esq.,  who  had  just  arrived  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to  accompany 
him.  The  early  morning  of  December  30th  found  us  on  our 
march  southward.  To  ride  was  impossible.  All  except  the 
drivers  had  to  walk.  The  two  soldiers  only  were  armed.  That 
old  pike,  once  smooth,  was  now  out  of  repair,  and  quite  rough. 
A  cold,  drizzling  rain  was  falling,  which  mxade  the  walking  none 
of  the  best. 

Near  a  large  closed  mansion  we  saw  a  small  flock  of  geese. 
I  begged  the  soldiers  not  to  shoot  them,  as  probably  they  were 
all  that  the  family  had  left  from  the  ravages  of  war.  One  of  the 
boys  sauntered  behind  for  a  little  and  killed  one  of  them,  and 
threw  it  into  the  feed-box.  Night  found  us  fifteen  miles  from 
Murfreesboro,  at  Ashley  Rozzell's.  Here  was  a  planter's  house 
surrounded  by  tall  trees.  The  rain  made  it  unpleasant  camping. 
We  told  them  who  we  were,  what  our  mission  was,  and  asked 
if  we  could  stay  in  the  house  over  night.     This  was  cheerfully 

J39 


I40  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

granted,  though  the  men  folks  were  away.  The  evening  was 
spent  in  religious  conversation.  Prayers  were  said  with  the 
family,  when  we  retired,  feeling  safe  under  God's  protecting  care. 

They  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  and  were  hospitaole.  That  night,  Mr.  Breed  and  the 
writer  slept  on  the  only  feather-bed  they  ever  saw  in  the  army. 
An  old  colored  uncle  and  aunt,  for  a  small  gratuity,  had  our 
goose  roasted  for  breakfast,  which  was  relished  far  more  than 
"sowbelly"  would  have  been.  The  cooks  were  given  what  was 
left. 

At  seven  o'clock  we  pulled  out.  The  morning  was  cold  and 
raw\  The  rain  of  the  day  before  having  turned  to  snow,  which, 
with  the  mud,  was  about  three  inches  deep,  after  seven  hours  of 
hard  walking  we  reached  the  Christian  Commission  Rooms  in 
Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  the  last  day  of  the  old  year  of  1864. 

One  incident  on  the  way  might  have  cost  us  our  lives,  but  for 
a  little  forethought.  We  were  passing  through  a  pine  forest, 
when  two  armed  men  stepped  into  the  road  by  our  side,  and 
demanded  to  know  who  we  were,  where  we  were  going,  and  what 
we  were  loaded  with.  We  frankly  told  them  that  we  were 
United  States  Christian  Commission  men  with  supplies  for  the 
sick  and  wounded  in  the  hospitals  at  Murfreesboro,  who  were 
suffering  for  the  want  of  them.  This  last  expression  was  made 
very  emphati:.  They  looked  us  over  sharply,  and  passed  on  in 
advance.  Soon  we  came  to  a  log  cabin  in  a  little  clearing,  where 
several  horses  were  tied  to  branches  of  trees,  and  a;S  we  drove  past 
a  number  of  men  watched  us  closely.  We  then  thought  that  they 
were  a  "guerrilla  band,"  whose  outer  guard  had  reported  who 
we  were,  when  they  allowed  us  to  pass  unmolested.  I  confess 
that  we  felt  no  small  relief  when  out  of  range  of  their  guns ;  but 
we  knew  not  what  awaited  us. 

Before  contending  armies  had  devastated  the  town  and  its 
surroundings  and  scattered  its  inhabitants,  Murfreesboro  was  the 
third  city  in  size  in  Tennessee.  It  was  the  center  of  trade  for  a 
large  area,  with  a  wealthy  and  enterprising  people.  Here  two 
seminaries  were  located,  and  six  church-spires  pointed  heaven- 
ward. There  were  many  beautiful  residences  and  many  large 
store-buildings,  while  hundreds  daily  crowded  its  paved  streets. 


ON  TO  MURFREESBORO,  I4I 

Yet  here  secession  fermented  and  foamed  defiance  to  the  Govern- 
ment. 

The  colored  population  predominated;  black  they  could  not 
be  called,  for  they  were  of  all  shades.  Two  large  schools  were 
carried  on  successfully  among  them  by  Northern  lady  teachers, 
who  felt  called  to  this  work.  One  of  them  afterward  became 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Palmer,  a  returned  missionary  of  the  Presby- 
terian Board,  who  for  years  has  resided  in  Trinidad,  Colorado. 

Two  miles  west  of  the  city  was  fought  the  battle  of  Stone 
River.  Here  is  a  Government  cemetery,  and  a  large  stone  monu- 
ment commemorating  the  event.  There  is  a  long  row  of  graves 
marked  "unknown."  When  looking  at  these,  we  wondered  who 
they  were,  and  where  they  were  from.  What  desolations  are 
wrought  by  war! 

January  4,  1865,  Mr.  Breed  and  the  writer  visited  the  contra- 
band camp.  What  a  sight!  There  was  a  woman  said  to  be  a 
hundred  years  old,  by  the  name  of  Fanny  Jordan,  the  mother  of 
ten  children,  five  of  whom  had  been  taken  from  her  and  sold. 
Her  religious  experience  was  vv^onderful,  and  her  testimony 
unique.  Here  are  a  few  of  the  expressions  she  used  in  conversing 
with  us:  "I  would  be  mighty  glad  to  get  ofif.  Sometimes  I  am 
up,  and  sometimes  down.  I  love  the  Church  and  all  of  God's 
people.  My  Bible  is  within.  I  have  the  living  witness  in  my 
heart.  I  am  bound  for  the  kingdom.  My  Master  has  given  me 
a  free  pass.  I  am  moving  rootlike,  inch  at  a  time,  toward  glory. 
I  am  freely  sprinkled  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  promises  me  a 
bounty.  My  soul  is  full  of  glory.  Been  praying  all  my  life  to  get- 
the  yoke  off  my  neck."  Here  Brother  Breed  mentioned  the  name 
of  Lincoln.  The  old  veteran  asked  to  see  his  likeness.  He 
showed  her  a  greenback  on  which  it  was.  She  covered  it  with 
kisses,  and  pressed  it  to  her  bosom,  declaring  that  "he  was  the 
handsomest  man  she  had  ever  seen;  the  next  friend  to  God,  for  he 
is  doing  his  will."  Then  she  called  in  her  daughter  and  numbers 
of  her  friends  to  see  his  picture. 

Soon  after  the  above  event,  Mr.  Breed,  although  a  Congre- 
gationalist,  made  the  following  proposition  to  me,  saying:  *'You 
are  better  adapted  to  this  work  than  I  am.  If  you  will  remain 
after  your  six  weeks  are  up,  I  will  go  home,  attend  to  my  busi- 


142  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

ness,  make  the  money,  and  pay  you  the  same  salary  you  are  get- 
ting at  home."  The  arrangements  were  accordingly  made  satis- 
factorily to  all  concerned,  and  I  remained  in  charge  of  the 
United  States  Christian  Commission  Rooms  in  Murfreesboro, 
Tenn. 

My  work  consisted,  as  heretofore,  in  distributing  reading- 
matter  in  the  camps,  hospitals,  and  prisons  during  the  week, 
conversing  with  the  sick  and  dying,  holding  prayer-meetings, 
and  preaching  three  and  four  times  on  the  Sabbath. 

From  the  old  memorandum-book  I  take  the  following  entries: 

"February  26th. — I  preached  to  the  8th  Wisconsin  Battery  in  Fortress 
Hospital  and  in  Hospital  No.  4,  Wards  7  and  10.  That  evening  I  also 
heard  Captain  Turner  preach  from,  'Your  sins  will  find  you  out' 

"March  12th. — I  preached  at  the  Battery,  at  Fortress  Hospital,  and 
for  the  143d  Indiana  Infantry.  The  colonel  said:  'Come  again.  Religious 
men  are  more  easily  governed,  and  make  better  soldiers.'  " 

"John  W.  Sharp,  of  the  3d  Michigan,  who  was  dying,  said:  'I  want 
to  go  where  angels  live.  There  is  such  a  load  on  my  heart.  I  have  told 
the  doctors  about  it;  but  they  do  not  help  me.'  I  replied:  *If  you  will 
go  to  Jesus  by  faith,  and  ask  him  to  take  it  away,  he  will  do  it.  I  will 
pray  for  you.'  Great  was  my  agony  before  God  that  night  for  that  dear 
boy.  Early  the  next  morning  I  went  into  the  ward,  to  learn  how  Johnny 
was.  As  I  approached  his  cot,  I  saw  that  his  face  was  shining.  With 
animation,  he  said:  'Last  night  when  the  ward  got  quiet,  I  told  Jesus 
all  about  it;  and  asked  him  to  help  me,  and  he  has.  The  load  is  all  gone, 
and  I  am  so  happy.'  Three  days  after  we  buried  his  body  in  a  soldier's 
grave." 

"Another  in  the  body  here  below,  but  with  a  soul  longing  for  another 
clime,  said  in  a  scarce  audible  voice:  'I  am  so  sorry  I  did  not  go  last 
night.    I  want  to  be  off.'    His  earthly  career  soon  came  to  an  end." 

"Another  poor  boy,  when  dying,  said:  'O,  that  I  had  been  a  praying 
man  before  I  came  to  this  critical  moment!  I  have  kind  friends  at  home; 
but  I  have  no  hope  beyond  the  grave;'  and  passed  away." 

"Another,  who  was  very  sick,  when  I  urged  him  to  look  to  Jesus  at 
once,  and  make  no  delay,  replied:  'I  can  not  see  it  as  you  do.  I  have 
been  so  wicked.'  " 

"I  approached  a  little  fellow,  lying  on  his  cot,  with  this  inquiry: 
'Are  you  trusting  in  Jesus?'  'Yes,'  was  his  answer,  with  a  sweet  smile. 
Just  then  his  brother-in-law  arrived,  who  had  been  sent  for,  and  they 
kissed  each  other.  A  few  moments  after,  with  a  halo  of  glory  resting  on 
his  face,  his  redeemed  spirit  took  its  flight." 

"To  one  I  said,  'My  good  fellow,  you  ought  to  be  a  Christian.*  His 
reply  was,  'I  am  determined  to  get  religion  if  it  is  to  be  had.'  " 


ON  TO  MURFREESBORO,  I43 

"Of  another,  I  inquired,  'What  is  your  hope?'  He  answered,  'My 
mind  is  made  up  to  seek  Jesus.'  " 

"John  Mecham,  of  the  8th  Minnesota,  had  a  wife  and  seven  children 
at  home.  In  answer  to  my  first  question,  he  said:  'If  it  were  not  for  mj 
prospects  beyond,  I  do  not  know  what  I  would  do.  I  hope  to  reign  on 
the  blessed  fields  of  glory  before  long.  I  am  almost  home.'  After  prayer, 
he  said:  'I  wish  I  was  there  now.'    He  died  at  'high-noon'  the  next  day." 

"During  prayer-meeting  one  night  a  soldier  boy  arose,  and  said: 
'I  have  been  very  wicked.  The  ringleader  of  all  vice.  My  wife  prays 
for  me.  I  am  determined  to  change  my  course.  Pray  for  me.'  The  above 
Statements  were  made  amid  many  sobs  and  tears.  All  kneeled  in  prayer 
for  the  returning  prodigal," 

"One  day  another  showed  me  a  picture  of  his  wife  and  three  little 
ones.  I  said,  'Does  she  pray  for  you?'  The  tears  started.  'Yes,  she 
prays  for  me.'  'Do  you  pray  for  yourself?'  'No;  I  have  been  very 
wicked.    I  have  decided  to  yield,  and  be  saved.' " 

"Chauncey  Cree  died  in  peace  and  in  hope,  while  his  wife's  last  letter 
was  being  read  to  him.     Ere  it  was  half  finished,  he  was  gone." 

"February  20th. — We  had  an  unusually  interesting  prayer-meeting. 
Several  decided  to  become  Christians.  One  arose,  and  said  of  his  own 
free  will  and  accord:  *I  never  took  a  stand  for  God  before.  I  have  been 
wicked.     Pray  for  me.'    This  was  said  with  much  feeling." 

"Another  spoke  as  follows:  'I  desire  to  serve  God.  Last  Saturday  I 
received  the  intelligence  that  my  father  had  gone  to  heaven.  He  used  to 
lead  me  to  places  like  this.    I  want  to  see  him  above.'  " 

"Immediately  another  testified:  'I  never  enjoyed  such  peace  as  since 
last  Thursday  night.  I  have  been  very  wicked,  a  frequenter  of  the  halls 
of  vice,  billiards,  cards,  etc.,  when  my  good  old  mother  was  at  home 
praying  for  me.  I  have  a  praying  wife.  How  they  will  rejoice  when 
they  learn  that  I  have  started  for  glory!  O  that  I  may  be  faithful,  and 
if  we  never  meet  here  below,  that  we  may  meet  over  there!'  ** 

When  Hood's  army  retreated  from  before  Nashville,  they  car- 
ried away  as  prisoners  two  Union  men  from  near  Murfreesboro. 
General  Thomas  at  once  arrested  four  rebels,  and  put  them  in 
prison  as  hostages,  notifying  Hood  that  if  the  Union  men  were 
not  returned  to  their  homes  immediately,  these  men  would  be 
shot.  Weeks  passed;  one  of  the  two  died  in  prison,  and  the  other 
finally  returned,  when  the  four  were  released.  It  was  my  privi- 
lege, during  the  imprisonment  of  these  four  men,  to  visit  them 
often,  give  them  reading-matter,  and  preach  to  them  and  others 
in  the  prison  on  the  Sabbath.  Thus  we  became  quite  well  ac- 
quainted. One  of  the  men  bore  the  name  of  Crockett,  a  relative 
10 


144  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

of  the  celebrated  David  Crockett,  of  Almanac  fame.  We  had 
many  a  pleasant  chat  before  the  large,  open,  wood  fire-place,  sit- 
ting side  by  side  on  a  backless  bench.  They  were  rebels  to  the 
backbone.  There  was  not  a  particle  of  milk  and  water  about 
them.  I  liked  them  for  that.  One  day  the  question  of  the  Bible 
view  of  slavery  came  up.  Crockett  presented  his  understanding 
of  the  subject  frankly.  Now  said  he:  "Tell  us  how  you  North- 
erners interpret  the  Bible  on  the  question  of  slavery."  After 
their  promising  not  to  interrupt  nor  to  become  angry,  I  pro- 
ceeded to  give  our  understanding  of  the  Scriptures  on  that  line. 
He  and  his  companions  listened  very  attentively  for  an  hour  or 
more,  while  the  unfolding  was  going  on.  The  discussion  ended, 
Crocket,  slapping  me  on  the  knee,  said:  '*I  '11  stake  the  issues  of 
this  war  on  the  slavery  question.  If  our  interpretation  of  the 
Bible  is  right,  we  shall  win;  if  yours  is  right,  you  will."  "Agreed," 
said  I,  and  we  parted  good  friends. 

The  day  they  were  discharged,  I  happened  to  go  up  to  the 
room  in  the  courthouse  where  they  were  confined,  when  they 
made  me  this  proposition:  ''Chaplain,  if  you  will  come  and  live 
with  us  and  preach  for  us,  you  shall  never  want  for  any  good 
thing  in  this  life.    We  have  an  abundance,  and  to  spare!" 


IV. 
THE    CMARIvAINCY. 

Some  time  in  the  early  part  of  March,  1865,  the  i88th  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry  came  to  the  fort,  which  stood  on  the  opposite 
side  of  Stone  River  from  the  city,  and  only  a  short  distance  from 
where  the  battle  was  fought,  December  31,  1862,  and  January  2, 
1863. 

I  visited  this  regiment  frequently  in  my  rounds,  and  preached 
for  them  March  26th  and  April  2d,  when,  unsought,  they  ten- 
dered me  the  chaplaincy  of  the  same.  I  accepted  the  position,  and 
was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  on  the  5th  of  April, 
1865,  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  w^hither  I  had  been  sent  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

On  a  lovely  May  morning,  one  of  the  company  officers  in- 
vited me  to  walk  with  him  over  the  battlefield  of  Stone  River. 
The  marks  of  that  hard-contested  battle  were  plainly  visible  on 
rocks,  trees,  and  soil.  Scarred  bullets,  bits  of  clothing,  pieces 
of  shell,  broken  caissons,  and  gunstocks  were  scattered  about 
promiscuously.  In  one  or  two  localities  large  trees  were  liter- 
ally riddled  with  bullets.  Some  of  them  were  cut  off  six  or  eight 
feet  above  the  ground  by  the  shot  or  shell.  Many  of  the  limbs 
were  severed  from  the  trunk.  How  the  leaden  hail  must  have 
driven!  After  wandering  about  for  awhile,  we  stood  on  an  ele- 
vation north  of  the  monument,  from  which  we  could  get  a  good 
view  of  the  whole  field.  Here  was  a  long  row  of  graves  marked 
^'unknown."  We  had  picked  up  the  visor  of  a  soldier's  cap,  and, 
while  standing  under  the  shade  of  a  small  tree,  were  wondering 
whose  head  it  had  adorned,  when  "zip"  came  a  bullet,  cutting 
off  a  small  twig  within  an  inch  of  my  forehead.  I  stepped  a  little 
to  one  side,  and  on  lower  ground,  to  see  if  possible  where  it 
came  from.  The  captain  remained  stationary,  when,  in  just  about 
the  time  it  would  take  to  reload  a  muzzle-loader,  "zip"  came 
another,  cutting  off  a  leaf  close  to  his  head.  What  appeared  re- 
markable about  this  affair  was,  neither  heard  the  report  nor  saw 
the  smoke  of  a  gun.    The  whizzing  of  those  bullets  recalled  the 

145 


146  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

warning  Colonel  Taylor  gave  us  before  leaving  camp,  "Look  out 
for  bushwhackers."  So  interested  had  we  been  in  our  surround- 
ings, that  we  had  not  thought  of  it  before.  Leaving  the  knoll, 
we  crossed  over  near  to  the  monument,  and  bore  off  to  the  right 
for  camp,  keeping  all  the  time  a  sharp  lookout  for  that  unseen 
and  unknown  marksman;  not  that  we  cared  for  him,  but  he 
seemed  to  want  us.  The  guards  at  the  fort  heard  the  two  shots 
in  the  direction  we  had  gone,  and  had  reported  to  the  colonel, 
who  was  about  to  send  a  squad  of  men  after  our  bodies,  supposing 
we  had  been  killed  or  wounded.  Ofttimes  do  I  wonder  who  that 
man  was,  and  what  became  of  him.  He  came  very  near  getting 
our  scalps. 

That  was  our  last  and  only  visit  to  the  battlefield  of  Stone 
River,  though  we  had  been  to  see  the  monument  before. 

May   loth,  S B ,  of  Company  E,  went  out  with  a 

canteen  and  gun,  lay  down  with  his  head  against  a  stump,  and 
there  shot  himself.  His  body  was  found  two  days  after,  axid  was 
buried  inside  Fortress  Rosecrans.  He  left  a  wife  and  two  chil- 
dren. 

May  13th  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Tullahoma,  Te.-n.; 
left  Murfreesboro  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  marched  nine 
miles,  and  lunched  on  hardtack  and  coffee.  About  two  o'clock, 
as  we  passed  a  church,  I  inquired  of  a  grinning  darkey,  ''What 
church  is  that?"  His  answer  was,  ''A  shouting  Methodist  church; 
preacher  and  all  in  the  rebel  army."  That  night  we  rested  on  the 
bare  ground,  covered  only  with  a  rubber  blanket. 

May  14th,  the  stillness  of  the  Sabbath  morn  was  broken  by 
''reveille"  at  four  o'clock;  breakfasted  on  hardtack,  cold  meat, 
and  coffee.  At  eleven  we  halted  at  "War-trace,"  weary,  tired, 
and  footsore,  having  marched  eleven  miles;  twenty  miles  more 
marching,  and  we  "bivouac"  in  an  orchard,  on  the  south  bank 
of  Duck  River;  broke  camp  at  two-fifteen  the  next  morning,  and 
marched  by  moonlight  nine  miles,  reaching  Tullahoma  at  five 
and  one-half  o'clock. 

Our  regiment  is  stationed  in  an  orchard  southwest  of  town, 
on  a  table-land,  where  our  tents  were  soon  pitched  "in  due  form." 
The  colonel  had  a  nice  little  cabin,  eight  feet  by  ten  feet,  built  for 
the  chaplain. 


THE   CHAPLAINCY.  I47 

The  most  of  the  regiment  remained  here  for  two  months. 
Several  of  the  companies  were  on  detached  duty  part  of  the  time, 
guarding  railroad  bridges.    These  exchanged  posts  several  times. 

May  2ist,  Sidney  Weston  died  of  heart  disease.  He  left  a 
wife  and  four  children.  May  22d,  in  company  with  Brother 
Blackburn,  of  the  Pittsburg  Conference,  I  visited  Chattanooga. 
Here  we  clambered  up  the  abrupt  face  of  Lookout  Mountain. 
On  Point  Lookout  were  the  rifle-pits  and  breastworks  which 
our  forces  captured.  Visited  also  Hospital  No.  3,  where  were 
sick  men  whom  we  had  come  to  see.  Here  we  held  services,  and 
remained  all  night.  The  next  day  we  visited  three  camps  of 
regulars,  distributing  papers  and  tracts;  also  the  prison  in  the  city. 
Of  this  trip,  I  find  this  record  under  date  of  May  25th:  ''During 
the  past  three  days  I  have  conversed  with  many  about  Jesus  and 
his  salvation;  preached  the  gospel  on  Lookout  Mountain;  read 
and  prayed  with  one  family,  who  gave  us  a  drink  of  water.  That 
morning  a  young  lady  of  the  household  was  happily  converted 
while  at  the  washtub.  Truly  my  soul  is  greatly  blessed  while 
engaged  in  such  work.  Kindness  beamed  from  every  brow, 
throbbed  in  every  heart,  wherever  we  went.  Thank  God  for  his 
goodness!" 

About  two  P.  M.  of  June  i8th  there  came  up  a  thunderstorm. 
A  young  man  of  the  I52d  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  had  said, 
"That  he  hoped  the  Almighty  would  strike  him  dead,  if  he  ever 
went  on  dress  parade  again."  A  squad  was  ordered  out  just  as 
the  storm  came  up,  and  as  they  brought  their  guns  to  ''present 
arms,"  a  flash  came  and  played  along  the  polished  bayonets. 
While  all  were  stunned  for  a  few  minutes,  only  that  young  man 
was  killed.  I  was  standing  only  a  short  distance  away  when  it 
occurred,  and  saw  the  flash  and  saw  the  man  fall. 

Word  was  brought  in  to  headquarters  that  the  people  living 
seven  miles  east  of  Tullahoma  desired  an  army  chaplain  to  come 
out  and  preach  at  the  Carrol  schoolhouse  July  8th.  My  colonel 
asked  if  I  would  go,  saying,  "They  will  guarantee  your  safety." 
I  replied,  "I  will,  if  Chaplain  Cooly,  of  the  47th  Wisconsin,  will 
go  with  me."  We  were  directed  to  go  unarmed  and  unguarded. 
The  arrangements  were  accordingly  made.  The  escort  was  to 
come  for  us  on  the  Saturday  previous.     Our  guide,  when  he 


148  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

came,  was  a  twelve-year-old  boy,  with  an  old  mule.  How  were 
three  of  us  to  ride  that  pile  of  bones  at  the  same  time?  The  boy 
walked.  Chaplain  Cooly  'Vode  and  tied."  Then  I  "rode  and 
tied."  Thus  we  alternated.  That  night  we  staid  with  a  family 
whose  house  stood  on  the  bank  of  a  stream  in  a  glen,  surrounded 
by  woods.  They  showed  us  a  cave  in  the  side  of  a  blufif,  where 
they  had,  at  times,  hidden  from  friend  and  foe  for  years.  Here 
they  slept  when  danger  was  near,  coming  forth  only  when  con- 
vinced by  their  lookout  that  all  danger  had  passed.  They  were 
careful  not  to  make  a  path  leading  thereto. 

In  a  tree  on  the  top  of  the  blufif  a  vigilant  watch  was  kept,  so 
as  not  to  be  caught  unawares^  The  only  ''sweetening"  the  family 
had  used  since  the  war  began  was  honey  gathered  from  the  trees 
and  rocks.  This'  family  was  heartily  sick  of  war,  and  wanted  the 
*'olive-branch"  of  peace  to  come  quickly. 

The  schoolhouse,  which  was  quite  a  rude  afifair,  stood  in  a 
grove  on  a  hill.  The  only  windows  were  where  the  chinks  had 
been  left  out  from  between  the  logs.  The  seats  were  made  of  slabs 
and  "puncheons."  The  people  had  not  been  to  a  religious  service 
of  any  kind  for  three  years.  Not  one  of  them  had  ever  heard 
a  "Yank"  preach.  The  crowd  of  old  men,  women,  and  children 
that  greeted  us  that  lovely  Sabbath  morning  was  a  large  one. 
Chaplain  Cooly  preached  the  first  sermon.  Services  had  hardly 
begun  when  a  squad  of  armed  men  rode  up  with  a  look  that 
seemed  to  say,  "We  are  here  to  clean  you  fellows  out."  Two  or 
three  old  gentlemen  stepped  out  to  them,  quietly  explaining  who 
we  were,  and  why  we  were  there,  when  they  all  dismounted,  tied 
their  horses,  came  in,  and  listened  attentively  to  the  excellent 
discourse  the  chaplain  was  delivering. 

A  neatly,  but  plainly,  dressed  lady  invited  us  home  for  dinner. 
At  the  house  she  informed  us  that  her  husband  was  a  captain 
in  the  rebel  army,  that  he  had  been  in  hiding  since  the  battle 
in  front  of  Nashville,  and  that,  if  we  would  not  betray  him,  she 
would  like  us  to  meet  him.  We  assured  her  that  we  would  be 
happy  to  see  him,  and  that  her  secret  would  be  safe  with  us.  She 
then  gave  a  few  raps  on  a  board  partition,  when  two  of  the 
boards  moved  to  one  side  (there  was  no  evidence  of  a  door),  and 
out  walked  the  husband,  who  was  a  medium-sized  man,  and  had 


THE   CHAPLAINCY,  I49 

Spent  three  years  in  the  rebel  army,  without  once  seeing  his  fam- 
ily. When  Hood  was  whipped,  he  and  others  decided  it  was 
useless  to  fight  longer;  so  he  hied  away  home.  None  of  his 
neighbors,  not  even  his  own  children,  knew  that  he  was  there. 
Only  the  faithful  wife  and  an  aged  mother  were  possessed  of  his 
secret.  It  was  a  surprise  to  the  little  ones  when  they  saw  their 
"papa"  step  out  so  unexpectedly.  The  conversation  was  about 
the  war  and  its  issues,  which  was  conducted  in  a  free  and  friendly 
manner,  until  the  hour  for  the  afternoon  service.  Our  host  ac- 
companied us  to  the  meeting,  which  was  held  in  the  grove  ad- 
joining the  schoolhouse.  Many  were  the  thanks  the  chaplains 
received  for  their  sermons.  They  were  urged  to  return  and 
preach  again.  A  week  after  we  were  ordered  away,  and  saw 
them  no  more.  From  entries  made  at  the  time,  I  select  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"July  1 2th. — James  Butcher,  of  Company  F,  was  drowned  while  bath- 
ing in  the  creek  near  camp.     He  leaves  a  wife  and  seven  children." 

"July  14th. — Word  comes  that  we  are  to  move.  The  boys  are  jubi- 
lant, jumping,  cheering,  and  shouting,  'Anywhere  but  here.*  The  next 
day  we  leave  for  Nashville  by  rail.  Our  regiment,  after  three  days,  oc- 
cupied the  Cumberland  Barracks,  and  guarded  Government  property  for 
over  two  months." 

"July  29th. — ^J.  N.  B got  drunk,  was  arrested,  and,  attempting  to 

escape,  was  shot.     He  was  the  most  troublesome  man  in  the  regiment." 

"August  3d. — F.  R ,  of  Company  H,  was  shot  when  drunk,  and 

trying  to  get  away  from  his  guard.  A  wife  and  four  children  mourn  his 
death." 

"August  6th. — Seth  Chatfield  died  in  peace,  declaring  that  all  was 
well;  only  sick  a  few  hours.  He  leaves  five  small  children  in  destitute 
circumstances." 

"August  9th. — A  telegram  calls  me  home;  sickness  in  the  family. 
General  Thomas  grants  me  a  leave  of  absence  the  next  day.  The  14th 
I  was  taken  down  with  bilious  fever;  after  which  jaundice.  Thus  I  was 
held  at  home  for  over  four  weeks;  but  in  the  person  of  my  dear  wife  I 
had  one  .of  the  best  of  nurses.  Returning  to  my  regiment,  I  reached 
Nashville  in  a  convalescent  state,  September  i6th.  Five  days  later  our 
regiment  was  mustered  out  of  the  United  States  service,  and  ordered 
home  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  to  be  discharged.  The  next  morning  at  four 
we  are  on  the  train  en  route  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  we  take  the  boat 
St.  Nicholas,  bound  for  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Here  we  transfer  to  freight- 
cars,  and  are  oflf  for  Camp  Chase  at  half-past  eight  on  Sabbath  morning. 
The  'boys'  were  all  over  the  cars,  inside  and  out,  as  the  notion  took 


150  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

them.  I  was  standing  between  two  brothers,  one  a  captain  and  the 
other  a  lieutenant,  when  I  noticed  a  small  group  of  women  on  a  slope, 
scarcely  a  hundred  feet  away,  which  was  a  little  higher  than  the  top  of 
the  cars  on  which  we  were  riding.  One  of  them  when  she  saw  us  began 
to  weep,  and  then  to  alternately  wipe  her  eyes  with  a  handkerchief,  and 
wave  it  at  us.  Just  then  I  noticed  that  one  of  the  brothers,  between  whom 
I  was  standing  on  the  top  of  the  box-car,  was  wiping  his  eyes.  I  in- 
quired of  the  other  why  that  was,  when  he  replied,  'That  weeping  lady  is 
his  wife.*  By  some  means  she  had  learned  that  our  regiment  was  to 
pass  that  Sabbath  morning,  and  was  on  the  lookout.  So,  thought  I,  it 
will  be  when  we  approach  the  Celestial  City,  our  loved  ones  will  be  look- 
ing out  for  us,  and  will  recognize  us  when  we  come." 

"September  28th. — Our  regiment  was  paid  off,  and  the  men  received 
their  discharges  to-day.  I  took  the  night-train  for  home,  which  I  reached 
at  Bakersville,  Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  the  next  afternoon.  I  found  my 
second  son,  Noble  Lovett,  five  years  of  age,  very  sick  with  bloody  flux. 
After  ten  days  of  illness  he  breathed  his  last,  at  four  A.  M.,  October  5th. 
Our  hearts  bleed  over  the  loss  of  this  most  precious  one.  The  vacuum 
can  never  be  filled.  We  'shall  go  to  him,  but  he  will  not  return  to  us.' 
It  is  difficult  not  to  feel  that  there  is  a  mistake.  He  wept  tears  of  joy 
when  he  learned  that  his  'papa'  had  returned  from  the  war  to  stay.  How 
can  we  give  thee  up?  Yet  thy  suffering  time  is  over,  and  angels  have 
welcomed  thee  home.  Why  do  we  weep  and  mourn  thy  loss?  This 
we  can  not  very  well  help  since  we  are  human.  God  sustains.  His  re- 
mains were  interred,  on  the  7th,  beside  his  sister  in  the  'Maple  Grove 
Cemetery/  three  miles  south  of  Vermillion,  Erie  County,  Ohio/' 

"Through  this  toilsome  world,  alas! 
Once  and  only  once  I  pass. 
If  a  kindness  I  may  show, 
If  a  good  deed  I  may  do 
To  my  suffering  fellow-men. 
Let  me  do  it  while  I  can. 
Nor  delay  it;  for  't  is  plain 
I  shall  not  pass  this  way  again." 

— Joseph  A.  Torrey. 


PART  III. 


Echoes  from  Abroad. 


151 


Breast  the  Tide* 

(^   t^   (^ 

"When  the  storms  of  life  overtake  yoti, 
Let  not  coulee  e*er  forsake  you; 
Yield  not  to  the  tempest  tamely^ 
Battle  with  it  firmly,  gamely — 
Breast  the  tide. 

What  a  spectacle  ignoble 
Is  the  man  who,  when  in  trouble^ 
Folds  his  hands  with  looks  despairing^ 
When  he  shotild  with  high-sotsled  daring 
Breast  the  tide! 

Tho*  the  winds  should  fiercely  bluster^ 
Qouds  of  inky  blackness  muster, 
"Winds  erelong  will  be  declining, 
Qouds  dbplay  a  silv'ry  lining, — 
Breast  the  tide. 

Folly  'tis  to  let  disaster 
Energy  and  pluck  overmaster; 
Fortune  will  show  less  of  rigor, 
li  you  ply  the  oar  with  vigor. 
Breast  the  tide. 

Courage  only  can  avail  you 
When  the  winds  and  waves  assail  yotu 
Onward  I   onward  I   or  be  driven 
On  the  rocks,  your  boat  all  riven! 
Breast  the  tide. 

— W.  R.  Barber. 
152 


ECHOES    KRONl    ABROAD. 

A  BRiEi''  synopsis  of  that  foreign  tour  will  only  be  given,  as 
we  can  not  spare  the  room  for  an  extended  account.  This  would 
not  be  inserted,  but  for  the  urgent  request  of  numerous  friends. 
We  left  Denver,  Colorado,  on  the  evening  of  September  lo,  1872, 
by  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad.  When  out  on  the  Plains  our 
train  had  a  race  with  a  herd  of  antelope.  The  scene  was  exciting; 
but  the  iron  horse  won.     Muscle  is  no  match  for  steam. 

We  sailed  October  5,  1872,  from  pier  20,  Hudson  River,  New 
York,  on  the  Australia,  Anchor  Line  steamer,  for  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land. Eight  months  and  five  days  later,  on  our  return,  we 
stepped  from  the  steamer  Victoria,  of  the  same  line,  onto  the 
same  pier,  thankful  that  we  were  a  "free-born"  American  citizen. 

Ten  missionaries  of  the  Presbyterian  Board,  outward  bound, 
were  associate  passengers.  The  passage  was  rough,  stormy,  and 
foggy.  We  ran  along  the  north  coast  of  Ireland,  close  to  the 
shore;  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Lough  Foyle,  opposite 
Moville.  October  17th,  we  landed  at  Glasgow,  having  been 
twelve  days  en  route.  We  hurriedly  look  the  city  over,  then  visit 
Edinburgh  Castle,  John  Knox's  residence,  Calton  Hill,  Holyrood 
Palace,  and  other  points  of  interest.  Then  we  are  off  to  London, 
England,  where  three  weeks  were  spent  in  sight-seeing;  heard 
Spurgeon,  Newman  Hall,  Joseph  Parker,  Dr.  Cummings,  and 
several  others  preach;  visited  the  museums,  art-galleries.  Tower 
of  London,  Madam  Tussaud's  wax-figures  and  Chamber  of  Hor- 
rors, where  stands  the  French  Guillotine,  on  which  twenty-one 
thousand  persons  were  beheaded  by  the  French  in  1793-4;  saw 
the  inside  of  Newgate,  Houses  of  Parliament,  and  Westminster 
Abbey,  City  Road  Chapel,  etc. 

November  7th,  at  eight  P.  M.,  we  leave  for  France,  by  the 
way  of  New  Haven  and  Dieppe.  Paris,  the  magnificent — who 
can  describe  it?  Fifteen  days  were  spent  in  visiting  the  various 
places  of  interest  here.  One  day  at  Versailles.  Grand!  Churches 
and  art-galleries  were  viewed. 

153 


154  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

Next  we  took  a  look  at  Strassburg,  clock  and  tower.  Then 
up  the  Rhine  Valley  to  Basle  by  rail;  thence  to  Neuhausen  and 
the  falls  of  the  Rhine.  Next  came  Constance  and  the  Coun- 
cil-chamber, where  John  Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague  were  tried 
for  their  devotion  to  Christ.  The  former  was  burned  July  6, 
1415,  and  the  latter,  May  30,  1416.  A  large  rock,  inclosed  by 
an  iron  fence,  marks  the  spot.  Soon  we  are  at  Zurich,  the  seat 
of  learning.  Here  Zwingli  began  the  Reformation.  In  the  old 
arsenal  they  showed  the  bow  of  William  Tell. 

Lucerne  stands  at  the  mouth  of  the  lake  of  the  same  name, 
and  is  walled  in.  Of  deep  interest  were  the  Rigi  and  other 
sights:  Berne  and  the  Bear  Pits;  queer  old  clock;  Freyburg, 
suspension  bridges,  and  great  organ;  Lausanne,  where  Gibbon 
wrote  the  last  pages  of  the  ''History  of  Rome,"  with  Lake 
Geneva  in  full  view;  Vevay  and  Castle  of  Chillon.  Geneva  stands 
at  the  mouth  of  the  lake,  on  the  banks  of  the  arrowy  Rhone  and 
the  muddy  Arve,  whose  waters  refuse  to  unite  for  a  long  distance 
below  the  city.  Their  chief  industry  is  the  manufacturing  of 
watches.  This  was  the  home  of  John  Calvin.  His  church  and 
grave  are  visited;  also  the  Chamounix  Valley  and  the  Chateau 
of  Voltaire,  containing  his  bedroom,  pictures,  and  the  urn  which 
holds  his  heart. 

Another  work  of  great  attraction  is  the  "Mont  Cenis  Tun- 
nel," which  is  seven  miles  and  a  half  in  length,  and  cost 
$13,000,000.  It  was  finished  in  1871,  and  was  thirteen  years  in 
building.  There  are  two  railroad  tracks  through  it.  Each  end 
is  forty-three  feet  lower  than  the  middle.  This  is  to  give  it  drain- 
age. It  was  lighted  with  gas  when  we  were  there.  December 
12,  1872,  we  left  Geneva.  The  day  was  chilly,  rainy,  snowy, 
cloudy,  and  every  way  disagreeable;  no  fire  in  the  compartment 
cars;  overcoats  and  wraps  were  necessary;  seven  o'clock  at  Cham- 
bery  we  ate  our  suppers,  and  changed  cars;  tall  mountains  were 
about  us;  the  snow  was  a  foot  deep.  "When  shall  we  get  to 
Mont  Cenis  Tunnel?"  None  could  tell  us.  For  strange  sounds 
greet  our  ears.    Their  language  was  not  ours;  nor  ours  theirs. 

The  cars  move  slowly,  the  engine  labors  heavily,  and  the 
snow  deepens  as  we  ascend  the  heavy  grades.    The  air  becomes 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 55 

very  cold ;  the  lamps  are  lighted ;  we  pass  quickly  through  several 
short  tunnels,  and  as  the  shadows  lengthen  over  "peak,"  valley, 
and  "plain,"  lakelets,  streamlets,  and  cascades,  we  enter  the 
Mont  Cenis  Tunnel,  to  emerge  therefrom  on  the  Italian  side 
in  just  thirty  minutes.  The  train  stopped,  arid  I  leaped  therefrom. 
What  a  change!  What  a  scene!  A  few  inches  of  snow  lay  on 
the  ground.  Here  and  there  were  standing  evergreen  trees  along 
the  mountain  sides.  Peak,  crag,  and  gorge  were  lighted  up  with 
the  silvery  brightness  of  an  Alpine  moon.  The  few  light,  fleecy 
clouds  only  added  enchantment  and  beauty  to  the  scene.  For  a 
moment  it  seemed  that  I  stood  in  the  very  vestibule  of  Paradise, 
and  shouted,  "Glory  to  God  in  the  highest!"  Instinctively,  plac- 
ing my  hand  to  my  ear  to  catch,  if  possible,  the  strain  of  some 
angelic  harper,  "Whispering,  Sister  spirit  come  away,"  I  ex- 
claimed : 

"Lend,  lend  your  wings;  I  mount,  I  fly. 

O  Grave,  where  is  thy  victory? 

O  Death,  where  is  thy  sting?" 

Turin,  Italy;  antiquities,  museum.  From  the  blufifs,  on  the 
south  side  of  that  city  of  one  hundred  and  ten  churches,  one  gets 
a  magnificent  view  of  the  Alps,  which  Byron  thus  describes : 

"Who  first  beholds  the  Alps,  that  mighty  chain 
Of  mountains  stretching  on  from  east  to  west; 
So  massive,  yet  so  shadowy,  so  ethereal, 
As  to  belong  rather  to  heaven  than  to  earth, 
But  instantly  receives  into  his  soul 
A  sense,  a  feeling  that  he  loses  not, 
A  something  that  informs  him  't  is  a  moment 
Whence  he  may  date  henceforward  and  forever." 

Genoa:  its  streets  are  narrow  and  houses  high,  its  harbor 
filled  with  the  ships  of  all  nations.    Ancient  relics  are  numerous. 

Milan  has  the  grand  cathedral,  and  the  immortal  painting  of 
the  Last  Supper.  The  museum  is  visited.  The  city  is  walled  in, 
and  has  ten  gates. 

Venice  is  situated  upon  seventy-two  islands.  The  grand  canal 
meanders  through  the  city  like  a  big  letter  S;  which  is  inter- 


156  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

sected  by  one  hundred  and  forty-six  smaller  canals.  No  coaches 
or  carriages  are  used.  Horseback  riding  is  out  of  the  question. 
The  gondola  supplies  the  place.  They  ride  to  funerals,  to  wed- 
dings, and  to  prison  in  the  gondola.  The  streets  are  usually  not 
over  four  or  five  feet  wide.  The  Rialto  over  the  Grand  Canal 
is  the  finest  bridge  in  the  city.  We  visited  St.  Mark,  Doge's 
Palace,  the  Bridge  of  Sighs,  and  gazed  upon  the  matchless  paint- 
ings of  Titian  and  of  Tintoretto  with  admiration.  When  the  great 
clock  strikes  two  in  the  Campanile  a  large  flock  of  pigeons  fly 
to  one  spot,  where  an  upper  window  is  raised,  and  corn  is  fed  to 
them  every  day.  There  is  a  wonderful  scramble,  pigeon  falling 
over  pigeon,  as  each  seeks  to  get  his  share  of  the  corn  falling  on 
the  pavement. 

At  Bologna  we  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Leroy  M.  Ver- 
non, D.  D.  (whom  we  had  met  at  Genoa  a  few  weeks  before),  the 
founder  of  our  Italian  Mission,  and  Philip  Phillips,  the  world- 
renowned  ''Singing  Pilgrim."  Each  having  faithfully  repre- 
sented the  Master  here,  has  gone  on  to  enjoy  his  reward. 

We  found  much  of  interest  in  Florence,  where  sculpture  and 
art  abound.  There  are  miles  of  paintings  in  her  galleries,  and 
almost  numberless  pieces  of  statuary.  Many  students  are  here 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  studying  art.  It  is  a  charming  city 
to  visit,  and  is  considered  by  many  the  most  beautiful  city  of 
Italy.  There  is  in  the  "Uffizi  Gallery"  a  beautiful  statue  of 
"Apollo,"  and  a  painting  which  attracted  me  very  much.  The 
infant  JKSUS  is  lying  on  a  pallet;  straw  underneath.  The  Magi 
have  come  to  make  their  offerings.  Mary  lifts  one  corner  of 
the  covering,  that  they  may  behold  the  features  of  her  first-born, 
when  there  beams  forth  such  a  halo  of  glory  that  they  are  com- 
pelled to  shade  their  eyes,  in  order  that  they  may  gaze  upon 
the  face  of  the  child.  In  the  background  stands  Joseph  and  the 
donkey,  only  dimly  seen,  while,  from  above,  angels  are  peering 
through  the  clouds  upon  the  scene,  whose  faces  would  not  be 
noticed  but  for  the  effulgence  coming  from  the  face  below. 

Pisa  has  four  attractions.  These  are:  "The  Campo  Santo," 
an  oblong  inclosure.  The  soil  for  this  was  brought  from  Pales- 
tine in  A.  D.  1228.  The  dead  had  formerly  to  pay  to  get  in; 
now  the  living  to  get  out. 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 57 

''The  Duomo,"  within  which  stands  an  altar  cased  with  silver, 
that  cost  about  $180,000.  Here  is  also  a  many-pronged  bronze 
lamp,  which,  by  its  motion,  first  suggested  to  Galileo  the  meas- 
uring of  time  by  the  pendulum. 

''The  Baptistry,"  which  is  an  octagon  building,  150  feet  in 
diameter  and  160  feet  high,  beautifully  ornamented  within  and 
without  with  marble,  celebrated  for  its  inward  echo. 

"The  Leaning  Tower,"  50  feet  in  diameter  and  190  feet  high, 
which  leans  fifteen  feet  from  the  perpendicular.  You  ascend  this 
by  two  hundred  and  ninety-five  steps,  leading  up  a  circular  stair- 
way within.  The  top  is  inclosed  by  a  light  iron  railing.  One  look 
off  the  leaning  side  is  sufficient;  it  is  simply  terrific. 

Some  one  has  said,  "See  Rome  and  die."  January  I,  1873, 
after  dark,  we  entered  the  ancient  city  of  Rome.  What  a  welcome 
sound  to  hear  the  guard  cry  out,  as  he  opened  the  compartment- 
car  doors,  "R-o-M-A,  P-a-r-t-a!"  Here  we  spent  a  month  and 
four  days,  with  Byron  frequently  exclaiming: 

"Am  I  in  Rome!    Oft  as  the  morning  ray- 
Visits  these  eyes,  waking,  at  once  I  cry, 
Whence  this  excess  of  joy!    What  has  befallen  me? 
And  from  within  a  thrilling  voice  replies, 
'Thou  art  in  Rome!  the  city  that  so  long 
Reigned  absolute,  the  mistress  of  the  world.'  *' 

Again  and  again,  in  spite  of  resolution  to  the  contrary,  I 
would  repeat  to  myself: 

"And  am  I  there? 
Ah!  little  thought  I,  when  in  school  I  sat, 
A  schoolboy  on  his  bench,  at  early  dawn 
Glowing  with  Roman  story,  I  should  live 
To  tread  the  Appian,  once  an  avenue 
Of  monuments  most  glorious,  palaces. 
Their  doors  sealed  up,  and  silent  as  the  night; 
The  dwellings  of  the  illustrious  dead — to  turn 
Toward  the  Tiber,  or  climb  the  Palatine." 

"I  stood  within  the  Coliseum  wall. 
Midst  the  chief  relics  of  almighty  Rome." 


158  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Rome  !  How  much  of  ancient  and  modern  history,  sacred  and 
profane,  clusters  around  that  word  of  only  four  letters !  It  stands 
on  the  banks  of  the  Tiber,  thirteen  miles  from  the  Mediterranean 
seacoast,  and  only  twenty  feet  higher,  and  overlaps  seven  hills. 
The  city  has  a  population  of  abou'<:  three  hundred  thousand. 

The  next  morning  I  made  vny  first  visit  to  "San  Pietro"  (St. 
Peter's),  the  grandest  church  in  the  world.  What  an  exterior! 
In  front  is  an  open  space^  paved  with  flat  stone,  787  feet  in  diam- 
eter, with  an  obelisk  in  the  center,  and  a  fountain  on  either  side. 
What  colonnades!  On  the  right  and  left,  as  you  enter,  stand 
four  rows  of  colonnades,  forty-eight  feet  high,  with  a  semicircu- 
lar setting,  forty-five  feet  from  the  inner  to  the  outer  row.  Be- 
tween the  middle  rows  is  the  driveway  to  the  end  of  the  porch  of 
the  church  on  the  left,  and  to  the  entrance  of  the  Vatican  on  the 
right. 

A  mass  of  ungainly  buildings  stands  before  us,  surmounted  by 
an  immense  dome,  which  when  seen  from  afar  looks  like  a  huge 
haystack,  with  four  smaller  ones  around  it. 

What  views  one  gets  from  the  ''ball''  above  the  dome  of  St. 
Peter's!  The  magnificent  landscape  of  the  Eternal  City,  the 
Campagna,  the  Apennines,  the  Albanian  hills,  and  the  distant 
Mediterranean  Sea,  lie  in  entrancing  beauty  before  the  eyes. 
What  a  facade!  Three  hundred  and  seventy-nine  feet  long,  fifty 
feet  wide,  and  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  feet  high.  The  porch 
is  ninety-two  and  one-half  feet  high,  supported  by  columns  eight 
and  three-quarter  feet  in  diameter. 

It  took  three  hundred  and  fifty  years,  extending  through  the 
reign  of  forty-three  Popes,  to  build  St.  Peter's.  The  building 
was  begun  in  1450,  and  completed  in  1800.  It  cost  $60,000,000. 
The  expense  was  met  by  the  sale  of  ''Sinful  Indulgences." 

It  seems  remarkable  that  the  erection  of  a  church  called  St. 
Peter's  should  give  Protestantism  to  the  world;  but  such  is  the 
fact. 

Everything  about  it  is  massive.  It  is  almost  one-half  larger 
than  St.  Paul's,  in  London.  It  has  290  windows,  748  columns, 
47  altars,  380  statues.  The  floors  are  of  the  finest  of  variegated 
marble,   beautifully   designed.     The  decorations   are   of  choice 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 59 

Stone  and  marble.     What  an  interior!     One  hesitates  to  enter, 
and  halts  on, the  threshold.     Lord  Byron  wrote: 

"Enter;  its  grandeur  overwhelms  thee  not; 
And  why?  it  is  not  lessened;  but  thy  mind, 
Expanded  by  the  genius  of  the  spot, 
Has  grown  colossal,  and  can  only  find 
A  fit  abode  wherein  appear  enshrined 
Thy  hopes  of  immortality;  and  thou 
Shalt  one  day,  if  found  worthy,  so  defined. 
See  thy  God  face  to  face,  as  thou  dost  now 
His  Holy  of  Holies,  nor  be  blasted  by  his  brow." 

What  magnificence!  The  gilding  of  the  high  altar  under  the 
dome  cost  $100,000. 

On  a  platform  breast  high,  just  to  the  right  of  this  altar,  sit- 
ting in  a  chair,  is  the  bronze  statue  of  St.  Peter,  with  the  right 
leg  crossed  over  the  other  and  foot  extended,  the  toes  of  which 
have  been  renewed  three  times;  yet  were  nearly  worn  away  by 
the  continual  friction  from  the  personal  contact  of  visitors.  The 
devotee  kneels  before  the  image,  makes  a  cross  on  his  breast,  then 
rises  and  wipes  the  foot  with  his  handkerchief,  sleeve,  or  hand; 
then  touches  the  forehead,  kisses  the  foot,  and  walks  away.  This 
has  been  going  on  for  ages.  One  continual  stream  of  people 
from  day  to  day,  week  to  week,  month  to  month,  year  after  year, 
has  thus  paid  its  respects  to  St.  Peter. 

I  saw  cardinals,  bishops,  priests,  laymen,  all  classes  of  society, 
and  of  either  sex  and  of  every  nationality,  connected  with  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  bow  before  the  ugly  image  of  St.  Peter. 

One  day  an  old  lady,  very  much  bent  with  age,  after  bowing 
and  counting  her  beads  for  an  unusual  length  of  time,  took  hold 
of  the  foot,  and  endeavored  to  pull  herself  up  so  as  to  kiss  it;  but 
could  not.  Her  tears  were  flowing  freely.  I  wanted  to  give  her  a 
"boost;"  but  dared  not. 

The  Catacombs  are  the  burial-places  of  the  early  Christians, 
and  consist  of  an  immense  network  of  subterranean  passages, 
intersecting  each  other  at  all  angles.  These  begin  about  three 
miles  beyond  the  walls  of  the  city,  on  either  side,  and  underlie 
a  large  area.  Sixty  have  been  discovered,  whose  passages  are 
believed  to  be  nearly  six  hundred  miles  long.     These  passage- 


l6o  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

ways  are  from  three  to  five  feet  wide  and  eight  feet  high,  with 
an  average  of  from  three  to  five  graves,  one  above  the  other,  on 
each  side,  with  the  front  closed  with  a  marble  slab,  or  tile.  On 
most  of  them  were  appropriate  inscriptions. 

It  is  estimated  that  six  millions  of  people  were  interred  in  the 
Catacombs  before  the  close  of  the  sixth  century,  after  which 
Christians  were  allowed  to  bury  above  ground. 

There  are  numerous  rooms,  twelve  by  fourteen,  or  larger,  on 
whose  walls  are  fresco  paintings  of  Scriptural  scenes,  and  prac- 
tices of  the  early  Church;  such  as  teaching  the  Catechumens, 
preaching  the  Word,  administering  the  Lord's  Supper,  baptizing 
converts  and  children. 

My  second  day  in  Rome  was  spent  in  visiting  the  Catacomb 
of  St.  Callixtus.  A  party  of  seven  procured  carriages,  and  drove 
out  the  "Via  Appia"  for  three  miles,  passing  numerous  mau- 
soleums, mostly  in  ruins. 

This  **Via  Appia"  was  paved  with  flat  stone,  with  gutters  on 
either  side,  and  closed  with  stone  set  on  the  outer  edge.  The  road 
was  commenced  312  B.  C,  one  mile  within  the  ancient  wall,  and 
ran  to  Brundusium,  with  a  branch  to  Puteoli. 

Our  guide  through  the  tombs  seemed  to  be  out  of  humor,  and 
rushed  along  so  rapidly  that  we  saw  very  little  to  satisfaction. 

My  second  visit  was  made  February  4,  1873,  with  a  solitary 
companion.  We  secured  a  dififerent  guide,  and  with  lighted 
candles  descended  a  long  flight  of  wooden  stairs,  the  door  having 
been  locked  behind  us.  Passage  after  passage  was  gone  through, 
room  after  room  visited,  following  this  way  and  that  way,  a  laby- 
rynth  of  streets  cut  in  the  tufa  rock.  The  air  was  good  and  walks 
dry.  We  are  weary  and  hungry  with  these  hours  of  walking, 
and  ask  each  other:  ''Suppose  our  guide  gets  lost?  How  will 
we  ever  get  out?"  At  last  we  ascend  a  long  stairway;  not  the 
same  that  we  descended.  The  guide  unlocks  a  rude  door,  and 
extends  an  open  palm;  we  drop  our  loose  change  therein,  ascend 
a  short  flight  of  stairs,  and  step  out  into  the  sunlight,  thankful 
that  we  live  in  an  age  of  civil  and  religious  liberty. 

Among  the  scenes  illustrated  on  those  catacomb  walls  were: 
Daniel  in  the  lion's  den;  Jonah  leaping  to  land  from  the  fish's 
mouth;  Jesus,  the  great  Shepherd,  carrying  a  lamb  on  his  shoul- 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  l6l 

der;  a  minister,  with  a  small  babe  on  his  left  arm,  with  his  right 
hand  extended  toward  a  bowl  of  water  held  by  his  assistant,  and 
the  parents  standing  before  him;  John  the  Baptist,  standing  in 
water  ankle-deep,  and  with  a  branch  in  his  right  hand,  baptizing 
the  people  who  are  standing  along  the  shore.  Another  scene  is 
pictured  on  those  walls,  of  deep  interest.  Sky,  land,  and  water 
is  portrayed,  with  John  the  Baptist  standing  in  the  water  a  little 
above  the  ankle,  with  Jesus  beside  him  not  quite  to  the  ankle. 
John  is  baptizing  him  with  ''the  hyssop  branch,"  according  to 
the  Jewish  custom,  by  sprinkling  the  water  over  him.  A  dove 
descends  upon  him,  and  a  voice  from  heaven  says,  "This  is,"  etc. 
Nowhere  in  the  illustrations  of  the  Catacombs  can  there  be 
found  any  allusion  to  baptism  by  immersion.  If  this  was  the 
practice  of  the  early  Church,  it  is  strange  that  we  find  no  refer- 
ence thereto  on  these  underground  walls. 

The  third  day  I  visited  the  Vatican,  which  stands  on  the 
north  side  of  St.  Peter's,  and  is  said  to  contain  4,422  rooms; 
quite  enough  for  one  single  gentleman  to  occupy!  This  mass  of 
buildings  inclose  a  garden,  in  which  are  flowers,  a  fountain,  and 
sunny  walks.  The  Vatican  galleries  contain  some  of  the  finest 
paintings  and  statuary  in  the  world.  These  are  thrown  open  to 
the  public  on  certain  days  of  the  week.  The  Vatican  library  has 
a  rare  collection  of  valuable  manuscripts,  reaching  back  to  the 
earlier  times  before  the  days  of  printing.  In  the  picture  gallery 
are  two  masterpieces;  that  of  *'St.  Jerome,"  by  Guido,  and  the 
"Transfiguration,"  by  Raphael.  One  never  tires  looking  at  these. 
In  the  Vatican  chapel  is  a  very  much  smoked  painting  of  the 
"Day  of  Judgment." 

Byron  pictures  a  group  that,  once  seen,  can  never  be  for- 
gotten : 

"Or,  turning  to  the  Vatican,  go  see 
Laocoon's  torture  dignifying  pain — 
A  father's  love  and  mortal's  agony 
With  an  immortal's  patience  blending;  vain 
The  struggle;  vain  against  the  coiling  strain, 
And  grip,  and  deepening  of  the  dragon's  grasp, 
The  old  man's  clench;  the  long  envenomed  chain 
Rivets  the  living  links— the  enormous  asp 
Enforces  pang  on  pang,  and  stifles  gasp  on  gasp." 


1 62  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

A  father  attempts  to  rescue  his  two  sons  from  the  coils  of  a 
serpent,  becomes  entangled  therewith,  and  perishes  with  them. 

The  Castle  of  St.  Angelo  stands  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Tiber, 
and  is  connected  with  the  Vatican  by  an  elevated  but  covered 
passageway. 

"The  Roman  Forum,"  a  paved,  open  court,  where  the  ques- 
tions of  the  day  were  discussed  and  decided,  was  at  the  south- 
eastern base  of  *'Mons  Capitolinus."  The  *'Via  Sacra"  led  there- 
from in  a  southeasterly  and  southerly  direction  until  it  inter- 
sected the  "Via  Appia." 

On  a  slight  elevation,  the  "Sacred  Way"  is  spanned  by  the 
"Arch  of  Titus,"  which  commemorates  his  conquest  and  victory 
over  the  Jews  at  Jerusalem.  This  "Arch"  has  stood  for  over 
eighteen  hundred  years,  a  monument  to  the  truthfulness  of  the 
Christian  records. 

Jesus  predicted  that  Jerusalem  would  be  overthrown,  and  the 
Temple  demolished ;  all  of  which  was  fulfilled  through  the  agency 
of  the  Roman  General  Titus,  though  he  knew  nothing  of  the  pre- 
diction. Then  the  Roman  Senate  erected  this  "Arch,"  or  monu- 
ment, to  commemorate  the  event.  Underneath  the  arch  are  en- 
graved, in  bas-relief,  a  seven-branched  candlestick,  table,  and 
trumpets,  all  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  captives. 

A  little  farther  on,  where  the  "Via  Sacra"  turns  to  the  south, 
there  stands  the  "Arch  of  Constantine,"  and  to  the  left  of  this  the 
Coliseum.  The  whole  superficial  area  covered  by  this  last  is  six 
acres.  There  are  three  orders  of  architecture  in  the  four  stories: 
the  Doric,  Ionic,  and  Corinthian.  The  two  upper  are  alike.  In 
each  of  the  lower  tiers  were  eighty  arches.  The  arena  was  278 
feet  long  and  177  feet  wide.  Here  thousands  of  Christians  were 
torn  to  pieces  by  wild  beasts,  and  the  gladiatorial  combats  took 
place  to  amuse  the  eighty-seven  thousand  spectators.  The 
statue  of  the  Dying  Gladiator  is  thus  pictured  by  Byron: 

"I  see  before  me  the  gladiator  lie; 
He  leans  upon  his  hand — his  manly  brow 
Consents  to  death,  but  conquers  agony, 
And  his  droop'd  head  sinks  gradually  low — 
And  through  his  side  the  last  drops,  ebbing  slow 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 63 

From  the  red  gash,  fall  heavy,  one  by  one, 
Like  the  first  of  a  thunder  shower;  and  now 
The  arena  swims  around  him:  he  is  gone, 
Ere  ceased  the  inhuman  shout  which  hailed  the  wretch  who  won. 

But  where  his  rude  hut  by  the  Danube  lay, 
There  were  the  young  barbarians  all  at  play. 
There  were  their  Dacian  mother — he  their  sire, 
Butchered  to  make  a  Roman  holiday," 

In  the  very  heart  of  modern  Rome  stands  one  of  the  most 
interesting  edifices  of  the  ancient  city,  almost  as  perfect  as  when 
built  nineteen  hundred  years  ago.  The  Pantheon,  which  was 
built  by  Agrippa  twenty-seven  years  before  Christ,  is  round,  one 
hundred  and  forty-two  feet  in  diameter,  and  the  same  in  height. 
It  is  lighted  by  an  aperture  through  the  center  of  the  dome, 
twenty-eight  feet  across.  It  was  used  as  a  heathen  temple  until 
A.  D.  608,  when  it  was  consecrated  as  a  Christian  church.  Six 
hundred  and  thirty-five  years  of  its  existence  it  was  devoted  to 
heathen  worship,  and  for  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
nine  years  to  professedly  Christian.  And  yet  this  magnificent 
temple  bids  defiance  to  the  ravages  of  war,  the  vandalism  of  man, 
the  destructive  power  of  the  elements,  and  retains  its  original 
appearance,  thus  forming  a  link  between  that  which  is  past, 
present,  and  to  come.  When  shall  its  sacred  walls  resound  to  a 
pure  gospel,  and  from  its  consecrated  altars  go  forth  new-born 
souls? 

The  Aurora,  by  Guido,  Byron  says, 

"Alone 
"Is  worth  a  tour  to  Rome." 

Aurora  is  represented  scattering  flowers  before  the  chariot  of 
the  sun,  drawn  by  four  horses.  Seven  female  figures,  in  the  most 
graceful  action,  surround  the  chariot,  and  typify  the  advance 
of  the  Hours.  The  composition  is  extremely  beautiful,  and  the 
coloring  brilliant. 

One  day  as  I  was  crossing  the  Capitoline  Hill  Square,  I  saw  a 
crowd  of  people  looking  toward  the  front  entrance  of  a  large 
church.  The  door  soon  opened,  when  out  marched  gilded- 
robed   priests,   carrying  crucifixes   and   burning   candles.     The 


164  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

middle  one  bore  a  large  wax  ''Doll,"  with  sandy  hair  and  gorge- 
ous decorations. 

This  mass  of  people  then  fell  on  their  knees,  and  crossed  them- 
selves, almost  touching  the  pavement  with  their  foreheads.  Not 
knowing  what  it  all  meant,  and  not  wishing  to  be  disrespectful, 
I  removed  my  hat,  and  stood  erect  viewing  the  scene.  Just  then 
some  acquaintances  came  up,  who  understood  it  all.  They  said, 
"Follow  us."  We  hastened  through  a  side-door  of  the  church, 
and  were  standing  within  touching  distance  of  the  "Doll,"  when 
the  procession  returned,  chanting  doleful  music.  This  ''Doll"  is 
believed  to  possess  healing  qualities  of  no  ordinary  character, 
and  this  was  the  anniversary  of  its  exhibition.  ^'Santissimo  Bam- 
bino.'' 

I  have  often  been  asked,  "Did  you  see  the  Pope?"  I  saw  him, 
as  I  looked  down  from  one  of  the  upper  windows  into  the  Vat- 
ican garden,  passing  from  one  entrance  to  another.  I  could  have 
been  introduced  to  him  had  I  signed  a  card,  on  which  were 
printed,  as  near  as  I  can  now  recall,  the  following  words: 

"You  (do)  hereby  acknowledge  Pope  Pius  the  IX  to  be  the 
Viceregent  of  Almighty  God,  both  of  the  Catholic  and  of  the 
Protestant  Churches;  if  a  Catholic,  when  introduced  you  must 
bow  before  him  and  kiss  his  foot;  if  a  Protestant,  kneel  and  kiss 
his  hand."  I  said  at  once,  "I  will  never  do  it,  as  I  acknowledge 
no  such  authority." 

In  the  twilight  of  the  early  morning  of  February  5,  1873,  T 
left  the  Imperial  City  of  Rome,  bound  for  Naples  and  its  match- 
less surroundings. 

The  long  line  of  brick  arches  that  bestride  the  "Campagna" 
were  soon  passed.  Before  the  Romans  learned  that  water  would 
seek  its  own  level,  they  conveyed  water  to  the  city  along  the 
tops  of  these  arches,  from  the  upper  valley  of  the  "Anio."  Six 
miles  of  these  arches  are  still  standing. 

The  day  was  balmy,  scenery  varied  and  beautiful.  The  ride 
was  a  charming  one,  through  wooded  hills,  narrow  vales,  culti- 
vated fields,  and  lovely  landscapes.  Hill,  valley  and  plain,  air  and 
stmshine,  seemed  to  combine  to  make  the  trip  enjoyable. 

Naples  is  delightfully  situated  on  a  semicircular  bay  of  the 
same  name,  and  has  a  population  of  over  six  hundred  thousand. 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  165 

The  city  was  founded  by  a  Greek  colony  one  thousand  years 
before  Christ.  The  streets  are  paved  with  square  blocks  of  lava- 
stone  laid  in  mortar,  and  are  said  to  resemble  the  roads  of  the 
ancient  Romans.  The  buildings  are  mostly  of  stone,  large,  and 
several  stories  high.  They  resemble  those  of  Paris  in  archi- 
tecture. The  ground  floors  are  used  for  stores,  and  the  upper 
ones  for  the  homes  of  families.  Owing  to  the  mildness  of  the 
climate,  a  great  deal  of  the  business  is  transacted  in  the  street. 
The  *'coral"  trade  is  a  specialty  of  Naples. 

The  "Villa  Reale,"  which  stretches  along  the  bay,  is  the  great 
promenade  on  a  sunny  afternoon.  Here  are  walks  and  drives, 
lined  with  exquisite  statuary,  shady  trees,  attractive  shrubbery, 
and  blooming  flowers.  The  elite  of  Naples  may  here  be  seen 
in  all  their  gay  attire,  especially  when  the  band  plays,  which  it 
usually  does  two  or  three  times  a  week. 

Orange  and  lemon  trees  are  quite  common  in  and  about  the 
city,  in  the  gardens,  yards,  groves,  and  often  on  the  tops  of  the 
houses.  The  fruit  can  be  seen  in  all  stages  of  advancement,  from 
the  blossom  to  the  ripened  fruit.  Peas,  lettuce,  and  fresh  vege- 
tables of  all  kinds  were  plentiful. 

Naples  has  three  hundred  churches,  some  of  which  are  re- 
markable for  their  architecture  and  works  of  art;  but  travelers 
who  have  "done"  the  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  churches  of 
Rome  will  not  care  to  spend  much  time  on  those  of  Naples.  The 
Italians  generally  make  the  outside  of  their  churches  unattractive, 
while  the  inside  is  finished  and  ornamented  to  suit  the  most  ex- 
quisite taste  and  culture. 

"Santa  Maria  Delia  Pistra  di  Sangri"  is  a  private  chapel,  be- 
longing to  a  family  of  the  nobility,  and  stands  in  an  out-of-the- 
way  place,  which  is  diflficult  to  find. 

The  approach  is  by  a  narrow  back  street.  The  building  looks 
more  like  a  barn  than  a  church.  Beside  a  small  door  hangs  a 
wire;  pull  it,  and  patiently  wait.  When  the  custodian  appears, 
fee  him,  and  he  will  admit  you  and  retire. 

This  chapel  has  many  objects  of  interest.  I  will  mention  only 
three.  "Vice  Conceived,"  or  "Man  escaping  from  the  meshes  of 
sin."  The  marble  statue  represents  a  man  entangled  in  a  large 
net,  which  encircles  him.     Beside  him  stands  a  bony  old  man, 


l66  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

who  is  aiding  him  to  escape.  The  net  and  statue  are  sculptured 
from  the  same  piece  of  marble,  yet  scarcely  touch.  The  work 
was  done  by  Queirolo. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  room  stands  ''Modesty  Veiled." 
The  statue  is  that  of  a  beautiful  woman,  from  real  life;  the  wife 
of  the  man  endeavoring  to  escape  from  the  meshes  of  sin.  A  thin 
marble  veil  covers  the  statue,  which  is  in  full  dress,  and  yet  the 
form  is  distinct  in  all  its  outlines.    This  work  of  art  is  by  Corodini. 

On  a  lower  floor,  in  a  small  room  with  skylight,  lies  the 
marble  statue  of  ''The  Dead  Christ  Veiled,"  resting  on  a  couch 
of  marble.  The  pillow  is  of  exquisite  workmanship,  fringed  with 
beautiful  lace.  Near  the  foot  is  a  crown  of  thorns,  a  broken 
sword,  and  three  nails  carved  out  of  the  same  material.  The  en- 
tire body  is  covered  with  a  veil  of  marble,  which  appears  slightly 
moistened  by  the  perspiration  of  death.  Through  the  veil  there 
may  be  distinguished  the  form  and  even  the  muscles  of  the  body. 
The  simplicity,  beauty,  and  naturalness  of  the  whole  seems  so 
real,  that  one  finds  it  difficult  to  control  the  emotions — a  tear 
unbidden  is  quite  sure  to  fall.  This  statue  was  designed  and 
begun  by  Corodini  in  175 1,  but  was  completed  by  Joseph  Sam- 
martino. 

Whoever  gazes  upon  these  statues  with  a  devout  heart,  will 
never  forget  them.    The  impression  for  good  is  lasting. 

"The  Museo  Internationale"  contains  much  that  is  interesting 
and  instructive;  but  space  forbids  an  attempt  at  description.  In 
one  room  are  several  loaves  of  bread,  four  inches  thick  and  the 
size  of  a  pieplate,  burned  to  a  crisp.  The  Pompeian  baker  left 
them  in  the  oven  too  long — seventeen  hundred  years  was  entirely 
too  long! 

A  visit  is  made  to  Pozzuoli,  the  Puteoli  of  Paul's  day,  and 
mentioned  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  We  pass  the  mouth  of 
"Virgil's  Tomb,"  and  enter  the  "Grotto  of  Posilippo,"  which  is 
a  tunnel  cut  through  a  rocky  ridge,  twenty-five  feet  wide,  sev- 
enty-five feet  high,  and  one-half  mile  long.  On  our  way  out 
we  met  a  cart,  on  which  were  riding  seventeen  men,  women,  and 
children,  all  drawn  by  one  horse,  and  he  not  a  large  one  at  that! 
They  were  a  jolly  crowd. 

Puteoli,    once   the   commercial   harbor   of   Rome,   was    one 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 67 

hundred  and  thirty-seven  miles  distant,  and  the  terminus  of  one 
branch  of  the  "Via  Appia,"  some  of  which  may  there  be  seen. 
Here  was  then  a  large  city;  only  a  few  hundred  inhabitants  re- 
main. Earthquakes  have  so  often  rocked  its  foundations  that 
most  people  prefer  a  place  of  more  secure  foundations  for  an 
abode. 

Paul  tarried  here  ''seven  days,"  to  instruct  and  encourage 
the  brethren  before  starting  for  Rome. 

A  portion  of  the  old  ''Roman  Pier,"  and  of  the  "Temple  of 
Jupiter  Serapis"  remain.  The  Amphitheater  is  well  preserved. 
There  are  the  ruins  of  public  baths,  temples,  and  piles  of  stone 
and  brick,  covered  with  dirt  or  overrun  with  ivy,  the  remains 
of  fallen  greatness. 

"Solfaterra"  is  a  half-extinct  volcano,  once  active,  but  com- 
paratively quiet  since  79  A.  D.  A  portion  of  the  rim  has  fallen 
across  the  mouth  of  the  crater,  and  from  a  crack  steam  is  issuing 
as  from  a  boiler.  Small  trees  and  bushes  are  growing  thereon. 
We  gathered  our  arms  full  of  twigs  and  leaves  as  we  walked 
across  the  crater  to  the  small  opening,  near  that  portion  which 
was  standing  upright.  Here  we  deposited  them,  about  two  feet 
from  the  opening,  and  set  them  on  fire  with  a  match.  Quickly 
the  smoke  and  steam  issued  from  porous  places  in  the  highest 
cliflf.  All  around  the  ground  seemed  spongey.  Midway  across 
the  crater  lay  a  round  stone.  We  raised  this,  and  dropped  it  with 
all  possible  force  a  few  times,  when  the  ground  began  to  quiver, 
showing  that  it  was  hollow  underneath.  The  sensation  produced 
was  not  the  most  pleasant,  and  made  one  feel  like  escaping  for 
his  life. 

"Grotto  Del  Cani"  looks  like  a  prospect  hole,  in  the  side  of  a 
hill,  four  feet  wide,  eight  feet  high,  and  ten  feet  long,  the  bot- 
tom of  which  is  porous,  and  through  which  carbonic-acid  gas 
escapes  at  the  rate  of  two  hundred  thousand  pounds  annually. 
No  animal  can  live  any  length  of  time  within  this  "Grotto."  A 
dog  placed  there  dies;  but  removed  soon  to  the  open  air,  recovers. 
A  lighted  torch  is  quickly  extinguished  by  the  gas.  Powder 
will  not  explode  therein.  A  pistol  can  not  be  fired  within  its 
influence.  When  standing  in  the  tunnel,  a  sleepy  stupor  comes 
over  you.    It  is  called  "The  Tunnel  of  the  Dog." 


1 68  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

In  the  morning,  February  ii,  1873,  ^^  ^^^^  ^Y  ^^^^  ^o''  Po"^- 
peii.  The  day  was  all  that  could  be  desired.  The  distance  from 
Naples  is  fourteen  and  one-quarter  miles.  The  ride  is  delightful, 
through  cultivated  fields  and  gardens  along  the  bay.  Mr.  Robin- 
son, of  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  was  my  associate.  This  was  his  third 
visit.  At  9.30  A.  M.,  we  stepped  from  the  train,  and  hastened  up 
an  incline  to  the  entrance,  and  paid  two  francs  each.  The  Italian 
Government  furnished  a  guard  to  conduct  us  through  the  city, 
and  to  see  that  we  did  not  carry  it  or  any  of  its  contents  away. 

From  the  hour  of  entrance,  until  we  were  driven  out  by  a 
squad  of  soldiers  late  in  the  afternoon,  we  were  without  food  or 
drink,  yet  were  on  the  move  all  the  time,  going  from  one  point  of 
interest  to  another. 

Pompeii  is  about  one  mile  east  of  the  Bay  of  Naples,  on  a 
slight  elevation.  Of  its  early  history  little  is  known.  It  once  was 
a  place  of  resort  for  the  wealthy  Romans,  and  a  city,  in  its  day, 
of  considerable  importance.  It  was  encircled  by  a  wall  two  miles 
in  circumference.  This  wall  was  twenty  feet  thick  and  twenty 
feet  high,  faced  with  lava-stone.  There  were  six  gates,  and  the 
same  number  of  watch-towers  on  the  wall. 

An  earthquake  damaged  the  city  very  much  on  February  5, 
A.  D.  63.  On  August  24,  A.  D.  79,  a  terrific  eruption  of  Vesuvius 
occurred,  and  buried  Pompeii  thirty  feet  deep  with  hot  ashes, 
blown  from  the  crater.  It  now  looks  to  the  observer  like  it  was 
done  on  purpose.  The  site  of  the  place  was  unknown  for  more 
than  sixteen  hundred  years.  Fields  were  cultivated,  crops  grown, 
orchards  and  vineyards  planted,  and  houses  built  over  it.  In 
1755  excavations  began,  and  when  I  was  there  about  one-third 
of  the  city  had  been  uncovered.  In  the  autumn  of  1864  upwards 
of  two  hundred  skeletons  were  found  in  the  Temple  of  Juno. 
Quite  a  number  have  been  found  in  other  parts  of  the  city.  Most 
of  the  inhabitants  were  at  the  Amphitheater,  witnessing  a  per- 
formance when  the  calamity  began ;  hence  escaped  with  their 
lives.  The  plan  of  Pompeii  was  regular.  The  streets  were  nar- 
row, not  more  than  eight  feet  across,  but  mostly  at  right  angles, 
and  were  paved  with  large,  flat  lava-stone.  The  sidewalks  were 
on  an  average  three  feet  wide  and  one  foot  high,  with  stepping- 
stones  set  on  edge  at  the  crossings.     There  were  no  gutters,  or 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 69 

means  of  drainage.  In  the  main  streets  ruts  were  worn  in  the 
hard  pavement,  two  or  more  inches  deep,  by  their  chariot-wheels. 
At  some  of  the  street-corners  there  were  wells,  with  large  flag- 
ging-stone set  on  edge  for  the  curbing.  Deep  creases  were  worn 
in  these  by  the  cord  used  in  drawing  water. 

The  old  gate  was  strong  and  massive,  arched  overhead,  and 
had  a  stone  set  on  edge  across  it,  to  step  over.  A  small  museum 
at  the  right,  on  the  inside,  contained  objects  of  real  interest. 
Among  these  were  several  bodies  of  men  and  women,  covered 
with  gray  ashes,  burnt  into  the  flesh.  These  lay  on  iron  frames. 
One  was  so  arranged  that  you  could  walk  underneath  it.  In  size 
they  appeared  about  the  average  of  people  of  to-day.  On  one 
woman's  uplifted  hand  was  a  gold  ring.  She  had  good  teeth. 
The  mills  for  grinding  grain  were  cut  out  of  granite,  like  huge 
cofifee-cups,  one  turned  over  the  other.  The  top  one  had  a  hole 
in  the  bottom,  into  which  the  grain  was  fed.  In  the  sides  of  the 
upper  one  were  two  holes,  through  which  sticks  were  thrust,  by 
which  the  stone  was  turned  for  grinding  purposes.  They  had  no 
means  of  separating  the  bran  from  the  flour.  The  oven,  when 
discovered,  was  full  of  burnt  bread. 

The  houses  were  built  of  stone  or  brick,  plastered  with  a  very 
hard  cement,  which  was  ornamented  on  the  inside  with  various 
styles  of  paintings,  in  harmony,  no  doubt,  with  the  custom  of 
the  age  and  the  taste  of  the  occupant.  Some  of  these  would 
hardly  be  "in  style"  in  our  day. 

Their  houses  were  plain,  seldom  more  than  two  stories  high, 
and  had  all  their  good  apartments  on  the  ground  floor.  The  best 
houses  were  built  around  an  open  court,  or  hollow  square,  which 
was  laid  out  with  beautiful  patterns  of  mosaics.  Usually  in  the 
center  was  a  fountain,  with  trees  and  flowers  growing  by  it.  As  a 
rule,  the  rooms  all  opened  into  this  court,  and  not  into  each  other. 

The  public  bath-house  is  preserved  entire;  even  the  walls, 
ceilings,  floor,  and  the  lead-pipes  that  let  the  water  in  and  out. 

The  Temple  of  Augustus  was  decorated  with  fresco  paintings. 
There  is  one  of  Ulysses  in  disguise,  meeting  Penelope  on  his 
return  from  Ithaca. 

One  public  house  was  closed  by  a  rough,  modern  door,  and 
had  no  occupants.    The  guard  unlocked  the  door,  and  bade  us 


170  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

enter,  locking  it  behind  us.  Here  was  a  narrow  hall,  with  three 
rooms  on  a  side,  and  a  larger  one  at  the  far  end.  These  rooms 
were  perhaps  a  little  over  six  feet  square,  with  an  elevation  three 
feet  high  and  three  feet  wide,  at  one  end  of  which  was  a  pillow 
six  inches  high,  like  a  stovepipe.  All  of  the  inside  was  plastered 
over  with  cement,  on  which  were  painted  the  forms  of  nude  per- 
sons in  various  attitudes. 

In  the  house  of  'Tansa"  four  female  bodies  were  found.  In 
the  soldiers'  barracks  sixty-three  bodies  and  numerous  military- 
relics  were  uncovered. 

The  Herculaneum  gate  has  a  central  archway,  fifteen  feet 
wide  and  twenty  feet  high,  with  alternate  layers  of  brick  and  lava- 
stone.  Over  the  top,  on  the  outside,  is  a  marble  sun-dial.  The 
stone  sentinel-box  still  stands  where  the  sentinel  was  on  duty 
for  over  seventeen  hundred  years,  before  he  was  relieved!  Be- 
side the  street  leading  northward  were  many  tombs  and  monu- 
ments. In  a  garden  was  found  Diomedes,  the  owner  of  the  villa, 
and  his  attendant;  one  holding  the  keys,  and  the  other  a  bag 
of  gold  coins.  On  these  can  be  seen  the  names  of  Nero,  Vitellius, 
Vespasian,  and  Titus. 

Amulets,  true  to  nature,  made  out  of  burnt  clay,  were  worn 
by  some  of  the  women  of  Pompeii.  I  do  not  like  to  think  that 
all  females  wore  them. 

They  believed  in  advertising  their  business,  no  matter  what 
it  was;  and  placed  their  advertisements  often  beside  the  door- 
way, or  in  the  pavement  before  the  entrance.  Some  of  these  re- 
main to  this  day.  In  a  few  instances  the  name  of  some  former 
occupant  may  be  seen  in  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  the  building. 
As  we  pass  through  the  paved  streets  of  Pompeii  we  see  shops, 
where  the  mechanic  applied  his  art;  stores,  where  goods  and 
oils  were  sold;  bakeries,  with  their  mills,  ovens,  and  kneading- 
troughs  of  stone,  where  the  flour  was  made  and  bread  baked; 
forums,  where  the  populace  gathered  for  news  and  discussions; 
temples,  where  they  made  their  offerings  and  paid  their  devotions 
to  some  deity.  The  amphitheater,  open  to  the  sky,  has  fifty-five 
rows  of  seats,  one  rising  above  and  back  of  the  other.  This 
building  is  more  ancient  than  the  Coliseum  at  Rome,  and  better 
preserved.     It  is  said  to  have  seated  ten  thousand  persons. 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  171 

In  these  descriptions  here  given  we  have  a  picture  of  a  Ro- 
man city  as  it  was  eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  minus  the  in- 
habitants. So  real  does  it  seem  that  you  can  hardly  imagine 
why  the  people  do  not  step  out  and  greet  you  as  you  walk  along. 
One  is  strongly  impressed  as  he  strolls  through  these  streets  that 
human  nature  has  been  the  same  in  all  ages;  only  some  a  little 
more  so. 

The  customs  of  this  country,  as  well  as  the  personal  habits  of 
the  people,  differ  widely  from  those  with  which  we  are  acquainted 
here. 


FUNERAI,  PROCESSION. 

Funerals  are  not  conducted  in  Italy  as  they  are  with  us.  The 
bier  is  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  four  masked  men,  followed  by, 
perhaps,  thirty  more,  wearing  masks.  The  covering  consists  of 
white  cotton  cloth  placed  over  the  entire  body,  with  round  holes 
cut  out  for  the  eyes  and  mouth,  in  order  to  see  and  breathe 
through.  These  men  go  to  the  house,  if  in  Florence,  at  one 
o'clock  A.  M.;  if  in  Naples,  at  one  o'clock  P.  M.  (that  being  the 
hour  set).  In  the  former  I  was  often  awakened  by  their  chants 
as  they  marched  slowly  through  the  streets,  with  lighted  candles. 
In  the  latter  I  have  frequently  seen  them  by  daylight.     These 


172  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

ghostly-looking  men  are  unknown  to  the  relatives  of  the  de- 
ceased. All  eyes  are  upon  them  as  they  go  marching  slowly 
along  the  center  of  the  street  to  the  place  of  burial. 

The  volcano  of  Vesuvius  stands  about  ten  miles  southeast 
of  Naples.  Solitary  and  alone,  it  rises  with  a  gentle  slope  upward 
to  the  base  of  the  "cone,"  which  is  without  a  tree  or  shrub;  a 
dark  mass  of  lava-stone  and  ashes,  not  unlike  the  "scoria"  of  an 
iron  furnace.  Its  height  is  3,400  feet  above  the  bay.  The  cir- 
cumference of  the  base  is  about  thirty  miles.  The  mountain 
divides  at  a  certain  elevation  into  two  summits,  Somma  and 
Vesuvius  proper.  The  "cone"  rises  fourteen  hundred  feet,  and  is 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  across,  and  about  three  miles  around  the 
base.  The  basin  is  not  less  than  two  hundred  feet  deep.  Smoke 
always  arises  therefrom. 

Its  first  eruption  occurred  August  24,  A.  D.  79.  In  the  morn- 
ing it  was  in  comparative  repose,  but  during  the  day  a  huge 
black  cloud  rose  from  the  mountain;  stones,  ashes,  and  pumice 
were  poured  down  from  it  on  all  sides.  Pompeii,  four  miles 
south,  was  buried  thirty  feet  deep  with  hot,  loose  ashes.  Hercu- 
laneum,  at  its  northwestern  base,  was  covered  with  a  torrent  of 
mud,  which  hardened  into  rock,  with  subsequent  additions,  eighty 
to  one  hundred  feet  deep.  It  is  said  that  the  elder  Pliny  lost  his 
life  in  endeavoring  to  rescue  the  inhabitants.  There  have  been 
sixty  great,  and  numerous  smaller,  eruptions  since  A.  D.  472, 
when  the  eruption  was  so  great  that  the  ashes  fell  even  at  Con- 
stantinople, and  caused  great  alarm  there.  In  1777  jets  of  liquid 
lava  were  thrown  to  the  height  of  ten  thousand  feet,  presenting 
the  appearance  of  a  column  of  fire.  Sixteen  years  after,  millions 
of  hot  stone  were  shot  up  into  the  air,  and  then  fell,  covering  half 
the  cone  with  fire. 

My  associate  saw  the  eruption  of  April  25  to  May  2,  1872. 
All  business  in  Naples  was  suspended  for  seven  days.  Ashes 
fell  everywhere.  People  were  out  watching  the  sight  with  um- 
brellas over  their  heads.  The  sun  seemed  in  an  eclipse.  Columns 
of  dense,  white  smoke,  like  fleeces  of  wool,  ascended  to  the  height 
of  five  thousand  feet,  attended  by  earthquake  shocks  and  a  deaf- 
ening roar  like  millions  of  claps  of  thunder;  while  clouds  of 
ashes,  dust,  and  stones  were  carried  the  distance  of  ten  miles, 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 73 

and  a  broad  stream  of  red-hot  lava  ran  down  on  the  north  side 
of  the  mountain,  miles  in  length,  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  wide, 
and  of  unknown  depth.  It  swept  through  a  village,  leaving  a 
few  houses  on  one  side  of  the  stream,  and  not  many  on  the  other. 
This  was  still  hot  and  steaming,  with  great  cracks  in  the  surface. 

February  12th,  with  Mr,  Hunter,  a  bright  young  Scotchman, 
who  was  teaching  in  Naples  and  spoke  the  Italian  fluently,  as 
my  guide,  I  started  out  to  explore  Vesuvius.  Fifteen  minutes 
ride  on  the  cars  brought  us  to  Portici,  a  village  of  two  thousand 
people,  at  the  base  of  Vesuvius.     We  needed  no  guide,  as  Mr. 

H had  been  there  twice  before.     We  determined  to  ascend 

on  foot.  Yet  we  were  thronged  with  beggars  and  would-be 
guides,  which  increased  at  every  corner.  It  seemed  to  me  that 
no  man  ever  saw  the  like.    To  give  to  each  was  to  give  all  we 

had.    They  would  not  be  shaken  off,  until  Mr.  H happened 

to  think  of' one  Italian  word,  which,  when  pronounced  with  a 
sharp  accent,  sent  them  adrift.  ''Ridicelo"  was  the  magic  word. 
I  always  found  it  efifectual  afterward.  One,  however,  staid  with 
us  until  we  descended  from  the  cone.  The  ascent  is  gradual, 
through  cultivated  fields  and  vineyards,  for  about  three  miles. 
The  soil  here  produces  three  crops  a  year.  Passing  the  cultivated 
portion,  we  come  to  the  lava-beds,  black,  rough,  and  forbidding, 
cracked  and  smoking.  On  a  ridge  stands  the  ''Hermitage,'* 
where  the  weary  traveler  may  rest  and  be  refreshed.  A  good 
wagon-road  leads  thus  far;  but  we  did  not  follow  it  only  a  small 
part  of  the  way.  Here  is  also  an  observatory  and  a  telegraph 
office  to  report  the  doings  of  Vesuvius.  Above  the  lava-fields 
the  surface  is  extremely  rough  to  the  base  of  the  "cone,"  which 
rises  fourteen  hundred  feet,  and  very  steep,  at  an  angle  of  forty- 
five  degrees.  Its  sides  are  covered  with  burnt  cinders  and  crum- 
bling ashes.    The  ascent  is  very  tiresome  and  difficult. 

Men  were  there  with  long  straps  around  the  waist  for  others 
to  hold  to;  others  with  splint-bottom  chairs,  with  arm-rests,  and 
three  men  to  carry  you  up  for  a  consideration.  Spurning  all 
aids,  being  the  first  to  reach  this  elevation,  we  began  slowly 
to  ascend,  resting  every  few  steps.  It  took  us  just  one  hour  and 
ten  minutes  to  reach  the  top,  or  edge,  of  that  smoking  caldron. 
The  sides  of  the  cone  were  quite  warm,  but  not  hot  enough  to 


174  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

burn.  In  a  crevice,  near  the  top,  paper  took  fire  and  burned. 
Four  feet  below  the  crater's  edge  is  a  sort  of  path  worn  by  pil- 
grims. We  attempted  to  go  around  the  crater,  but  failed  on  ac- 
count of  the  sulphurous  smoke,  which  nearly  suffocated  us.  A 
stone  thrown  in  increased  the  volume  of  smoke,  and  caused  pul- 
sations to  be  visibly  felt;  especially  when  repeated  several  times. 

The  view  was  grand.  Northward  the  eye  followed  the  stream 
of  lava,  still  smoking,  out  through  fields  and  vineyards;  beyond 
stands  the  city  of  Naples;  southward,  Pompeii  and  the  region 
round  about;  westward,  the  bay  and  distant  islands;  eastward, 
Mount  Somma  and  a  sterile  waste  of  lava  matter. 

Sitting  close  to  the  edge  of  the  cone,  we  saw  a  little  tunnel- 
shaped  whirl  start  way  out  on  the  Bay  of  Naples,  and  determined 
to  see  what  it  would  amount  to.  Round  and  round  the  cloud 
went.  Soon  it  started  toward  Vesuvius,  where  we  sat  watching 
it.  It  moved  rapidly,  increasing  in  size  with  its  spiral  motion,  up 
the  slope,  covering  the  mountain  with  a  sprinkle  of  snow,  and 
crossed  the  crater  before  us,  emptying  it  of  its  smoke,  when  we 
were  able  to  look  to  the  very  depths  thereof.  The  slope  on  the 
inside  was  gentle,  and  covered  with  white  ashes.  The  commotion 
at  the  bottom  was  like  molten  metal  boiling,  and  was  perhaps  one 
hundred  feet  across.  We  said,  "What  a  good  place  to  commit 
suicide!"    We  did  not  do  it,  however. 

The  descent  was  made  along  the  bed  of  gray  ashes,  in  five 
or  seven  minutes,  to  the  base  of  the  cone.  Between  that  and  the 
Hermitage  we  met  several  parties  toiling  slowly  upward. 

All  traces  of  Herculaneum  were  lost  for  centuries.  A  city  of 
three  thousand  people  had  been  built  over  its  buried  site.  One 
day  an  energetic  man  determined  to  dig  a  well,  and  down  through 
the  lava-rock  he  went  for  one  hundred  feet,  when  he  came  upon 
the  stone  seats  of  a  theater.  Then  he  and  others  recollected  that 
Herculaneum  was  buried  somewhere  near,  and  this  must  be  it. 
Then  excavations  began,  which  were  expensive  and  difficult, 
owing  to  the  solidity  of  the  rock.  A  portion  of  the  theater  and 
one  or  two  of  the  streets  have  been  uncovered.  We  stood  on  the 
rostrum,  where  the  actors  performed  for  the  amusement  of  the 
populace  eighteen  centuries  ago,  and  sat  on  the  stone  seats  where 
their  hearers   listened;   also   walked   along   the   few   uncovered 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 75 

streets,  when  we  took  the  train  for  Naples,  weary  and  tired  with 
our  day's  exertions. 

Some  one  has  well  said  : 

"This  region,  surely,  is  not  of  earth. 
Was  it  not  dropped  from  heaven?    Not  a  grove, 
Citron,  or  pine,  or  cedar;  not  a  grot, 
Seaworn  and  mantled  with  the  gadding  vine. 
But  breathes  enchantment.     Not  a  cliff  but  flings 
On  the  clear  wave  some  image  of  delight. 
Some  cabin-roof  glowing  with  crimson  flowers, 
Some  ruined  temple  or  fallen  monument, 
To  muse  on  as  the  bark  is  gliding  by. 

Yet  here  methinks 
Truth  wants  no  ornament  in  her  own  shape, 
Filling  the  mind  by  turns  with  awe  and  love. 
By  turns  inclining  to  wild  ecstacy 
And  soberest  meditation." 

Orient. — From  Naples  to  Brindisi  is  about  twelve  hours' 
ride.  The  country  most  of  the  way  is  well  cultivated,  and  dotted 
with  olive,  fig,  peach,  and  a  few  apple  trees.  Though  it  was  on 
the  13th  of  February,  many  of  the  trees  were  in  bloom.  Much 
of  the  way  the  land  was  rolling,  and  in  some  places  quite  stony. 
The  people  had  a  woe-begone  look. 

We  sailed  from  Brindisi,  Italy,  February  14,  1873,  for  the 
Island  of  Corfu,  where  we  spent  the  afternoon  of  the  15th  and 
i6th.  The  island  is  wooded,  and  makes  a  charming  spot  to  live. 
It  is  quite  a  place  of  resort  for  Europeans  during  the  winter. 
We  found  excellent  accommodations  at  Hotel  St.  George.  At 
one  o'clock  A.  M.  of  the  17th,  we  stepped  on  board  one  of  the 
Austin  Lloyd  steamers  for  Alexandria,  Egypt.  For  two  days  we 
sailed  along  the  coast  of  Greece  and  the  Island  of  Crete,  where 
Paul  once  desired  to  winter.  After  an  exceedingly  rough  pas- 
sage,— how  the  ship  Minerva  did  rock,  pitch,  and  tumble! — we 
reached  the  entrance  to  the  harbor  of  Alexandria  on  the  morning 
of  the  20th,  where  a  number-  of  steamships  and  sailing-vessels 
were  riding  at  anchor.  For  three  days  the  sea  had  been  so  rough 
that  none  had  entered  the  harbor.  Ours,  coming  up  under  a  full 
head  of  steam,  was  in  the  advance.  The  pilot-boat  passed  us  to 
conduct  one  of  Her  Majesty's  ships  into  port,  before  accommo- 


176  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

dating  us,  when  our  German  captain  gave  the  order  to  go 
ahead. 

The  view,  on  approaching  the  level  shores  of  Egypt,  from  the 
sea,  is  unique.  Gradually  a  column  seems  to  rise  out  of  the 
water,  then  the  wind-mills  emerge  from  the  same  watery  bed;  on 
the  extreme  left  rises  the  Pasha's  palace  and  harem,  while  gleam- 
ing sandbanks  fill  up  the  intervals. 

We  had  scarcely  dropped  anchor  when  Arab  boatmen  came 
rushing  on  board  like  a  swarm  of  bees.  Each  wore  a  turban,  but 
the  balance  of  his  clothing  was  not  overly  abundant.  Rain  was 
falling,  but  they  did  not  mind  that.  Three  of  us  engaged  our 
passage  to  the  shore  for  three  francs  (sixty  cents).  On  the  dock 
we  presented  our  passports  to  the  officials.  The  custom-house 
officers  examined  our  luggage,  when  we  were  allowed  to  pass 
through  a  great  iron  gate  into  a  muddy  street,  where  we  engaged 
a  carriage,  and  were  conveyed  to  our  hotel  for  two  francs. 

Alexandria  has  a  population  of  nearly  three  hundred  thousand 
souls.  Its  inhabitants  are  a  mixture  of  all  nationalities.  The 
streets  of  the  older  portion  are  extremely  filthy,  while  the  newer 
are  more  cleanly.  English  merchants  do  most  of  the  trade  of 
Alexandria.  The  Orient  is  a  fruitful  field  for  English  enterprise. 
An  Arab  salesman  is  the  very  picture  of  resignation,  as  he  awaits 
his  customers  in  a  sitting  posture. 

We  stand  under  the  shadow  of  Pompey's  Pillar,  which  rises 
one  hundred  feet  high.  This  is  a  monolith,  ten  feet  in  diameter, 
of  red  granite,  round  and  polished,  where  it  has  stood  for  over 
sixteen  hundred  years. 

Cleopatra's  Needle  is  a  solid  obelisk  of  red  granite,  cut  from 
top  to  bottom  with  symbolic  characters.  Its  mate  was  discovered 
about  fifty  years  ago,  and  both  brought  over  one  hundred  miles 
from  the  city  of  On,  where  Moses  was  educated.  How  such 
masses  were  transported  from  their  original  bed  can  not  be  ex- 
plained; yet  Pharaonic  engineers  accomplished  the  feat.  One 
was  presented  by  Mohammed  Ali  to  the  English  Government, 
and  the  other  to  the  United  States  of  America.  Hence  one 
stands  in  London,  England,  and  the  other  in  Central  Park,  New 
York.     These  monoliths  are  seventy  feet  long,  seven  feet  six 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 77 

inches  square  at  the  base,  and  are  more  than  three  thousand 
years  old. 

In  the  center  of  the  city  is  an  oblong  public  square,  sur- 
rounded by  trees  and  posts  connected  by  an  endless  chain.  At 
either  extremity  is  a  fountain  of  water.  Here  Arabs  perform 
their  ablutions  at  sunrise  or  sundown.  Modesty  is  an  unknown 
quality  in  their  personality! 

The  Arabs  bury  their  dead  at  almost  any  hour  of  the  day. 
The  body  is  placed  in  a  rough  box,  with  an  upright  post  at  one 
end,  on  which  hangs  the  red  fez,  or  veil,  to  distinguish  the  sex. 
This  box  is  borne  on  a  bier,  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  four 
stout  men,  who  are  surrounded  by  a  motley  group  chanting  a 
wail  of  some  kind,  without  any  solemnity  whatever.  They  hurry 
through  the  street  rapidly  to  the  vault,  where  the  body  is  de- 
posited without  any  coffin.  These  arched  graves  are  covered  on 
the  outside  with  a  white  cement.  At  early  dawn  groups  may  be 
seen  weeping  and  wailing  over  the  graves  of  the  recently  de- 
parted. 

In  the  shop  windows  may  be  seen  any  article  of  attire,  for 
male  or  female,  known  to  Occidental  or  Oriental  nations,  on  sale. 

Alexandria  was  the  birthplace  of  ApoUos,  an  eloquent  man 
and  mighty  in  the  Scriptures,  unto  whom  "Aquila  and  Priscilla 
expounded  the  way  of  God  more  perfectly"  (Acts  xviii,  24,  26), 
when  at  Ephesus. 

Here  the  most  celebrated  library  of  the  world  was  destroyed 
by  fire,  December  22,  A.  D.  640,  under  the  direction  of  the  Arab 
General  Amron.  Seven  hundred  thousand  volumes  were  con- 
sumed. 

For  three  afternoons  we  witnesed  a  Roman  carnival.  Masked 
men,  women,  and  children  paraded  the  streets,  wearing  every 
conceivable  costume;  some  on  foot,  others  on  horseback  or  in 
buggies,  pelting  each  other  and  the  many  onlookers  with  peas 
and  beans  as  they  passed  along  the  line  of  march.  All  business 
was  suspended  after  three  P.  M.  When  the  carnival  was  over, 
the  streets  were  literally  covered  with  peas  and  beans.  This  was 
a  harvest  for  the  poor,  who  soon  gathered  and  saved  every  one. 
Surely  there  was  enough  to  keep  them  in  soup  for  a  year! 


178  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Cairo  is  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  from  Alexandria  by 
rail.  The  soil  is  a  black  loam,  and  nearly  level.  There  are  here 
three  seasons,  vegetation,  harvest,  and  waters.  Wheat  matures 
in  three  and  one-half  months ;  corn  in  ninety  days.  Clover  is  cut 
from  six  to  eight  times  a  year,  and  is  carried  to  market  on  the 
backs  of  camels,  tied  on  with  long  ropes. 

On  our  way  to  Cairo  we  were  reminded  of  that  passage  of 
Scripture,  "Be  ye  not  unequally  yoked  together,"  by  seeing  an 
ox  and  camel  yoked  together,  plowing. 

The  houses  were  built  of  mud,  and  stood  in  clusters,  some 
with  oval  roofs,  and  others  flat.  People  were  thinly  clad.  Before 
reaching  Cairo  we  beheld  the  Pyramids,  appearing  like  they 
were  set  against  the  sky,  as  we  were  on  lower  ground. 

Cairo  has  a  mixed  population  of  Moors,  Greeks,  Turks,  Jews, 
Armenians,  and  Copts.  The  city  is  divided  into  five  quarters, — 
the  Jewish,  the  Armenian,  the  Arabic,  the  Coptic,  and  Frank,  or 
European. 

The  streets  in  the  old  part  are  crooked,  narrow,  unpaved; 
covered,  and  filthy.  In  the  newer  parts  they  are  wide,  straight, 
or  circular,  shaded  and  airy.  In  making  these  changes  in  the 
streets,  if  the  Pasha  took  over  one-half  of  a  house  he  paid  for  it; 
if  less,  the  owner  must  suffer  the  loss. 

A  bazar  is  given  up  wholly  to  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
one  kind  of  goods;  hence  the  silk  bazar,  the  leather  bazar,  etc. 
These  are  very  busy  places  from  morning  to  night.  It  is  next 
to  impossible  to  get  through  them.  A  runner  precedes  the  car- 
riage, calling  out,  like  John  the  Baptist,  to  "Prepare  the  way  of 
the  Lord."  Donkey-riding,  with  a  boy  trotting  along  behind,  is 
exceedingly  common.  Some  of  these  little  fellows  have  a  bad 
habit.  They  will  be  jogging  along  ever  so  nicely,  when  suddenly 
they  have  stopped,  that  they  may  see  their  faces  reflected  in  a 
pool  of  water.  The  rider,  unfortunately,  goes  on,  and  finds 
himself  smeared  with  water  and  mud!  The  donkey  never  smiles 
at  the  mishap,  though  others  do.  The  women  carry  their  babies 
nearly  naked  when  old  enough  to  ride,  sitting  astride  the  shoulder 
with  their  little  hands  on  the  mother's  head.  Many  of  the  streets 
and  ordinary  roads  are  watered  by  men  with  goatskins.  Women 
carry  water  in  jars  on  their  heads;  hence  are  as  straight  as  arrowz. 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 79 

The  Copts  are  the  descendants  of  the  ancient  Egyptians,  and 
have  a  corrupt  form  of  Christianity.  We  attended  one  of  their 
Church  services  in  St.  Mark's  Church.  The  building  is  very 
old,  the  floors  carpeted;  but  has  no  seats.  The  men  squatted 
like  tailors  on  the  floor,  sandals  off,  but  ''fezes"  on.  The  women 
were  in  the  gallery,  which  was  screened  from  the  view  of  the 
men.  All  listened  attentively  to  the  reading  of  the  lecture,  or 
sermon.  Two  interesting  young  men  spoke  to  us  in  fairly  good 
English,  and  interpreted  to  us.  After  their  services  were  over, 
we  recommended  a  personal  Christ  to  them.  Before  leaving  we 
offered  to  pay  them  for  their  kindness,  when  one  of  them  said, 
'7  no  take  money  when  I  talk  God  with  yoii.''  This  was  the  only 
time  I  ever  knew  ''backsheesh"  to  be  refused. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  is  doing  a  noble  work  among  this 
people  and  others  in  Egypt.  We  attended  one  of  their  services 
in  a  neat  chapel.  The  regular  missionary  in  charge  was  absent, 
but  a  native,  with  a  red  fez  on  his  head,  preached.  The  seventy 
who  were  present,  like  the  preacher,  wore  the  inseparable  ''red 
fez."  The  whole  services  were  in  Arabic.  The  only  familiar 
thing  were  the  tunes  they  sang,  one  of  which  was  "Dundee." 
Their  faces  were  sunny,  and  the  service  was  cheerful.  I  still  have 
one  of  the  papers  which  they  distributed. 

We  visited  the  Nilometer,  at  the  head  of  the  Island  of 
Rhoda,  by  which  they  determine  in  advance  whether  there  is  to 
be  an  abundant  or  a  defective  harvest.  Anything  under  an 
eighteen-foot  rise  means  famine;  over  twenty-four  feet  brings 
pestilence.  The  museum  has  many  curios  and  some  mummies. 
We  made  hurried  visits  to  the  Citadel  and  several  mosques;  the 
Shoobra  Gardens,  where  is  the  beautiful  palace  of  the  Khedive, 
the  chief  functionary  of  Egypt.  The  surroundings  transcend 
anything  of  the  kind  we  had  ever  seen.  There  was  a  veritable 
forest  of  orange-trees,  all  ladened  with  ripe  fruit,  and  around  this 
grove  ran  a  hedge  of  roses  in  full  blossom,  exhaling  a  delightful 
fragrance.  There  were  fountains  and  statues  of  the  rarest  marble; 
in  short,  everything  that  ornamental  luxuriousness  and  prodi- 
gality could  devise.  The  old  sycamore-tree,  where  tradition  says 
that  Joseph  and  Mary  rested  with  the  infant  Jesus;  Heliopolis, 
once  the  educational  center  of  Egypt,  where  Plato  graduated 


l8o  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

and  Joseph  obtained  his  wife.  Nothing  remains  of  its  ancient 
grandeur  but  mounds  of  earth  and  one  obeUsk,  which  is  six  feet 
two  inches  in  diameter  and  seventy  feet  high.  The  base  is 
twenty-five  feet  below  the  surrounding  ground.  Here  it  has 
stood  for  over  thirty-six  hundred  years.  It  was  there  when  Abra- 
ham went  down  into  Egypt,  when  Joseph  was  taken  there  a 
captive,  when  Jacob  and  his  family  arrived,  when  the  Babe  of 
Bethlehem  played  near  its  base,  when  Job  superintended  the 
erection  of  the  Pyramid  of  Cheops.  Only  a  short  distance  from 
the  obelisk  we  looked  inside  the  dwelling-place  of  an  Arab  fam- 
ily. The  mother,  with  a  babe  on  her  arm,  stood  in  the  door- 
way; but  no  door  was  there.  For  a  small  consideration  she  per- 
mitted us  to  look  inside.  The  entrance  hall  was  four  feet  wide, 
and  perhaps  ten  feet  long.  On  the  left,  four  feet  above  the 
ground,  was  an  elevated  platform,  partially  inclosed.  This  was 
their  sleeping  apartments,  without  a  window,  door,  or  rag  of 
bedding  of  any  kind.  At  the  end  of  the  passage-way  was  a 
room,  perhaps  fourteen  feet  square,  in  which  was  a  small  fire- 
place, where  a  hen  had  just  deposited  an  ^^'g,  and  came  oflf 
cackling.  Not  a  chair,  stool,  table,  cooking  utensil,  or  a  piece  of 
furniture  was  in  sight.  This  was  a  fair  sample  of  an  Arab's 
dwelling-place,  which  I  learned  from  our  dragoman  and  from 
other  observations  which  I  made  at  Bethel.  The  dragoman  said 
that  the  whole  family  occupied  the  elevated  platform  at  night 
for  sleeping  purposes,  lying  upon  the  smooth,  hard  surface,  the 
only  covering  being  the  clothing  of  the  day.  Some  of  these 
platforms  were  arched  underneath,  so  as  to  give  a  place  for  stor- 
ing provisions  and  cooking  utensils. 

The  excursion  to  the  site  of  old  ''Memphis,"  the  "Noph"  of 
Scripture,  was  a  novel  one.  There  were  six  of  us  in  the  party, 
one  of  whom  was  guide,  and  three  were  donkeys.  We  rode  four 
miles  to  Gaza,  where  we  buy  six  tickets,  all  get  on  the  cars,  and 
ride  nine  miles;  then  we  three  rode  the  donkeys  six  miles  to  the 
blufifs,  the  site  of  old  Memphis,  where  we  found  many  mounds  of 
earth,  on  which  large  palm-trees  were  growing.  Not  a  building 
was  left  standing.  We  rode  over  the  mounds  and  around  among 
the  palms,  then  to  the  tombs  of  the  sacred  ox.  These  are  ex- 
cavated out  of  the  limestone  rock.    We  descended  a  long  incline 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  l8l 

to  the  entrance  hall,  on  either  side  of  which  are  stalls,  not  unlike 
those  of  a  livery  stable,  in  which  are  the  granite  sarcophagi,  pol- 
ished inside  and  out,  in  which  the  sacred  animals  were  deposited 
after  being  embalmed.  One  of  these,  which  I  measured,  was 
five  feet  wide,  ten  feet  long,  and  five  and  one-half  feet  high. 
There  were  twenty-three  vaults,  and  each  held  one  of  these  granite 
chests.  Whence  came  they?  How  were  they  transported  here? 
The  dead  tell  no  secrets,  and  we  pass  on  and  visit  old  temples 
in  ruins,  whose  walls  were  covered  with  rude  paintings  of  rural 
scenes,  customs,  and  practices  of  early  times. 

On  our  return  across  the  country,  we  rode  through  miles 
of  palms.  We  saw  a  man  picking  dates,  perhaps  fifty  feet  from 
the  ground.  A  hoop  encircled  both  his  body  and  the  tree.  With 
that  he  ascended  or  descends,  and  held  himself  in  place,  while  he 
cut  off  the  branches  or  leaves  and  let  them  fall.  His  feet  rested 
against  the  body  of  the  tree,  and  his  body  against  the  inside  of  the 
hoop.  We  passed  a  number  of  small  villages,  in  which  the 
houses  were  elevated  six  feet  above  the  ground  about  them;  so 
also  were  the  passage-ways  from  one  to  the  other.  Beside  one 
of  these  stood  a  woman,  with  a  dusky  infant  babe  on  her  arm. 
The  child,  a  tiny  thing,  could  not  have  been  many  days  old.  She 
held  out  its  little  hand,  and  said,  ''Hawaggah  backsheesh."  The 
guide,  who  was  in  the  lead,  shook  his  head,  and  said,  *Xa,  la,  la." 
Next  followed  my  traveling  associate,  the  Rev.  A.  L.  P.  Loomis, 
a  tall  man,  who  also  shook  his  head.  Then  came  my  turn,  when 
to  get  rid  of  her  I  placed  a  small  copper  coin  in  its  little  hand. 
The  mother  at  once  lifted  its  nude  form  toward  my  mouth  for  a 
kiss.    It  is  useless  to  say  I  was  not  in  a  kissing  mood  just  then. 

As  we  were  following  a  path  across  a  field  where  grain  had 
been  sown  on  the  subsiding  waters,  and  trodden  by  driving  cattle 
over  it,  we  were  reminded  of  that  Scripture  which  reads,  ''Cast  thy 
bread  upon  the  waters,  and  thou  shalt  find  it  after  many  days." 
The  path  was  rough,  my  donkey  stumbled  and  fell,  then  rolled 
over  on  one  side,  bruising  my  knee  badly.  He  would  not  get  up, 
but  held  me  fast  with  one  leg  under  him,  until  the  guide  re- 
turned and  helped  him.  That  day  we  rode  thirty-eight  miles, 
and  were  very  tired. 

The  great  Pyramid  of  Cheops  stands  on  a  bluflf  fourteen  miles 


1 82  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

from,  and  a  little  to  the  southwest  of,  Cairo.  A  dike  has  been  con- 
structed above  high-water  mark,  with  acacia-trees  set  along  the 
edges,  whose  tops  interlock  and  form  an  arbor  most  of  the  way. 

The  largest  pyramid  is  said  to  cover  thirteen  acres  of  ground, 
and  is  746  feet  along  one  side,  and  450  feet  high.  Travelers 
are  assisted  in  the  ascent  by  Arabs,  furnished  by  the  ''sheik  ''  who 
is  in  charge  of  the  pyramids.  These  assistants  wear  long,  white 
frocks,  like  a  night-shirt,  with  a  turban  on  the  head  and  a  belt 
around  the  waist,  into  which  the  shirt  is  tucked  when  they  get 
to  the  base  of  the  pyramid,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  their 
climbing.  The  tiers  of  stone  are,  on  an  average,  about  waist- 
high,  and  the  edges  are  very  much  crumbled  off.  The  two 
assistants  mount  the  first  tier,  and  take  the  traveler  by  the  hands ; 
then,  with  his  foot  or  knee  raised  to  the  edge  of  the  stone  on 
which  they  stand,  they  pull  him  up  and  land  him  there;  then 
they  mount  the  next  tier,  and  so  on  up,  step  by  step.  The  de- 
scent is  made  by  the  assistants  going  down  one  step  in  advance, 
when  the  traveler  places  one  hand  on  each  of  their  shoulders, 
and  drops  down  to  where  they  stand,  and  so  on  down  all  the  way 
to  the  base.  They  are  very  careful  that  no  accident  shall  happen. 
I  asked  one  of  my  guides,  whose  muscles  were  like  iron,  how  long 
he  had  been  climbing  the  pyramids.  Referring  to  a  lad,  perhaps 
ten  years  old,  he  said,  "Since  I  was  the  size  of  that  boy." 

The  view  from  the  top  is  superb;  westward  is  the  Libyan 
Desert,  where  sky  and  sand  seem  to  meet;  southward  are  the 
''Sphinx,"  "Tombs,"  "Temples,"  and  the  "Pyramids"  of  Sakara;, 
eastward  can  be  seen  a  carpet  of  green,  with  here  and  there  a 
mud  village,  which  looks  like  the  print  of  a  soiled  foot  on  a  rich 
carpet.  The  meandering  Nile  stretches  on  from  south  to  north. 
In  the  far  distance  stands  the  Citadel,  on  a  hill,  and  old  Cairo  at 
its  base,  and  the  long  dike  over  which  we  had  just  driven,  which 
looks  like  a  white  thread  across  a  carpet  of  green.  What  a  land- 
scape view! 

The  Pyramid  is  entered  from  the  east  face,  nearly  a  hundred 
feet  from  its  base.  We  descend,  going  inward  a  hundred  feet  or 
more,  at  an  angle  of  twenty-eight  degrees;  then  climb  over  a 
large  rock  which  lies  across  our  path,  and  ascend  274  feet,  at  an 
angle  of  twenty-six  degrees,  to  the  "King's  Chamber,"  which  is 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 83 

thirty-four  feet  long,  seventeen  feet  wide,  and  nineteen  feet  high. 
The  passage-way  was  as  sHppery  as  glass,  and  for  several  feet 
very  narrow  along  the  top  of  the  entrance  to  the  Queen's  Cham- 
ber. Here,  for  perhaps  twenty  or  more  feet,  the  guide  threw 
his  arm  around  my  body,  and  carried  me  up  and  down  the  ascent, 
over  that  yawning  abyss  of  darkness  (for  we  could  not  see  how 
deep  the  chasm  was),  as  if  I  had  been  a  child.  The  air  within 
was  stifling. 

During  our  ascent  and  descent,  both  without  and  within, 
the  guides  repeated  over  and  over  again  the  following:  *'You 
good  man,  good  muscle;  you  Yankee;  we  deliver  you  safely. 
You  satisfy  us.  Give  us  what  you  like.  Some  give  us  one  pound, 
others  a  napoleon.  No  let  sheik  see.  He  take  it  from  us. 
Yankees  are  always  liberal!"  etc.  When  we  sat  down  to  rest 
they  began  again.  I  gave  them  all  the  loose  change  I  had  with 
me,  and  wished  for  more.  Mr.  Cook,  Sr.,  on  whose  tickets  we 
were  traveling,  was  our  associate;  had  told  us  how  they  would  do, 
and  had  advised  us  to  leave  much  of  our  change  behind  us,  or 
they  would  get  most  of  it,  if  not  all  we  had.  The  sheik  was  liber- 
ally paid  for  furnishing  the  guides.  We  next  visited  the  Sphinx 
and  some  tombs.  Before  the  former  stood  an  Arab,  who  charged 
ten  cents  for  the  privilege  of  shaking  hands  with  him,  who  said 
he  was  ninety-eight  years  old,  and  claimed  to  have  seen  the  first 
Napoleon  when  he  invaded  Egypt. 

That  day  all  enjoyed  a  first-class  lunch,  sent  out  from  the  city 
by  Mr.  Cook,  in  the  sheik's  quarters. 

Suez  is  ninety  miles  from  Cairo  in  a  direct  line,  and  has  a 
population  of  six  thousand.  My  associate  and  I  determined  to 
visit  Suez.  Taking  the  train,  we  passed  through  the  rich  and 
fertile  lands  of  Goshen  to  Ismailia,  on  the  Suez  Canal ;  thence  to 
Suez  on  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea.  Here,  no  doubt,  is  where 
the  Israelites  became  "entangled"  in  the  wilderness.  They  had 
passed  the  upper  end  of  the  sea,  before  which  they  could  have 
crossed  into  Arabia  on  dry  land.  On  their  right  rose  the  pre- 
cipitous mountain  ridge  of  Jebel  Atahah,  eight  miles  long,  pro- 
jecting to  a  sharp  point  out  into  the  Red  Sea.  Retreat  was  cut 
of¥  by  the  sea  eastward,  and  westward  by  the  impassable.moun- 
tains,  while  the  mouth  of  the  vortex  was  closed  in  bv  the  ad- 


184  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

vancing  armies  of  Egypt.  Thus  surrounded,  they  were  forced 
to  trust  God  for  deUverance,  or  be  captured  by  their  enemies. 
No  wonder  Pharaoh  thought  he  had  them  secure!  But  God 
came  to  their  rescue.  From  this  point  across  the  sea  is  from 
five  to  seven  miles.  These  waters  float  the  largest  vessels.  After 
a  seven-o'clock  dinner,  four  of  us  hired  two  stout  boatmen  for  a 
moonlight  ride  to  where,  in  all  probability,  the  waters  were 
separated,  and  where  the  Israelites  crossed  on  dry  ground,  and 
where  they  were  baptized  without  being  immersed.  From  near 
that  point  of  land  our  boatmen  rowed  us  across  close  to  the  oppo- 
site shore,  where  Israel  landed.  The  tall  palms  of  "Ayun  Musa" 
(or  "The  Wells  of  Moses"),  were  in  sight. 

It  was  late  in  the  night  when  we  returned  to  our  hotel.  We 
slept  a  little,  but  were  on  the  housetop  by  daybreak,  taking  in 
our  surroundings,  aided  by  a  strong  opera-glass.  The  ride  of 
the  evening  before,  and  the  associations  of  the  place,  were  very 
enjoyable,  and  can  never  be  forgotten.  Thence  we  went  by  an 
early  train  to  Ismailia,  where  we  meet  our  traveling  associates, 
and  transfer  to  a  small  steamer  for  "Port  Said."  Thus  we  get  a 
ride  of  fifty-six  miles  on  the  Suez  Canal.  Here  we  transfer  to 
another  steamer  bound  for  Joppa  in  Palestine.  The  sea  was 
rough.  At  early  dawn  I  was  on  deck  to  get  a  view  of  the  land 
of  promise.  Presently  a  dark  cloud  seemed  to  rise  in  the  south- 
east. With  my  glass  I  saw  that  it  was  land,  when  I  exclaimed, 
"There  it  is!"  Joy  filled  all  our  hearts.  Soon  a  city  appeared  to 
arise  out  of  the  water.  It  is  Jafifa,  or  rather  the  ancient  Joppa. 
Our  anchor  is  dropped.  The  surf  breaks  on  the  rocks  like  white 
foam  on  the  distant  shore.  Will  it  be  possible  to  land?  is  the 
question  that  all  are  considering,  when  suddenly  out  darts  a  boat 
from  behind  the  surf,  then  another  and  another,  until  the  waters 
s-eemed  covered  with  them.  The  boats  soon  surround  our  ship. 
The  sea  was  so  rough  that  it  was  with  great  diflficulty  that  we 
were  transferred  to  the  boats.  On  nearing  the  shore  we  found 
that  there  was  a  break  between  an  outer  and  inner  tier  of  rocks, 
so  that  we  passed  between  them  with  safety.  Two  strong  Arabs 
reached  down  from  the  place  of  landing,  took  us  by  the  hands, 
and  lifted  us  on  shore.  Then,  in  single  file,  we  walked  through 
a  filthy  street,  dodging  mud-holes  here  and  there,  meeting  pedes- 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  185 

trians  on  every  side,  on  through  a  crowded  gateway  to  our  tents, 
pitched  on  a  grassy  plot  outside  of  the  city.  Here  we  partook  of 
a  hearty  breakfast.  As  our  eyes  turned  eastward,  we  beheld  the 
mountains  of  Israel,  and  our  feet  pressed  for  the  first  time  the  soil 
of  the  patriarchs,  the  prophets,  and  the  Son  of  God. 

Rambles  on  Horseback  through  Palestine. — Before  my 
visit'  to  this  land  it  seemed  to  exist  largely  in  the  fancy.  What 
strikes  the  traveler  with  greatest  force  is,  that  it  is  so  earthly 
and  real.  Yet  this  fact  detracts  not  an  iota  from  one's  interest 
in  the  Bible  narratives,  but  adds  thereto. 

It  was  nine  o'clock  A.  Al.  of  March  9,  1873,  when  we  landed. 
Our  tents  were  of  double  canvas,  circular,  with  an  upright  pole 
in  the  center,  and  capable  of  accommodating  three  persons.  The 
bedsteads  were  single,  and  made  of  iron,  with  mattresses  and 
clean  bedding.  The  other  furniture  consisted  of  one  stand,  three 
wash-bowls  and  pitchers,  and  camp-stools.  The  tents  were  al- 
ways carpeted.  Our  food  consisted  of  good  bread,  chickens, 
mutton,  eggs,  dates,  figs,  raisins,  lemons,  oranges,  and  jellies  of 
various  kinds;  always  cold  chicken,  an  ^^z,  an  orange,  and  a 
hunk  of  bread  for  lunch  at  noon,  which  was  eaten  beside  some 
spring  or  brook.  Thus  it  was  for  nearly  thirty  days.  Besides, 
at  every  breakfast  we  had  chicken,  and  either  boiled  or  fried 
eggs.  There  were  a  great  variety  of  the  former.  Some  were 
lean,  others  fat;  some  tough,  others  tender;  some  old,  others 
young;  some  dark,  and  others   yellow-legged. 

Several  of  the  American  gentlemen  decided,  long  before 
reaching  Beyrout,  never  to  engage  in  the  poultry  business.  The 
"Stars  and  Stripes"  floated  over  one  end  of  the  dining-tent,  and 
the  "Union  Jack"  over  the  other,  wherever  we  were  camped. 
Our  party  consisted  of  thirty-five  persons;  seven  clergymen, 
seven  ladies,  six  Americans,  and  the  rest  were  from  England, 
Scotland,  and  Ireland.  Some  were  botanists;  others  were  geolo- 
gists, or  specialists  in  science;  some  philosophers;  a  few  were 
gentlemen  and  ladies  of  leisure,  traveling  for  pleasure,  or  to  kill 
time,  or  possibly  to  annoy  others  with  their  ceaseless  fault-find- 
ings. 

Our  steeds  were  sleek  and  fat,  and  always  ready  for  a  race. 


1 86  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

It  required  one  hundred  and  twenty  animals  to  carry  our  tents, 
food,  servants,  and  party,  and  we  made  quite  an  imposing  ap- 
pearance when  on  the  march.  The  people  were  often  greatly  ex- 
cited on  seeing  us  pass,  particularly  at  Nazareth,  when  the  word 
was  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  "General  Howard  Cook  has 
come!" 

At  the  outset  the  experienced  riders  were  few.  There  were 
but  two  days  out  of  twenty,  when  we  were  in  the  saddle,  that 
some  one  or  more  was  not  unhorsed.  Some  had  the  faculty  of 
tumbling  off  at  every  out-of-the-way  place,  and  often  in  so  ridicu- 
lous a  manner  that  one  had  to  laugh  in  spite  of  himself.  Those 
who  were  not  thrown  were  in  the  minority,  and  for  once  minor- 
ities were  in  the  right! 

At  that  time  there  were  no  good  wagon-roads  in  Palestine. 
One  had  been  built  from  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem,  which  was  scarcely 
passable  for  carriages.  The  other,  from  Jericho  to  Jerusalem, 
though  excellent  for  horseback-riding,  would  admit  of  no  other 
conveyance.  Only  persons  in  robust  health  and  good  riders 
should  ever  think  of  making  the  tour  of  Palestine. 

Recently  a  railroad  has  been  constructed  from  Jaffa  to  Jeru- 
salem; but  this  is  the  easiest  part  of  the  whole  journey. 

Jaffa  is  situated  on  an  oval-shaped,  rocky  eminence  overlook- 
ing the  sea.  From  this  place  Jonah  set  sail  on  his  perilous  voy- 
age. Here  Peter  was  stopping  in  the  house  of  one  Simon,  a 
tanner,  where,  while  on  the  housetop  at  prayer,  he  saw  a  vision 
of  a  sheet  let  down  filled  with  all  manner  of  four-footed  beasts. 
This  house  was  shown  us,  and  we,  too,  stood  upon  its  roof.  In 
this  place  Peter  raised  Dorcas  to  life,  and  from  here  he  set  out 
upon  his  mission  to  the  Gentiles. 

On  Monday  morning,  March  loth,  the  time  of  starting  had 
come;  men  and  beasts  are  excited,  all  is  bustle  and  confusion; 
several  riders,  if  men  and  women  never  in  the  saddle  before  can 
be  called  such,  are  thrown.  Off  go  the  horses,  exciting  all  the 
rest.  Finally,  all  is  righted.  We  move  forward  on  the  road  to 
Jerusalem.  Our  route  lies  across  the  Plains  of  Sharon  to  the 
Valley  of  Aijalon.  On  either  side  as  we  pass  out  of  the  city  are 
extensive  groves  of  ripening  oranges.  During  the  most  of 
the  day  we  saw  broad  fields  of  waving  wheat  and  barley.     We 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 87 

lunch  at  Ramleh,  near  an  old  tower,  from  which  we  get  a  fine 
view  of  the  country.  An  olive-grove  is  at  our  feet,  the  moun- 
tains of  Israel  on  the  east,  the  Mediterranean  on  the  west,  and 
north  and  south  the  Plains  of  Sharon  stretch  away  in  the  dis- 
tance, dotted  with  groves  and  cultivated  fields.  Three  miles 
north  and  ten  from  Jaffa  stands  the  little  town  of  Lydia,  where 
Peter  was  stopping  when  sent  for  from  Joppa  to  restore  Dorcas. 
We  made  our  camp  in  the  Valley  of  Aijalon  a  little  before  sun- 
set. My  horse  lost  a  shoe,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  I  got 
him  to  camp  at  all.  It  was  over  this  valley  that  Joshua  com- 
manded the  sun  to  stand  still.  The  sunset  here  was  glorious. 
That  night  the  moon  shone  brightly,  but  the  frogs  made  lively 
music,  to  the  great  annoyance  of  some  of  the  party. 

Near  camp,  two  Arabs  were  plowing  early  in  the  morning, 
each  with  a  "goad"  in  his  hand.  The  plows  were  shaped  like  a 
letter  Y,  with  the  left  arm  extended  for  a  tongue,  the  lower  point 
in  the  ground,  and  the  right  arm  for  the  handle.  The  oxen  were 
about  the  size  of  an  average  yearling.  I  went  out  and  offered 
my  services.  The  Arab  objected;  I  persisted,  and  he  finally  con- 
sented. I  did  so  nicely  the  Arab  was  pleased,  and  said,  "Tibe" 
(Good).  I  said  "Tibe,"  and  quit,  for  just  then  I  noticed  that  my 
comrades  were  mounting  their  horses  for  the  day's  journey. 

The  path  from  here  led  up  a  narrow  valley,  cultivated  on 
either  side,  where  it  was  possible,  to  the  main  road  leading  toward 
Jerusalem.  From  a  high  point  we  had  a  good  view  of  the  rolling 
Plain  of  Sharon,  and  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  beyond.  We  soon 
reached  the  small  village  of  Kirjath  Jearim,  where  the  ark  rested 
in  the  house  of  Abinadab  for  twenty  years,  and  from  which  it 
was  conveyed  to  Jerusalem.  We  descended  a  long  hill  to  the 
Valley  of  Elim,  and  lunched  in  an  olive-grove,  near  a  small 
brook,  where  David  selected  the  five  smooth  stones,  with  one  of 
which  he  slew  the  giant  Goliath. 

Against  the  hillside  near  by  is  a  small  village,  said  to  be  the 
"Emmaus"  of  Scripture,  where  Christ  made  himself  known  to 
his  traveling  companions  on  the  evening  of  his  resurrection. 

In  less  than  an  hour  after  mounting,  we  reached  an  elevation 
overlooking  a  vast  expanse  of  country.  Before  us  can  be  seen 
the  tops  of  buildings  and  massive  walls.    Not  a  word  is  spoken. 


1 88  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

Mr.  Howard,  our  dragoman,  removed  his  hat,  and  so  did  we. 
Each  was  busy  with  his  own  thoughts.  We  are  treading  on  holy 
ground.  The  eye  rests  upon  an  extended  landscape  often  seen 
by  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Samuel,  David,  Solomon,  and  the 
Son  of  God.  The  cities  they  built  are  gone;  but  the  features  of 
nature  remain  unchanged.  The  hills,  valleys,  fountains,  rocks, 
and  caves  are  there.  This  is  what  gives  such  an  abiding  interest 
to  Palestine.    The  earthly  Jerusalem  is  before  us. 

That  was  a  moment  never  to  be  forgotten.  We  are  approach- 
ing the  Christian's  "Mecca."  As  we  proceed,  our  guide  turned 
to  the  right  before  entering  the  Jaffa  gate,  crossed  the  Valley 
of  Hinnom  and  an  elevated  ridge,  where,  seated  on  a  stone,  we 
saw  a  shepherd  playing  on  his  harp,  while  caring  for  his  sheep, 
as  David  did,  when  tending  his  father's  flocks  near  this  place. 
Deep  emotions  stir  our  hearts  as  we  read  the  Scripture  narra- 
tive when  we  halted  at  the  tomb  of  Rachel.  A  stone  structure 
has  been  erected  over  the  tomb  by  the  Moslems.  Leaving  Beth- 
lehem on  our  left,  we  followed  a  rocky  trail  to  our  tents  pitched 
at  Solomon's  Pools.  There  are  here  three  great  tanks  called 
the  'Tools  of  Solomon."  The  lower  one  is  six  hundred  feet  long, 
two  hundred  feet  broad,  and  fifty  feet  deep.  The  others  are 
smaller,  one  rising  above  the  other  on  the  side  of  a  gentle  slope. 
These  were  partly  excavated  out  of  the  solid  rock,  and  partly 
built  of  masonry.  Much  of  the  masonry  stands  now  as  it  stood 
two  thousand  years  ago.  The  cemented  covering  of  the  inside 
remains  almost  unbroken.  A  common  reservoir  was  supplied 
with  water  from  springs  found  deep  in  the  hillsides,  and  thence 
by  aqueduct  was  conveyed  to  and  under  the  temple  at  Jerusalem. 
If  the  supply  was  greater  than  the  eight-inch  pipes  could  carry, 
the  surplus  was  conveyed  to  these  reservoirs,  or  pools. 

From  these  an  aqueduct  joined  the  other  farther  on,  so  that 
the  city  could  have  an  unfailing  supply.  The  most  of  our  party 
rested  here  one  day;  but  a  few  of  us  rode  down  to  Hebron  and 
back  again.  The  road,  if  such  it  could  be  called,  led  over  rocky 
ridges  and  across  several  small  valleys,  until  we  reached  the  Vale 
of  Eshcol,  where  the  spies  procured  the  sample  grapes.  The  val- 
ley is  still  noted  for  the  rich  quality  of  its  grapes.  Down  at  the 
extremity  of  this  valley  we  found  Hebron,  celebrated  in  patriarchal 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 89 

history.  Here  is  the  cave  where  Abraham  buried  Sarah,  and 
where  he  rests  himself,  with  Isaac  and  Jacob,  Rebecca  and  Leah. 
Over  this  cave  the  Mohammedans  have  erected  a  mosque,  and 
no  Frank  is  allowed  to  enter  on  pain  of  death.  We  had  to  be 
content  with  a  survey  of  the  surroundings. 

Our  return  was  by  an  old  oak,  near  which  Abraham's  tent 
is  said  to  have  been  pitched  when  the  angel  informed  him  of 
the  destruction  of  the  cities  of  the  plain.  It  is,  without  doubt, 
of  great  age.  It  is  now  surrounded  by  a  wall,  filled  in  with  dirt 
to  support  and  preserve  it,  and  is  jealously  guarded  by  Arabs 
to  prevent  the  numerous  pilgrims  from  carrying  it  off  by  pieces. 

On  our  return,  as  we  were  encompassing  a  rocky  point,  when 
there  were  but  three  of  us  together,  there  came  bounding  down 
over  the  rocks  toward  us  a  dozen  half-clad  Arabs,  gesticulating 
and  hallooing  like  fiends.  What  did  this  mean?  All  stood  ap- 
palled. A  bold  front  and  firm  look  into  the  eye  of  the  leader, 
caused  him  to  quail,  when  he  passed  by,  followed  by  his  crowd. 
Perhaps  they  only  meant  to  scare  us. 

At  seven  next  morning  we  were  in  the  saddle,  following  the 
line  of  the  aqueduct  of  Solomon.  In  an  hour  we  came  to  Bethle- 
hem, situated  on  the  summit  and  slope  of  an  oval-shaped  hill. 
A  large  church  has  been  built  over  the  grotto  where  Christ  is 
said  to  have  been  born.  Greek,  Roman,  and  Armenian,  each 
has  a  chapel,  and  each  claims  the  sole  right  of  the  grotto  under- 
neath, and  as  this  contains  a  large  number  of  gold  and  silver 
lamps,  the  gifts  of  nations,  a  guard  is  necessary  to  preserve  peace 
and  prevent  theft. 

The  reputed  place  of  the  Savior's  birth  is  marked  with  a  silver 
star,  on  which  is  inscribed  in  Latin,  "Here  Christ  was  born  of 
the  Virgin  Mary."  I  would  not  be  incredulous,  and  so  said  he 
was  born  in  Bethlehem;  why  not  here?  But  it  was  in  an  "inn." 
True,  but  grottoes  were  used  then,  as  now,  for  that  purpose. 
People,  to  this  day,  live  in  grottoes  or  caves.  Palestine  might 
be  called  the  land  of  caves,  so  very  numerous  are  they. 

Before  reaching  Bethlehem  we  passed  the  mouth  of  the  cave 
where  Sampson  hid  himself  after  the  slaughter  of  the  Philistines. 
Adjoining  the  place  where  Jesus  was  born,  is  the  cave  where  St. 
Jerome  spent  most  of  his  life. 


IQO  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

From  here  we  descended  a  long,  narrow,  crooked,  and,  in 
some  places,  steep  lane,  to  the  Shepherd's  Plain,  where,  tradition 
informs  us,  the  shepherds  were  watching  their  flocks  when  the 
angels  announced  the  birth  of  the  Messiah.  Here,  perhaps, 
David  was  keeping  his  father's  flocks  when  called  and  anointed 
by  Samuel,  king  of  Israel.  Almost  in  sight  yonder  is  the  Cave 
of  Adullam,  where  David  hid  from  the  wrath  of  Saul. 

This  plain  is  not  large;  perhaps  about  one  hundred  acres  of 
ground,  surrounded  by  hills.  Sitting  on  a  tumbled-down  wall, 
we  lunch,  and  then  read  with  renewed  interest  the  story  of  the 
angelic  choir. 

From  here  we  crossed  rocky  ridges  and  barren  wastes, 
through  the  wilderness  of  Judea,  to  our  tents  pitched  in  the  deep, 
narrow  valley  of  the  Kidron,  just  above  the  convent  of  Mar- 
Saba. 

This  convent,  built  in  the  side  of  a  precipice,  looks  like  a 
prison  inclosed  by  a  high  wall  on  the  upper  side,  which  has  but 
one  place  of  entrance,  and  that  is  by  a  low  doorway,  so  that  one 
has  to  crouch  to  get  through.  Our  ladies  were  not  permitted  to 
enter.  As  our  guide  had  previously  procured  an  order  from  the 
Greek  Patriarch  at  Jerusalem,  we  were  shown  through  the  estab- 
lishment, which  has  been  standing  for  over  twelve  hundred  years. 
The  monks  were  quite  extensively  patronized  by  purchases  from 
our  party  of  various  curiosities.  The  only  green  things  to  be 
seen  here  were  a  small  garden  and  a  palm-tree. 

Led  by  a  guard  of  seven  Arabs,  armed  with  old  flint-lock 
guns,  we  commenced  the  next  day's  march.  Our  trail  led  along 
narrow  ravines,  and  up  and  down  rocky  mountain  paths.  In  one 
half  hour  we  secured  our  first  sight  of  the  Dead  Sea,  below  us, 
and  apparently,  as  one  said,  "only  a  little  way  oflf." 

In  a  neat,  little,  saucer-like  valley,  our  dragoman  and  the 
sheik  gave  us  an  exhibition  of  their  horsemanship,  which  nearly 
cost  the  life  of  the  latter.  Up  and  down  they  dashed  at  each 
other,  round  and  round  they  went  at  full  speed,  when,  as  they 
approached  within  a  few  inches  of  each  other,  intending  to  pass, 
the  sheik  fell  from  his  horse  unconscious.  All  were  alarmed, 
as  none  were  armed,  and  were  at  the  mercy  of  the  armed  Arabs, 
who  could  easily  have  killed  us,  and  fled  to  the  hills.     Fortu- 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD,  IQI 

nately  a  physician  with  us  had  some  restoratives  with  him,  and, 
applying  them,  soon  brought  him  back  to  consciousness.  He 
was  unable  to  proceed  with  us  farther.  One  of  his  men  took 
charge  of  him,  and  the  rest  went  on  with  us. 

On  and  on  we  rode,  down  this  hill  and  up  that,  round  this 
curve  and  that,  through  ravine  after  ravine,  until  all  of  a  sudden 
we  beheld  before  us  the  broad  plain  of  the  Jordan.  Here  we  met 
a  shepherd  driving  his  flock,  and,  sure  enough,  he  carried  a  lamb 
in  his  bosom. 

After  five  hours  of  hard  riding,  we  dismounted  on  the  banks 
of  the  Dead  Sea,  where  the  waters  were  rolling  on  the  beach  like 
waves  of  oil.  To  the  taste  the  water  is  like  aloes,  with  a  slight 
mixture  of  salt.  When  in  the  eyes,  the  sensation  produced  is 
similar  to  that  caused  by  cayenne  pepper.  Do  our  very  best 
when  in  bathing,  we  could  not  sink,  but  bobbed  about  in  the 
water  like  corks. 

This  body  of  water  is  about  four  thousand  feet  lower  than 
Jerusalem,  and  thirteen  hundred  feet  lower  than  the  Mediter- 
ranean Sea.  It  is  forty-six  miles  long  and  eleven  wide  in  its 
widest  place.  Its  medium  depth  is  one  thousand  feet,  its  greatest 
thirteen  hundred.  On  either  side  precipitous  mountains,  or 
bluffs,  rise  two  thousand  feet  above  the  water. 

From  here,  an  hour  and  a  half's  ride  brought  us  to  the  ford  of 
the  Jordan,  endeavoring  to  find  a  dry  spot  on  which  to  eat  our 
lunch.    With  us  it  was  literally  true: 

"  On  Jordan's  stormy  banks  I  stand." 

A  heavy  shower  of  rain  poured  down  upon  us  as  we  left  the 
Dead  Sea,  and  another  as  we  were  leaving  the  Jordan.  It 
sprinkled  most  of  the  time  while  we  were  there. 

At  this  ford,  or  near  it,  is  where  the  Israelites  crossed,  under 
the  leadership  of  Joshua,  after  their  forty  years  of  wandering  in 
the  wilderness.  Here  Elijah  crossed  with  Elisha  just  before  his 
ascension,  and  on  his  return  divided  the  waters  with  his  mantle. 
Here  John  the  Baptist  was  baptizing  the  people  when  Jesus  came 
to  be  set  apart  for  his  priestly  mission. 

The  accompanying  cut  gives  a  good  view  of  the  Jordan,  and 
shows  the  place  where  several  of  our  party  enjoyed  a  much- 
13 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 93 

needed  bath,  that  they  might  get  rid  of  the  saline  incrustations 
covering  their  bodies,  after  their  plunge  in  the  Dead  Sea.  The 
limbs  of  the  dead  tree,  shown  in  the  background,  served  as  a 
rack  to  hang  clothing  upon. 

The  water  below  the  ford,  where  natives  are  crossing,  was  not 
less  than  six  feet  deep,  and  flows  to  the  left  with  a  strong  current. 

Two  hours  farther  ride  brought  us  to  the  site  of  ancient  Jeri- 
cho, where  we  found  our  tents  pitched  near  the  Fountain  of 
Elisha,  whose  waters  were  healed  by  the  prophet,  and  which 
remain  good  and  sweet  to  this  day.  These  waters  are  used  not 
only  for  drinking,  but  also  for  irrigation.  The  Valley  of  Jordan 
here  is  a  broad  and  mostly  uncultivated  plain.  The  soil  is  a 
rich  loam,  and  all  it  needs  is  to  have  the  waters  of  the  Jordan 
spread  over  it  to  make  it  very  productive.  All  is  barren  now, 
save  a  few  fields  adjoining  the  fountain,  where  excellent  crops 
of  wheat  and  barley  were  ripening.  Fig-trees  were  in  leaf,  and 
young  figs  were  forming.  A  bushy  thorn-tree,  called  by  the 
Arabs  nuhk,  grows  quite  large  here.  These  are  used  for  fencing 
around  the  dilapidated  old  town.  On  the  hills  about  Jerusalem 
it  grows  no  larger  than  a  currant-bush.  It  is  believed  that  the 
crown  of  thorns,  which  adorned  the  Savior's  brow,  was  made  of 
this  ugly  thorn-bush.  The  thorns  thereon  are  similar  in  shape 
to  a  fish-hook. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  place  turned  out,  came  to  our  camp, 
and  gave  us  a  wild  barbarian  entertainment,  consisting  of  swing- 
ing to  and  fro  of  the  body,  clapping  of  hands,  and  singing.  We 
were  obliged  to  backsheesh  them  liberally  to  get  rid  of  them. 

Jericho  has  a  most  remarkable  history.  It  was  the  first  city 
captured  by  Joshua  under  the  Lord's  direction.  At  one  time 
here  was  the  school  of  the  prophets.  By  their  request,  Elijah, 
on  his  last  visit  to  them,  healed  the  waters  which  flowed  from 
their  only  spring. 

Christ  brought  salvation  to  the  home  of  Zaccheus,  where  he 
was  being  entertained.  Here,  on  another  occasion,  he  healed  two 
or  three  blind  men. 

Remnants  of  arches,  which  were  viaducts  for  conveying  water, 
and  old  ruins,  indicate  the  site  of  this  ancient  city.  A  filthy  vil- 
lage, a  mile  or  two  away,  of  about  forty  squalid  huts,  with  per- 


194  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

haps  two  hundred  inhabitants,  is  all  there  is  there  now.  Ancient 
Jericho  stood  about  twenty  miles  northeast  of  Jerusalem,  and 
nearly  four  thousand  feet  lower. 

The  morning  of  March  15,  1873,  dawned  upon  us  bright  and 
clear.  The  clouds  were  gone.  All  was  excitement  in  our  camp. 
We  are  ''going  up  to  Jerusalem."  We  ride  between  piles  of 
debris  and  under  old  archways,  crossing  the  site  of  the  destroyed 
city,  and  enter  the  steep,  narrow,  rugged,  rocky  defile  which  leads 
upward  toward  our  destination. 

The  road  starts  up  on  the  left  side  of  the  caiion,  and  is  good 
for  horseback  riding.  A  Russian  lady,  some  two  years  before, 
met  with  an  accident  on  the  old  trail.  She  resolved  that  if  she 
recovered,  a  good  road  should  be  built  at  her  expense;  and  it  was. 
This  is  the  queerest  roadway  known  to  the  writer.  It  is  paved 
with  stones,  flat  and  cobble,  and  so  laid  as  to  form  a  stairlike 
ascent.  The  steps  are  on  a  slight  incline,  about  five  feet  wide 
and  six  to  eight  inches  high.  Three  horsemen  can  ride  abreast 
easily.  As  we  slowly  ascended  this  steep  but  well-built  roadway, 
and  compared  it  with  the  old,  dilapidated  trail  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  gorge,  ofttimes  the  prayer  was  heard,  ''May  the  Lord 
take  a  liking  to  her,  and  reward  her  a  thousand-fold!"  It  was  in 
this  very  canon  where  the  man,  described  by  the  Master,  "fell 
among  thieves."  One  could  "pass  by  on  the  other  side,"  and 
not  be  fifty  feet  away  from  the  unfortunate  one.  Probably  there 
were  trails  on  either  side  of  the  little  stream,  the  waters  of  which 
leap  "topsy-turvy"  down  its  uneven  bed. 

At  Bethany  we  looked  into  the  so-called  tomb  of  Lazarus, 
and  then  ascended  a  narrow  but  much  worn  path,  to  the 
summit  of  Olivet.  From  this  elevation  we  got  our  first 
view  of  Jerusalem,  and  what  a  view  that  was!  "We  were 
quite  unprepared  for  this.  Seen  under  any  circumstances,  it  is 
one  long  to  be  remembered.  The  deep  ravine  of  the  Kidron 
below  us,  the  city  across  on  the  opposite  hill,  with  its  gray  walls, 
its  broad-paved  platform,  on  the  center  of  which  stands  the  ex- 
quisite dome  of  the  Mosque  of  Omar,  with  the  picturesque  mass 
of  cupolas  and  minarets  just  beyond,  and  the  hills  and  valleys  in 
the  distance,  formed  a  landscape  picture  that  needed  no  aid  from 
the  associations  of  the  spot  to  make  it  strikingly  attractive.    But 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 95 

when  we  add  to  these  the  associations  of  the  past, — so  sacred, 
so  tender,  so  sublime, — it  is  not  to  be  wondered  that  every  visitor 
feels  himself  drawn  to  it,  and  once  there,  is  at  a  loss  to  express 
the  emotions  which  it  awakens.  Nothing,  however,  which  had 
been  told  me,  or  which  I  had  read,  had  prepared  me  for  the  view 
which  then  broke  upon  us  from  the  summit  of  Olivet.  The  vast 
platform  of  the  temple,  the  dome  of  the  mosque,  the  roofs  of 
*E1-Aksa,'  the  innumerable  cupolas  and  flat  roofs  of  the  city, 
were  all  running  with  water  from  the  heavy  shower.  Through 
the  rifts  in  the  clouds  long  slanting  beams  of  sunlight  fell  upon 
them  with  dazzling  splendor.  The  city  flashed  and  shone  like 
molten  silver."  (Condensed  from  Rev.  Samuel  Manning's  de- 
scription in  ''Those  Holy  Fields."     He  was  one  of  our  party.) 

The  scattering  raindrops  were  crystallized  into  seeming  dia- 
monds, and  through  these  we  could  see  the  outlines  of  the  city. 
So,  thought  I,  through  our  tears,  by  faith  we  see  the  "Jerusalem 
which  is  above." 

What  must  have  been  this  view  in  Solomon's  day!  The  Tem- 
ple itself  was  a  marvel  of  splendor  and  beauty.  Built  of  costly 
marbles,  overlaid  with  gold,  it  shone  resplendently  when  the  light 
of  the  rising  or  setting  sun  fell  upon  it.  Of  all  this  magnificence, 
nothing  remains  save  the  vast  platform  upon  which  it  stood. 
Well  might  the  disciples  listen  with  incredulity  as  our  Lord 
foretold  the  impending  destruction  of  a  city  "beautiful  for  situ- 
ation, the  joy  of  the  whole  earth." 

The  path,  in  the  accompanying  cut,  where  the  men  and  horse 
are  standing,  leading  ofif  to  the  right,  is  the  one  over  which  we 
rode.  Passing  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  and  crossing  the  Kid- 
ron,  we  skirted  the  city  wall  to  the  right,  and  found  our  camp 
pitched  on  the  edge  of  the  Valley  of  Hinnom,  just  outside  of  the 
Jafifa  Gate. 

Rome  gave  the  world  law;  Greece,  art;  Jerusalem,  religion. 
The  student  of  law  examines  carefully  the  Roman  code;  the  artist, 
the  models  of  Greece;  the  theologian,  the  higher  law  and  higher 
art  as  revealed  to  the  inhabitants  in  and  about  Jerusalem. 

The  traveler  finds  great  pleasure  in  visiting  the  decayed  monu- 
ments of  ancient  Rome,  but  greater  pleasure  in  visiting  Greece. 
Her  marble  temples  and  broken  statuary  command  his  admira- 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  1 97 

tion,  wonder,  and  pity, — ''wonder,"  that  such  a  nation  ever  ex- 
isted; ''pity,"  that  their  works  of  art  could  not  have  come  down 
to  the  present  unmutiiated ;  "admiration,"  at  what  is  left  of  her 
renowned  temples,  grand  columns,  unsurpassed  statuary,  of  the 
purest  marble  and  most  exquisite  workmanship, — often  with  only 
a  hand,  an  arm,  a  head,  a  trunk,  a  foot  or  leg,  and  yet  with  out- 
lines and  drapery  perfect.  What  must  they  have  been  in  the 
days  of  Grecian  fame  and  glory! 

But  the  devout  Christian  traveler  finds  the  greatest  pleasure 
and  satisfaction  in  visiting  the  scenes  of  his  Lord's  earthly  pil- 
grimage, and  in  looking  upon  the  hills,  dales,  streams,  fountains, 
lakes,  plains,  ruins,  and  cities  of  the  Holy  Land.  Among  the 
cities,  Jerusalem  stands  prominent.  There  are  associations  con- 
nected with  this  city  that  are  connected  with  no  other. 

On  the  afternoon  of  March  15,  1873,  this  unspeakable  privi- 
lege was  enjoyed  by  the  writer,  and  the  cherished  hope  of  years 
"as  realized,  for  with  the  psalmist  I  had  said,  "Our  feet  shall 
stand  within  thy  gates,  O  Jerusalem!"  Drawn  by  irresistible 
attraction,  pilgrims  flock  thither  from  the  very  ends  of  the  earth. 
The  crumbling  walls,  the  squalid  streets,  the  moldering  ruins, 
are  regarded  with  a  profound  and  reverential  interest  by  the  mill- 
ions of  mankind,  as  of  no  other  spot  on  earth. 

On  a  broad  ridge,  between  the  Valley  of  Hinnom  and  Jehosha- 
phat,  stands  Jerusalem.  A  much  smaller  valley,  called  the  "Ty- 
ropeon,"  divides  the  city  from  north  to  south,  thus  separating 
between  the  "Mt.  Zion"  of  Scripture  and  "Mt.  Moriah"  on  which 
King  Solomon's  Temple  stood. 

The  best  and  perhaps  the  only  satisfactory  view  of  the  city 
may  be  had  from  the  triple-topped  summit  of  Olivet,  which  is 
one-half  of  a  mile  eastward. 

This  view  is  seen  from  the  east  wall  of  Jerusalem,  and  shows 
the  central  and  highest  point  of  Olivet.  The  road  to  the  left  is 
the  one  down  which  we  rode,  and  is  very  steep.  The  one  in 
front  is  the  one  up  which  we  walked,  a  few  days  later.  There  is 
another  to  the  right  coming  in  at  the  inclosure,  which  is  "the 
Garden  of  Gethsemane."  This  last  is  the  one  over  which  Christ 
rode  in  his  triumphant  march  to  the  city;  but  is  not  shown  in 


198 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


this  picture,  except  where  a  broad  white  space  appears,  near  the 
trees  in  the  front,  where  it  crosses  the  Kidron. 

From  the  narrow  balcony  of  yonder  minaret  on  OHvet  let  us 
glance  at  the  surroundings.  Eastward,  on  much  lower  ground, 
is  ''Bethany,"  where  can  be  seen  a  number  of  fig-trees.  Between 
that  and  the  Jordan  Valley  is  the  "Wilderness  of  Judea,"  and  a 
barren,  rugged,  rocky  piece  of  country  it  is.  Beyond  the  valley 
rises  the  mountain  w^all  of  Moab,  the  highest  peak  of  which  is 


OIvIVE:T   from  JERUSAIvEM. 


believed  to  be  the  'Tisgah"  from  which  Moses  viewed  the  Prom- 
ised Land,  and  where  he  was  buried,  probably  by  a  landslide. 

Northward  can  be  seen  the  hill  "Scopus,"  a  northwestw^ard 
projection  of  Olivet.  The  top  of  this  hill  was  leveled  ofif  for  a 
camp  by  Titus,  the  Roman  general,  when  he  besieged  the  city. 
Farther  on  rise  higher  hills. 

Southward  is  the  Valley  of  the  Kidron,  leading  ofif  toward 
the  Dead  Sea;  "the  hill  of  evil  council,"  on  which  Pompey  en- 
camped when  he  besieged  the  city.     Below  is  the  "King's  gar- 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  199 

den,"  "Jo^^'s  well,"  and  "the  field  of  blood."  Farther  on  are 
the  hills  and  vales  which  surround  Bethlehem. 

Westward  we  look  down  the  steep,  shelving,  terraced  sides  of 
Olivet  into  the  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat  and  the  little  "Brook  Kid- 
ron,"  over  which  is  an  arched  stone  bridge.  To  the  left  is  "the 
Garden  of  Gethsemane,"  surrounded  by  a  high  stone  wall,  inclos- 
ing eight  old  olive-trees,  supported  by  loose  stones,  and  several 
cypress-trees.  Be3^ond,  to  the  left,  is  the  Tomb  of  Absalom,  and 
of  St.  James,  Zechariah,  and  thousands  of  others. 

Beyond  the  ravine,  directly  in  front,  is  the  beautiful  inclosure 
of  the  so-called  "Haram,"  which  is  about  i,ooo  by  i,6oo  feet, 
being  nearly  one-fourth  of  the  entire  city.  This  area  is  sur- 
rounded by  high  and  massive  walls.  In  the  center  stands  the 
mosque  of  Omar,  with  its  noble  dome,  sixty-six  feet  in  diameter, 
surmounted  by  a  gilded  crescent.  The  mosque  is  surrounded 
by  a  flagged  platform;  then  a  grassy  area,  with  olive  and  cypress 
trees  encircling  the  whole.  In  the  southern  wall  stands  the 
mosque  of  El-Aksa,  once  a  Christian  church,  in  which  stand 
two  columns,  only  a  few  inches  apart;  of  which  it  is  said,  that  if 
you  can  pass  between  them,  you  are  sure  of  heaven.  I  did  it; 
but  it  was  a  very  tight  squeeze. 

At  the  right  of  the  northwest  corner  of  the  "Haram"  stands 
the  Tower  of  Antonio,  where  Pilate's  house  once  stood;  north 
is  "St.  Stephen's"  gate;  farther  on  is  a  broad,  irregular  ridge, 
thinly  inhabited,  interspersed  with  gardens,  and  crowned  with  a 
mosque  and  minaret.  This  is  the  "Bezetha"  of  Josephus.  The 
low  ridge  of  "Ophel"  is  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  "Haram," 
sinking  down  rapidly  into  the  Kidron,  thickly  studded  with  young 
olives.  Hid  by  "Bezetha"  is  the  "Damascus  gate."  In  the 
northwestern  portion  is  the  hill  of  "Akra,"  rising  to  an  angle, 
which  is  the  highest  point  of  the  modern  city.  At  the  southwest 
corner  is  "Mt.  Zion,"  on  which  stands,  within  the  walls,  an  Epis- 
copal church,  a  Gothic  structure,  the  Armenian  convent,  and 
the  Tower  of  David,  which  is  close  to  the  Jafifa  gate.  Beyond  the 
walls,  on  "Zion,"  stands  the  mosque  of  David.  This  is  said  to 
occupy  the  site  of  the  tomb  of  David  and  other  kings.  In  this 
mosque  is  the  "large  upper  room,"  "a  vaulted  Gothic  chamber," 
fifty  feet  long  by  thirty  wide,  with  grated  windows.     Here,  tra- 


200  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

dition  says,  the  Last  Supper  was  instituted,  where  the  disciples 
met  after  the  resurrection,  and  where  they  were  assembled  when 
the  Holy  Spirit  was  poured  upon  them. 

Near  these  buildings  we  saw  grain  growing,  according  to 
the  prophecy  of  Micah,  *'Zion  shall  be  plowed  like  a  field." 
(Jeremiah  xxvi,  i8.) 

Beyond  the  city  westward  the  ground  slopes  gradually  up- 
ward for  two  miles.  The  words  of  the  psalmist  are  literally  true, 
''The  mountains  are  round  about  Jerusalem,"  and  from  that  he 
drew  the  comforting  thought,  "So  the  Lord  is  round  about  his 
people  from  henceforth,  even  for  ever."    (Psalm  cxxv,  2.) 

The  city  is,  in  a  direct  line,  thirty-three  miles  east  of  the  Medi- 
terranean Sea,  and  at  an  average  of  a  little  over  2,500  feet  higher. 
It  is  fifteen  miles  west  of  the  "Dead  Sea,"  and  3,870  feet  higher. 
"Zion"  is  115  feet  higher  than  the  "Temple  area,"  which  is  230 
feet  higher  than  the  bed  of  the  Kidron,  below  it.  Olivet  is  208 
feet  higher  than  Mt.  Moriah,  on  which  the  Temple  stood. 

Jerusalem  is  surrounded  by  walls,  high  and  imposing,  two 
and  one-half  miles  in  length,  with  watch-towers  distributed  along 
the  top.  This  wall  is  pierced  by  five  open  and  two  closed  gates. 
These  gates  are  arched  passage-ways  through  the  walls,  built 
in  the  form  of  a  tri-square.  You  enter  at  the  long  end,  turn 
to  the  right  or  left,  and  pass  on  into  the  city.  Between  the  hours 
of  twelve  and  one,  that  being  the  hour  of  prayer,  the  gates  are 
closed;  also  at  sundown.  A  liberal  "backsheesh"  will  open  the 
"Jafifa"  gate  after  that  hour.  The  city  is  divided  into  four  quar- 
ters,— the  Mohammedan,  the  Armenian,  the  Jewish,  and  Chris- 
tian. It  has  a  population  of  over  twenty  thousand  souls.  The 
condition  of  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  is  wretched  beyond 
description.  One  is  oft  reminded  of  the  prophetic  words  of  the 
Master,  as  he  was  led  forth  to  be  crucified:  "Daughters  of  Jeru- 
salem, weep  not  for  me,  but  weep  for  yourselves  and  for  your 
children."    (Luke  xxiii,  28.) 

We  visited  the  Temple  area,  and  the  arches  underneath  sup- 
porting the  Temple  platform.  These  are  built  of  hewn  stone, 
about  five  feet  on  each  side,  and  placed  singly  one  over  the  other. 
The  spaces  between  the  rows  are  irregular,  varying  from  ten  to 
twenty-three  feet,   and   there  are  fifteen   rows   of  these   square 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  20I 

pillars,  so  far  as  has  been  discovered.  These  were  set  so  that  each 
four  formed  an  arch,  with  a  keystone  in  the  center.  Some  of  the 
pillars  are  sixty  feet  high,  others  only  a  few  feet,  according  to 
the  slope  of  the  hill.  The  roots  of  the  trees  are  often  seen  ex- 
tending through  the  crevices.  How  these  "vaulted  substructions" 
take  one  back  into  the  misty  past! 

The  highest  point  of  *'Mt.  Moriah"  is  crowned  with  a  large 
limestone  fiat  rock,  sixty  feet  across  and  five  feet  thick,  encircled 
by  a  high  iron  railing,  over  which  stands  the  Mosque  of  Omer. 

It  is  believed  that  this  rock  was  ''the  threshing-floor  of  Oman 
the  Jebusite,"  over  which  the  destroying  angel  was  suspended. 
Here  David  "ofifered  burnt-offerings  and  peace-offerings,"  and 
called  upon  God,  who  "answered  him  by  fire."  When  the  Temple 
was  built,  this  rock,  in  all  probability,  was  the  site  of  "the  great 
altar"  of  burnt-offerings.  The  cave  and  well  underneath  are 
believed  to  have  been  the  cesspool  into  which  the  blood  of  the 
victims  escaped. 

The  "quarries"  underneath  the  city  were  discovered  by  Dr. 
Barclay.  These  are  five  hundred  feet  long  and  three  hundred  feet 
broad.  Abutments  have  been  left  standing  to  support  the  roof. 
The  workmen  left  stone,  partially  cut,  hanging  in  the  wall;  some 
blocks  were  nearly  finished,  others  were  only  just  begun.  The 
descent  leading  to  the  quarries  is  one  hundred  and  thirteen  feet 
long.  Stone  clippings,  which  were  made  nearly  three  thousand 
years  ago,  cover  the  bottom. 

Under  the  old  olive-trees  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  at 
the  hour  of  sunset,  we  read  with  increased  interest  the  narrative 
of  the  betrayal  of  Christ,  and  in  our  silent  meditations  could  al- 
most hear  the  touching  prayer,  "If  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass 
from  me;  yet  not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done." 

The  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher  is  claimed  to  stand  over 
the  place  of  the  crucifixion  and  interment  of  our  Lord;  but  our 
faith  in  the  claim  is  so  weak  that  we  take  little  interest  in  it. 

A  stroll  from  the  "upper  Pool  of  Gihon"  down  the  Valley  of 
Hinnom,  and  up  that  of  Jehoshaphat,  or  Kidron,  to  the  Damascus 
gate,  revealed  to  us  many  places  of  interest.  Among  these,  only 
one  can  be  noticed.  Pausmg  to  dip  our  hands  in  "cool  Siloam's 
shady  rill,"  we  were  reminded  of  the  command  given  by  our 


202  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Lord  to  the  blind  man,  ''Go,  wash  in  the  Pool  of  Siloam."  He 
went,  ''and  came  seeing."  Thus,  if  we  accept  him  as  our  Savior 
and  believe  his  promise,  w^,  too,  shall  be  able  to  see;  shall  be 
saved. 

From  Jerusalem  to  Bethel  is  a  bleak,  wind-swept  series  of 
rounded  hills,  where  gray  limestone  comes  to,  or  covers  the  sur- 
face, with  only  little  patches  of  a  meager  vegetation  on  the  shallow 
soil  to  make  up  the  uninviting  scene.  At  B-ethel,  now  called 
"Beitin,"  Jacob  had  his  mysterious  vision  as  he  slept.  ^  Here, 
beside  a  spring  of  excellent  water,  we  ate  our  noon  lunch.  That 
afternoon,  on  our  journey  northward,  we  were  detained  nearly 
three  hours,  in  a  narrow  passage-way  between  high  walls,  by 
Armenian  pilgrims,  who  were  going  up  to  Jerusalem  to  celebrate 
Easter.  They  were  a  motley  set.  Some  were  on  foot;  others 
were  mounted  on  donkeys,  mules,  or  horses,  carrying  with  them 
all  the  equipments  of  camp-life.  A  few  of  the  men  carried  an- 
tique guns.  The  women  rode  astride  on  the  luggage,  wearing 
pantaloons  and  boots,  with  iron  plates  on  the  heels,  like  the  men. 
The  children  were  carried  in  boxes  tied  to  each  side  of  an  animal, 
which  was  led  by  some  member  of  the  party.  Some  of  the  little 
ones  were  asleep,  others  were  crying,  and  others  were  gazing  in- 
differently about,  as  the  animals  slowly  jogged  along.  Persons 
of  all  ages  were  there,  from  the  gray-haired  sire  to  the  infant  at 
the  breast.  On  and  on  they  came,  single  file,  up  through  that 
narrow,  crooked  passage-way,  hour  after  hour,  while  we  were 
compelled  to  sit  on  our  horses  and  wait,  in  the  hot  Syrian  sun, 
without  umbrella  or  shade  of  any  kind.  This  was  one  of  the 
pleasant  (?)  experiences  of  traveling  in  the  far  East.  Because 
of  this  hindrance,  we  were  forced  to  camp  that  night  in  "Robbers' 
Glen,"  near  "Robbers'  Fountain." 

This  vale,  not  over  a  hundred  yards  wide,  with  not  an  over- 
assuring  name,  was  shut  in  by  high  hills  on  either  side,  which 
had  been  terraced  to  the  top,  and  set  out  with  olive-trees.  No 
human  habitation  could  be  seen.  Not  a  footfall  broke  the  still- 
ness during  the  whole  night. 

A  detour  to  the  right  the  next  forenoon  took  us  to  Shiloh, 
where  the  Tabernacle  stood  so  long,  and  where  Eli  ministered 
therein.    Only  an  old  ruin  now  remains.    From  there  to  Jacob's 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  203 

well  our  route  was  mostly  over  a  hilly,  rocky  road.  Beside  this 
historic  spot  we  partook  of  our  noon  lunch,  drawing  water  from 
the  well,  which,  according  to  our  measurement,  was  seventy-eight 
feet  deep.  Near  by  is  Joseph's  tomb.  We  recalled  the  conver- 
sation between  Jesus  and  the  Samaritan  woman,  as  we  sat  there 
by  the  well,  and  his  assurance,  that  "whosoever  drinketh  of  the 
water  that  I  shall  give,  shall  never  thirst."  How  Jacob  ever  dug 
so  deeply  in  the  solid  rock,  was  a  question  that  interested  us;  but 
remained  unsolved. 

Individuals  have  often  wondered  how  it  was  that  the  law 
could  have  been  read  so  as  to  be  heard  between  the  two  moun- 
tains of  Ebal  and  Gerizim.  Infidels  have  scoffed  at  the  idea.  A 
few  hundred  feet  up  on  the  sides  of  the  mountains  are  depressions, 
which  indent  the  sides  of  the  opposing  mountains.  Here  two 
level  plateaus  confront  each  other  on  a  cliflf  of  rocks.  This  spot 
seems  to  have  been  created  for  this  purpose.  The  reading  of  the 
law  unquestionably  took  place  here,  the  priests  standing  on  the 
cliff  on  either  side,  with  the  people  below,  hearing  distinctly  every 
word  read. 

We  tried  the  experiment  under  the  most  unfavorable  circum- 
stances. A  very  high  wind  was  Wowing  down  the  valley,  carrying 
the  sounds  away  from  us.  Neither  of  the  readers  had  strong 
voices;  yet  not  only  could  we  who  remained  in  the  valley  hear 
them,  but  they  heard  each  other  with  sufficient  distinctness  to 
read  alternate  verses,  each  beginning  where  the  other  left  off. 
This,  doubtless,  is  due  to  the  conformation  of  the  hillsides,  form- 
ing, as  it  were,  a  double  amphitheater.  Our  observation  demon- 
strated the  truthfulness  of  the  historical  data. 

We  next  visited  Nablus,  and  then  ascended  to  the  summit 
of  Gerizim,  and  "viewed  the  landscape  o'er."  Our  party  were 
shown  the  "Samaritan  Manuscript,"  usually  exhibited  to  trav- 
elers ;  but  we  demanded  to  see  the  original,  and  for  a  consideration 
were  gratified. 

The  next  day  we  visited  Samaria,  the  ancient  capital  of  the 
Ten  Tribes.  The  prophecy  of  Micah  has  literally  become  true: 
"I  will  make  Samaria  as  an  heap  in  the  field,  and  as  the  planting 
of  a  vineyard;  and  I  will  pour  down  the  stones  thereof  into  the 
valley,  and  I  will  discover  the  foundations  thereof"  (i,  6). 


204  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Sever  a  pear  lengthwise,  turn  the  flat  side  down,  and  you  have 
the  exact  shape  of  the  hill  on  which  Samaria  stood,  which  was 
about  three  hundred  feet  above  the  valley  on  either  side.  A  few 
standing  and  broken  columns,  several  piles  of  stone,  once  used 
in  buildings,  and  the  walls  of  an  old  church,  are  all  that  is  left 
of  this  once  magnificent  city.  On  the  north  side  many  of  the 
hewn  stone  have  been  rolled  down  into  the  valley.  The  whole  hill 
is  now  cultivated.  In  one  part  we  saw  a  man  plowing,  and  in 
another  grain  was  growing. 

That  afternoon  our  guide  halted  us  on  the  summit  of  a  rocky 
ridge,  and  pointing  northward  to  a  white-capped  mountain,  said, 
"That  is  Mt.  Hermon."  After  we  had  had  time  to  take  in  that 
grand  view,  he  pointed  to  a  lovely,  saucer-like  valley,  off  to  our 
left,  covered  with  an  emerald  of  green,  and  said,  ''That  is  Dothan." 
Once  more  we  were  enamored  with  the  scene.  How  the  history 
of  Joseph  rose  before  us!  And^  when  we  saw  the  hills  on  every 
side  of  this  beautiful  spot,  we  remembered  the  hosts  which  sur- 
rounded Elijah,  and  how  astonished  his  servant  was  when  he 
beheld  the  same.  That  night,  after  being  eight  hours  in  the 
saddle,  we  found  our  tents  pitched  at  Jenin,  on  the  south  border 
of  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon. 

The  next  morning,  from  a  hill  adjacent  to  our  camp,  we  se- 
cured a  good  view  of  the  plain,  eighteen  miles  long  by  fifteen 
wide,  which  lay  at  our  feet  like  a  variegated  colored  map.  To 
our  right,  northeastward,  were  the  mountains  of  Gilboa;  to  our 
left,  northwestward,  were  the  mountains  of  Carmel,  where  Elijah 
prayed  for  the  rain,  and  where  he  had  his  contest  with  the  priests 
of  Baal.  In  front  of  us,  to  the  north,  rise  the  mountains  of  Gali- 
lee, and  nesthng  against  the  hillside  over  there  was  Nazareth, 
where  we  were  to  spend  the  next  day,  the  Sabbath. 

We  crossed  the  plain  to  Jezreel;  then  visited  the  fountain  of 
*'Ein-Jalude,"  which  flows  from,  an  alcove  in  a  clifT  of  rocks 
under  the  north  point  of  Gilboa.  This  is  supposed  to  be  the  place 
where  Gideon's  band  lapped  the  water  before  the  battle  of  the 
Midianites,  when  their  cry  was,  ''The  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of 
Gideon."  This  large  fountain,  at  its  mouth,  is  perhaps  twenty 
feet  across,  and  three  feet  deep.  A  number  of  young  turtles  were 
sporting  about  in  the  water  close  up  to  the  rocks.     Two  of  us 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROOD.  205 

in  the  advance  had  ridden  up  to  near  the  source,  when  our  Eng- 
Hsh  friend,  not  noticing  the  depth  of  the  water,  leaped  from  his 
horse  to  catch  one  of  the  turtles.  He  was  a  six-footer;  yet  the 
water  took  him  well  above  the  knees.  He  got  "nary"  turtle. 
The  others,  riding  up  at  that  moment,  had  a  hearty  laugh  at  his 
expense.  His  "Wellingtons"  (high-topped  boots)  were  full  of 
water.  For  the  rest  of  the  day  he  had  the  pleasure  of  riding  with 
wet  feet. 

The  Valley  of  "Jezreel"  is  broad  and  beautiful,  like  an  Eng- 
lish pasture-field.  Up  this  valley  from  the  spring  we  rode  to  its 
head,  where  we  lunched  at  Shunem,  in  a  lemon-grove,  near  the 
base  of  Little  Hermon.  Here  was  the  home  of  the  family  in 
which  the  prophet  Elijah  was  entertained. 

As  we  passed  over  a  spur  of  Little  Hermon,  we  saw  to  our 
right,  on  the  north  slope  of  this  cone-shaped  hill,  in  the  distance, 
the  site  of  the  city  of  Nain,  where  our  Lord  restored  the  widow's 
son,  as  the  body  was  being  borne  to  burial.  Thence  onward 
our  course  led  us  up  the  steep  hills  of  Galilee  to  Nazareth,  where 
Christ  grew  to  man's  estate. 

A  wedding  procession,  attended  with  a  fine  tournament  dis- 
play, greeted  our  approach  to  the  city.  Here  we  remained  over 
the  Sabbath,  and  attended  a  Church  of  England  service,  con- 
ducted by  Dr.  Manning,  of  the  London  Tract  Society,  who  gave 
a  most  interesting  discourse.  Our  camp  was  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  only  spring  of  water  in  Nazareth.  From  this  fountain, 
unquestionably,  our  Savior  often  drank. 

Monday  morning  we  proceeded  on  our  journey.  On  our 
left  was  Cana  of  Galilee,  and  a  little  beyond  the  "Horns  of  Hat- 
tin,"  where  the  Crusaders  were  defeated  by  the  Turks,  in  1187 
A.  D.,  while  below  us,  nestled  in  the  hills  like  a  mirror,  lay  the 
beautiful  Sea  of  Galilee.  This  is  fourteen  miles  long  and  seven 
wide,  and  six  hundred  and  twenty  feet  lower  than  the  ocean. 
The  descent  was  so  steep  that  I  dismounted  and  led  my  horse. 
Tiberias  is  now  a  dilapidated  town,  having  about  three  thousand 
inhabitants.  Here  we  had  our  noonday  lunch,  and  enjoyed  a 
sea  bath. 

The  path,  over  which  we  rode  in  single  file,  leads  northward 
close  to  the  shore,  with  hills  rising  abruptly  nearly  two  thousand 


2o6  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

feet  on  the  left.  An  hour's  ride  brought  us  to  Magdala,  the  home 
of  Mary,  out  of  whom  Jesus  cast  seven  devils. 

There  opens  out,  from  this  point  northwestward,  a  plain,  ex- 
tending three  miles  along  the  shore  and  one  mile  back.  We 
rode  across  this  now-neglected  spot,  once  an  agricultural  para- 
dise, and  found  our  pathway  girded  with  the  thorny  "nubk," 
oleanders,  and  a  great  variety  of  beautiful  flowers,  with  an  occa- 
sional stunted  palm.  At  one  point,  beside  that  path,  there  gurgled 
forth  a  spring  of  pure,  cold  water,  at  which  nearly  all  slaked  their 
thirst. 

In  one  hour's  ride  from  Magdala  we  reached  "Khan  Minyeh," 
the  site  of  ancient  Capernium,  where  we  found  our  tents  pitched 
near  "Ain  et  Tim,"  the  Fountain  of  the  Fig. 

Here  we  rested  for  a  day.  The  heat  was  intense,  the  ther- 
mometer standing  at  84  degrees  F.  at  ten  o'clock  P.  M.  That 
night,  March  24th,  the  wind  came  driving  down  from  the  lofty 
heights  above  us  in  fearful  gusts,  upsetting  some  of  our  tents, 
scattering  the  loose  camp  articles,  and  lashing  the  lake  into  a 
rolling,  seething,  furious  torrent,  reminding  us  of  that  other  night 
when  our  Lord  said  to  the  troubled  waters,  "Peace,  be  still." 
Here,  in  this  place,  was  the  adopted  home  of  our  Savior,  where 
much  of  his  teaching  was  given  and  many  of  his  miracles  per- 
formed. 

Palestine,  at  this  season  of  the  year,  is  a  land  of  lovely,  bloom- 
ing flowers.  The  traveler,  starting  in  at  Joppa  the  second  week 
in  March,  enjoys  them  all  the  way  through  that  historic  land. 

While  camped  here,  several  of  our  party  were  taken  very  sick. 
They  laid  it  to  the  water,  of  which  they  had  drunk  very  little. 
Their  drink  at  dinners  had  been  largely  wine,  ale,  beer,  brandy, 
or  whisky,  and  their  time  during  the  meal  was  mostly  spent  in 
discussing  the  quality  of  each.  Several  of  the  party  carried  flasks 
to  refresh  themselves  along  the  way.  If,  for  any  cause,  they  took 
water,  "somethin'  "  was  added  to  "prevent  sickness."  Yet  these 
were  always  the  ailing  ones.  Some  of  them  became  so  bad  that 
for  several  days  they  had  to  be  carried  in  a  kind  of  hammock 
swung  between  two  poles,  the  ends  of  which  were  fastened  to  the 
sides  of  a  mule  in  front,  and  to  another  in  the  rear.  The  head 
mule  was  led  by  an  Arab,  walking.     Of  our  party  of  thirty-five 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  207 

through  Palestine,  all  except  three  drank  intoxicants  of  some 
kind,  at  their  meals  mostly.  The  exceptions  were  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Loomis,  a  London  gentleman,  and  the  writer.  Each  of  us  took 
water  "straight"  wherever  found,  and  plenty  of  it,  and  never 
enjoyed  better  health. 

Moral. — When  traveling  in  the  Holy  Land,  or  elsewhere,  leave 
intoxicants  behind.  You  will  be  better  off  at  all  times  without 
these  so-called  stimulants. 

Our  course  the  next  day  was  northward,  over  a  very  stony, 
rough  trail  to  our  evening  camp  at  "Ain  Belat,"  where  flows  a 
fountain  of  clear,  cool  water.  Lake  Hulah,  or  the  waters  of 
Merom,  which  is  four  and  one-half  miles  long  and  three  and  one- 
half  wide,  is  on  a  level  with  the  ocean.  We  lunched  that  day  at 
"Nahr  Handij,"  near  a  spring,  after  two  hours'  ride  in  rain  and 
mud. 

Thursday,  the  27th,  we  skirted  the  Plain  of  Hulah,  passing 
a  camp  of  Bedouins,  whose  black  tents  numbered  one  hundred 
and  twenty.  Numerous  herds  of  cattle  belonging  to  the  band 
were  grazing  on  the  hillsides.  Here  we  saw  two  women  churning 
cream  in  a  swinging  churn  made  of  an  uncut  goatskin,  which 
was  hung  in  a  kind  of  derrick,  made  with  three  poles  tied  to- 
gether at  the  top  and  spread  out  at  the  base.  The  churning  was 
done  by  swinging  this  leather  churn  back  and  forth  between  them. 

That  day  we  ate  our  lunch  at  *'Tell-el-Kady,"  the  Dan  of 
Scripture.  This  was  on  a  knoll,  which  is  eighty  feet  above  the 
plain,  and  one-half  of  a  mile  in  diameter.  Here  is  the  main  foun- 
tain or  source  of  the  Jordan,  which  bursts  out  with  great  force, 
sending  forth  a  stream  of  pure,  cool  water.  That  night  we 
camped  at  *'Banias,"  or  Cesarea  Philippi,  which  stands  at  the 
southern  base  of  Mt.  Hermon,  whose  snow-capped  summit 
pierces  the  very  clouds.  From  one  of  its  shoulders,  in  all  prob- 
ability, the-  transfiguration  of  Christ  occurred.  Here  we  spent  a 
part  of  one  day  and  a  night.  Quite,  a  stream  flowed  out  from  the 
mouth  of  a  cave  in  the  side  of  this  mountain. 

On  March  28th  we  started  at  an  early  hour  for  Damascus. 
For  three  hours  we  climbed  the  ridge  extending  south  of  Her- 
mon. Just  before  noon  we  crossed  lava-fields  at  an  altitude  of 
six  thousand  feet,  and  ate  our  lunch  near  "Beit  Jann" — the  house 
14 


20S  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

of  "Paradise."  The  inhabitants  would  hardly  pass  for  celestials! 
We  spent  the  night,  which  proved  to  be  very  windy,  at  **Kefr 
Hawar."  Several  tents  were  blown  down,  leaving  their  occu- 
pants in  a  sad  predicament. 

From  a  ridge,  the  next  forenoon,  we  had  our  first  view  of 
Damascus,  the  oldest  city  in  the  world, — over  four  thousand 
years  old, — which  was  founded  by  Uz,  the  grandson  of  Noah. 
Where  we  stood  when  eating  our  noon  lunch,  tradition  fixes  as 
the  spot  of  Saul's  conversion.  That  afternoon  we  camped  near 
the  entrance  of  the  city. 

Over  the  south  door  of  a  mosque,  the  greatest  in  the  city, 
we  read  the  following  inscription  in  Greek:  *'Thy  kingdom,  O 
Christ,  is  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  thy  dominion  endureth 
throughout  all  generations."  This  building  was  once  a  Chris- 
tian church,  hence  the  above.  This  famous  mosque  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  1894.  The  street  called  ''Strait"  is  still  there. 
The  place  where  Paul  was  let  down  in  a  basket  is  shown.  On 
Tuesday  morning,  April  i,  1873,  we  leaped  into  our  saddles  with 
glad  hearts,  for  every  step  forward  now  is  one  toward  home. 

From  the  ridge  Salihneh,  north  of  the  city,  we  had  an  inde- 
scribable view  of  Damascus  and  the  irrigated  plains  around  it, 
covered,  as  they  were,  with  cultivated  fields  and  groves  of  apri- 
cots, almonds,  porhegranates,  figs,  olive,  peach,  apple,  quince, 
mulberry,  walnut,  poplar,  willow,  hawthorn,  and  trees  of  many 
other  varieties  intermingled.  The  city,  with  its  great  mosque, 
in  the  center,  surrounded  by  these  groves.  Is  it  any  won- 
der that  Mohammed  refused  to  enter  this  earthly  paradise,  since 
he  claimed  that  his  was  "above."  We  had  our  lunch  at  the 
fountain  of  "Fijeh,"  the  chief  source  of  the  "Abana"  of  Scripture. 
This  fountain  flows,  four  feet  deep  and  eighteen  feet  wide,  from 
underneath  an  overhanging  clifif.  At  night  we  found  our  camp 
at  "Suk  Wady  Barada,"  the  ancient  Abila,  "a  day's  march  nearer 
home." 

The  next  day  we  lunched  at  a  spring,  half  an  hour's  ride  be- 
yond "Zabdany."  That  afternoon  we  crossed  the  second  and 
third  spurs  of  Anti-Lebanon,  which  rose  on  our  right  to  an  alti- 
tude of  seven  thousand  feet,  and  on  which  were  small  patches 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  209 

of  snow.  We  found  our  camp  prepared  at  "Surghaya,"  a  small 
village,  at  an  altitude  of  four  thousand  feet.  Our  road  from 
Damascus,  if  such  it  could  be  called,  was  most  of  the  way  ex- 
ceedingly rocky,  steep,  and  rough ;  up  one  hill  and  down  another. 
The  next  morning  was  quite  cool,  and  we  were  in  the  saddle  at 
six  o'clock.  Before  noon,  just  after  ascending  a  long  ridge,  one 
of  the  party,  who  happened  to  be  in  the  lead,  shouted,  "Baalbek." 
There,  in  the  center  of  a  broad  plain,  lay  the  ruins  of  the  once 
famous  "Heliopolis,"  City  of  the  Sun,  The  temples  stood  on  an 
artificial  platform  of  masonry  thirty  feet  high,  nine  hundred  feet 
long,  and  five  hundred  feet  wide,  with  extensive  vaults  under- 
neath. Three  of  the  stones  in  this  elevation  were  sixty  feet  long, 
thirteen  feet  wide,  and  the  same  in  height.  Nine  were  thirty  feet 
long,  thirteen  feet  high,  and  fifteen  wide.  We  reached  this  large 
platform  by  means  of  an  archway,  on  an  incline  two  hundred 
and  ninety  feet  long.  Six  standing  columns,  seven  feet  in  diam- 
eter, and  seventy-five  feet  high,  formerly  belonged  to  the  Temple 
of  Jupiter.  The  walls  of  the  Temple  of  the  Sun  are  nearly  perfect. 
In  the  niches  a  great  number  of  swallows  had  their  nests,  and  did 
not  like  to  be  disturbed.  Little  remains  of  the  circular  temple. 
Three  hundred  yards  away  stood  the  semicircular  Temple  of 
Venus,  well  preserved  and  beautiful  in  architecture. 

A  ride  of  one-half  mile  brought  us  to  the  quarries  whence 
these  vast  stones  came.  There  were  quite  a  number  of  blocks, 
wholly  or  partially  cut,  left  unused.  One  of  these  was  sixty-six 
feet  long,  thirteen  and  one-half  feet  wide,  and  sixteen  feet  high, 
squared  and  nearly  ready  for  use. 

From  here  we  proceeded  down  the  valley,  halting  at  the  tomb 
of  Noah,  which  looks  like  an  old  aqueduct,  seventy-five  feet  long, 
covered  with  old  cloths.  That  day  -we  called  at  the  village  of 
"Zaghlah,"  which  has  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  where  the  words, 
"Hawaggah  backsheesh,"  are  never  heard.  Why?  The  inhab- 
itants have  accepted  the  Christ,  and  become  Christian. 

That  night  we  found  our  tents  pitched  above  the  town  of 
Meehleh,  with  Mt.  Hermon  on  the  southeast,  standing  nearly 
ten  thousand  feet  above  sea-level. 

The  day  following  we  crossed  the  Lebanon  range,  at  an  aiti- 


2tCf  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

tude  of  five  thousand  six  hundred  feet,  and  descended  by  the 
French  road  to  Beyrout.  Here  we  stopped  at  the  "Hotel  Belle 
View,"  where  we  had  excellent  accommodations. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  on  April  the  6th,  we  visited  the  Prussian 
Cemetery,  where  Bishop  Kingsley  is  buried.  Nearly  four  years 
before,  when  leaving  us,  at  the  close  of  the  Conference  session 
at  Central  City,  Colorado,  he  gave  us  his  hand,  and,  as  tears 
moistened  his  eyes,  said,  **I  leave  you  here  to  work  for  the  Mas- 
ter; I  go,  perhaps  never  to  return."  Prophetic  words!  He  has 
gone;  but  his  works  remain.  On  April  the  8th,  at  six  and  a  half 
o'clock  P.  M.,  we  stepped  on  board  the  steamship  Suturno,  bound 
for  Constantinople.  The  next  morning  our  vessel  anchored  be- 
fore "Larnica,"  on  the  Island  of  Cyprus,  which  we  visited  during 
the  day,  and  procured  some  valuable  relics.  On  our  onward 
journey  we  passed  in  full  view  of  Rhodes  and  the  Island  of 
Patmos,  where  John  had  those  marvelous  revelations  recorded 
in  the  Apocalypse. 

Our  ship  stopped  at  Smyrna.  The  interest  here  centered  in 
and  old  castle  on  the  hill,  and  the  grave  of  Polycarp  on  its  slope. 
Thence  we  sailed  in  sight  of  Mount  Ida,  where  iron  is  said  to  have 
been  discovered  by  its  burning,  fourteen  hundred  and  six  years 
before  Christ,  and  near  which  was  the  siege  of  Troy.  Next  we 
passed  the  Island  of  Samothracia,  and  then  on  through  the  Hel- 
lespont, across  which  Byron  swam,  and  caught  the  ague  for  so 
doing. 

On  Monday,  April  14th,  we  dropped  anchor  in  the  Golden 
Horn,  Constantinople.  Many  objects  of  interest  were  found 
here;  such  as  the  bridge  of  boats;  the  numerous  bazars;  the 
streets  lined  with  dogs;  the  Turkish  bath;  the  Bosphorus;  and 
Roberts  College,  an  Amefican  institution;  the  Mosque  of  St. 
Sophia,  once  a  Christian  church;  the  armory  and  the  Caique; 
the  sultan  riding  on  horseback  to  prayers,  between  two  lines  of 
soldiers,  wearing  a  red  fez.  The  Dervishes  have  many  orders, 
distinguished  by  peculiarities  of  faith,  ceremony,  and  costume. 
Some  live  in  monasteries,  others  dwell  in  villages;  but  all  pro- 
fess poverty  and  humility,  and  some  chastity.  Their  religion  pre- 
scribes mortification;  but  their  practices  are  very  often  incon- 
sistent with  their  professed  standard.     Many  of  them  lead  a 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD,  zt\ 

vagrant  life,  traveling  all  over  the  countries  of  the  East,  and 
being  supported  by  convents  of  their  order.  The  Mevlevis  are 
the  most  numerous.  They  indulge  in  fantastic  dances,  in  which 
they  whirl  around  with  great  rapidity  to  the  music  of  a  flute, 
generally  not  ceasing  until  they  are  overcome  by  exhaustion,  and 
drop  on  the  ground.  This  ceremony  we  witnessed  until  our  very 
brains  seemed  to  whirl  round  and  round. 

We  left  here  on  Saturday,  the  19th,  at  ten  and  a  half  o'clock 
A.  M.,  on  the  Satiirno]  passed  through  the  Sea  of  Marmora  by 
daylight,  entering  the  Dardanelles  about  dark,  and  changed 
steamers  the  next  evening  at  the  Island  of  Syra  for  Athens, 
Greece. 

April  2 1  St  we  sailed  through  the  Gulf  of  Athens,  with  the 
Island  of  Egina  on  our  left,  and  the  mountains  of  Attica  on  our 
right,  and  landed  at  Pierus,  and  then  took  carriages  to  Athens. 
A  busy  week  was  spent  in  visiting  here  the  many  points  of  inter- 
est. Among  them  were  Mars'  Hill,  Parthenon,  Acropolis,  Lyca- 
bettus,  Mt.  Pentelicus,  site  of  the  Olympic  games,  tower  of  the 
ancient  sundial,  Bema  of  Demosthenes,  prison  of  Socrates,  and 
various  ruins  of  theaters  and  temples;  also  the  king's  palace. 

One  day  a  small  party  of  us  were  standing  beside  the  deeply- 
worn  path  south  of  the  Acropolis,  when  the  king,  queen,  and  two 
small  children  came  slowly  up  the  grade,  driving  two  horses 
before  an  open,  two-seated  spring-wagon.  I  said  to  my  associates 
in  travel,  ''Yonder  comes  the  king  and  his  family;  let  us  give 
them  three  cheers."  ''x\greed,"  said  they.  When  passing,  I  said 
in  a  strong  voice,  ''The  United  States  of  America  gives  three 
cheers  to  the  king  of  Greece."  The  king  removed  his  hat,  and 
smilingly  bowed  his  appreciation. 

On  Saturday  evening  we  returned,  by  steamer,  to  the  Island 
of  Syra,  and  changed  to  the  steamer  Hungarian.  On  Tuesday 
following,  our  steamer  dropped  anchor  in  the  bay  adjoining  the 
Island  of  Corfu,  where  most  of  our  party  left  us.  For  nearly  three 
months  we  had  journeyed  pleasantly  together,  and  became  much 
attached  to  each  other;  but  now  our  ways  diverge,  never  to  meet 
again  on  earth. 

Our  vessel  steamed  on  up  the  Adriatic,  and  on  May  i,  1873, 
we  landed  at  Trieste,  Austria.    That  evening  we  took  a  steamer  to 


212  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Venice,  Italy ;  thence  by  rail  to  Verona,  where  we  had  an  excellent 
moonlight  view  of  the  Amphitheater.  The  next  day  we  were  in 
the  Tyrol  Alps,  and  crossed  at  the  "Brenner  Pass,"  halting  at 
Innsbruck  over  the  Sabbath.  We  next  stopped  at  Munich,  and 
visited  the  famous  art-gallery  there. 

On  Thursday,  May  8th,  we  reached  Salzburg,  where  we  paid 
a  visit  to  the  famous  salt-mines  of  Austria,  which  have  been 
worked  for  over  three  hundred  years,  and  produced  twenty-five 
thousand  tons  of  salt  annually.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Loomis  and  the 
writer  visited  Hallein.  Here  we  ascended  a  long  hill,  on  foot, 
to  the  Duremberg  mine,  paid  a  fee,  donned  miners'  suits,  and 
entered  a  long  tunnel,  so  low  in  places  that  we  could  not  walk 
erect.  The  levels  in  this  mine  were  about  one  hundred  feet  apart, 
and  the  method  of  descent  from  one  to  the  next  was  by  a  tobog- 
gan-slide nine  inches  wide,  having  a  smooth  pole  on  each  side, 
and  a  rope  on  the  right,  by  which  to  regulate  the  speed.  Before 
plunging  into  the  depths  below,  a  leather  apron  is  attached  to  the 
seat  of  the  pants  for  a  protection.  The  guide  then  sits  in  front, 
holding  the  rope  with  his  gloved  right  hand;  the  next  man  sits 
close  up,  with  his  feet  thrown  around  into  the  lap  of  the  guide, 
and  all  the  others  seated  in  like  manner,  one  behind  the  other. 
When  all  is  ready,  the  word  is  given,  and  away  they  go,  like  a 
dart  from  a  gun.  As  they  near  the  end,  the  speed  is  slackened 
by  a  tighter  grip  on  the  rope.  We  enjoyed  six  of  these  rides,  and 
they  were  not  at  all  unpleasant.  On  one  of  the  levels  there  was 
a  salt  lake,  perhaps  a  hundred  feet  across,  over  which  we  rode 
in  a  boat.  This  lake,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  mountain,  when 
lighted  up,  was  like  an  amphitheater.  We  emerged  from  the 
mountain  at  its  base,  through  a  long  tunnel,  on  a  car,  such  as 
miners  use. 

The  salt  water  is  conveyed  in  four  large  pipes  to  the  town 
below,  where  the  process  of  evaporation,  by  boiling,  goes  on 
day  and  night. 

Hastening  to  the  town,  we  entered  a  restaurant,  where  a 
neatly-dressed  German  girl  took  our  orders;  we  could  not  speak 
German,  nor  she  English.  Some  way  we  made  her  to  under- 
stand that  we  wanted  bread,,butter,  and  tea;  but  we  could  go  no 
further.    She  helped  us  out  by  saying,  *'Steak  mit-ei?"    *'Ya,  ya," 


ECHOES  FROM  ABROAD.  213 

we  said,  wondering  what  she  would  bring  us.  Imagine  our 
agreeable  surprise,  when  she  returned  with  a  nice  thick  piece 
of  broiled  steak,  cooked  ''rare,"  with  a  fresh  ^^^  in  the  center. 
Ever  after,  when  in  a  German  restaurant,  we  always  ordered, 
"Steak  mit-ei." 

From  here  we  went  by  rail  to  Lenz  on  the  Danube,  and  down 
that  river  to  Wien  (Vienna),  and  visited  the  International  Expo- 
sition; then  on  to  Prague,  Dresden,  Berlin,  Frankfort-on-the- 
Main,  Worms,  Mayence,  and  thence,  by  steamer,  down  the  Rhine 
to  Cologne,  where  we  spent  the  Sabbath.  Then  on  to  Rotter- 
dam, and  across  the  North  Sea,  by  steamer,  to  London,  England, 
where  we  landed,  after  a  stormy  passage,  on  the  morning  of  May 
20,  1873.  On  the  following  Sabbath  we  heard  Spurgeon  twice, 
and,  after  the  evening  service,  joined  with  him  and  his  people  in 
partaking  of  the  Holy  Communion,  at  the  close  of  which  Rev. 
J.  Brown,  the  successor  of  John  Bunyan,  introduced  the  writer 
to  Mr.  Spurgeon,  who  seemed  very  much  exhausted.  Holding 
my  hand,  he  said,  "Was  not  the  congregation  an  inspiration  to- 
night? I  feel  completely  pumped  out."  He  remained  seated 
during  the  whole  sacrament  and  the  interviews  afterward. 

On  our  way  back  to  Scotland  we  touched  at  the  following 
points:  Bedford,  where  John  Bunyan  was  confined  in  prison  so 
long,  and  where  he  wrote  the  "Pilgrim's  Progress;"  Elstow, 
where  he  married  and  went  to  housekeeping;  Leeds;  New 
Castle;  Edinburgh;  Glasgow;  thence  down  the  Clyde,  by  small 
steamer,  to  Greenock,  where  we  stepped  on  board  the  steam- 
ship Victoria,  of  the  Anchor  Line,  and  sailed  on  the  evening  of 
May  31st,  landing  in  New  York  at  five  and  a  half  P.  M.  of  June 
loth,  thankful  for  God's  preserving  care  over  us.  One  seldom 
appreciates  fully  his  own  country,  until  he  has  visited  other  lands 
and  climes. 


Happy  Qimc. 

t^*  ti?*  8^* 

Have  yoti  heard^  have  you  heard  of  that  sunbright  clime^ 
Undiinined  by  sorrow,  unhurt  by  time, 
"Where  age  hath  no  po-wer  o'er  the  fadeless  frame, 
"Where  the  eye  is  fire,  and  the  heart  is  flame — 
Have  you  heard  of  that  sunbright  clime? 

A  river  of  water  gushes  there, 
TVKd  flowers  of  beauty  strangely  fair, 
And  a  thousand  wings  are  hovering  o'er 
The  dazzling  wave  and  the  golden  shore, 
That  are  seen  in  that  sunbright  clime. 

Millions  of  forms,  all  clothed  in  white, 
In  garments  of  beauty,  clear  and  bright. 
There  dwell  in  their  own  immortal  bo-wers, 
*Mid  fadeless  hues  of  countless  flowers. 
That  bloom  in  that  sunbright  clime. 

Ear  hath  not  heard,  and  eye  hath  not  seen, 
Their  swelling  songs,  and  their  changeless  sheen; 
Their  ensigns  are  waving,  their  banners  unfurl, 
Cer  the  jasper  wall  and  gates  of  pearl, 
That  are  fixed  in  that  sunbright  clime. 

But  far,  far  away  in  that  sinless  clime, 
Undimmed  by  sorrow  and  unhurt  by  time, 
"Where,  amid  all  things  bright  and  fair  is  given. 
The  home  of  the  just,  and  its  name  is  heaven — 
The  name  of  that  sunbright  clime. 
214 


PART  IV. 


Echoes  from  Colorado  Methodism. 


215 


Itinerant  Life* 

t^*      ^%      ^* 

My  lot  has  been  to  sow  the  seeds  of  friendship  hefe  and  there. 
And  see  them  grow  to  firm-laced  vines,  with  flowers  sweet  and  fair; 
And  then  to  loose  these  clinging  stems,  these  tendrils  strong  and  trae. 
And  change,  with  many  sad  regrets,  the  old  friends  for  the  new. 

Thus  have  I  gathered,  here  and  there,  my  choicest  friends  on  earthy 
And,  but  for  my  itinerant  ways,  I  ne'er  had  known  their  worth; 
And  so  what  seems  a  wandering  life,  freighted  with  sad  good-byes^ 
Like  many  other  seeming  ills,  is  blessing  in  disguise. 

—Mrs.  M.  M.  H. 
216 


I. 

COLORADO. 

The  beginnings  of  history  are  usually  difficult  to  trace.  Colo- 
rado is  no  exception  to  this  rule.  It  has  seemed  proper  to  insert 
the  following  historic  facts  from  authentic  sources: 

''Although  the  first  white  settlement  was  made  in  Colorado 
but  forty  years  ago,  there  is  no  other  State  in  the  Union  with  a 
history  so  replete  with  thrilling  interest  and  adventure. 

"Its  northen  half  was  a  portion  of  the  territory  belonging  to 
France,  and  purchased  from  Napoleon  the  Great  in  1803  by  the 
United  States — being  part  of  what  is  popularly  known  as  the 
Louisiana  Purchase.  The  southeast  quarter  of  it  formerly  be- 
longed to  Mexico,  was  a  part  of  the  Republic  of  Texas,  and  was 
admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  part  of  Texas  in  1845.  Texas  sub- 
sequently sold  it  to  the  United  States  for  the  sum  of  $5,000,000, 
when  it  was  merged  into  the  unoccupied  and  unorganized  terri- 
tory of  the  General  Government.  The  southwest  one-quarter  in- 
disputably belonged  to  Mexico  until  ceded  to  the  United  States 
by  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  at  the  close  of  the  Mexican 
War.  Thus  the  territory  that  now  comprises  the  State  of  Colo- 
rado has,  part  of  it  belonged  to  France,  part  to  the  Republic  and 
State  of  Texas,  and  part  to  Mexico.  It  involved  in  its  acquisition 
the  far-seeing  statesmanship  of  Jeflferson;  the  Spartan-like  strug- 
gle of  Houston,  Bowie,  and  Crockett  for  Texan  independence; 
the  heroic  battle-fields  of  Goliad,  San  Jacinto,  San  Antonio,  and 
the  Alamo;  the  generalship  of  Scott  and  Taylor,  and  the  heroic 
victories  of  Palo  Alto,  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  Monterey,  and  Buena 
Vista. 

"It  was  in  1838 — but  sixty  years  ago — that  Daniel  Webster, 
upon  the  floor  of  the  Senate,  in  referring  to  the  then  unex- 
plored and  unknown  country  between  the  Missouri  and  the  Pa- 
cific, spoke  thus  contemptuously  of  what  now  constitutes  more 
than  a  dozen  States  and  three  Territories :  'What  do  we  want  with 
this  vast  worthless  area — this  region  of  savages  and  wild  beasts, 

217 


21 8  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

of  deserts,  shifting  sands  and  whirlwinds  of  dust,  of  cactus  and 
prairie-dogs?  To  what  use  could  we  ever  hope  to  put  these  great 
deserts,  or  those  endless  mountain  ranges,  impregnable  and  cov- 
ered to  their  very  base  with  eternal  snow?  What  use  have  we  for 
such  a  country?  .  .  .  Mr.  President,  I  will  never  vote  one 
cent  from  the  public  treasury  to  place  the  Pacific  Coast  one  inch 
nearer  to  Boston  than  it  now  is.'  Colorado  was  the  very  center 
of  this  bleak,  hostile,  and  repellent  picture.  If  Webster  could  but 
return  to  this  mundane  sphere,  what  would  be  his  wonder  and 
astonishment! 

''Three  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  the  Spanish,  under  Vas- 
quez  Coronado,  started  an  expedition  from  Mexico  in  search  of 
gold.  They  reached  the  latitude  of  Denver,  and  doubtless  halted 
in  their  march  not  far  from  its  site;  for  being  in  search  of  gold  in 
the  sands  of  the  streams,  they  would  naturally  keep  near  to  the 
mountains.  Lewis  and  Clark  in  1803,  Captain  Pike  in  1807, 
Major  Long  in  1820,  were  the  first  American  explorers  to  reach 
the  mountains.  They  all  found  gold,  but  gave  gloomy  pictures 
of  the  land  and  its  dangers.  In  1858,  Green  Russell  and  his 
Georgian  followers  penetrated  to  where  Black  Hawk  and  Central 
now  are,  and  there  found  gold  in  such  quantities  that  the  fame  of 
the  country  spread  abroad,  and  its  history  has  been  one  of  con- 
tinuous growth  and  prosperity  ever  since. 

"It  is  not  unusual  to  regard  Colorado  as  a  State  whose  pro- 
ducts are  almost  exclusively  gold  and  silver.  It  is  true,  its  out- 
put of  the  precious  metals  is  greater  than  that  of  any  other  like 
area  of  country  in  the  world.  Last  year,  1897,  it  reached  the 
magnificent  sum  of,  gold,  $22,000,000,  silver,  $15,000,000;  and 
since  the  discovery  of  gold  in  1858  its  total  yield  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver has  been  more  than  $400,000,000.  But  its  manufacturing  and 
agricultural  productions,  each  far  exceeds  that  of  its  precious 
metals.  The  value  of  its  manufactured  articles  reached  the  sum 
of  $51,000,000  in  1891  alone.  The  grain,  hay,  and  vegetables 
raised  upon  its  soil  in  1897  amounted  to  $23,000,000.  Its  fruit 
was  of  the  value  of  $5,000,000.  There  were  mined  in  a  single  year 
more  than  $12,000,000  worth  of  coal,  and  of  paving  and  building 
stone  nearly  13,000  car-loads  were  taken  from  the  quarries,  and 
distributed  over  the  continent. 


COLORADO.  219 

"We  blush  to  speak  of  its  climate.  So  much  has  been  said  in 
praise  of  it,  that  to  say  more  puts  modesty  itself  to  the  blush. 
Sometimes  warm,  but  never  hot ;  sometimes  cold,  but  always  brac- 
ing; sometimes  rainy,  but  never  loaded  with  enervating  vapors — 
for  weather,  it  is  a  paradise;  for  health,  a  sanitarium. 

"And  what  incomparable  pleasure  resorts!  Manitou  Springs, 
Glenwood  Springs,  Poncha  Hot  Sulphur  Springs,  Idaho,  Liberty 
and  Mount  Princeton  Springs — all  nestled  in  the  vast  network 
of  peaks,  valleys,  ravines,  and  caiions — affording  luxurious  ease 
to  the  dilettante,  vigorous  health  to  the  invalid,  game  and  fish 
to  the  mightiest  devotees  of  the  rod  and  gun,  and  scenery  that  is 
without  a  parallel  in  the  world." 

The  first  Fourth  of  July  celebration  in  Colorado  was  held,  in 
1843,  by  Colonel  John  C.  Fremont,  William  Gilpin,  Kit  Carson, 
Lucian  Maxwell,  Jim  Baker,  and  others,  at  Fort  St.  Vrain,  which 
was  built  by  Colonel- Bent  for  a  trading-post,  opposite  the  mouth 
of  the  creek  of  the  same  name,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Platte 
River,  and  about  four  miles  below  where  Platteville  now  stands. 
This  fort  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  square,  adobe  walls,  with 
port-holes  along  the  sides  for  observation  and  defense.  The 
Stars  and  Stripes  floated  proudly  over  its  walls,  when  Fremont's 
old  howitzer  rang  out  its  salute  at  daylight,  and  was  answered 
back  by  the  echoes  from  the  distant  mountains. 

A  company  of  men  from  Kansas  and  Missouri  celebrated  the 
"Fourth"  where  Pueblo  now  stands,  July,  1858. 

The  next  Fourth  of  July  celebration  was  after  the  regulation 
style  of  the  East,  and  was  held  under  the  cottonwood-trees  of 
the  Platte  River  in  Auraria,  now  West  Denver,  in  1859.  Rev. 
W.  H.  Goode,  superintendent  of  the  "Pike's  Peak  Mission,"  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  offered  the  prayer. 

The  whisperings  of  gold-finds  had  reached  the  ears  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  border  States,  and  awakened  much  interest  in 
this  mountain  country.  As  a  sample  of  how  things  were  done  in 
those  early  days  in  this  region,  I  give  the  following  reliable  ac- 
count : 

September  15,  1858,  A.  G.  Barnes,  Esq.,  and  his  brother-in- 
law,  Joseph  Brockett,  started  westward  from  their  homes  in 
Plattsmouth,  Nebraska,  in  search  of  hidden  treasure.    Their  con- 


220  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

ception  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  was  very  vague  indeed.  "They 
pushed  on,  picking  out  their  own  route,  and  breaking  the  road 
for  their  mules  and  wagon.  They  experienced  much  trouble  in 
traveling ;  but  not  once  did  they  lose  heart,  or  think  of  returning 
home.  After  a  while  they  fell  in  with  a  party  of  fifteen  men  from 
Brownsville,  Nebraska,  under  the  leadership  of  Captain  Aikens. 
From  that  time  on  their  labors  were  easier,  and  they  made  good 
time  across  the  plains.  Strange  as  it  appeared  to  them,  they  had 
no  trouble  with  the  Indians,  although  numerous  bands  were  met. 
It  was  a  year  when  the  savages  were  more  inclined  to  beg  and 
steal  than  fight. 

''After  a  weary  march  of  thirty-five  days,  the  party  arrived  at 
Fort  Lupton.  There  Mr.  Barnes  learned  that  an  old  acquaint- 
ance, named  Slawter,  who  had  been  at  the  fort,  had  started  up  the 
Platte  with  a  few  men  on  a  gold-hunting  expedition.  He  deter- 
mined to  follow  him;  alone  and  afoot  he  took  up  the  trail.  On 
the  way  he  met  a  man  who  was  going  to  the  fort  in  quest  of  sup- 
plies. This  stranger  exhibited  a  small  quantity  of  gold  in  a 
goosequill,  which  he  said  he  had  picked  out  of  the  sand  in  the 
Platte  at  a  point  about  three  miles  above  where  Denver  now 
stands.  This  was  the  first  gold  discovery  made  in  this  locality. 
The  sight  of  gold  in  the  hands  of  the  stranger  quickened  Barnes's 
steps,  and  he  lost  no  time  in  joining  Slawter  and  his  men.  Others 
followed  him,  and  in  a  few  days  about  one  hundred  men  were 
scattered  up  and  down  the  Platte  and  Cherry  Creek. 

*'Soon  the  cold  winds  began  to  blow  from  the  mountains,  and 
preparations  for  the  winter  were  made.  The  well-known  Russell 
and  his  men,  Slawter  and  Barnes  and  Brockett,  erected  eight  or 
ten  log-cabins,  from  small  cottonwood-trees,  in  what  is  now 
known  as  West  Denver,  not  far  from  the  intersection  of  Holla- 
day  (now  Market)  and  Twelfth  Streets. 

*'One  evening,  while  a  dozen  men  were  enjoying  their  pipes 
around  a  roaring,  crackling  log  fire,  one  of  the  pioneers,  with  an 
eye  to  business,  made  a  proposition.  'Boys,'  he  said  suddenly, 
after  a  long  reverie,  'let 's  start  a  town.'  The  idea  was  thought 
to  be  a  good  one,  and  the  very  next  day  a  meeting  was  called 
in  one  of  the  largest  cabins.  About  twenty  men  were  present. 
A  president  was  elected,  and  a  young  man  named  Blake,  pre- 


COLORADO,  221 

sumably  the  same  one  whose  name  was  given  to  Blake  Street, 
was  made  secretary.  The  organization  was  very  simple.  The 
president  of  the  meeting  was  given  control  of  things,  and  em- 
powered to  deal  out  justice,  while  Blake  was  to  handle  the  funds 
and  keep  a  record.  By-laws  were  adopted,  the  greater  portion 
of  which  went  to  show  that  every  man  who  erected  a  house  or 
cabin  was  entitled  to  a  share  of  the  joint  property  of  the  little 
commonwealth.  Some  one  suggested  that  the  town  be  called 
Auraria,  and  that  name  was  unanimously  adopted."  This  meet- 
ing was  held  October  25,  1858. 

About  this  time,  or  perhaps  a  little  later,  a  small  party  of  men 
camped  on  the  east  side  of  Cherry  Creek.  They  decided  that 
there  was  the  place  for  a  city.  "Coming  events  cast  their  shad- 
ows before."  One  of  the  number  told  the  writer  in  1869,  that 
they  found  themselves  "broke,"  with  nothing  else  to  do;  and 
having  a  surveyor  and  his  instruments  with  them,  they  laid  out 
a  town,  naming  it  after  the  then  Governor  of  Kansas  Territory — 
Denver. 

The  gentleman  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  the  above  informa- 
tion, afterward  traded  his  interest  in  the  town-site  for  a  span  of 
mules,  harness,  wagon,  and  "grub"  enough  to  get  back  to  the 
States,  thinking  that  he  made  a  good  bargain. 

A.  H.  Barker  built  the  first  cabin  in  Auraria,  after  the  town 
was  named,  at  the  corner  of  Wynkoop  and  Twelfth  Streets,  he 
having  arrived,  October  28,  1858.  About  two  hundred  men  win- 
tered in  the  vicinity  of  the  "Spanish  Diggings."  These  were 
where  the  bridge  crosses  the  Platte  River  at  Valverde. 

In  the  spring  of  1859  the  "Jackson  Diggings,"  now  Idaho 
Springs,  and  the  Gregory  Lode,  near  Central  City,  were  un- 
covered. 

In  June,  1859,  ^«^ch  town  had  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
houses  and  shanties  of  different  grades.  Lots  then  sold  at  from 
twenty  to  four  hundred  dollars  each. 

One  can  hardly  conceive  the  state  of  things  here  thirty-seven 
years  ago  (i860).    Then  there  was  only  one  small  brick  house  in' 
Denver,  owned  by  John  H.  Keeler.     A  few  adobes  made  up 
Pueblo.     A  few  cabins  at  Golden  City,  Boulder,  and  Colorado 
City.     Mountain  City  was  the  principal  mining  town,  next  in 


222  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

population  to  Denver.  The  country  was  without  even  a  Terri- 
torial government.  Said  Jerome  B.  Chafee  in  1883:  "It  was  in 
appearance  a  wilderness  of  waste;  the  western  part  rugged,  in- 
hospitable mountains;  the  whole  skirted  and  in  some  degree 
traversed  by  Indians,  upon  whose  lands  we  were  necessarily  tres- 
passers. The  principal  farmer  was  Rufus  Clark,  better  known  as 
'Potato  Clark.'  Only  one  rudely-constructed  'six-stamp  mill' 
near  Mountain  City.  There  were  few  roads,  no  bridges,  and  only 
one  stage-line,  which  connected  Denver  with  the  Missouri  River 
on  the  east,  and  California  on  the  Pacific.  There  were  no  rich 
men  to  grind  the  faces  of  the  poor;  for  all  were  poor  alike,  brave 
and  honest.  The  Pike's  Peak  country  did  not  then  inspire  the 
newcomer  with  much  hope  for  the  bright  future,  which  we  now 
see.  Then  it  took  ten  days,  night  and  day,  to  reach  Denver.  I 
invited  my  comrade  to  take  a  drink.  I  laid  down  a  twenty-dollar 
gold-piece,  waited  some  time  for  change,  finally  spoke  to  the 
clerk  about  it,  when  he  said,  'That  was  all  right.'  That  trans- 
action made  one  temperance  man!  The  first  woman  to  reach 
these  diggings  was  Mrs.  Roker.  The  next  was  Aunt  Clara 
Brown,  black  of  skin,  but  white  of  heart.  Mrs.  Murat  was  the 
most  patriotic  lady;  she  made  a  flag  of  her  red,  white,  and  blue 
petticoat." 

Think  of  flour,  by  the  wagon-load,  at  thirty  dollars  per 
sack;  blasting-powder  twenty-five  dollars  a  keg;  everything  else 
in  proportion.  Those  were  brave  hearts  that  struggled  on 
through  every  conceivable  and  inconceivable  difficulty.  As  a 
result,  behold  the  marvel  of  the  world — the  Colorado  of  to-day; 
the  Centennial  State! 

In  those  early  days,  Bishop  Machebeuf,  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  says  he  met  an  Indian,  who  handed  him  a  note  of  recom- 
mendation, which  read:  "The  bearer  is  the  greatest  thief  and 
rascal  to  be  found  on  the  Plains." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  the  two  towns  in  1863,  it  was 
decided  to  consolidate  under  the  common  name  of  Dejnvkr. 
'At  this  time  the  usually  dry  bed  of  Cherry  Creek  was  nearly 
built  over.  A  flood  in  the  early  morning  of  May  20,  1864,  swept 
the  buildings  all  away;  in  one  of  which  was  the  printing-ofiftce 
of  the  Rocky  Mountain  News,  the  city  safe  and  records.     These 


COLORADO.  223 

have  never  been  found.  The  building  used  as  a  Methodist 
church,  where  the  Conference  had  been  organized  the  year  pre- 
vious, was  also  carried  away.  Since  that  time  there  has  been  no 
interference  with  Cherry  Creek's  right  of  way  through  the  city 
of  Denver. 

The  Centennial  State,  on  its  eastern  boundary-line,  extends 
from  north  to  south  276  miles  and  a  fraction;  the  western  is  the 
same  in  length ;  the  northern  line,  east  and  west,  is  367  miles  and 
a  fraction;  the  southern  boundary-line  is  386  miles.     Colorado 


THE  SPANISH  PEAKS. 


contains  103,563,638  square  miles.  In  area,  it  is  equal  to  the  six 
New  England  States,  with  New  Jersey,  Delaware,  Maryland,  and 
the  District  of  Columbia  thrown  in,  and  with  still  nearly  20,000 
square  miles  to  spare. 

About  two-thirds  of  the  State  are  mountains,  hills,  valleys, 
and  "Parks."  One-third  is  slightly  undulating  plains.  Colorado 
is  said  to  have  forty  peaks  which  are  over  fourteen  thousand 
feet  above  sea-level.  Her  farming  lands  are  rich  and  very  pro- 
ductive. Irrigation  is  necessary  in  most  localities.  Cereals  and 
vegetables  do  well.  Stock  and  fruit  raising  is  a  success.  Dairy- 
ing pays.  Mountains  and  hills  are  fairly  covered  with  pine  and 
other  timber.  Mineral  wealth  is  inexhaustible,  both  in  the  baser 
and  precious  metals.  Superior  stone  and  marble  exist  in  large 
quantities.  Colorado  people  could  almost  live  independent  of  all 
other  sections,  and  be  happy. 
15 


II. 

MKTHODIST   BEGINNINOS. 

Before  there  was  an  organized  government  of  any  kind  in 
this  Rocky  Mountain  region,  the  authorities  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  became  deeply  inter- 
ested in  providing  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people  who  had 
crossed  the  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri  Rivers,  headed  for 
"Pike's  Peak,"  to  better  their  financial  condition.  Many  of  these, 
failing  to  pick  up  the  ''gold  nuggets"  which  they  expected, 
squatted  here  and  there  along  the  streams  issuing  from  the  moun- 
tains, and  went  to  work  making  hay,  growing  stock,  gardening, 
and  farming  by  irrigation  as  soon  as  they  learned  how. 

The  Kansas  and  Nebraska  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  began  its  fourth  session  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  April 
14,  1859.  Bishop  Scott  not  having  arrived,  a  president  pro  tern. 
was  elected.  The  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  adminis- 
tered, and  the  Conference  proceeded  to  business.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  second  day  the  bishop  took  the  chair.  The  attendance 
was  full,  representing  sixty-nine  fields  of  labor,  inclusive  of 
districts.  Sixty-one  preachers  received  their  appointments  from 
this  Conference.    The  aggregate  lay  membership  was  3,636. 

A  new  subject  of  interest  presented  itself  to  the  minds  of  the 
Conference  and  of  the  ''cabinet."  The  emigration  to  the  gold- 
fields  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  had  begun  the  year  previous.  The 
numbers  were  increasing  from  day  to  day.  It  is  estimated  that 
one  hundred  thousand  persons  crossed  the  Missouri  River  in 
April  and  May  of  that  year,  bound  for  the  mountains.  Many  of 
our  members  were  being  attracted  thither.  The  Church,  faithful 
to  her  pioneer  calling,  said,  ''The  gospel  must  be  sent  there," 
and  sounded  the  cry,  "Who  w^ill  go  for  us?" 

When  the  subject  was  considered  in  the  "cabinet,"  the  bishop 
intimated  to  W.  PI.  Goode,  who  had  organized  the  work  west  of 
the  Missouri  River  five  years  previous,  and  had  superintended 
it  since,  that  he  would  like  to  have  him  explore  that  "unknown 
quantity"  in  the  western  mining  regions.     At  first  he  refused. 

224 


METHODIST  BEGINNINGS. 


225 


After  deliberating  over  the  matter  a  few  days,  Brother  Goode 
visited  the  Missouri  Conference,  then  in  session,  and  said  to  the 
bishop  by  his  presence,  "Here  am  I,  send  me."  This  was  accord- 
ingly done,  and  Jacob  Adriance,  just  appointed  to  the  Rock 
Bluffs  Mission,  below  Omaha,  was  designated  as  his  associate. 

A  four-mule  team,  stout  wagon,  and  suitable  outfit  were  pur- 
chased at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
for  the  use  of  the  intrepid  mis- 
sionaries. 

Rev.  Jacob  Adriance,  now  of 
Jamestown,  Nebraska,  thus  de- 
scribes the  journey: 

"A  little  more  than  two 
weeks  were  spent  in  getting 
ready  for  this  trip  of  six  hundred 
miles  across  the  Plains.  It  was 
arranged  that  we  should  go  to- 
gether. Brother  Goode  furnish- 
ing conveyance  and  supplies,  I 
paying  him,  in  part,  for  my  pas- 
sage, doing  my  share  of  the 
work  and  watching  nights.  We 
also  had  a  young  man  to  drive 
for  us,  making  three  in  our 
party.  By  the  time  we  were  ready  to  start,  hundreds  had  reached 
Cherry  Creek.  Many,  not  finding  things  as  they  expected, 
"stampeded"  for  the  States.  In  their  flight  property  was  de- 
stroyed, lives  threatened,  all  along  the  way." 

Rev.  W.  H.  Goode,  in  his  "Outposts  of  Zion,"  says  of  the 
excited  throngs,  going  and  returning:  "Some  were  thoughtful 
and  considerate;  others  were  of  a  class  that  float  banners,  flourish 
revolvers,  and  ostentatiously  display  the  'pick  and  pan.'  Some 
had  wheelbarrows,  others  handcarts,  still  others  on  foot  carry- 
ing their  tents  and  scanty  supplies,  having  nearly  six  hundred 
miles  to  go  across  an  uninhabited  plain.  Some  went  through, 
others  half-way;  but  by  far  the  larger  number  only  a  short  dis- 
tance.   Enough  reached  Cherry  Creek  to  produce  a  heavy  pres- 


ADRIANCK. 


226  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

sure  on  their  scanty  supplies  of  provisions,  became  restless,  and 
back  they  rushed,  carrying  the  most  doleful  reports.  'No  gold! 
Humbug!  Famine!  Murder!'  etc.  Party  after  party  were  turned 
back.  Those  who  did  go  through  were  compelled  to  take  down 
their  banner  for  Tike's  Peak,'  and  say  they  were  going  to  Cali- 
fornia. Men  were  told  of  their  own  death  by  those  who  averred 
that  they  themselves  had  done  the  deed,  or  participated  in  it.  One 
saw  his  own  grave  and  epitaph  in  several  different  places." 

Amid  such  scenes  and  in  such  times  did  Goode  and  Adriance 
start  for  and  press  on  to  this  unpromising  field  of  labor;  leaving 
Goode's  home,  three  miles  southeast  of  Glenwood,  Iowa,  at  ten 
A.  M.  of  May  30,  1859,  and  crossing  the  Missouri.  River  at  Platts- 
mouth,  Nebraska.  The  next  morning  they  pulled  out  for  their 
trip  across  the  plains.  Though  meeting  the  returning  throngs, 
they  pursued  their  way  steadily  onward,  spending  the  last  Sab- 
bath before  reaching  their  destination,  near  Fort  St.  Vrain,  which 
stood  just  below  where  Platteville  is  now  situated. 

Brother  Goode  drove  his  four-mule  team  into  Denver  at  half- 
past  two  P.  M.,  on  Tuesday,  June  28,  1859;  Brother  Adriance 
following  on  his  pony.  They  had  six  months'  provisions  for  two. 
Their  trip  had  been  one  of  great  fatigue  and  exposure  during  the 
twenty-eight  days  en  route.  After  putting  up  notices  for  preach- 
ing on  the  following  Sabbath,  they  drove  four  miles  up  the  Platte 
to  get  feed  for  their  animals. 

Allen  Wiley's  motto  was  theirs,  ''Methodist  preachers  are  in  a 
pushing  world,  and  they  must  push  also."  Experience  soon 
taught  them  that  the  best  way  to  get  a  crowd  was  to  sing  it  up. 
Their  first  service  was  held  July  3,  1859,  in  Pollock's  Hotel. 
This  was  a  frame  building,  one  of  the  three  or  four  only  in  the 
two  towns  of  Auraria,  now  West  Denver,  and  Denver  City.  This 
house  stood  on  the  east  side  of  Eleventh  Street,  between  Wazee 
and  Market  Streets.  Brother  Goode  preached  at  eleven  A.  M., 
and  Brother  Adriance  at  three  P.  M.  The  congregations  were 
small,  the  people  not  caring  for  these  things.  They  found,  how- 
ever, two  men  who  had  been  Methodists;  Henry  Reitze  and  Alex- 
ander Carter.  The  latter  gentleman  resides  in  Nebraska,  but  the 
former  still  lives  in  the  city,  and  has  been  a  standard-bearer  for 
the  Church  during  all  these  thirty-nine  years.    In  1872  he  helped 


METHODIST  BEGINNINGS. 


227 


to  organize  the  California  Street,  now  Christ  Church;  also,  at 
a  later  date,  the  German  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  was 
born  December  18,  1830,  in  Kuhr,  Hessen,  Germany.  In  1848 
he  went  to  London,  England,  where  he  learned  the  baker's 
trade.  From  there  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1854.  He  was  converted  in  the  spring  of  1855,  in  Bridgeport, 
Connecticut.  Here  he  learned  the  painter's  trade.  In  the  spring 
of  1856  he  came  to  Omaha,  Nebraska.  There  John  M.  Chivinp-- 
ton  received  him  into  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  He 
started,  October  i,  1858,  for 
'Tike's  Peak,"  reaching  Fort 
Lupton,  twenty-five  miles  north- 
east of  where  Denver  now 
stands,  on  the  30th  of  the  same 
month,  stopping  there  in  an 
adobe  building  for  about  a 
month.  He  then  came  up  to 
Auraria,  and  started  the  ''City 
Bakery,"  with  only  six  cents 
capital,  it  being  all  the  money 
he  had  in  the  world.  Eight 
months  afterward  he  sold  out  to 
his  partner  for  $3,500,  and  re- 
turned to  Omaha,  where  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Matilda  Schlessinger.  He  and  his  bride  came 
to  Denver,  where  they  have  resided,  either  in  or  near  the  city, 
ever  since.  Upon  his  return  he  engaged  in  the  painting  business, 
which  his  sons  now  continue.  Eight  children  have  graced  their 
home.  One  has  gone  hence,  dying  young.  The  others  live  in 
the  city  of  their  birth.  They  have  a  very  pleasant  home  at  the 
corner  of  Marion  and  Twenty-third  Avenue.  He  was  the  first 
Methodist  to  join  the  Church  in  Denver,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
Board  of  Stewards.  This  society  afterwards  became  Lawrence 
Street,  now  Trinity.  Brothers  Goode  and  Adriance  took  their 
first  meal  in  Denver  at  Henry  Reitze's  table.  He  at  that  time 
kept  a  bakery  and  lunch-room  on  Eleventh  Street,  between 
Wazee  and  Market  Streets,  fronting  southwest. 


H.   REITZE. 


228  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

July  4th  they  started  for  the  "Gregory  Diggings,"  discov- 
ered by  Green  Russell  and  the  Georgians  in  June,  1858,  now 
better  known  as  Black  Hawk,  Central  City,  and  Nevada.  They 
halted  long  enough  in  Golden  City  to  hold  religious  services  in 
a  "round  tent,"  the  gamblers  stopping  their  games  for  one  hour 
to  let  Goode  preach,  but  claiming  the  next  hour. 

They  attempted  to  drive  into  the  mountains  through  the 
"Golden  Gate,"  which  is  a  little  north  of  Golden  City.  The  trail 
was  so  rough  that  they  were  compelled  to  "about  face,"  and 
camp  in  a  little  park  outside  of  the  mountains,  where  the  wagon, 
driver,  and  three  mules  were  left. 

Then  they  proceeded  on  pony  and  m.ule  back,  "packed  to  the 
full  measure  of  comfort,"  to  the  "Gregory  Diggings,"  where 
they  arrived  on  Friday,  July  8th.  Immediately  they  announced 
preaching  on  the  next  Sabbath,  at  ten  A.  M. 

The  streets  of  Mountain  City  were  dusty.  The  congregation 
was  large  and  attentive;  all  men.  Goode  preached  on  the  street 
to  that  mass  of  humanity  with  great  power.  That  afternoon  at 
two  P.  M.  he  held  an  experience-meeting  in  a  retired  place  on 
the  rocky  seats  of  a  mountain  spur.  Oft  has  the  writer  heard 
that  "love-feast"  described  by  those  who  were  present.  Here 
were  men  gathered  from  nearly  all  lands  and  climes.  This  was 
the  first  meeting  of  the  kind  ever  held  in  the  Rocky  Mountain 
region.  They  sang  the  old  hymns,  wept  over  their  shortcomings, 
and  shouted  for  joy  as  they  related  their  experiences  of  a  personal 
salvation.  So  great  was  their  "refreshing,"  that  those  who  were 
present  have  never  forgotten  it.  Sad  the  thought,  the  great 
majority  has  "crossed  the  range"  to  that  land  "whence  no  traveler 
returns." 

At  its  close  Brother  Goode  received  thirty-five  members  into 
the  Church.  The  next  day,  Monday,  at  ten  o'clock,  he  organized 
a  Quarterly-meeting  Conference  at  the  same  place,  formed  a 
charge,  embracing  the  mining  camps  in  that  region  and  en- 
gaged G.  W.  Fisher,  a  local  elder,  to  supply  the  work.  This 
man  Fisher  had  preached  the  first  gospel  sermon  in  Denver, 
and  had  also  preached  on  this  identical  spot  on  a  preceding 
Sabbath. 


METHODIST  BEGINNINGS. 


229 


The  first*  service,  the  first  experience-meeting,  and  the  first 
Quarterly  Conference,  at  Central  City,  were  each  held  on  the 
site  where  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  now  stands. 

(David  S.  Green,  Esq.,  subscribed  $250,  which  was  by  far 
the  largest  contribution.  The  result  of  that  effort,  after  years 
of  heroic  struggle,  may  be  seen  in  the  accompanying  cut.     The 


CHURCH  IN  CENTRAL  CITY. 


subscription-paper  was  drawn  January  i,  1863,  to  secure  funds 
for  building  a  church  in  Central  City,  Colorado,  and  was  to  be 
paid  in  three  installments;  namely,  one-third  in  February,  one- 
third  in  April,  and  the  last  in  June,  1863.) 

They  visited  the  mining-camps  along  the  valley  of  Clear 
Creek,  returning  to  the  camp  they  had  left  by  that  route,  which 
at  that  time  was  an  exceedingly  rough  one.  They  suffered  no 
little  from  the  want  of  proper  covering  at  night,  as  they  had  to 
sleep  under  the  pine-trees  on  the  bare  ground. 

Sunday,  July  17th,  Brother  Goode  preached  morning  and 
evening  at  Golden  City  in  the  ''round  tent."    Four  persons  joined 


*  A.  H.  Barker's  private  diary  says  that  Rev.  Mr.  Porter,  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  from  Georgia,  preached  the  first  sermon  in  Central 
City,  June,  1859,  from  Deut.  v,  29,  on  the  above  mentioned  locality. 


230  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

the  Church.  Adriance  preached  at  five  o'clock  in  Arapahoe. 
Three  united  with  the  Church  there.  This  town  was  located  on 
the  farm,  since  occupied  by  George  Allen,  about  a  mile  east  of 
North  Table  Mountain,  on  the  ''mesa,"  where  a  stone  house  now 
stands,  just  south  of  the  railroad  track,  and  west  of  Mt.  Olivet 
Cemetery.  On  Sunday,  July  24th,  Goode  preached  at  Arapahoe, 
morning  and  evening. 

Their  camp  at  this  time  was  on  Ralston  Creek.  Monday,  the 
25th,  they  moved  over  on  the  north  side  of  the  Platte  River,  two 
miles  below  Denver,  just  above  where  Globeville  is  now  located. 

Sunday,  July  31st,  Dr.  Goode  preached  in  Denver  City,  in  the 
house  of  a  Mr.  Doleman,  on  the  north  side  of  Lawrence  Street, 
between  Fourteenth  and  Fifteenth  Streets.  At  three  P.  M.  a 
Brother  Monholland,  a  local  preacher  from  Iowa,  preached  in 
Auraria. 

On  Friday  their  camp  was  moved  to  the  southeast  side  of  the 
river,  about  four  miles  north  of  Denver  City.  This  was  not  far 
from  where  the  Riverside  Cemetery  now  is. 

Rev.  W.  H.  Goode  wrote  to  Dr.  Durbin,  corresponding  secre- 
tary of  the  Missionary  Society:  ''We  have  divided  the  work  into 
two  districts,  as  follows:  i.  Denver  City_and  Auraria  Mission; 
embracing  the  two  places  named  in  the  above,  with  the  country 
along  the  Platte  on  both  sides,  the  country  up  Cherry  Creek, 
the  towns  at  the  base  of  the  mountains,  and  'Boulder  Diggings' 
in  the  mountains  (probably  the  region  of  Gold  Hill).  We  have 
organized  in  this  field  a  Quarterly-meeting  Conference,  consist- 
ing of  the  preacher  in  charge,  three  stewards,  and  one  leader. 
The  membership  so  far  ascertained  and  enrolled  is  twenty-two. 
The  mission  is  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Jacob  Adriance,  ap- 
pointed by  Bishop  Scott.  His  post-office  address  is  Denver,  Kan- 
sas Territory.  The  Rocky  Mountain  Mission  embraces  all  the 
mining  regions  in  the  mountains,  except  'Boulder  Diggings.' 
Here  we  have  organized  a  Quarterly  Conference,  consisting  of 
two  local  preachers,  an  exhorter,  three  stewards,  and  have  a 
society  of  fifty-one  members,  including  probationers  just  re- 
ceived. I  have  employed  Rev.  G.  W.  Fisher  to  take  charge  of 
this  mission.    The  principal  seat  of  our  permanent  labors  will  be 


METHODIST  BEGINNINGS.  23 1 

in  Denver  and  Auraria."  These  words  are  rather  prophetic,  when 
we  recollect  that  most  people  then  thought  that  Golden  City 
would  be  by  far  the  larger  place. 

During  Dr.  Goode's  second  visit  to  Denver,  the  meeting  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  delegates  to  petition  Congress  to  form 
a  Territory  of  this  Rocky  Mountain  region  was  held.  He  was 
their  chaplain.  Again  he  writes:  "i\  momentary  leisure  in  the 
midst  of  many  engagements  enables  me  to  sketch  another  letter 
while  seated  in  the  room  of  the  Convention,  now  in  session  for 
the  purpose  of  forming  a  constitution  for  the  'State  of  Jefferson.' 
I  necessarily  pass  by  incidental  details — such  as  removal  to  the 
Platte,  Sabbath  labors,  the  organization  of  several  societies  and 
Quarterly  Conferences.  Arrangements  are  made  for  receiving 
lots  in  both  Denver  and  Auraria,  on  which  it  is  hoped  temporary 
houses  of  worship  will  be  erected  before  winter." 

The  memorial  to  Congress  was  passed  on  the  sixth  day  of  the 
Convention's  session.  Alexander  Carter  was  selected  as  their 
representative  to  Congress. 

August  7th,  Brother  Goode  preached  in  Auraria  at  eleven 
o'clock,  and  at  three  P.  M.  in  Denver  City.  At  the  close  of  the 
last  sermon,  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  adminis- 
tered, the  first  time  in  this  region. 

Having  accomplished  that  for  which  he  was  sent,  the  next 
thing  to  do  was  to  report  personally  to  the  General  Missionary 
Committee,  of  which  he  was  a  member.  This  was  to  meet  in 
New  York  City  November  ist,  and  he  was  eight  hundred  miles 
from  the  nearest  railroad  station  in  Iowa. 

On  Monday,  August  8,  1859,  at  ten  A.  M.,  he  and  his  teamster 
broke  camp,  and  pulled  out  down  the  Platte  River,  with  two 

passengers,  for  *'the  States,"  leaving  Brother  A "on  the  old 

camp-ground,"  by  the  river  bank,  who  felt  like  singing, 
"  No  foot  of  land  do  I  possess,"  etc. 

That  afternoon  Henry  Reitze  came  down  with  a  wagon,  and 

conveyed  Brother  A ,  with  his  little  effects,  up  to  his  cabin 

in  Auraria.  Prior  to  this,  owing  to  the  high  price  of  board  and 
lodging,  Adriance  had  rented  a  log-cabin,  12  x  14,  for  ten  dollars 
a  month.    It  stood  on  Twelfth  Street,  between  Larimer  and  Law- 


232  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

rence.     Brother  A ,  twenty-seven  years  afterward,  describes 

his  cabin  and  surroundings  at  that  time,  thus:  "The  logs  were 
hewn,  corners  trimmed,  no  chimney,  fronted  west,  a  double-sash 
window  in  the  east,  which  had  been  imported  from  New  Mexico. 
The  roof  was  clapboarded  with  split  shingles,  not  unlike  barrel- 
staves,  then  covered  with  dirt,  through  which  the  stove-pipe  ex- 
tended, from  the  little  sheet-iron  stove  in  the  southeast  corner; 
dirt  floor;  rough  boards  for  a  door.  I  covered  the  ground  with 
hay,  made  a  table,  bedstead,  two  stools,  and,  with  a  little  camp- 
stove,  a  tin  plate,  cup,  knife  and  fork,  two  blankets,  and  a  buflfalo- 
robe,  I  commenced  housekeeping.  I  felt  like  a  stranger  in  a 
strange  land;  more  strange  among  a  still  stranger  people,  sur- 
rounded with  circumstances  and  conditions  still  more  strange; 
for  none  of  them  cared  for  religious  things.  Trading,  traffick- 
ing, drinking,  and  gambling  were  the  order  of  the  day,  seven  days 
in  the  week,  interspersed  with  the  occasional  shooting  of  a  man. 

"A  white  woman  or  a  child  was  a  curiosity.  Men  would  leave 
their  glasses  and  cards,  and  rush  frantically  to  the  door,  exclaim- 
ing: 'A  woman!  a  woman!  a  child!  a  child!  as  either  appeared 
coming  into  town.  I  do  not  forget  the  loneliness  experienced, 
following  Brother  Goode's  departure,  as  I  traveled  in  that  un- 
organized society.  My  custom  was  to  hold  class-meeting  after 
each  service. 

"During  the  summer  my  congregations  were  nearly  all  new- 
comers, every  time.  In  many  respects  it  was  a  pleasant  year, 
though  one  of  hard  work  and  many  privations,  often  sleeping 
on  the  ground,  or  in  wagons,  or  anywhere  that  I  could  straighten 
out  and  keep  warm.  I  felt  it  was  for  the  Master,  and  that  noth- 
ing that  could  be  endured  was  too  hard.  I  knew  that  I  was  a 
poor  stick  for  such  a  work;  yet  I  did  seek  to  lay  good  foun- 
dations upon  which  others  should  build.  How  I  longed  for  the 
society  of  ministers  and  of  pious  people!  For  a  time  Brother 
Reitze  was  the  only  religious  man  in  the  two  towns,  with  whom 
I  could  converse." 

Who  wonders  at  his  being  lonesome?  Previously  he  had 
taken  time  by  the  forelock,  mowed  with  a  scythe,  and  put  up 
three  tons  of  hay  on  Ralston  Creek.  He  borrowed  two  yoke  of 
oxen  and  a  wagon,  hired  a  man  to  help,  hauled  it  to  Arapahoe, 


METHODIST  BEGINNINGS.  233 

and  stacked  it  for  safe  keeping.  After  building  himself  a  log 
stable  and  yard  to  put  the  hay  in,  he  hauled  it  with  the  same  team 
to  Auraria. 

On  Friday,  August  nth,  Brother  A started  for  Boulder, 

by  the  way  of  Arapahoe  and  Golden,  arriving  at  the  former  place 
the  next  day.  At  Boulder  he  stopped  with  a  family  by  the  name 
of  Fay,  and  preached,  from  John  iii,  16,  in  the  log  house  of  a 
Mr.  Moore,  which  stood  near,  if  not  upon,  the  present  site  of 
the  court-house.  This  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  sermon  in 
Boulder  County,  and  was  delivered  on  the  13th  of  August,  1859. 
He  took  dinner  with  a  Mr.  Williams.  At  four  o'clock  that  after- 
noon he  preached  in  the  same  place  from  Matthew  xiii,  2^^,  and 
received  one  member  into  the  Church. 

On  Monday  night,  the  14th,  he  preached  ten  miles  north  of 
Boulder,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  at  a  place  called  Spring- 
ville,  to  a  large  and  attentive  congregation,  from  Isaiah  Iv,  6. 
There  was  only  one  house  in  the  place,  and  that  was  occupied  by 
a  family  by  the  name  of  McClain. 

As  near  as  can  now  be  ascertained,  this  was  on  Left  Hand,  a 
little  northwest  of  Haystack  Mountain. 

Wednesday,  the  15th,  he  visited  ''the  Boulder  Diggings," 
now  Gold  Hill;  but,  owing  to  rain,  held  no  service.  Returned  to 
Auraria  on  the  19th.  His  second  visit  to  Boulder  was  on  the  3d 
of  September,  when  he  preached  in  the  upper  room  of  a  saloon. 
His  third  visit  was  on  the  25th,  when,  on  the  27th,  he  preached  at 
"Gold  Hill." 

Of  his  return  from  this  trip,  Brother  A says:  "On  the 

night  of  September  28th,  I  was  on  my  way  from  Boulder  to 
Auraria,  on  the  old  'Cherokee  Trail.'  At  Clear  Creek,  being  be- 
lated, I  had  camped  for  the  night  by  a  haystack.  A  cold  rain 
setting  in  about  midnight,  my  pony  being  poor  and  in  danger  of 
becoming  chilled,  I  started  for  home;  became  lost  on  the  south 
side  of  the  creek.  The  rain  turned  to  snow  about  two  o'clock. 
I  kept  warm  by  walking  forward  and  back  for  about  four  rods, 
one  blanket  on  pony  and  one  on  self.  In  the  morning  the  snow 
was  four  inches  deep,  and  I  was  four  miles  from  town,  which  I 
was  glad  to  reach  about  sunrise.  This  snow  brought  most  of  the 
miners  out  of  the  mountains,  where  the  snow  was  much  deeper, 


234 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


wintering  there  being  supposed  impracticable.  They  mostly  re- 
turned to  the  'States.'  Many,  however,  stopped  in  the  valley,  at 
different  places  outside  of  the  mountains." 

Rev.  G.  W.  Fisher,  in  charge  of  the  mountain  appointments, 
found  the  miners  going,  or  gone,  so  he  came  to  Auraria,  and 


f. 


,.#*'■' 


.-^^XaTi-w^ 


1^ 


tjummmk 


NO.  1465  ELEVENTH  STREET. 
(Probably  the  oldest  house  in  Denver.) 


"bached"  with  Brother  A during  the  winter.     Likewise  did 

a  local  preacher  by  the  name  of  Abraham   Huette.     Brother 

F was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  during  the  winter  he  built 

a  house  for  Brother  Reitze  on  Eleventh   Street,  which  is  yet 
standing  at  No.   1465. 

There  was  no  religious  organization  of  any  kind  when 
Brothers  Goode  and  Adriance  reached  Denver.  Methodism  had 
been  first  on  the  ground  to  supply  the  agencies  of  the  Church 
to  these  bold  pioneers. 


METHODIST  BEGINNINGS.  235 

Late  in  the  fall  of  1859,  ^^  o^^  gentleman,  Rev.  J.  H.  Kehler, 
an  Episcopal  clergyman,  with  his  two  daughters,  came  to  the 
city,  and  their  first  service  was  held  January  20,  i860.  The  re- 
sult was  "St.  John's  Church  in  the  Wilderness,"  on  the  corner 
of  Arapahoe  and  Fourteenth  Streets,  where  the  Haish  Manual 
Training-school  building,  of  the  University  of  Denver,  now 
stands.  His  successor  is  Dean  Hart  and  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal cathedral. 

November  2^,  1859,  Brother  A organized  a  class  of  six 

members  in  Boulder,  consisting  of  Brothers  McLeod  and  wife, 
Becker  and  wife,  Mitchel  and  wife. 

February  6,  i860,  he  organized  a  class  of  ten  members  in 
Golden,  with  James  W.  Stanton  leader.  In  the  list  of  names  is 
that  of  Abraham  Slater,  now  a  member  of  the  Church  at  Wheat- 
ridge. 

The  Kansas  and  Nebraska  Conference  met  in  Leavenworth, 

Kansas  Territory,  March  15,  i860.     Brother  A started  for 

that  Conference  on  February  i6th,  by  the  Jones  and  Russell's 
stage-line.  Major  R.  B.  Bradford,  agent,  having  furnished  him 
a  "pass"  to  Fort  Kearney.  It  took  four  days  to  reach  that 
point,  traveling  day  and  night.  Then  he  had  one  hundred  and 
eighty  miles  to  go  in  private  conveyance  to  reach  Omaha,  taking 
six  days  more.  One  very  cold  night  he  was  compelled  to  lie 
out  on  the  plains  without  fire.  From  Omaha  he  proceeded  by 
stage  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  one  hundred  and  ten  miles.  Then 
by  boat  to  Leavenworth,  Kansas. 

The  Conference  recognized  the  importance  of  this  work  by 
inserting  in  its  Minutes  statistical  returns  from  "Pike's  Peak," 
and  by  creating  a  "Rocky  Mountain  District."  The  following 
resolution  was  also  passed : 

"Resolved,  That  the  General  Conference  be  requested  to  make  con- 
tingent provision  for  the  organization  of  an  Annual  Conference,  to  em- 
brace the  mining  regions  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  at  a  period  prior  to 
the  session  of  the  General  Conference  of  1864,  by  authorizing  the  bishop 
to  make  such  organization,  should  the  continued  emigration  be  such  as, 
in  their  judgment,  to  render  the  measure  necessary. 

"(Signed,)  William   H.   Goods, 

Isaac  F.  Collins." 


236  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Again  I  quote  from  Brother  A 's  letters  to  the  writer  and 

others:  *'How  glad  I  was  to  meet  the  brethren,  and  have  some 
ministerial  society.  It  was  like  an  oasis  in  the  desert.  I  was 
nearly  overcome  with  joy.  After  Conference  I  went  back  to  New 
York,  to  visit  my  parents  and  friends.  There  I  found  a  girl  will- 
ing to  become  a  missionary's  wife."  (There  is  a  slight  touch  of 
romance  and  of  heroism  about  this  match.  She  was  Miss  Fanny 
A.,  daughter  of  Rev.  L.  C.  Rogers,  of  the  Central  New  York 
Conference.  Just  seventeen  days  after  their  first  meeting,  they 
were  married,  and  started  for  the  'Tike's  Peak"  country.)  **On 
our  return  we  crossed  the  Plains  at  the  rate  of  twenty-eight  to 
thirty  miles  a  day,  reaching  Golden  about  the  ist  of  July,  and 
began  housekeeping  in  a  little  cabin  12  x  14,  with  no  floor,  one 
door,  half  a  window  on  each  side,  slab  roof,  eaves  about  five  feet 
high,  three  stools,  and  a  little  sheet-iron  stove.  Kept  house  three 
months  without  a  chair. 

''When  Presiding  Elder  Chivington  came  to  stop  over  night, 
he  had  a  much  better  bed  than  I  had  a  number  of  times,  the 
year  before,  in  the  same  place;  for  I  had  previously,  with  a  pick 
and  sledge-hammer,  broken  off,  pounded  down,  or  dug  up  some 
of  the  stones  among  which  I  had  wriggled  myself  down  so  that 
I  could  rest  a  little  and  sleep.  Further,  I  had  covered  the  ground 
with  sawdust,  then  with  hay,  upon  which  we  had  put  a  carpet 
of  gunny-sacks,  tacked  down  with  wooden  pegs  driven  into  the 
ground.  So,  with  a  few  blankets,  a  pair  of  nice  white  cotton 
or  linen  sheets,  and  a  big  feather-bed,  we  made  him  quite  com- 
fortable. But  wife  had  to  wait  in  the  morning  until  he  got  up 
before  breakfast  could  be  started.  A  wedding  party  of  four  came 
to  stop  over  night.  We  bunked  on  the  ground  with  a  part  of 
them,  giving  the  newly-married  pair  the  bedstead  with  one  leg, 
of  my  own  make. 

"When  wife  and  I  visited  on  the  circuit,  she  rode  the  pony 
and  I  took  it  afoot.  I  carried  my  revolver  and  knife  in  my  belt. 
On  the  whole,  we  had  a  good  year;  some  souls  converted." 

The  General  Conference  of  i860  divided  the  Kansas  and  Ne- 
braska Conference.  The  Rocky  Mountain  District,  lying  ad- 
jacent to  Kansas,  was  placed  in  that  Conference. 

September  4,  i860,  Rev.  J.  M.  Chivington,  presiding  elder, 


METHODIST  BEGINNINGS.  237 

held  the  first  quarterly-meeting  services  in  Boulder,  Brother 
Adriance  having  held  the  Quarterly  Conference  the  previous  day, 
as  the  elder  was  not  present. 

The  Kansas  Conference  of  1861  convened  in  Atchison,  Kansas 
Territory,  March  21st.  The  Colorado  work  was  recognized,  as 
had  been  done  the  year  previous.     Once  more   I  quote  from 

Brother  A :  'In  1861  I  did  not  go  to  Conference.     I  was 

appointed  to  Central  City,  Russel  Gulch,  and  other  points.  We 
lived  in  Eureka  Gulch.  I  traveled  this  work  on  foot,  as  it  was 
too  expensive  to  keep  a  pony,  with  corn  at  twelve  cents  per 
pound  and  hay  at  six  cents.  When  potatoes  and  squashes  came 
down  to  four  and  five  cents  per  pound,  we  thought  we  could  afiford 
the  luxury.  Here  wife  had  to  foot  it,  as  I  did,  when  she  went 
with  me.  Sometimes  she  would  walk  as  much  as  six  miles  in 
half  a  day  over  the  mountains.  It  was  on  this  charge  that  the 
first*  church  in  Colorado  was  built,  of  hewed  logs,  shingle  roof, 
puncheon  seats,  in  the  fall  of  i860,  and  was  a  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  It  stood  on  the  divide  between  Eureka  and  Nevada 
Gulches,  about  half  a  mile  from  Central  City'.  It  was  burned 
in  the  winter  of  1861.  The  key  happened  to  be  at  my  house, 
and  I  have  it  now.  The  original  was  lost,  and  this  one  was  made 
by  Father  Rowen,  a  blacksmith,  a  good  man,  a  local  preacher. 
We  had  a  hard  year.  Some  good  done.  Not  feeling  myself 
adapted  to  that  rough-and-tumble  work,  I  determined  to  locate. 
We  came  down  out  of  the  mountains  in  February,  1862,  by 
wagon,  and  were  eighteen  days  getting  to  Fremont,  Nebraska. 
In  the  Nebraska  Conference  I  worked  hard  for  sixteen  years. 
Much  exposure  had  broken  my  health;  though  laid  on  the  shelf, 
hearing  gone,  but,  thank  the  good  Lord,  enjoying  the  blessed- 
ness of  our  holy  Christianity.  If  it  was  not  wrong,  I  would  like 
to  be  young  again,  and  go  out  on  the  frontier  and  lay  founda- 
tions. I  do  love  to  see  the  structures  rise.  My  daily  prayer  used 
to  be  when  in  Colorado:  'O  that  God  will  bless  the  planting  of 
his  Church  here!'  To  God  belongs  the  praise.  Yours  for  the 
prosperity  of  Zion,  Jacob  Adriance." 

*  Brother  Adriance  had  not  heard  of  the  church-building  begun  in  Hamilton, 
nor  of  the  one  erected  in  California  Gulch,  and  occupied  in  October  for  a  quar- 
terly-meeting. The  church  at  Central  City  was  not  finished  until  December  25, 
i860,  when  it  was  dedicated.     (See  next  chapter.) 


238  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

The  Kansas  Conference  of  1862  met  in  Wyandotte  (now  West 
Kansas  City),  Kansas,  March  12th.  The  interests  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  country  were  carefully  looked  after  and  provided  for. 
The  same  was  true  of  the  session  in  1863,  which  met  in  Lawrence, 
March  nth.    Bishop  Ames  presided. 

I  now  give  the  appointments,  taken  from  the  "Kansas  and 
Nebraska"  and  from  the  "Kansas  Conference  Minutes,"  for  the 
years  indicated.  The  names  of  the  supplies  are  from  the  Denver 
News  of  the  same  dates : 

i860.— ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  DISTRICT— John  M.  Chivington,  F.  E. 

Denver  and  Auraria Supplied  by  A.  P.  Allen. 

Golden  City  and  Boulder Jacob  Adriance. 

Mountain  City Supplied  by  Joseph  T.  Canon. 

Clear  Creek,  Blue  River,  and  Colorado  City..  .All  to  be  supplied. 

1861.— ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  DISTRICT— John  M.  Chivington,  F.  £. 

.  Denver  City W.  A.  Kenney. 

Golden  City  and  Boulder J.  W.  Caughlin. 

Central   City. J.   Adriance. 

Colorado  City W.  S.  Lloyd. 

Tarryall William  Howbert. 

Gold  Dirt,  Mountain  City,  Nevada  and  Eureka,  Missouri  City, 
South  Clear  Creek,  Platte  River  and  Plumb  Creek,  Canon 
City,  Blue  River,  and  San  Juan  City To  be  supplied. 

1862.— ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  DISTRICT— B.  C.  Dennis,  P.  E. 

Denver W.  A.   Kenney. 

Golden  City  and  Boulder Charles  King. 

Caiion  and  Colorado  Cities William  Howbert. 

South  Park W.  S.  Lloyd. 

Central  City,  California  Gulch,  South  Clear  Creek,  and  Blue 
River To  be  supplied. 

1863.— ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  DISTRICT— B.  C.  Dennis,  P.  E. 

Denver  City O.  A.  Willard. 

Golden  City D.  M.  Petifish. 

Central  City W.  H.  Fisher. 

South  Park John  L.  Dyer. 

Black  Hawk Charles  King. 

Pueblo William  Howbert. 

Boulder,  South  Clear  Creek,  Blue  River,  California  Gulch,  and 
Colorado  City To  be  supplied. 


METHODIST  BEGINNINGS.  239 

Statistics. — The  stewards'  report  shows  that  the  salaries 
were  very  meager,  running  all  the  way  from  $37.50  up  to  $350, 
received  from  the  charges.  There  was  reported  from  "Pike's 
Peak"  in  i860,  2^  members,  35  probationers,  and  i  local 
preacher;  in  1861,  384  members,  43  probationers,  and  17  local 
preachers;  three  churches,  valued  at  $1,800.  The  benevolences 
were:  $7.50  for  missions;  $1  for  Church  Extension,  $1  for  Tracts, 
and  $1.50  for  Sunday-school  Union.  There  were  seven  Sunday- 
schools,  with  59  officers  and  teachers,  212  scholars  of  all  ages, 
and  610  books  in  their  libraries. 

In  1862,  they  reported  131  members,  32  probationers,  and  14 
local  preachers,  and  one  church-building  worth  $200.  They  had 
raised  $19  for  missions.  The  six  Sunday-schools  had  42  officers 
and  teachers,  233  scholars  of  all  ages,  and  830  volumes  in  li- 
braries. 

There  was  no  financial  report  in  the  Kansas  Conference  Min- 
utes for  the  Rocky  Mountain  work  in  1863.    Four  months  later, 
the  Rocky  Mountain  Conference  was  organized. 
16 


III. 

KOUKDATTION    BIJIIvDKRS. 

Some  years  ago,  Rev.  John  M.  Chivington  furnished  sketches 
of  the  early  times  in  Colorado  for  the  Rocky  Mountain  Christian 
Advocate,  from  which  I  make  the  following  selections : 

"On  May  8,  i860,  I  arrived  at  Denver,  published  an  appoint- 
ment, and  preached  the  following  Sunday  in  the  Masonic  Hall, 
and  also  on  the  next  Sunday,  morning  and  evening.  During 
the  next  week  I  succeeded  in  securing  the  services  of  Rev.  A.  P. 
Allen,  a  supernumerary  of  the  Wisconsin  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  as  a  supply  for  Denver.  Mr.  Allen 
was  an  able  preacher,  and  filled  the  pulpit  with  great  accepta- 
bility ;  but  as  he  was  engaged  in  secular  pursuits,  he  did  but  little 
Church-work,  except  to  preach,  and  consequently  his  success 
was  not  what  it  otherwise  might  have  been.  Adriance  and  Canon 
were  at  their  posts  in  due  time,  and  heartily  engaged  in  the  work. 
At  California  Gulch  I  found  H.  H.  Johnson,  a  local  preacher 
from  Kansas,  who  had  been  preaching  there,  and  seemed  to  be 
greatly  in  favor  with  the  people.  I  employed  him  as  a  supply, 
organized  a  society,  held  Quarterly  Conference,  and  set  matters 
to  work  in  good  shape.  As  a  result,  when  I  visited  them  on  my 
next  round,  they  had  a  round-log  church  up,  and  while  I  was 
there  we  occupied  it  to  hold  quarterly-meeting  in.  This  was 
the  first  place  of  worship,  erected  for  that  specific  purpose,  which 
we  had  in  the  country.  When  cold  weather  set  in,  which  was 
early,  Johnson  and  most  of  the  people  left  the  Gulch  for  different 
places  in  the  valley  and  the  States.  I  returned  to  Denver,  via 
Colorado  City,  spent  the  Sabbath  there,  and  had  services  Satur- 
day night  and  Sunday  morning  and  night.  After  preaching  at 
night  I  baptized  by  immersion,  in  Fountain-Qui-Bouille,  a  Mr. 
Meek,  a  Seventh-day  Baptist,  a  man  of  correct  life,  very  consci- 
entious, and  who  proved  himself  every  way  worthy  as  a  Christian 
man.  The  preachers  were  alert,  diligent,  devoted,  and  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  was  in  a  forward  state  of  organization 

240 


FOUNDATION  BUILDERS.  24 1 

at  all  points  where  we  had  been  able  to  occupy  the  field,  and  our 
Church  afforded  the  only  religious  services  they  had  except  for 
a  very  short  time.  In  June  and  July,  i860,  Rev.  William  Brad- 
ford, of  the  Kansas  Conference,  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  preached  and  set  up  the  banner  of  his  Church;  but  he 
soon  became  discouraged,  and  quit  the  field. 

"The  first  quarterly-meeting  held  at  Mountain  City  was  one 
of  the  most  extraordinary  ever  held  in  this,  or  any  other  country. 
There  were  present  thousands  upon  thousands  of  people  from 
every  State  and  Territory  in  the  Union,  and  from  almost  every 
country  of  Europe,  declaring  the  wonderful  works  of  God. 
Nearly  a  thousand  communed  at  the  Lord's  Supper.  Speaking 
of  this  meeting  recently,  an  old  saint  of  God  said:  'It  was  the 
most  remarkable  meeting  I  have  witnessed  in  seventy  years.* 
Mr.  Canon  labored  faithfully  and  successfully  until  about  the 
middle  of  September,  and  then  suddenly,  without  notice  to  the 
presiding  elder,  he  and  family  left  for  his  former  home  in  Ne- 
braska. Rev.  Mr.  Watson,  a  local  preacher  from  Iowa,  and 
brother  of  Dr.  J.  V.  Watson,  editor  of  the  Northzvestern  Christian 
Advocate,  was  then  employed  as  a  supply  on  Mountain  City 
charge.  He  served  a  short  time,  when  he  also  left  for  his  home 
'in  the  States,'  and  Charlie  Johnson,  a  local  preacher  from  Illi- 
nois, was  employed  to  finish  out  the  Conference  year,  which  he 
did  with  eminent  success.  The  brethren  erected  a  good  hewed- 
log  church  on  the  ridge  between  Nevada  and  Eureka  Gulches, 
and  it  was  opened  with  appropriate  services  December  25,  i860. 
Rev.  John  Cree,  John  W.  Stanton,  John  Reed,  J.  C.  Anderson, 
D.  S.  Green,  and  others,  were  prominent  in  the  construction  and 
furnishing  of  this  place  of  worship.  In  July  and  August  I  vis- 
ited and  held  services  in  Hamilton,  Fairplay,  and  Buckskin  Joe 
in  South  Park,  and  on  French  and  Georgia  Gulches,  over  the 
Range,  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Blue  River;  also  on  California 
and  McNulty's  Gulches,  on  the  Arkansas  River. 

"Late  in  the  fall  Father  Machebeuf,  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  came  to  Denver,  and  at  once  began  and,  until  very  re- 
cently, carried  on  and  forwarded  the  operations  of  his  Church. 

"In  March,  1861,  I  left  by  overland  coach  for  Conference  at 
Atchison,  Kansas.  The  latter  part  of  this  Conference  year  was  one 


242  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

of  great  unrest  in  the  Territory,  within  the  bounds  of  the  Rocky- 
Mountain  District;  grave  threats  of  secession  and  fiery  speeches 
in  both  Houses  of  Congress  were  the  order  of  the  times,  and  the 
inhabitants  of  this  region  were  very  much  divided  in  their  opin- 
ions and  sympathies  on  the  National  issue;  each  was  a  stranger 
to  almost  every  other  person  in  the  Territory,  and  each  looked 
upon  the  other  with  a  shade  of  suspicion.  Still,  to  the  credit 
of  all  the  people  be  it  said,  at  all  times  and  places  our  minis- 
ters were  treated  with  the  greatest  respect  and  consideration. 

"On  my  way  home  from  Conference  in  1861  I  was  thrown 
from  the  step  of  the  coach,  and  run  over  by  the  hind  wheel,  and 
was  so  badly  crippled  that,  for  a  time,  I  had  to  go  on  two 
crutches.  The  first  Sabbath  at  home  I  preached  in  our  place  of 
worship,  and  having  'just  arrived  from  the  States,'  there  was  a 
very  large  attendance.  During  the  sermon,  and  by  way  of  illus- 
tration, I  spoke  of  the  National  troubles,  and  quoted  the  words 
of  Stephen  A.  Douglas:  'Henceforth,  until  the  National  author- 
ity is  restored,  let  there  be  but  two  parties — patriots  and  traitors.' 
This  utterance  caused  a  very  decided  sensation  in  the  audience, 
and  resulted  in  a  visit  by  a  committee  of  gentlemen,  who  earnestly 
protested  against  having  their  secession  friends  characterized  as 
'traitors,'  'rebels,'  etc. 

"A  few  weeks  after  my  return  from  Conference  I  was  called 
on  to  preach  the  funeral  of  one  of  Captain  (afterwards  Colonel) 
Slaugh's  recruits,  who  had  been  shot  dead  by  a  saloon-keeper, 
because  he  wanted  more  drinks  than  he  had  money  to  pay  for. 
During  that  sermon  T  told  the  excited  multitude  that  I  was  God's 
free  man,  and  did  not  intend  to  speak  any  doubtful  words  on  the 
great  question  at  issue;  nor  yet  to  hold  my  peace.  That  I  was 
a  man  of  lawful  age  and  full  size  (six  feet  four  and  a  half  inches, 
and  well-proportioned),  and  an  American  citizen  before  I  became 
a  minister,  and  that  if  the  Church  had  required  me  to  renounce 
any  of  my  rights  of  manhood  or  American  citizenship  before  I 
could  become  her  minister,  I  should  have  very  respectfully  de- 
clined. 

"My  readers  will  see  that  our  position  as  a  Church  in  this 
region  was  pretty  clearly  defined,  and  I  am  glad  to  say  that,  so 
far  as  I  learned,  there  was  but  one  man  and  one  woman,  his  wife, 


FOUNDATION  BUILDERS,  243 

who  took  umbrage  at  the  position  taken.  He  was  not  in  full 
accord  with  us,  as  well,  on  the  temperance  question.  And  we 
were  then,  and  would  be  now,  and  will  be  in  all  future  time, 
better  off  without  any  who  are  tipplers  in  the  Church.  No  pre- 
text, in  my  judgment,  is  suf^xient  to  justify  the  use  of  intoxicants 
by  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church ;  better,  far  better, 
die  by  the  hand  of  a  just  God  than  be  cured  by  the  devil.  Excuse 
this  digression.  Early  in  the  Conference  year  I  accepted  a  com- 
mission as  major  of  the  ist  Colorado  Infantry  Volunteers,  from 
the  far-seeing  though  eccentric  Governor  Gilpin.  It  was  the 
busiest  year  of  my  life.  I  held  quarterly-meetings  on  Saturdays 
and  Sundays,  and  then  made  recruiting  speeches  and  drilled  the 
battalion  during  the  other  four  days  and  nights  of  each  week. 

'Walter  A.  Kenney,  appointed  to  Denver,  arrived  at  his  post 
of  duty  in  good  time,  and  entered  upon  his  work  with  zeal  and 
energy.  He  was  a  young  man  of  far  more  than  average  ability 
and  good  acquirements.  He  gave  entire  satisfaction  to  our  peo- 
ple, and  was  quite  a  favorite  with  the  public  in  general. 

''W.  S.  Lloyd  was  sent  to  Colorado  City;  soon  after,  I  re- 
quested him  to  take  in  Cafion  City,  which  had  forged  to  the  front 
rapidly.  He  was  received  with  hearty  greeting,  and  did  a  good 
work;  but  owing  to  the  poor  health  and  dissatisfaction  of  his 
wife,  who  was  a  good  woman,  but  wholly  unfit  for  the  wife  of  an 
itinerant  Methodist  minister  at  the  front,  he  did  not  long  remain 
in  the  active  work  here. 

'*Rev.  Jacob  Adriance  (born  October  22,  1835,  in  New  York), 
was  in  due  time  on  hand  at  Central  City,  and  unfurled  the  banner 
of  the  Cross  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  Faithfully,  dili- 
gently, and  untiringly  did  he  pursue  the  even  tenor  of  his  way, 
and  care  for  the  work  committed  to  him. 

''Gladly  and  with  willing  hearts  did  he  and  his  noble  wife  go 
forward  on  their  mission  of  love,  foregoing  a  thousand  and  more 
comforts  that  they  might  have  enjoyed.  He  was  a  good  singer, 
powerful  in  prayer,  thoroughly  Methodistic  in  all  his  ways,  and 
strong  in  faith,  giving  glory  to  God.  He  was  pre-eminently 
*a  man  of  one  work.'  The  writer  of  these  lines  recollects  the  day 
that  this  faithful  servant  of  God  and  the  Church  came  to  his 
'hired  house'  at  Omaha,  in  April,  1857,  seeking  a  place  to  work 


244  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND   PLAIN. 

for  the  Master.  Have  known  him  ever  since,  and  can  not  now 
remember  an  act,  or  indiscretion  that  could  be  censured,  except 
this,  his  leaving  Colorado.  I  have  purposely  said  more  about 
Mr.  Adriance  than  others,  because  he  may  fairly  be  said  to  be  the 
founder  of  Methodism  in  Colorado.  It  is  true  Dr.  Goode  came 
on  the  ground  at  the  same  time  he  did;  but  the  Doctor  returned 
to  Iowa  in  six  weeks,  and  never  saw  this  work  again.  Indeed, 
it  was  not  intended,  or  expected,  that  he  should.  He  simply  came 
on  a  reconnoitering  expedition,  and  that  accomplished,  his  work 
here  ended;  while  Mr.  Adriance  remained,  formed  a  mission  cir- 
cuit, organized  societies,  appointed  class-leaders,  held  Quarterly 
Conferences,  and  started  the  first  Sunday-school  ever  organized 
in  Colorado.    He  is,  indeed,  the  father  of  Methodism  in  Colorado. 

*'Rev.  William  Howbert  was  promptly  on  hand  at  Fairplay, 
and  did  remarkably  well  under  the  circumstances.  Besides  the 
difficulties  and  hindrances  growing  out  of  the  disturbed  state  of 
the  country,  the  population  of  the  whole  Territory  was  transient. 
I  do  not  now  recall  any  who  expected  to  make  this  country  their 
permanent  home.  All  were  on  the  lookout  for  fortunes,  which 
they  hoped  to  obtain  speedily,  and  then  return  to  their  former 
place  of  residence  to  enjoy  it.  Hence,  as  at  Tarryall,  Hamilton, 
Breckenridge,  and  other  'camps'  within  the  bounds  of  Mr.  How- 
bert's  charge,  at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  matters  were  lively  and 
prosperous;  before  the  year  was  half  gone,  some  of  them  were 
almost  depopulated,  and  all  of  them  greatly  reduced  in  the  num- 
ber and  condition  of  their  inhabitants.  It,  perhaps,  ought  to  be 
stated  here  that,  during  this  year,  more  than  twelve  hundred  men 
enlisted  from  the  Territory  in  the  Union  army,  and  hundreds 
hastened  South  and  joined  their  fortunes  with  the  Confederacy; 
so  that  the  depletion  of  our  population  from  these  and  other 
causes  was  very  great,  and  the  effect  on  our  Church  enterprises 
was  very  damaging  throughout  the  district,  especially  in  Mr. 
Howbert's  field  of  labor  and  the  adjacent  camps. 

"This  year,  1861,  Rev.  A.  S.  Billingsly,  a  Presbyterian  min- 
ister, came  out,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Mission  Board  of  his 
Church,  to  plant  a  mission  in  Denver.  He  was  a  man  of  con- 
siderable ability,  and  a  zealous  worker  for  the  cause  of  the  Master 
and  in  the  interests  of  his  Church.     He  left  the  pastorate  of  the 


FOUNDATION  BUILDERS.  245 

Church  at  Brownsville,  Nebraska,  to  come  to  this  new  field.  I 
had  known  him  there,  and  he  came  out  in  the  coach  with  me  on 
my  return  from  Conference.  He  took  me  to  task,  on  the  way 
out,  for  using  slang  words  and  phrases,  as,  'skedaddle,'  'get  up 
and  dust,'  'go  along  and  brindle,'  and  then  used  one  or  more  of 
these  same  expressions  in  the  first  sermon  he  preached  in  the 
place;  which  shows  how  true  it  is  that  'evil  communications  cor- 
rupt good  manners!'  Mr.  Billingsly  said  he  came  with  ample 
means,  and  full  authority  from  his  Mission  Board  to  establish 
a  permanent  Church  into  which  might  be  gathered  both  the 
Presbyterian  and  Congregational  people,  who  had  ventured  out 
here  in  quest  of  gold.  He  only  staid  a  few  months,  and  left  in 
disgust  for  the  East,  where  he  dealt  out  to  the  people  of  Colorado 
some  left-handed  compliments,  saying  the  Territory  would  be 
entirely  depopulated  in  less  than  five  years. 

"John  L.  Dyer  came  to  the  Territory  June  22,  1861,  and  the 
first  time  I  met  him  was  at  Buckskin  Joe,  July  18,  1861,  at  a 
quarterly-meeting  held  near  the  cabin  of  Stansel,  Bond,  and 
Harris.  This  firm  took  gold  in  fabulous  amounts  from  their 
claim. 

"He  had  been  a  traveling  preacher  in  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and 
Minnesota,  but  afterwards  located  and  sought  recuperated  health 
and  fortune  in  Colorado;  and  we  are  rejoiced  to  state  here  that 
he  found  both.  He  found  even  more,  an  'open  door'  to  preach  the 
gospel,  which  is  more  to  him  than  'meat  and  drink.'  If  I  have 
ever  known  a  man  anywhere  who  enjoyed  preaching  more  than 
does  Mr.  Dyer,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  name  him,  and  this  is  as  it 
should  be.  Paul  gloried  in  it,  and  why  not  all  his  successors? 
Mr.  Reid,  Mr.  Rice,  Mr.  Lincoln,  Colonel  Grant,  and  others  are 
honored  in  being  ambassadors  of  our  Government  at  the  coiirts 
of  France,  England,  Austria,  Germany,  etc.,  and  how  much 
greater  the  honor  of  being  an  ambassador  of  Christ?  Every  con- 
ceivable earthly  honor  pales  before  this  heaven-conferred  dis- 
tinction. Mr.  Dyer  did  not  wait  to  rest  from  his  long  journey,  nor 
to  replenish  his  depleted  empty  purse,  nor  to  take  his  bearings, 
that  he  might  find  out  which  way  the  popular  breeze  was  blowing; 
but  at  once  drew  the  gospel  bow  at  a  venture,  and  let  the  arrows 
fly  thick  and  fast.     He  never  so  much  as  said,  'Sinners,  if  you 


246  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

do  not  want  to  get  wounded,  look  a  little  out,'  but  drew  the 
sword  of  the  Spirit,  throwing  the  scabbard  away ;  and  it  has  been 
flashing  in  the  sunlight  of  peak,  valley,  and  plain  ever  since.  As 
I  write,  I  hear  him  shouting  as  he  goes  on  his  snowshoes: 

**  'See  on  the  mountain-top 

The  standard  of  your  God; 
In  Jesus'  name  't  is  lifted  up, 
All  stained  with  hallowed  blood. 

Happy  if,  with  my  latest  breath, 

I  may  but  gasp  his  name; 
Preach  him  to  all,  and  cry  in  death, 

Behold,  behold  the  Lamb!' 

"Rev.  Walter  A.  Kenney  went  to  the  Conference  at  Wyan- 
dotte, Kansas,  in  1862,  and  was  reappointed  to  the  Church  in 
Denver;  but  was  taken  violently  ill,  and  died  before  he  could  re- 
turn to  his  field  of  labor. 

"After  a  time  the  place  was  filled  by  the  transfer  of  Rev.  O.  A. 
Willard,  a  brother  of  Miss  Frances  E.  Willard,  of  National  fame. 
This  young  man  was  of  very  frail  physique,  but  of  giant  intellect 
and  most  remarkable  gifts.  His  young  wife,  the  daughter  of  a 
Methodist  minister  (Dr.  Bannister,  of  Garrett  Biblical  Institute), 
was  a  great  help  in  our  Church  work  in  Denver.  Mr.  Willard 
could  preach  equal  to  any  young  man  I  ever  heard.  His  wife 
was  a  gifted  pianist  and  organist,  an  excellent  singer,  a  fine  con- 
versationalist, and  could  and  did  pray  well.  The  Church  was 
greatly  encouraged  by  this  appointment.  What  will  my  readers 
say  when  they  read  that  Mr.  Willard  paid  $40  per  week  for  room 
and  board  at  the  hotel,  where  I  found  him  when  I  returned  from 
the  campaign  with  my  regiment  through  New  Mexico?  Our 
congregations  were  now  as  large  as  we  could  find  a  building  to 
hold,  and  Church  prosperity  had  fairly  set  in.  Dr.  John  Evans,  of 
Chicago,  111.,  had  been  appointed  governor,  vice  Gilpin,  removed, 
and  he,  with  his  estimable  family,  made  a  valuable  addition  to  our 
Church  forces.  So  also  did  S.  H.  Elbert,  just  appointed  secretary 
of  the  Territory,  vice  Weld,  removed.  Mr.  Elbert  was  not  at  that 
time  a  member  of  any  Church ;  but  being  the  son  of  Dr.  Elbert, 
of  Iowa,  one  of  the  staunchest  of  Churchmen,  he  naturallv  leaned 


FOUNDATION  BUILDERS.  247 

that  way,  and  was  a  regular  attendant  at  public  worship  and  a 
liberal  patron  of  the  Church  of  his  parents.  Still,  we  had  no 
settled  place  of  worship,  and  those  who  have  closely  observed 
these  things  have  discovered  that,  in  order  to  permanent  and 
steady  growth,  a  religious  society  must  have  a  regular  place  of 
meeting,  and  a  place  set  apart  exclusively  for  the  service  of  God. 

'1  remember  going  to  a  prominent  mining-camp  to  preach 
one  Thursday  night.  It  seemed  as  if  there  was  no  place  to  be 
had  that  was  large  enough  to  hold  the  people  who  wished  to  at- 
tend the  services,  and  it  was  decidedly  too  cold  for  an  outdoor 
meeting.  When  about  to  abandon  the  thought  of  service,  a  gen- 
tlemanly saloon-keeper  came  and  offered  his  saloon  and  gam- 
bling-hall for  our  use,  only  requiring  that  we  give  him  back  his 
place  in  ninety  minutes.  In  doing  this,  he  said  to  me,  'I  do  not 
expect  you  to  go  out  of  your  way  to  abuse  my  business;  but  I 
do  not  wish  you  to  soften  your  words  nor  smooth  your  tongue 
to  spare  me  or  my  business.'  We  went  in,  occupied  his  place  for 
seventy  minutes,  and  then  retired  as  gracefully  as  we  knew  how. 
Six  years  ago  I  met  a  lady  here,  in  Denver,  who  asked  me  if  I 
remembered  that  night  and  service.  She  said  that  she  Svas  awak- 
ened and  converted  as  the  result  of  that  meeting  held  in  a  saloon.' 

''Charles  King,  whose  name  is  for  the  first  time  mentioned 
in  the  Minutes  of  the  Conference,  was  appointed  to  Golden  and 
Boulder,  and  was  the  product  of  Colorado  Alethodism.  During 
the  autumn  of  i860  he  was  the  'hired  man'  of  Rev.  A.  P.  Allen,  on 
his  ranch  seven  miles  west  of  Denver.  One  Thursday  he  walked 
in  to  town,  from  the  ranch,  and  was  to  meet  Mr.  Allen  at  prayer- 
meeting,  and  they  were  to  return  to  the  ranch  together  after 
service.  For  some  cause  Mr.  Allen  did  not  come;  the  writer  and 
King  were  all  who  did  attend  that  evening.  After  we  had  waited 
till  it  was  clear  that  no  one  else  would  put  in  an  appearance,  I 
said,  'Mr.  King,  suppose  we  go  to  the  house,  say  our  prayers,  and 
go  to  bed.'  King  replied,  'Had  we  not  better  pray  here,  and 
now?'  I  told  him,  'If  he  would  pray  I  would  kneel  with  him.' 
He  replied  by  kneeling  down  and  engaging  in  prayer,  and  pray 
he  did!  Such  a  prayer!  Such  confession  of  sin,  such  pleadings 
for  forgiveness,  such  promises  of  obedience  in  the  future,  such 
agonizing  for  deliverance  from   sin,   and   for  present   salvation 


248  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb!  In  turn,  I  prayed,  and  he  was 
converted.  The  following  Sunday  he  came  to  church,  and,  as 
it  was  quarterly-meeting,  he  spoke  in  love-feast,  telling  how  he 
had  been  an  unbeliever,  how  he  had  been  deeply  convicted,  how- 
he  had  tried  to  throw  ofif  all  restraint  by  telling  the  elder  hard 
things  against  Brother  Allen,  how  sorry  he  was  that  he  had 
sinned  so  grievously,  and  how  happy  he  was  that  all  had  been 
pardoned.  This  was  the  first  well-defined  conversion  I  witnessed 
in  Colorado.  It  could  easily  be  seen  from  the  night  of  his  conver- 
sion that  he  was  called  to  preach.  He  was  a  young  n;an  of  good 
ability,  natural  and  acquired.  After  nearly  ten  years  in  the  min- 
istry and  in  teaching,  he  died  in  September,  1874,  at  Little  Butte 
on  the  Fountain,  where  his  body  awaits  the  resurrection  morning. 

"Rev.  David  Petifish  organized  the  first  class  at  Black  Hawk, 
in  1862.  His  wife  was  a  consumptive,  and  died  in  Denver  that 
fall  or  winter.  The  balance  of  the  year  was  filled  out  by  Charles 
King. 

''Central  City  was  left  to  be  supplied.  Presiding  Elder  Den- 
nis, before  he  left  Kansas,  secured  Rev.  W.  H.  Fisher,  a  deacon 
of  the  second  year,  and  member  of  the  Kansas  Conference,  for 
this  place.  Mr.  Fisher  accompanied  Mr.  Dennis  to  Denver, 
bringing  his  family  with  him;  and,  after  a  full  consultation  with 
brethren  on  the  ground,  he  was  assigned  to  the  Church  at  Cen- 
tral. That  being  at  that  time  the  center  of  population  in  the  Terri- 
tory, was  a  charge  of  much  importance.  It  must  have  been  near 
the  middle  of  June  when  he  arrived  and  began  his  work.  In  the 
first  sermon  Mr.  Fisher  preached  at  Central,  he  created  a  buzz 
about  his  case  by  making  some  unfavorable  allusion  to  the  sub- 
ject of  salary;  but  this  blew  over  after  a  time,  and  he  became 
quite  popular.  His  labors  were  very  helpful  as  well  as  abundant, 
for  during  this  entire  year  he  preached  three  times  each  Sabbath, 
as  follows:  eleven  A.  M.  at  Central,  two-thirty  P.  M.  at  Nevada, 
and  seven-thirty  P.  M.  again  at  Central.  He  had  a  very  prosper- 
ous Sunday-school  at  Central,  which  was  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  David  S.  Green. 

"Brother  Howbert,  never  pretentious,  but  always  faithful, 
diligent,  and  conscientious,  was  early  on  hand  at  Cafion   and 


FOUNDATION  BUILDERS.  249 

Colorado  Cities,  and  all  through  the  year  did  good  service  amidst 
great  discouragement,  growing  out  of  a  multiplicity  of  causes, 
such  as  a  want  of  sufficient  support,  long  distances  between  ap- 
pointments, removals,  and  changed  location  of  the  capital  of  the 
Territory,  the  shifting  or  migratory  character  of  the  population, 
etc.;  still  he  was  fairly  successful;  a  good  man,  true  to  God,  his 
Church,  and  his  Government. 

"In  1862,  W.  S.  Lloyd  was  appointed  to  South  Park,  but 
did  not  go  to  his  work  at  all.  He  was  greatly  affected  by  the 
death  of  Brother  Kenney,  and  became  so  much  discouraged  that 
he  severed  his  connection  with  the  Rocky  Mountain  District,  and 
returned  to  Kansas,  and  soon  after  to  Ohio. 

The  principal  attention  given  to  our  Church  work  in 
South  Park,  Blue  River,  and  California  Gulch  this  year, 
was  by  Rev.  John  L.  Dyer,  who  never  missed  an  oppor- 
tunity to  do  good,  by  affording  the  people  religious  privi- 
leges. Many  men,  away  from  h^ome  and  home  restraints, 
discouraged  and  more  or  less  reckless,  were  in  those  days 
greatly  benefited  by  the  services  of  these  servants  of  God, 
and  have  had  cause  for  gratitude  to  God  and  the  Church  which 
sent  them  to  minister  unto  them  in  their  wanderings.  A  Church 
with  less  zeal,  less  complete  in  its  organization,  less  elastic  in  its 
operations,  and  less  adapted  to  such  changing  circumstances  and 
conditions,  could  not  have  rendered  the  needed  services.  At 
any  rate,  none  essayed  to  do  it  in  this  case.  Mr.  Dennis,  the  new 
presiding  elder,  was  a  young  man,  smooth-faced,  closely  shaven, 
and  scrupulously  neat  in  his  dress,  was  ruddy  in  complexion, 
somewhat  diffident,  though  of  good  address,  slightly  deaf,  which 
made  him  appear  to  disadvantage.  He  had  fair  abilities  as  a 
preacher,  was  punctual  in  all  his  appointments,  was  deeply  pious; 
but  did  not  appear  sufficiently  forceful  and  aggressive  for  the 
position  of  a  leader  in  this  region  at  that  time.  In  the  early  sixties 
no  half-way  measures  or  doubtful  positions  were  of  avail  in 
Colorado.  We  were  respectful  enough  of  each  others'  opinions 
and  feelings;  but  at  the  same  time  every  man  was  expected  to 
show  his  hand.  His  individuality  must  be  clear  and  distinct  in 
order  to  command  respect." 


250  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Since  the  above  was  written,  the  writer  thereof  has  gone  to 
his  reward;  hence  the  following  memoir: 

John  Milton  Chivington  was  born  near  Lebanon,  Warren 
County,  Ohio.  His  mother  was  of  Irish  descent,  and  his  father 
Scotch.  He  was  converted  in  October,  1842;  licensed  to  preach 
at  Zoar  Church,  Goshen  Circuit,  Ohio  Conference,  by  Michael 
Marley,  presiding  elder,  September,  1844.  The  same  Quarterly 
Conference  recommended  him  to  the  Annual  Conference  three 
years  later. 

This  recommendation  was  sent,  by  the  proper  authority, 
to  the  Illinois  Conference,  which  met  that  year  in  Jacksonville. 
He  was  received  on  probation,  and  appointed  to  Payson  Circuit. 
On  the  trip  from  Ohio  to  Illinois,  by  the  way  of  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  Rivers,  he  contracted  smallpox.  This  detained  him  at 
Quincy,  Illinois,  until  after  the  Conference  adjourned.  As  soon 
as  able  he  went  to  his  work,  and  had  a  prosperous  year.  At  the 
next  session  of  the  Illinois  Conference,  he  was  induced  to  cross 
over  into  Missouri,  and  labor  there.  This  was  in  the  fall  of  1848. 
He  served  the  following  charges:  Lagrange,  Hannibal,  Shelby- 
ville,  St.  Joseph,  and  Fillmore;  also  the  Wyandotte  and  Delaware 
Indian  Mission  and  Hedding  Chapel,  St.  Louis;  then  presiding 
elder  of  St.  Joseph  District.  November,  1856,  he  was  transferred 
to  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska  Conference,  and  was  stationed  at 
Omaha  until  March,  1857,  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  Omaha 
District  as  presiding  elder.  The  year  after,  he  was  sent  to  the 
Nebraska  City  District;  two  years  after,  i860,  to  the  Rocky 
Mountain  District.  He  traveled  this  district  two  years,  and 
then  left  it  to  enter  the  army  of  the  United  States,  as  major  of  the 
1st  Colorado  Cavalry. 

He  was,  for  a  time,  in  command  of  Fort  Weld,  which  stood 
where  Elijah  Millison's  house,  front  yard,  and  grounds  now  are, 
extending  east  to  the  ''mesa."  Here  were  the  barracks  and 
parade-grounds,  one-half  a  mile  west  of  the  Rio  Grande  repair- 
shops  at*Burnham.  The  Confederate  General  Sibley  was  over- 
running New  Mexico  with  his  Texas  Rangers,  at  the  same  time 
endangering  the  peace  of  Colorado. 


FOUNDATION  BUILDERS.  25 1 

The  Colorado  troops  were  sent  to  re-enforce  General  Canby, 
at  Fort  Union,  in  New  Mexico,  Colonel  Slaugh  in  command. 
At  Burnell  Springs,  about  twenty  miles  from  Apache  Caiion, 
they  learned  that  General  Sibley  was  advancing  from  Santa  Fe, 
with  about  3,500  men  to  capture  Colorado  for  the  Confederacy. 
March  25,  1862,  Major  Chivington,  with  four  hundred  men, 
was  sent  from  Burnell  Springs  to  Pigeon  Ranch  on  a  reconnoi- 
tering  expedition.  The  next  day,  about  two  o'clock,  they  met  the 
advance  guard,  eight  hundred  in  number,  of  the  Texans  in  the 
Apache  Caiion,  where  a  skirmish  occurred,  which  lasted  until 
dark. 

On  the  28th,  the  major  was  ordered  to  the  rear  of  the  enemy 
with  five  hundred  men,  with  two  days'  rations,  over  a  difficult  and 
winding  mountain  trail.  Once  they  were  lost,  when  a  kind- 
hearted  Mexican  piloted  them  to  the  right,  but  dim  path, 
which  led  in  the  proper  direction.  Colonel  Slaugh,  with  the 
balance  of  his  command,  engaged  the  enemy  in  the  front.  The 
major  and  his  men  reached  a  high  ridge,  overlooking  the  enemy's 
rear  camp,  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  main  body,  just  as  they 
were  sitting  down  to  dinner.  Immediately  forming  his  men  in 
line,  he  addressed  them  in  the  following  language:  "Now,  boys, 
yonder  is  the  rebel  camp,  and  we  are  going  to  take  it.  I  do  not 
know  how  many  men  are  there;  but  I  will  lead  you,  and  if  I  fall 
do  not  stop  to  pick  me  up,  but  take  the  camp." 

The  hill  was  so  steep  and  rocky  that  the  major  deemed  it  un- 
safe to  ride  his  horse.  This  was  left  tied  to  a  rock.  On  foot,  in 
two  columns,  down  that  mountain  side  they  went  at  "double 
quick"  for  half  a  mile,  while  two  cannon  were  blazing  away  at 
them.  These  were  quickly  captured  and  spiked.  The  guards, 
taken  by  surprise,  fired  only  a  few  volleys,  and  then  fled,  dinner- 
less.  His  men  burned  eighty-one  wagons,  large  quantities  of 
ammunition,  and  supplies  of  all  kinds;  captured  and  scattered 
three  hundred  mules,  having  accomplished  all  this  without  the 
loss  of  a  man.  Then  they  returned  by  the  rough  trail  to  the 
camp  they  left  in  the  morning.  Here  they  learned  of  the  cele- 
brated Apache  Canon  fight,  known  in  history  as  the  battle  of 
"Glorietta,"  in  which  the  victory  was  on  the  side  of  the  Union. 


252  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

For  the  account  of  this  trip  and  skirmish  with  the  rear  por- 
tion of  Sibley's  army,  I  am  indebted  to  WilHam  and  James  Ly- 
cans,  of  Platteville,  Colorado,  who  were  participants  therein. 

General  Sibley,  learning  that  his  supplies  were  destroyed, 
fell  back  to  Santa  Fe,  and  from  there  to  the  place  whence  he  had 
come. 

At  Galisteo,  N.  M.,  General  Canby  promoted  Major  Chiving- 
ton,  for  his  bravery,  to  the  rank  of  Colonel,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  resignation  of  Colonel  Slaugh. 

Colonel  Chivington  subsequently  fought  the  battle  of  ''Sand 
Creek,"  in  which  several  hundred  Indians  were  killed,  and  the 
death  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-four  white  men,  women,  and 
children,  who  had  been  massacred,  was  avenged. 

The  Indian  depredations  were  effectually  stopped.  The  Gen- 
eral Government,  hearing  of  this,  as  it  was  then  sometimes  called, 
"Indian  Massacre,"  sent  Schuyler  Colfax  and  Governor  Bross 
to  investigate,  and  report  to  the  proper  authorities  as  to  the  truth 
of  the  charges.  These  gentlemen,  after  hearing  all  the  evidence 
in  the  case,'  exonerated  the  colonel  and  all  others  connected  with 
the  "Sand  Creek"  affair.  In  the  fall  of  1865  he  resigned  his  com- 
mission, and  engaged  in  the  freighting  business  for  the  next  two 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1867,  he  went  East,  not  to  return  until 
January  i,  1883. 

At  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1873,  he  married,  for  his  second  wife, 
Mrs.  Isabel  Arnzen,  a  soldier's  widow,  who  shared  his  fortunes 
for  twenty  years,  and  tenderly  cared  for  him  during  his  last 
illness. 

Having  been  thrown  out  of  the  Conference  because  he  entered 
the  army,  the  whole  trend  of  his  life  was  changed.  He  often 
wondered  what  it  would  have  been  had  this  not  occurred.  The 
colonel  committed  not  a  few  mistakes.  He  was  a  man  w4th  clear 
convictions  and  an  iron  will,  that  quailed  not  in  the  face  of  any 
danger;  but  he  had  a  noble  heart,  and  was  generous  to  a  fault. 
He  never  lost  interest  in  the  Church  of  his  early  choice.  After 
the  session  of  one  of  our  Conferences,  he  sent  for  the  writer  to 
come  and  relate  to  him  its  doings.  He  was  only  able  to  sit  in 
a  rocker  on  the  porch.  During  the  conversation  something  was 
said  that  touched  his  heart,  when  he  shouted  "Glory  to  God!" 


FOUNDATION  BUILDERS.  253 

several  times,  and  the  tears  coursed  freely  down  his  cheeks.  This 
penman  visited  him  often  while  sick,  and  conversed  with  him 
freely.  Two  hours  before  the  very  last  he  asked:  "Colonel,  how 
is  it?  Is  Jesus  precious  to  you?"  With  a  smile,  he  answered: 
"His  presence  dwells  within.  It 's  all  around  me.  It  fills  the 
room."  He  stated  almost  the  same  to  his  companion  only  a 
moment  before  he  ceased  to  breathe. 

The  colonel  unquestionably  got  right  with  God  ere  he  went 
hence,  as  all  nearest  him  verily  believe.  He  fell  asleep  about  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  October  4,  1894.  After  religious  services 
at  Trinity  Church,  his  body  was  laid  away  to  rest  on  Sunday, 
October  7th,  in  the  Fairmount  Cemetery,  by  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Colorado. 

The:  people  of  Colorado  will  never  know  how  much  they  owe 
to  these  faithful  pioneer  preachers,  who,  braving  the  dangers  of 
Indian  massacres,  floods  and  privations  of  various  kinds,  pro- 
claimed the  glorious  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  all  over  this  Rocky 
Mountain  region;  often  without  fee  or  reward;  frequently  where 
they  were  not  wanted;  always  to  the  farthest  pioneer  settlement 
or  mining-camp.  As  they  declared  a  free  and  a  full  salvation, 
many  hearts  were  caused,  under  God's  benedictions,  "to  rejoice 
with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory." 


IV. 
PICKKT-IvINK   KXTKNDKD. 

Rev.  William  Howbert,  of  the  Iowa  Conference,  accom- 
panied by  his  son  Irving,  now  a  resident  of  Colorado  Springs, 
reached  Denver  City,  June  14,  i860.  Three  days  after,  they  heard 
Presiding  Elder  Chivington  preach  in  a  hall  over  ''The  City 
Drugstore." 

Early  on  Monday  morning,  June  i8th,  Brother  H left 

for  the  "South  Park  Mission,"  to  which  the  presiding  elder  had 
sent  him,  reaching  Hamilton  on  the  25th  instant.  Here,  near 
the  northeastern  upper  end  of  the  Park,  a  town  with  about  one 
hundred  log  houses,  with  dirt  roofs,  had  been  built.  It  stood  a 
short  distance  above  where  Como  now  stands.  This  region  was 
then  an  unexplored  field  religiously. 

On  Friday,  the  29th,  he  visited  "Tarryall  Diggings,"  preach- 
ing there  on  Sunday  morning  of  July  ist,  and  in  Hamilton  at 
night.  At  the  latter  place  he  organized  a  class  of  twenty-one 
members.  These  were  the  first  religious  services  eyer  held  in 
South  Park. 

July  3d,  plans  were  inaugurated  to  build  a  church  in  Hamilton. 
Lots  were  selected  on  the  4th,  and  two  hundred  dollars  subscribed 
towards  the  erection  of  the  building. 

Of  his  farther  explorations,  which  began  on  Friday,  July  6th, 
he  says  in  his  diary:  "With  a  shirt  in  one  pocket,  a  Testament 
and  hymn-book  in  another,  bread  and  beef  in  a  third,  I  started 
out  on  foot  for  Blue  River,  crossing  the  Snowy  Range  at  what  is 
now  called  "Boreas  Pass,"  about  one  o'clock,  arriving  at  Breck- 
enridge  at  night,  stopping  with  Brother  Oldham.  On  Saturday  I 
found  some  Methodists.  I  left  an  appointment  to  preach  on 
Sunday  at  four  P.  M.,  then  went  to  Gold  Run,  where  I  put  up 
with  Brother  Onis  for  the  night.  Sunday  morning  I  preached  at 
Blue  River,  organizing  a  class  of  six  members,  and  at  Brecken- 
ridge  in  the  afternoon,  forming  a  class  of  seven.  The  Lord  was 
with  us  to  bless." 

254 


PICKET-LINE  EXTENDED.  255 

This  was  the  beginning  of  Methodism  on  the  Pacific  Slope 
in  Colorado.  The  next  day  he  returned  to  Hamilton.  Here  the 
trustees  decided  to  build  a  log  church,  30  x  40,  and  let  the  contract 
for  $450.  This  was  the  first  attempt  at  church  erection  in  all  the 
Rocky  Mountain  region.  (See  Chapters  H  and  HI  for  further 
account  of  first  efforts  in  this  direction.) 

To  William  Howbert  belongs  the  honor  of  preaching  the  first 
gospel  sermons  in  each  one  of  the  above-mentionel  localities,  so 
far  as  is  now  known. 

July  15th,  the  Rev.  H.  H.  Johnson,  a  local  deacon,  appeared 
on  the  scene,  claiming  to  have  been  sent  by  the  presiding  elder 
as  an  assistant.  He  preached  in  the  morning  at  Hamilton,  and 
Howbert  in  the  evening,  when  six  more  members  joined  the 
Church.  Howbert's  circuit  embraced  the  whole  of  Southern  and 
Southwestern  Colorado,  or,  rather,  wherever  men  could  be  found 
in  all  the  region  named. 

His  next  trip  was  in  company  with  Revs.  Johnson  and  Mann, 
another  local  preacher  from  Iowa.  They  started  for  the  ''Upper 
Arkansas  Diggings,"  and  camped,  on  the  i8th,  about  three  miles 
southeast  of  the  present  site  of  Leadville.  There  was  at  that 
time  a  large  crowd  of  men  in  the  "California  Diggings."  Brother 
Johnson  preached  to  a  large  and  orderly  congregation  in  a 
saloon,  and  organized  a  class  of  twenty  members.  That  summer, 
in  this  Gulch,  the  first  church-building  in  Colorado  was  erected. 
It  was  built  of  logs,  had  a  dirt  floor,  clapboard  shingles,  and  seated 
two  hundred  persons.  It  stood  one  and  one-half  miles  below  the 
present  site  of  Oro  City,  and  one-half  mile  east  of  the  south  end 
of  Harrison  Avenue  in  Leadville.  It  has  long  since  ceased  to 
exist,  its  site  having  been  washed  away  by  water. 

On  the  23d  they  started  for  Denver.  Here  Major  Bradford 
promised  them  glass  for  the  church  at  Hamilton;  but  this  was 
never  called  for. 

At  Denver  Brother  Howbert  purchased  a  mule,  saddle,  and 
bridle,  and  started  for  Colorado  City.  As  he  rode  into  that  town 
Sunday  morning,  July  29th,  at  ten  A.  M.,  he  found  the  people 
excited  over  a  Mexican  horse-thief,  whom  they  had  just  sen- 
tenced to  be  hanged,  and  were  then  on  their  way  to  execute.  He 
advised  the  people  to  postpone  the  execution  until  after  preach- 
17 


256  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

ing;  but  his  counsel  was  not  heeded.  After  the  Mexican  was 
disposed  of,  the  people  returned,  and  listened  most  respectfully 
to  the  sermon.  When  he  arrived  at  Hamilton,  on  the  following 
Thursday,  he  found  the  log  church  about  two-thirds  completed. 
The  building  was  never  finished,  owing  to  the  abandonment  of 
the  town  because  of  a  later  mining  excitement. 

August  5th,  Brother  H preached  at  Fairplay  at  ten  A.  M., 

and  a  funeral  sermon  at  "Buckskin  Joe"  in  the  afternoon.  These 
were  the.  first  services  held  at  either  of  these  places.  The  latter 
was  named  after  a  man  by  the  name  of  Joseph  Grover,  who  wore 
a  buckskin  suit  when  in  that  locality.  He  was  from  and  returned 
to  Vermillion,  Erie  County,  Ohio,  where  the  writer  knew  him 
in  after  years. 

On  the  nth  and  12th  of  August,  Presiding  Elder  Chivinf- 
ton  held  a  quarterly-meeting  on  Blue  River.  This  was  his  first 
visit  to  this  region,  and  was  the  first  meeting  of  the  kind  held 
beyond  the  range. 

On  Brother  H 's  next  visit  to  California  Gulch,  circum- 
stances compelled  him  to  camp  and  sleep  on  the  rocks.  Septem- 
ber 30,  i860,  he  performed,  possibly,  the  first  Methodist  marriage 
ceremony  in  what  is  now  Colorado,  uniting  Oliver  Richpatrick 
and  Sarah  Hammel  in  the  bonds  of  holy  matrimony. 

His  next  trip  was  to  Fairplay,  where  he  left  a  Sunday-school 
library,  obtained  in  Denver. 

In  the  spring  of  1861,  Brother  H was  sent  to  "Tarryall," 

which  included  the  South  Park  and  the  Upper  Arkansas  River 
Valley.  Much  work  had  to  be  done,  with  small  pay.  Like  the 
great  apostle,  he  "counted  not  his  life  dear  unto  him  so  he  might 
save  some." 

In  the  spring  of  1862  he  was  sent  to  the  Arkansas  River 
Valley  and  its  tributaries,  outside  of  the  mountains.  This  meant 
Cafion  City,  Colorado  City,  and  a  point  twenty  miles  east  of 
Pueblo.  No  small  circuit  for  a  man  to  travel  on  mule-back  in 
those  times!  He  was  a  man  of  God,  and  preached  with  power. 
The  people  were  poor,  and  the  settlements  widely  separated;  but 
they  heard  him  gladly,  while  their  "hearts  burned  within  them 
as  he  talked  to  them  by  the  way."  He  continued  a  few  months 
on  this  work,  became  discouraged,  and  retired  to  private  life. 


PICKET-LINE   EXTENDED,  257 

His  health  was  poor  at  the  very  best.    He  has  long  since  ceased 
from  earthly  labors. 

W.  R.  FowLKR  was  converted  in  1858,  and  joined  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  Chicago  soon  afterward.  He  and  family  were 
forty  days  en  route  to  Denver  from  the  Missouri  River,  with  an 
ox-team.  He  had  family  worship,  morning  and  evening,  all  the 
way  across  the  Plains.  ,  With  his  family  around  him,  seated  on  the 
bare  ground,  he  would  sing  a  hymn,  read  from  the  Scriptures, 
and  lead  in  prayer.  What  an  object-lesson  of  true  piety  for  the 
onlookers,  camped  near!  Indians  often  came  into  their  camp; 
but  were  docile. 

They  remained  ten  days  in  Denver,  attended  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Sunday-school,  and  heard  a  good  sermon  from  A.  P. 
Allen,  who  was  then  the  pastor.  The  rougher  element  seemed  to 
rule  the  town.  Cafion  City,  which  stands  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  Arkansas  River,  at  the  base  of  the  mountains  and  the  natural 
gateway  thereto,  was  just  coming  into  notice.  It  seemed  to  offer 
more  inducements  than  any  other  point,  so  he  decided  to  make 
that  his  home.  He  reached  there  August  10,  i860,  a  stranger  in  a 
strange  land. 

He  found  a  few  hundred  men  busy  laying  the  foundations  of  a 
city,  and  working  with  pistols  and  long  knives  attached  to  their 
belts,  knowing  no  law  or  order,  except  such  as  each  chose  to 
observe.  All  was  confusion.  Every  man  was  a  law  unto  him- 
self. The  Rocky  Mountain  region  at  that  time  w^as  not  even 
organized  into  a  Territory.  Each  one  hoped  to  improve  his 
financial  condition,  then  return  to  ''God's  country"  in  the  East, 
as  it  was  then  called.  Few  then,  or  for  years  afterward,  expected 
to  make  Colorado  a  permanent  home. 

The  great  majority  left  their  religion,  if  they  ever  had  any, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Missouri  River.  When  Brother  Fowler 
reached  Cafion  City,  he  found  no  ministers,  no  churches,  no 
Bibles,  no  Sunday-schools,  no  religious  books,  or  periodicals. 
Not  one,  however,  had  forgotten  guns,  pistols,  or  bowie-knives. 

Before  leaving  the  East  he  had  supplied  himself  with  tracts, 
hymn-books,  Sunday-school  books,  printed  sermons,  and  a  few 
Bibles.     On  Sunday  morning,  August  12,   i860,  he  distributed 


258  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

tracts  at  every  camp,  tent,  and  cabin,  and  invited  each  occupant 
to  a  religious  service,  to  be  held  in  an  unfinished  log  building, 
at  eleven  o'clock  A.  M.,  when  a  sermon  would  be  read;  and, 
strange  to  say,  a  good-sized  audience  listened  attentively.  Serv- 
ices of  this  character  were  continued  for  some  time.  September 
2d,  a  Sunday-school  was  organized  by  Brother  Fowler.  A  Mrs. 
McPherson,  with  her  daughter  Belle  and  son  Henry,  came,  offer- 
ing her  services  as  teacher. 

In  October  of  that  year.  Brother  F was  elected  magistrate 

at  a  mass-meeting  of  the  citizens,  which  position  he  filled,  without 
pay,  for  about  six  months.  Late  in  the  fall,  many  miners  came 
down  to  that  place  from  the  high  altitudes  to  a  more  congenial 
clime,  among  whom  was  a  local  preacher,  H.  H.  Johnson,  who 
arrived  in  November,  i860. 

The  population  of  Cafion  City  at  that  time  was  about  fifteen 
hundred.  H.  H.  Johnson  preached  to  them  during  the  winter, 
organized  a  class  of  seven  members,  and  appointed  W.  R.  Fowler 
c'ass-leader.  Presiding  Elder  Chivington  held  one  quarterly- 
meeting  service  during  that  winter. 

In  the  spring  of  1861  there  was  a  general  exodus  for  the  gold- 
fields  and  for  the  war.  Caiion  City  was  practically  depopulated. 
The  minister  left  for  Kansas,  and  most  of  the  membership  for  the 
mountains. 

Brother  F moved  to  Pueblo,  to  engage  in  farming.    There 

he  found  an  abandoned  set  of  Mexicans  and  renegade  whites, 
and  attempted  to  establish  religious  services  with  them,  as  he  had 
done  at  Caiion;  but  without  success.  Not  wishing  to  cast  pearls 
before  swine,  the  matter  was  given  up. 

Rev.  W.  S.  Lloyd,  with  his  wife,  came  into  the  Arkansas 
Valley  during  the  summer  of  1861,  and  preached  a  few  times  at 
Caiion  and  Pueblo;  but  met  with  very  little  encouragement. 

Late  in  the  fall  of  1863,  Presiding  Elder  Slaughter  preached 
one  sermon  in  Caiion  City,  to  a  congregation  of  only  four  per- 
sons; namely,  Lieutenant-Governor  Rudd,  wife,  baby,  and  an 
insane  woman.  These  persons  comprised  the  whole  population 
of  the  place  at  that  time. 

In  the  fall  of  1862,  Brother  F moved  to  Montgomery,  in 


PICKET-LINE  EXTENDED.  259 

the  South  Park,  a  rapidly-growing  mining  town.  Here  he  found 
a  small  society  of  Methodists,  and  at  once  became  their  leader, 
with  B.  C.  Dennis  as  presiding  elder,  and  William  Antes,  a  good 
and  true  man,  as  pastor. 

Next  came  John  L.  Dyer,  who  never  knew  discouragement, 
failure,  or  defeat,  preaching  everywhere,  whether  audiences  were 
large  or  small.  Prayer  and  class  meetings  and  Sunday-schools 
were  held  regularly  at  Montgomery.  The  best  substitute  that 
could  be  found  for  a  bell  was  a  tin  horn,  which  was  drafted  into 
immediate  service,  and  its  notes  echoed  from  mountain  to  moun- 
tain, calling  the  people  to  worship.  Here  was  gathered  a  noble 
little  band  of  Christian  workers,  with  four  of  whom  this  penman 
became  intimately  acquainted  in  1869-70, — Peter.  J.  Smith,  a  local 
preacher  of  Georgetown;  Brother  and  Sister  Girten,  of  Colorado 
City;  and  W.  R.  Fowler,  of  Cation  City,  consituting  that  com- 
pany. 

The  people  were  from  different  localities,  as  there  was  no 
written  law,  each  followed  his  own  inclinations.  Stores,  saloons, 
and  bowling-alleys  were  in  full  blast  on  the  Sabbath-day.  No 
services,  no  matter  how  sacred,  could  gain  their  attention.  The 
miners  leaving,  the  town  was   deserted.     In  November,    1864, 

Brother  F returned  to  Cafion  City  to  reside.    He  found  that 

a  colony  of  Baptists,  from  Iowa,  had  located  here  during  his 
absence,  with  Rev.  B.  M.  Adams  as  their  pastor. 

Rev.  John  Gilliland,  a  local  deacon,  preached  there  a  few 
months,  and  a  few  years  later  retired  to  farm  life  in  Texas. 

By  the  above  account,  which  has  been  abbreviated  from  W.  R. 
Fowler's  sketch,  we  see  that  Cafion  City,  from  i860  to  1866, 
had  an  occasional  preaching  service,  besides  the  sermons  read 

and  prayer-meetings  held  by  Brother  F ,  who  was  appointed 

leader  January  17,  1866,  when  the  society  was  regularly  and  per- 
manently organized  by  George  Murray,  preacher  in  charge.  Its 
membership  consisted  of  Charlotte  J.  Fowler,  Elizabeth  Frazier, 
T.  M.  Richardson,  and  thirteen  others,  besides  eight  probationers. 
Presiding  Elder  Dyer  held  the  second  quarterly-meeting  in  the 
county,  five  miles  below  the  town. 

The  first  camp-meeting  in  Colorado  was  held  this  year  under 


26o  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

a  large  cotton  wood-tree  at  Pueblo.  There  were  no  conver- 
sions. 

June  2^,  1867,  the  pastor,  Brother  Murray,  moved  to  Canon 
City,  where  he  was  met  by  Presiding  Elder  Dyer  and  Bishop 
Ames,  who  decided  that  Canon  must  have  a  church-building. 
Steps  were  taken  to  buy  a  substantial  stone  building,  70  x  22  feet, 
one  story  high,  with  a  frame  attached  in  the  rear,  which  was  used 
for  a  parsonage.  This  property  was  purchased,  repaired,  sup- 
plied with  seats,  desk,  and  altar.  Bishop  Ames  gave  $500  to  the 
enterprise.  This  building  was  dedicated  by  George  Murray,  the 
pastor,  March  8,  1868. 

This  was  Caiion's  first  church,  and  the  first  dedication  of  a 
place  of  worship  south  of  Denver.  The  following  April  a  log 
church,  costing  $200,  paid  for  by  the  Cafion  City  society,  was 
dedicated  in  the  Frazier  neighborhood,  near  where  Florence  now 
stands. 

June,  1868,  W.  M.  Smith  was  appointed  presiding  elder  and 
pastor  at  Cafion  City ;  but,  owing  to  Indian  troubles,  did  not  deem 
it  safe  to  move  his  family  there.  He  engaged  William  Shepherd, 
a  local  preacher  and  a  blacksmith,  to  fill  the  pulpit.  The  following 
year  Brother  Smith  became  the  pastor,  and  moved  to  Cafion. 
From  November  10,  1870,  to  February,  1871,  R.  A.  Hoffman 
served  the  charge;  from  April  19th  until  Conference,  N.  S.  Buck- 
ner;  E.  C.  Brooks,  1871-2;  J.  H.  Merritt,  1873-5;  H.  C.  King, 
1876;  John  E.  Rickards,  1877,  served  them  until  January,  1879, 
when  E.  L.  Allen  was  transferred  from  New  Jersey,  March  18, 
1879,  to  fill  the  vacancy;  E.  C.  Dodge,  1879-81.  In  1878  the  stone 
building  was  sold,  and  a  neat  brick  church  erected  on  another  site, 
which  was  dedicated  by  Chaplain  C.  C.  McCabe,  assisted  by  J.  H. 
Merritt,  August  7,  1879.  The  parsonage  was  built  in  1880.  The 
later  pastors  have  been:  N.  A.  Chamberlain,  in  1882;  L.  J.  Hall, 
1883-5;  C.  W.  Brewer,  1886;  A.  A.  Kidder,  1887;  C.  H.  Koyl, 
1888-90;  J.  F.  Harris,  1891-2,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Southern  California  Conference.     Returned  to  Caiion  in  1894-5. 

K.  H.  Eee  filled  out  the  year  of  1892  after  Brother  H left. 

M.  D.  Hornbeck,  1893-5;  R-  A.  Chase,  1896. 

The  Sunday-school  greatly  prospered  for  ten  years  under  the 
superintendency  of  E.  T.  Ailing. 


PICKET-LINE  EXTENDED.  26 1 

Oi^  the  introduction  of  Methodism  into  the  San  Luis  Valley 
(Father  Dyer  had  preached  there,  once  or  twice,  previous  to  this). 
Dr.  Crary,  presiding  elder,  afterward  wrote : 

"The  journey  was  made  in  the  month  of  May,  1873.  John  E. 
Rickards  was  a  young  local  preacher.  He  accompanied  us  from 
Pueblo.  We  had  no  way  to  go,  but  to  drive  a  team  of  our  own. 
The  road  was  almost  directly  up  the  Arkansas  River  to  Cafion 
City,  just  below  the  Royal  Gorge  or  Grand  Caiion  of  the  Arkan- 
sas, one  of  the  most  wonderful  scenes  in  the  world.  The  Denver 
&  Rio  Grande  Railroad  now  runs  through  this  caiion,  and  is  a 
surprising  feat  of  engineering.  We  generally  stopped  with  that 
most  excellent,  intelligent,  devoted,  hospitable  gentleman,  W.  R. 
Fowler,  near  Caiion  City.  There  we  always  had  a  Christian  wel- 
come and  royal  cheer.  It  was  twelve  miles  by  the  road  from 
Caiion  City  to  the  bridge  over  the  Arkansas  above  the  Royal 
Gorge.  We  had  to  drive  over  a  mountain  to  that  point.  With 
good  company,  it  was  a  romantic  and  delightful  journey.  We 
camped  near  the  bridge,  lunched,  and  then  drove  up  the  road 
toward  Wet  Mountain  Valley,  through  Webster  Caiion. 

"It  was  rather  late  in  the  afternoon  when  we  started,  and,  fear- 
ing that  we  might  have  to  camp  where  water  could  not  be  found, 
we  took  as  much  water  from  the  Arkansas  River  as  we  could 
conveniently  carry  in  our  cofifee-pot,  bucket,  etc.  The  road  was 
good  for  a  mountain  pass,  and  we  were  enraptured  by  the  mag- 
nificent scenery,  and  so  went  along  slowly.  We  came  to  a  clean, 
sandy  plot  of  ground,  and  camped  on  it,  though  it  had  been  the 
bed  of  a  torrent  at  some  time.  Had  a  cloud  burst  at  the  top  of 
the  caiion,  we  should  have  been  swept  through  the  Royal  Gorge. 
As  it  was,  we  unhitched  and  picketed  our  ponies,  built  a  good 
fire,  and  prepared  supper,  and  were  sitting  by  the  fire  chatting, 
when  a  strange  man  came  through  the  darkness  and  shadows  to 
our  fire.  We  were  startled;  but  found  that  the  man  was  camped 
near  us,  and  came  simply  to  inquire  about  getting  water,  and 
about  the  road.  Rickards  undertook  to  make  a  bed  in  the  wagon, 
and  it  was  a  pretty  good  model  of  a  section  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. The  fact  is,  we  always  preferred  to  make  our  bed  on  the 
ground;  sometimes,  when  stormy,  under  the  wagon.  The  earth 
is  a  good,  warm  place  to  sleep  on.    In  the  morning  we  used  up 


262  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

every  particle  of  water  in  making  our  coffee  and  attending  to  our 
elaborate  toilet,  and  we  had  not  a  drop  to  wash  our  tin  plates 
with.  Luckily,  some  recollections  of  similar  exigencies  came  to 
mind;  we  washed  all  of  our  dishes,  knives,  forks,  and  spoons  in 
the  clean  sand.  That  was  a  success.  We  were  well  up  in  the  culi- 
nary art,  and  could  cook  an  excellent  meal  in  a  frying-pan  and  a 
coffee-pot.  We  usually  camped  near  a  stream  of  water,  where 
we  had  plenty  of  wood,  and  then  it  was  delightful.  The  scent 
of  pines,  the  pure  mountain  air,  and  the  exercise  made  us  strong 
and  hungry. 

"Rickards  and  the  writer  went  over  into  San  Luis  Valley,  and 
had  various  experiences  going  down  to  the  Rio  Grande  River  and 
Del  Norte.  It  had  been  raining  in  that  region,  and  the  streams 
and  sloughs  were  full.  One  day  we  came  to  a  cross-road  and 
saw  a  peeled  cottonwood  pole  stuck  in  the  ground,  and  some- 
thing written  on  it.  Rickards  got  out  and  went  to  the  pole,  and 
burst  out  into  convulsive  laughter.  The  sign  on  the  pole  read: 
'No  bottom!  Keep  to  the  right!  To  the  left  goes  to  hell,  sure 
pop!'    We  kept  to  the  right! 

"The  mirage  in  the  San  Luis  Valley  excelled  anything  that 
we  had  ever  seen  of  the  kind.  We  approached  what  seemed  to 
be  a  lake,  with  small  islands  here  and  there,  with  trees  upon  them, 
birds  flying  over,  and  with  cattle  wading  in  the  water's  edge. 
The  lake,  trees,  birds,  and  cattle  receded  as  we  drove  nearer. 
Then  sometimes  cattle  would  seem  to  be  lifted  in  the  air,  and 
loom  up  amid  the  mists  like  ghosts  of  ancient  and  monstrous 
buffaloes.  This  and  the  magnificent  and  ever-varying  scenery 
kept  up  the  interest  all  the  day. 

"We  got  to  the  Rio  Grande  River  Saturday  evening,  and 
found  the  top  of  the  bridge  washed  away,  only  the  stringers  left, 
upon  which  men  could  walk  across;  but  it  was  impossible  to  take 
teams  over.  Del  Norte  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  It 
was  late,  and  something  had  to  be  done  quickly.  Driving  up 
the  river  a  short  distance  we  came  to  a  cabin,  and  found  two  men 
there.  We  stated  our  case,  and  invited  ourselves  to  stop.  We 
did  not  know  the  men;  but  hoped  to  be  able,  at  least,  to  camp 
with  them. 

"They  were  not  ideal  Christian  citizens ;  but  the  welcome  they 


PICKET-LINE  EXTENDED.  263 

gave  us,  their  kindness  and  even  reverence,  made  an  impression 
on  us  we  can  never  forget.  Their  hospitaUty  and  deference  were 
embarrassing.  They  took  care  of  our  ponies,  got  the  best  supper 
they  could,  then  invited  us  to  eat,  and  did  not  seem  wilHng  to  sit 
at  the  table  with  us.  We  had  to  beg  them  to  sit  down  and  eat 
with  us.  We  asked  a  blessing  upon  the  meal,  and  had  prayers 
before  going  to  bed.  We  had  plenty  of  blankets  with  us,  and  had 
a  good  night's  rest. 

"These  men  went  over  to  Del  Norte  with  us,  and  assisted  in 
drumming  up  a  congregation,  and  staid  to  meeting  themselves, 
to  the  surprise  of  the  town.  We  preached  m  the  'Court  House,' 
which  had  just  been  put  up,  and  had  no  floor  but  the  earth. 
Seats  were  improvised,  and  we  had  a  good  congregation  of  men 
and  one  Mexican  woman.  That  was  the  first  Protestant  service 
ever  held  there.  The  people  were  very  kind.  The  question  of 
trying  to  organize  a  Methodist  society  was  discussed,  and  some 
of  the  gentlemen  favored  it.  All  wanted  a  preacher  and  a  church 
'to  help  the  town.'  We  staid  Sunday  night  with  our  two  friends 
across  the  river,  and  were  entertained  just  as  well  as  the  poor 
fellows  were  able  to  do  it.  We  fear  the  Sabbath  service  was  not 
the  kind  they  had  been  used  to;  but  felt  grateful  to  them  and  to 
God,  who  opened  their  hearts  to  us.  They  were  afterwards  de- 
voted friends  to  Rickards,  and  would  have  fought  to  protect  him. 

''Monday  morning  we  had  to  part.  Rickards  was  to  stay, 
and  try  to  build  a  church.  It  was  necessary  for  me  to  return  by 
way  of  Fort  Garland,  which  was  the  first  stopping-place,  sixty- 
five  miles  away.  Bidding  our  kind  hosts  good-bye,  and  taking 
Rickards  out  a  little  way,  we  found  it  hard  to  part.  Just  think 
of  it!  A  young  and  inexperienced  local  preacher  was  to  be  put 
down  in  a  new  frontier  town  without  a  cent  of  missionary  money, 
without  a  member  of  the  Church  to  help  him,  without  a  place  to 
lay  his  head.  He  rode  with  us  a  mile  or  more,  and  then  we 
prayed  together  there  in  the  wagon;  he  walked  back  to  the  cabin 
we  had  left,  and  we  pushed  ahead.  That  was  a  lonesome  day 
crossing  the  San  Luis  Valley  alone,  and  hurrying  to  get  some- 
where by  night.  Getting  confused  by  cross-roads,  we  drove  out 
of  the  way  four  or  five  miles;  but  finally  reached  a  small  stream 
on  which  was  living  a  man  named  Tobin,  who  sometimes  enter- 


264  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

tained  people.  We  tried  to  reach  his  house;  but  night  came  on 
so  quickly  that  we  could  not  see  the  way  to  get  across  the  creek, 
and  finally  came  to  a  cabin  where  some  Mexicans  lived.  We 
inquired  the  way  to  Mr.  Tobin's;  but  not  being  able  to  under- 
stand what  was  said,  drove  on,  determined  to  camp  as  soon  as 
we  could  find  a  suitable  place.  We  soon  came  to  a  grassy  open- 
ing, stopped,  picketed  the  ponies,  ate  supper,  and  went  to  bed, 
and  slept  soundly  until  morning,  and  then  got  up  and  found  that 
Mr.  Tobin's  house  was  across  the  creek  about  a  hundred 
yards  off. 

^'Disgusted  at  a  situation  so  ridiculous,  we  never  made  a 
motion  toward  the  house;  but  started  for  Fort  Garland  as  soon 
as  possible.  The  first  soldier  we  met  greeted  us  cordially,  sup- 
posing that  we  ran  a  blacksmith  shop  at  some  frontier  place  he 
had  visited.  Flattered  by  that  recognition,  we  soon  managed  to 
get  inside  of  the  fort  to  the  meat-shop.  The  man  in  charge 
offered  us  a  rump  steak,  and  we  then  said:  'See  here,  my  friend, 
that  is  pretty  hard  fare  for  an  old  chaplain  in  the  army.'  'Well,* 
said  he,  1  have  better  steak ;  but  I  was  ordered  to  keep  it  for  the 
officers.'  'That  is  all  right,'  we  said;  'but  we  are  an  officer.'  He 
laughed,  and  gave  us  a  rich,  fine  porterhouse-steak.  We  went 
on  our  way  rejoicing,  and  drove  up  the  Sangre  de  Christo  Pass, 
amid  enchanting  scenery. 

"We  had  learned  that  there  was  a  first-rate  country  hotel 
near  'the  top  of  the  Pass,  but  grew  tired  and  hungry.  Toward 
noon  stopped,  cooked  the  steak,  and  had  a  good  dinner;  but 
after  starting  we  found  that  we  had  lunched  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  house  that  had  been  commended  to  us.  Driving  on  over 
the  range  and  down  the  Veta  Pass,  toward  night  we  met  a  man 
riding  rapidly,  and  stopped  him  to  inquire  about  the  road.  He 
said  that  he  was  hunting  some  cattle,  and  that  he  lived  about  two 
miles  below.  He  had  come  up  into  the  mountains  for  his  cows. 
He  invited  us  to  stop  at  his  house,  which  we  did,  and  had  a 
pleasant  time.  The  family  were  Baptists.  They  lived  in  a  log 
cabin,  which  had  the  earth  for  a  floor.  The  kind  lady  apologized 
for  the  scarcity  of  bedding;  but  when  she  found  we  had  enough 
seemed  quite  happy.    She  was  a  devoted  Christian  woman,  and 


PICKET-LINE   EXTENDED.  265 

seemed  to  feel  that  it  was  an  honor  to  receive  a  visit  from  a  min- 
ister in  that  wild  country. 

"We  had  splendid  entertainment,  and  prayed  night  and  morn- 
ing with  our  friends,  and  ofifered  to  pay  them;  but  they  would 
not  hear  to  that,  and  were  profuse  in  apologies,  which  were  un- 
necessary, and  thanks  which  went  to  our  heart.  We  prayed  and 
cried  every  time  we  thought  of  Rickards;  but  he  went  to  work 
bravely,  organized  a  Church  with  five  members,  of  whom  he 
wrote:  'One  is  in  San  Juan,  another  gone  to  Denver,  two  are 
here,  and  I  do  n't  know  where  the  other  is.'  He  made  it  go,  how- 
ever, and  gained  friends.  He  organized  a  society  at  Saguache, 
thirty-five  miles  up  the  valley,  and  walked  regularly  to  his  ap- 
pointment until  he  overcame  prejudices  and  gained  the  confi- 
dence of  the  people,  when  they  loaned  him  a  horse,  believing  that 
he  would  not  run  away  with  it.  He  'bached  it,'  cooking  his  meals 
in  an  open  fireplace,  had  a  candle-box  for  a  chair,  and  his  trunk 
for  a  table.  His  cabin  had  a  dirt  floor  and  a  dirt  roof,  and  in 
hard  rains  the  roof  would  become  soaked  through,  and  the  water 
would  run  down  on  his  bed. 

"In  our  trips  here  and  there  we  camped  out  whenever  night 
overtook  us.  We  often  stopped,  going  over  to  San  Luis  Valley 
with  a  Mr.  McPherson,  at  the  foot  of  the  Poncha  Pass,  on  the 
South  Arkansas.  Mrs.  McPherson  was  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  an  excellent  Christian  lady,  and  first-rate  house- 
keeper. She  was  always  kind  and  hospitable.  McPherson  was 
inclined  to  be  an  infidel,  and  loved  to  get  into  a  debate.  The  first 
time  we  staid  at  his  house  he  began  to  ask  questions  which  he 
supposed  to  be  hard.  We  were  sitting  by  a  table  on  which  was  a 
Family  Bible,  and  said  quietly,  after  answering  his  first  question : 
*We  suppose  that  you  are  all  tired ;  perhaps  we  better  have  prayers 
and  go  to  bed.'  So,  taking  the  Bible,  we  read  a  passage  of  Scrip- 
ture, and  prayed  as  well  as  we  could  for  all,  and  especially  for 
that  family.  McPherson  never  afterwards  tried  to  debate  the 
question  of  religion  with  us.  He  was  always  kind  and  liberal; 
but  when  our  successor,  Dr.  J.  H.  Merritt,  came  to  his  place, 
he  said:  'No,  I  can  not  entertain  him;  I  took  care  of  Dr.  Crary 
for  four  years,  and  think  that  is  enough/    It  is  worth  a  journey 


266  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

of  a  hundred  miles  to  hear  Brother  Merritt  tell  that,  and  laugh 
over  it. 

''We  used  to  stop  at  Saguache,  at  the  hospitable  home  of  an 
aged  Baptist  couple  named  Ashley.  The  old  gentleman  was  a 
very  kind,  generous  man;  his  wife  was  a  warm-hearted,  happy 
Christian,  and  paid  but  little  attention  to  'keeping  silence  in  the 
churches;'  but  told  her  experience,  sometimes  shouted,  and  went 
round  the  house  begging  her  friends  to  give  their  hearts  to  God. 
She  was  a  true-blue,  deep-water  Baptist;  but  utterly  despised 
all  narrowness,  and  was  always  at  home  in  a  Methodist  meeting. 
We  generally  drove  from  McPherson's  to  Round  Mountain,  a 
perfectly  ideal  camping-place,  a  paradise  of  bronchos,  and  a  de- 
light to  the  eyes.  At  last  a  friend  of  ours  took  up  a  claim  there, 
and  made  a  home,  where  we  received  princely  welcome.  Our 
acquaintance  with  him  opens  up  a  case  good  enough  for  a  novel ; 
but  we  can  not  tell  it  now.  Then  we  stopped  at  a  Brother  Fos- 
ter's, on  a  small  creek  some  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  up  the  valley 
from  Saguache,  that  was  a  paradise  to  a  weary  itinerant,  who 
was  welcome  always  to  all  they  could  give.  For  eight  years, 
from  1872  to  1880,  we  traversed  the  Rocky  Mountains,  trying 
to  build  up  God's  Church.  It  was  a  period  of  almost  unalloyed 
pleasure.  We  passed  through  ridiculous  and  perilous,  joyous 
and  trying  experiences;  but — 

'Out  of  them  all  the  Lord 
Hath  brought  us  on  our  way.' 

We  staid  with  all  sorts  of  people,  and  with  some  of  very  doubtful 
business ;  but  always  prayed  with  them  morning  and  evening, 
and  often  at  noon,  when  we  stopped  with  frontiersmen.  Our 
only  regret  was,  all  the  time,  that  we  could  not  plant  more 
churches  and  send  out  more  preachers.  No  more  heroic  men  ever 
lived  than  our  glorious  cohort  of  frontier  preachers.  They  de- 
serve immortality  and  eternal  life.  Five  churches  and  five  Meth- 
odist preachers  in  San  Luis  Valley  seems  like  a  dream.  God 
bless  them!" — Rocky  Mountain  Christian  Advocate,  June  18,  i8pi. 

Platte  RivKR  Circuit. — The  first  minister  of  any  denomi- 
nation known  to  have  preached  along  the  Valley  of  the  South 


PICKET-LINE  EXTENDED,  267 

Platte  River  below  Denver,  was  the  Rev.  L.  B.  Stateler,  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  who  was  freighting  with 
a  six-ox  team  from  the  Missouri  River.  As  he  journeyed  up 
and  down,  he  stopped  and  preached  to  the  scattered  settlers  near 
Fort  Lupton. 

April  19,  1863,  was  a  red-letter  day  on  the  Lupton  Bottoms. 
Rev.  Stateler  preached,  morning  and  evening,  in  Mr.  Stover's 
kitchen,  which  was  on  the  west  side  of  the  Platte  River,  nearly 
opposite  the  fort.  The  settlers  gathered  from  far  and  near;  some 
on  horseback,  others  with  ox-teams.  All  carried  their  guns  for 
fear  of  the  Indians. 

The  evening  services  were  concluded  by  the  marriage  of  the 
daughter  of  Mr.  Stover  and  Richard  Shaw.  Twenty-three  years 
from  that  time  the  writer  was  permitted  to  unite  Richard  Shaw's 
daughter  in  marriage  with  William  Hamilton,  of  Lower  St.  Vrain; 
now  of  Broadway  Heights,  Denver. 

Great  credit  is  due  these  pioneers,  who  freely  opened  their 
homes  for  religious  services.  Father  Stover  lived  to  see  the 
whole  face  of  the  country  changed,  and  in  his  last  days  became  a 
humble  penitent  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  dying  in  hope  of  eternal 
life  beyond.  Mother  Stover  lived  till  past  fourscore  years,  and 
departed  this  Hfe,  April,  1895,  with  a  hope  full  of  immortality. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1863,  Rev.  Charles  King  came  over 
from  Boulder,  where  he  was  the  pastor,  preached  and  organized 
the  first  society,  below  Denver  in  the  South  Platte  Valley,  in 
Judge  Hammitt's  residence.  This  was  a  log  cabin  of  two  rooms, 
and  stood  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  two  miles  south  of  the 
present  site  of  Platteville.  Old  Fort  St.  Vasquez  was  half-way 
between  the  two  localities. 

The  class  consisted  of  Mrs.  Lucinda  M.  Raney,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ireland,  Ephraim  and  W.  W.  Nottingham,  Mrs.  and  F.  W.  Ham- 
mitt.  The  latter  was  appointed  class-leader.  He  has  held  that 
position  ever  since.  That  little  society,  organized  with  the  sacred 
number  of  seven,  still  exists,  and  has  developed  into  two  Churches 
with  -their  pastors — one  at  Fort  Lupton  and  one  at  Platteville. 
Two  of  the  original  seven,  Mrs.  L.  M.  Raney  and  Hon.  F.  W. 
Hammitt,  still  hold  their  membership,  and  have  their  residence 
there. 


268  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

The  Conference  of  1863  announced  a  Denver  Circuit.  This 
is  now  supposed  to  have  embraced  all  of  the  Platte  Valley,  above 
and  below  Denver.  The  valleys  of  Clear  Creek,  Ralston,  and 
Boulder  were  in  a  separate  charge. 

William  Antes  was  engaged  to  supply  this  work.  He  came 
from  Pennsylvania  early  in  1861,  holding  an  exhorter's  license. 
He  frequently  held  services  at  ''Buckskin  Joe,"  where  he  was 
Hcensed  to  preach  in  July,  1862. 

After  this  he  preached  in  the  South  Park  and  in  California 
Gulch,  near  what  is  now  known  as  Leadville;  then  on  Cherry 
Creek  until  the  Conference  of  1863,  when  he  was  engaged  to 
supply  the  Denver  Circuit. 

For  some  cause  he  spent  most  of  his  time  that  fall  and  winter 
in  the  valley  above  Denver.  In  April,  1864,  he  explored  the 
northern  portion  of  his  work,  starting  down  the  Platte  Valley, 
and  preaching  wherever  he  could  find  an  opening.  At  Fort 
Lupton  he  heard  of  a  religious  family  over  on  the  Big  Thompson, 
two  miles  east  of  the  present  site  of  Loveland.  He  hastened 
across  the  country  northward,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  rode  up 
to  the  door  of  W.  B.  Osborn,  Esq.,  and  rapped  with  his  riding 
whip  without  alighting.  To  the  lady  who  answered  the  knock, 
he  said:  '1  am  a  Methodist  preacher.  My  name  is  Antes.  Can 
I  stay  with  you  over  night?"  That  evening  he  preached  to  an 
audience  composed  of  the  entire  population,  consisting  of  thirteen 
persons,  including  three  children,  in  a  rude  schoolhouse,  near 
what  has  since  been  known  as  St.  Louis.  A  year  later  he  organ- 
ized here  a  class  of  three  members — W.  B.  Osborn  and  wife,  and 
David  Hershman.  This  society  still  exists  in  the  beautiful  town 
of  Loveland  (and  Brother  Osborn  and  wife  are  still  connected 
with  it),  where  they  own  a  neat  church  and  parsonage. 

Brother  A returned  to  the  South  Platte  River  Valley, 

and  proceeded  eastward.  After  zigzagging  about  for  a  time,  he 
established  preaching  regularly  once  a  month  at  or  near  the  fol- 
lowing points:  Henderson's  Island;  Fort  Lupton,  or  Ireland's; 
Fort  Vasquez,  or  Hammitt's;  Eunice's,  or  LaSalle;  and  at  Island 
Grove,  now  included  in  the  town  site  of  Greeley;  then  he  passed 
up  the  valley  of  the  Cache  La  Poudre,  preaching  near  where 


PICKET-LINE  EXTENDED.  269 

Windsor  now  stands;  on  above,  where  Fort  Collins  is  situated; 
and  then  turned  southward  to  the  Big  and  Little  Thompson, 
St.  Vrain,  Left  Hand,  and  other  points,  where  he  could  get  a  few 
people  together.  It  took  him  four  weeks  to  make  the  rounds 
as  he  rode  here  and  there  over  the  valleys.  He  not  only  preached 
on  the  Sabbath,  but  ofttimes  during  the  week.  Whenever  he 
arrived  the  neighbors  were  notified,  and  a  service  was  held,  at  the 
close  of  which  he  would  announce,  ''I  will  preach  again  on  my 
next  round." 

Peter  Winne  writes:   "A  short  time  after  Brother  A 's 

visit  in  April,  which  was  the  first  sermon  known  to  have  been 
preached  in  the  Poudre  Valley,  the  Indian  war  of  1864  broke  out. 
The  first  conflict  occurred  about  thirty  miles  below  Island  Grove, 
where  I  resided;  but  faithful  to  his  work,  he  came  on  his  ap- 
pointed round  in  the  month  of  May. 

"A  sub-chief  of  the  Arapahoes,  named  Friday,  with  quite  a 
number  of  squaws,  papooses,  and  a  few  aged  male  Indians,  had 
camped  within  a  short  distance  of  my  house,  only  a  few  days 
after  hostilities  began.  This  man  Friday  had  spent  some  time 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  with  some  traders,  when  young,  and  under- 
stood English  very  well.  I  invited  him  to  my  house  to  church. 
He  and  his  daughter,  aged  twenty,  came.  The  girl  was  dressed 
in  her  Sunday  best,  having  on  a  new  suit  of  buckskin,  beaded 
and  fringed  in  the  highest  style  of  Indian  art.  All  listened  atten- 
tively, none  more  so  than  Friday  and  his  daughter.     Services 

over.  Brother  A 's  horse  was  saddled,  unnoticed  by  Friday, 

who,  as  soon  as  he  observed  it,  rushed  up  to  him,  exclaiming, 
'Hold  on!  Hold  on!  Wait  Wait!  I  have  sent  for  my  horses, 
and  we  will  have  a  horse-race  with  you.'  Antes  declined  the 
invitation,  and  the  horse-race  was  indefinitely  postponed." 

He  was  returned  the  second  year  to  the  *Tlatte  River  Cir- 
cuit," as  it  was  now  called.  He  traversed  the  same  valleys  as 
the  year  previous,  hunting  up  ''the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel,"  preaching,  wherever  an  opportunity  offered,  in  such  rude 
schoolhouses  and  private  dwellings  as  then  existed. 

In  June,  1865,  owing  to  the  serious  Indian  troubles  that  then 
prevailed,  he  felt  compelled  to  give  up  the  work,  very  much  to 


270  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

the  regret  of  the  people.  No  one  was  appointed  at  the  Confer- 
ence of  that  year  for  all  this  region,  doubtless  because  of  the 
state  of  things  c 

On  his  last  round,  when  at  Father  Coffman's,  where  Long- 
mont  now  stands,  young  Arthur  heard  him  say,  as  he  pointed 
to  his  saddled  pony,  ready  to  start,  ''The  fleetness  of  that  horse 
has  saved  my  life  several  times  when  the  Indians  were  after  me." 

Boulder  and  CivEar  Crekk  Vaeleys. — Revs.  Goode  and 
Adriance  were  the  first  regular  preachers  of  any  denomination 
in  these  valleys.  They  preached  at  Golden  City  and  Arapahoe, 
a  small  town  just  east  of  North  Table  Mountain,  on  the  '*mesa." 
Brother  Adriance  preached  in  the  valley  of  the  Boulder  and  on 
Left  Hand  in  1859-60.  On  the  first  page  of  an  old  class-book 
I  read: 

"Golden  City  Class  was  formed  February  6,  i860.  John  W.  Stanton 
was  appointed  class-leader.  Remember  the  Quarterly  Fast  on  Friday 
preceding  each  quarterly-meeting. 

"(Signed,)        Jacob  Adriancd, 
"P.  C.  of  Auraria  and  Denver  City  Mission, 

''Kansas  and  Nebraska  Conference.'* 

This  class-book  was  revised  by  Brother  Adriance  five  months 
after,  with  the  same  leader  and  seventeen  members  enrolled.  In 
this  list  we  find  the  name  of  the  pastor's  bride,  Fanny  A.,  with 
whom  he  had  been  acquainted  less  than  three  weeks  before  mar- 
riage. She  was  the  daughter  of  Rev.  L.  C.  Rogers,  of  the  Central 
New  York  Conference. 

The  next  revision  of  the  old  class-book  was  made  December 
I,  i860,  when  there  were  but  ten  members.  Among  them  stands 
the  name  of  Nelson  H.  Virden.  This  time  he  signs  his  name  in 
charge  of  "Golden  City  and  Boulder  Mission."  April  15,  1861, 
he  had  but  six  members  left.  The  next  pastor  was  J.  W.  Caugh- 
lan;  class-leader,  James  Stickle,  who  has  been  a  member  of  the 
society  at  Arvada  for  several  years.  Charles  King  in*  1862,  B.  C. 
Dennis  in  1863,  and  A.  J.  Sevarts  leader  of  fifteen  members. 
There  is  no  record  of  any  pastor  in  1864.  The  circuit  was  di- 
vided in  1865,  Presiding  Elder  Willard  supplying  Golden  City 
in  connection  with  the  district,  and  C.  H.  Kirkbride  preaching  at 
Boulder.    The  next  revision  of  the  Golden  class-book  was  made 


PICKET-LINE  EXTENDED.  27 1 

in  1866,  with  D.  W.  Scott  preacher  in  charge,  and  FrankUn 
Howard  class-leader.  The  society  now  numbered  twenty-four, 
five  of  whom  bore  the  name  of  "Starr."  John  Cree,  a  local  elder, 
preached  at  Ralston  Crossing,  and  organized  a  class  there  in  1866. 

The  next  revision  of  the  Golden  class-book  is  in  the  hand- 
writing of  Rev.  B.  T.  Vincent,  who  served  Golden,  in  connection 
with  the  district  (1868),  of  which  he  was  presiding  elder.  In  the 
list  of  forty-three  names  we  read  the  name  of  his  devoted  wife, 
M.  Ella  Vincent,  and  that  of  his  eldest  son,  Leon  H.  William 
M.  Smith  served  Golden,  in  connection  with  the  district,  in  1867. 
The  next  year  Jesse  Smith  supplied  the  charge,  having  quite  an 
ingathering  at  Ralston  Crossing,  where  a  small  church  was 
built.  The  following  year  the  Ralston  society  became  divided, 
and  the  church-building  some  years  after  was  sold  to  the  school 
district.  That  money,  in  1890,  went  into  the  Arvada  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  The  first  religious  service  in  the  vicinity 
of  Arvada  was  held  by  Rev.  D.  W.  Scott,  pastor  at  Golden  City, 
in  the  summer  of  1866.  He  preached  in  Oliver  Graves's  new  log 
house,  which  is  yet  standing  on  the  bottoms,  a  mile  southeast 
of  the  town.  The  next  Fourth  of  July  a  Sunday-school  picnic 
was  held  in  the  grove  near  his  house.  This  is  where  several 
camp-meetings  were  held  in  later  years. 

The  first  society  was  formed  by  William  M.  Smith,  presiding 
elder,  in  a  small  schoolhouse  which  stood  on  the  brow  of  the 
hill,  a  little  west  of  the  railroad  depot,  in  Arvada.  Daniel  Ross 
was  leader.  Oliver  and  Lucy  Graves,  B.  F.  Wadsworth  and 
wife,  and  several  others,  were  members  of  that  class.  A  Union 
Sunday-school  had  previously  been  organized,  with  Simeon  Cort 
for  superintendent.  This  school  was  changed  to  a  Methodist 
Episcopal  Sunday-school,  January  3,  1875,  and  so  continues. 

In  1870,  Golden  City  was  made  a  separate  charge,  with  F.  C. 
Millington  pastor.  Other  pastors  are:  G.  W.  Swift,  1871;  H.  C. 
Waltz,  1872-3;  B.  F.  Taylor,  1874;  W.  L.  Slutz,  1875-6-7;  J.  R. 
Eads,  1878-9;  C.  S.  Uzzell,  after  Brother  Eads  left,  in  1879-80; 
W.  H.  Greene,  1881-2;  W.  H.  Gillam,  1883;  J.  F.  White, 
1884-5-6;  W.  M.  Bewley,  1887-8;  L.  Wright,  1889-90-91;  O.  J. 
Moore,  1892;  S.  W.  Thornton,  1893;  C.  A.  Brooks,  1894-5;  J.  R. 
Rader,  1896. 
18 


V. 

TTHK  CONKKRKNCK  OROANIZKD. 

The:  ministers  of  the  Colorado  Territory  met  in  the  city  of 
Denver,  July  lo,  1863,  at  nine  o'clock  A.  M.,  for  the  purpose  of 
organizing  an  Annual  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Bishop  E.  R.  Ames  conducted  the  opening  religious 
exercises,  reading  the  133d  Psalm  and  the  first  part  of  the  fifth 
chapter  of  Matthew,  and  then  led  in  prayer,  after  which  he  read 
the  action  of  the  General  Conference  and  of  the  Bishops'  Meet- 
ing, in  reference  to  the  formation  of  the  ''Rocky  Mountain  Con- 
ference." 

The  ministers  present  were:  Oliver  A.  Willard,  John  L.  Dyer, 
William  H.  Fisher,  Charles  King,  B.  C.  Dennis,  W.  B.  Slaughter, 
G.  S.  Allen,  A.  P.  Allen,  William  Antes,  J.  M.  Chivington,  Will- 
iam Howbert,  T.  R.  Kendall. 

The  following  committees  were  appointed: 

1.  Public  Worship.— O.  A.  Willard  and  B.  C.  Dennis. 

2.  Conference  Stewards. — W.  H.  Fisher,  William  Howbert,  John  1*. 
Dyer. 

3.  Education.— O.  A.  Willard,  B.  C.  Dennis,  Charles  King. 

4.  Sabbath-schools. — Charles  King. 

5.  State  of  the  Country.— W.  H.  Fisher,  W.  Howbert. 

6.  Publishing  Minutes.— O.  A.  Willard,  W.  H.  Fisher. 

7.  Missions. — B.  C.  Dennis,  with  the  request  that  Colonel  Chiving- 
ton co-operate. 

8.  Temperance.— O.  A.  Willard,  C.  King. 

9.  Auditing  Committee. — C.   King,  with  the  request  that  Governor 
Evans  co-operate. 

10.  Churches  and  Parsonages. — ^J.  L.  Dyer,  W.  H.  Fisher. 

11.  Bible  and  Tract  Cause.— O.  A.  Willard. 

William  B.  Slaughter  was  announced  as  transferred  to  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Conference.  John  E.  Dyer  reported  ''that  the 
prospects  of  picking  is  very  poor  for  ministerial  support  in  the 
South  Park."  William  Howbert,  whose  work  the  previous  year 
had  extended  from  Cafion  City  to  twenty  miles  east  of  Pueblo, 

272 


THE   CONFERENCE   ORGANIZED.  273 

said:  "The  thing  in  general  looks  dubious.  No  Sunday-schools." 
W.  H.  Fisher  reported  from  Central  City:  "Salary,  $1,000.  Peo- 
ple liberal."  He  was  elected  to  elder's  orders.  Charles  King, 
from  Black  Hawk,  said:  "Everything  moving  finely.  A  good 
Sunday-school.  A  hallelujah  time  may  be  looked  for  next  year." 
O.  A.  Willard  reported  his  work  in  Denver  City:  "The  work  in 
good  condition.  Have  had  a  good  time  generally."  G.  S.  Allen, 
Boulder  Circuit:  "Doing  finely.  People  religiously  disposed. 
A  large  amount  of  material  to  build  upon."  William  Antes, 
Cherry  Creek  Circuit:  "The  way  clear.  The  sun  bright.  Think 
if  the  enemy's  works  were  properly  stormed,  great  spoils  would 
fall  into  our  hands."  A.  P.  Allen,  Golden  Circuit:  "Two  ap- 
pointments. Golden  and  Mt.  Vernon;  ten  members  at  the  latter." 
T.  R.  Kendall,  St.  Vrain:  "A  good  support  can  be  expected  by 
any  good  preacher  sent  them."  B.  C.  Dennis  stated  that  "A.  P. 
Allen  had  organized  a  class  of  twenty-five  members  of  colored 
persons,  who  wished  a  preacher."  Oliver  A.  Willard  and  Charles 
King  were  admitted  into  full  connection. 

Skcond  Day. — D.  H.  Petifish,  not  having  been  on  his  work, 
nor  in  the  Territory,  was  located.  William  Howbert  was  granted 
a  location  at  his  own  request.  W.  B.  Slaughter  was  introduced 
on  the  third  day.  The  report  of  the  Committee  on  Education, 
was  adopted. 

The  Rocky  Mountain  Conference  adjourned  on  Sunday  even- 
ing, the  13th  instant.  After  some  encouraging  words  by  the  pre- 
siding officer,  he  read  the  following  appointments: 

COLORADO  DISTRICT— W.  B.  Slaughter,  P.  E. 

Pueblo  and  Canon  City W.  H.  Fisher. 

South  Park John  L.  Dyer. 

Blue    River    (now    Breckenridge),    and    California    Gulch    (now 
Leadville),  were  left  to  be  supplied. 

DENVER  DISTRICT— Oliver  A.  Willard,  P.  E. 
"He  will  officiate  as  pastor  of  Denver  City  until  one  can  be  se- 
cured," said  the  bishop. 

Denver  Circuit Supplied  by  William  Antes. 

Golden  City B.  C.  Dennis. 

Boulder Charles  King. 


274  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

St.  Vrain Supplied  by  T.  R.  Kendall. 

Nevada Supplied  by  G.  S.  Allen. 

Denver  City,  Black  Hawk,  Central  City,  Empire  City,  were  to  be 

supplied,  as  soon  as  the  bishop  could  go  East  and  arrange 

therefor. 

The  only  difference  between  this  list  of  appointments  and 
those  in  the  General  Minutes  is,  that  the  ''supplies"  are  here 
added. 

Reported  at  the  organization,  241  members,  33  probationers, 
and  13  local  preachers;  10  Sunday-schools,  with  71  officers  and 
teachers,  and  449  scholars  of  all  ages;  one  church  on  the  South 
Park  Circuit,  valued  at  $300;  and  one  parsonage  in  Central  City, 
valued  at  $400. 

1864. — The  General  Conference  in  May  changed  the  name 
to  that  of  the  Colorado  Conference,  which  held  its  second  session 
in  Central  City,  Colorado  Territory,  beginning  Thursday,  Oc- 
tober 20,  1864. 

The  following  letter  will  explain  why  Bishop  Clark  did  not 
preside : 

"San  Francisco,  Cai,.,  October  i,  1864. 
"Rev.  B.  T.  Vincent: 

''Dear  Brother, — I  had  the  question  of  attempting  to  return  by  the 
Overland  route  open  till  to-day,  hoping  to  hear  from  you  and  others  to 
whom  I  have  written  and  telegraphed. 

"But  failing  to  hear  from  you,  and  being  assured  here  that  the  route 
continues  to  be  impracticable,  I  have  now  concluded  to  take  steamer, 
and  not  attempt  the  Overland  route.  I  hear  that  no  preachers  have  come 
on,  and  that  Brother  Willard  has  not  and  can  not  yet  return.  Still,  I 
would  say,  hold  the  Conference  and  make  out  the  appointments,  sending 
to  me  at  Cincinnati  the  result,  also  a  description  of  the  places  left  to  be 
supplied,  and  the  kind  of  men  needed  to  supply  them.  No  special  num- 
ber are  required  to  make  a  quorum  in  an  Annual  Conference.  By  all 
means  hold  a  Conference.  I  inclose  Brother  W.  B.  Slaughter's  report 
of  his  district.  The  amount  of  missionary  money  appropriated  to  the 
Colorado  Conference  is  $3,000.  Make  the  distribution  of  it,  through 
your  Missionary  Committee.        In  great  haste.     Truly  yours, 

"(Signed,)         D.  W.  Ci.ark." 

John  L.  Dyer  was  elected  president,  and  B.  T.  Vincent  secre- 
tary.    Rev.  John  Cree,  a  local  elder,  opened  the  session  with 


THE   CONFERENCE   ORGANIZED. 


275 


singing  and  prayer.     They  then  adjourned  until  the  next  day. 
A  sermon  was  deUvered  by  J.  L.  Dyer. 

Second  Day. — WilHam  Antes  led  in  prayer.  Present:  Col- 
onel J.  M.  Chivington,  C.  H.  Kirkbride,  H.  J.  Kimball,  John 
Cree,  C.  W.  Johnson,  B.  T.  Vincent,  Charles  King,  John  Adkin- 
son,  L.  G.  H.  Green,  W.  H.  Fisher,  who  was  granted  a  location. 
The  usual  Conference  committees  were  appointed. 

Third  Day. — Brother  Ely  led  in  prayer.  B.  C.  Dennis  was 
granted  a  certificate  of  location.  W.  B.  Slaughter  was  super- 
annuated. Conference  adjourned,  when  John  L.  Dyer  read  the 
appointments,  as  follows: 

DENVER  DISTRICT-O.  A.  Willard,  P.  E. 

Denver George  Rrchardson. 

Platte  River  Circuit Supplied  by  William  Antes. 

Central  City B.  T.  Vincent. 

Black  Hawk O.  P.  McMains. 

Nevada C.  H.  Kirkbride. 

Empire Charles    King. 

G.  L.  Phillips,  President  of  the  Colorado  Seminary,  and  member  of 
the  Denver  Quarterly  Conference. 

SOUTH  PARK  DISTRICT— John  L.  Dyer,  P.  £., 
and  Pastor  at  Colorado  City, 
Canon  City Supplied  by  P.  J.  Smith. 

Brothers  Willard,  Phillips,  Richardson,  and  McMains  arrived 
after  the  Conference  adjourned. 

1865. — Bishop  Calvin  KingslKy  held  the  third  session  of 
the  Colorado  Conference  in  Lawrence  Street  Church,  Denver, 
beginning  June  22,  1865. 

B.  T.  Vincent  was  elected  secretary,  and  W.  W.  Baldwin 
assistant.  O.  A.  Willard,  J.  L.  Dyer,  Charles  King,  and  B.  T. 
Vincent  answered  to  their  names  when  the  roll  was  called.  The 
bishop  then  announced  the  transfer  of  O.  P.  McMains,  from  the 
Illinois  Conference;  George  Richardson,  from  the  Rock  River 
Conference;  William  W.  Baldwin,  from  the  Maine  Conference; 


276  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

William  M.  Smith,  from  the  Nebraska  Conference;  and  George 
Murray,  from  the  Ohio  Conference. 

Charles  King,  George  Richardson,  Charles  H.  Kirkbride, 
and  Bethuel  T.  Vincent  were  ordained  elders.  W.  B.  Slaughter 
was  granted  a  location. 

At  the  close  of  the  session  the  bishop  announced  the  follow- 
ing appointments : 

DENVER  DISTRICT— O.  A.  Willard,  P.  E., 
and  Pastor  at  Golden  City. 

Denver W.  M.  Smith. 

Burlington  (now  Longmont) O.  P.  McMains. 

Boulder  Circuit C.  H.  Kirkbride. 

Central   and   Nevada * B.    T.    Vincent. 

Black  Hawk William  W.  Baldwin. 

Empire  City Charles   King. 

President,  of  Colorado  Seminary,  George  Richardson. 

SOUTH  PARK  DISTRICT— John  L.  Dyur,  P.  E., 
and  Pastor  at  Laurette  and  Lincoln. 

Colorado  and  Canon  Cities George  Murray. 

Oro  City Supplied  by  John  Gilliland. 

George  S.  Phillips  had  died  during  the  year.  He  was  ad- 
mitted on  trial  in  the  North  Ohio  Conference  in  1841,  and  ap- 
pointed to  Richwood  Circuit  as  junior  preacher.  He  held  the 
same  relation  at  Bellefontaine,  1842,  and  at  Kenton  in  1843,  when 
he  was  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  Soule.  He  was  also  junior 
preacher  at  West  Liberty  in  1844.  His  other  appointments  were: 
Greenville,  1845-6,  in  charge  the  last  date,  when  he  was  ordained 
elder  by  Bishop  Hamline;  Western  Star,  1847;  Brunswick  in 
1852. 

He  and  his  wife  crossed  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  on  horse- 
back, she  riding  a  man's  saddle.  ''For  a  time  he  was  editor  of  the 
California  Christian  Advocate;  but  for  the  most  part  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Young  Ladies'  Department  of  the  University  of  the 
Pacific." 

While  on  a  visit  to  his  Ohio  friends  in  186 1,  the  tocsin  of  war 
was  sounded.  That  year  and  the  following  he  was  sent  to  Tiffin, 
Ohio;  but  before  the   Conference  year  of   1862  closed  he  was 


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278  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAUST. 

appointed  chaplain  of  the  49th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  Health 
failed  him  in  the  army,  and  in  1864  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Colorado  Conference,  and  appointed  first  president  of  the  "Colo- 
rado Seminary,"  now  "the  University  of  Denver,"  which  position 
he  held  about  three  months,  when,  on  acount  of  continued  fail- 
ing health,  he  returned  to  Ohio,  and  died  near  Wooster  soon 
after. 

John  ColIvOM  went  to  Empire  City  in  July,  1864.  Here  he 
found  a  large  three-story  building  standing  in  the  side  of  a  blufif. 
The  third  story  was  used  for  a  dance  hall,  and  was  entered  from 
the  upper  and  town  side.  The  lower  story  was  on  a  level  with  the 
base  of  the  ridge  on  the  opposite  side,  where  was  an  entrance. 
The  writer  has  often  preached  in  the  above-mentioned  hall. 

This  building  Brother  Collom  bought,  and  fitted  up  the  hall 
for  a  church.  Then  he  organized  a  small  class,  and  applied  to 
the  Conference  for  a  preacher,  which  was  granted  in  the  person 
of  Charles  King  in  October  of  that  year.  Brother  Collom  paying 
$500  per  year  on  the  pastor's  salary.  Two  years  after  the  Con- 
ference met  in  his  house,  and  was  mostly  entertained  by  him  and 
his  excellent  wife,  who  did  her  own  work. 

1866. — The  fourth  session  of  the  Colorado  Conference  was 
held  in  Empire  City,  beginning  June  20th,  Bishop  Baker  pre- 
siding. The  devotional  exercises  were  conducted  by  John  L. 
Dyer.  Present:  W.  M.  Smith,  George  Richardson,  B.  T.  Vin- 
cent, John  L.  Dyer,  O.  P.  McMains,  Charles  King,  George 
Murray,  and  W.  W.  Baldwin,  who  was  elected  secretary.  The 
usual  Conference  committees  were  appointed. 

O.  A.  Willard  was  located  at  his  own  request.  The  Conference 
collected  for  missions,  $15.10.  On  the  third  day,  owing  to  the 
illness  of  the  bishop,  John  L.  Dyer  was  elected  to  preside.  Reso- 
lutions of  sympathy  for  the  bishop  were  passed.  The  Conference 
voted  that  the  Church  Extension  contribution  be  distributed  as 
follows:  To  the  Church  at  North  Empire,  $1,000;  at  Central 
City,  $1,000;  at  Boulder,  $500.  W.  W.  Baldwin  was  ordained 
elder  by  the  bishop  in  his  sick-room. 


THE  CONFERENCE  ORGANIZED,  279 

Conference  adjourned.  The  appointments  were  announced  by 
J.  L.  Dyer: 

DENVER  DISTRICT— William  M.  Smith,  F.  E. 

Denver B.  T.  Vincent 

Burlington O.  P.  McMains. 

Boulder Charles  King. 

Platte  River To  be  supplied. 

Central  City  and  Nevada To  be  supplied. 

Black  Hawk W.  W.  Baldwin. 

Empire George  Richardson. 

Golden  City To  be  supplied. 

Colorado  Seminary To  be  supplied. 

SOUTH  PARK  DISTRICT— John  L.  Dyer,  P.  E. 

Colorado  and  Canon  Cities George  Murray. 

Pueblo C.  H.  Kirkbride. 

Buckskin  and  Summit To  be  supplied. 

1867. — June  20TH  found  the  Conference  in  its  fifth  session 
near  Colorado  City,  with  Bishop  E.  R.  Ames  in  the  chair.  He 
conducted  the  devotional  exercises. 

The  trip  from  Denver  to  the  seat  of  Conference  was  a  memo- 
rable one.  The  distance  was  seventy-five  miles.  The  journey 
had  to  be  made  over  a  trail,  across  a  high  divide  covered  with 
scattering  timber  and  often  infested  by  savages,  with  only  here 
and  there  a  settler.  There  were  eleven  in  the  party,  nine  of  whom 
were  on  horseback.  O.  P.  McMains  drove  a  horse  to  an  open 
buggy,  in  which  the  bishop  rode.  At  the  request  of  Rev.  George 
Richardson,  Governor  Hunt  furnished  the  party  with  guns  and 
ammunition,  with  which  to  defend  themselves  in  case  of  an  In- 
dian attack. 

At  one  point  on  Plumb  Creek  the  bishop  sent  R.  J.  Van 
Valkenburg  and  George  Richardson  on  ahead  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  dinner.  They  soon  found  a  lonely  cabin,  in  which 
was  a  mother  and  two  children.  The  husband  had  gone  for  a 
load  of  wood  to  sell  in  Denver  and  buy  flour.  So  scanty  were 
her  supplies  she  at  first  declined  to  prepare  any  dinner  for  them; 
but  when  told  who  the  party  was,  and  that  there  was  a  live  bishop 


280  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

among-  them,  she  said:  "I  have  a  little  flour,  bacon,  and  butter- 
milk.   You  shall  have  the  best  we  have." 

The  horses  were  picketed  out  on  grass,  and  the  dinner  was 
gotten  in  short  order;  which  was  greatly  relished  by  all,  espe- 
cially the  buttermilk,  of  which  the  bishop  was  very  fond.  The 
meal  over,  the  bishop  led  in  prayer,  and  the  party  hastened  on 
its  journey.  The  lady  of  the  house  refused  any  compensation; 
yet  each  man,  as  he  left  the  table,  laid  a  silver  dollar  on  his  plate. 
When  the  good  woman  saw  their  liberality,  she  wept  for  joy. 

This  was  a  remarkable  Conference  session,  in  that  a  camp- 
meeting  was  held  in  connection  with  it,  in  a  grove,  on  an  island, 
in  the  ''Fountain,"  just  south  of  Colorado  City.  It  was  truly  a 
time  of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  For  years  after- 
ward it  was  a  subject  of  conversation  by  those  who  attended. 

In  crossing  over  to  the  island.  Brother  McMains  drove  too 
low  down,  was  upset,  and  came  near  losing  his  life.  Though  the 
horse  and  buggy  were  rescued,  his  grip,  in  which  was  a  new  suit 
of  clothes,  clean  linen,  and  other  valuables,  was  carried  away  by 
the  swift  current.  The  valise  was  afterward  found.  Seven  mem- 
bers responded  to  their  names.  B.  T.  Vincent  and  Charles  King 
were  absent.  John  Gilliland,  a  local  deacon,  who  had  supplied 
Dayton  the  previous  year,  was  ordained  elder. 

W.  A.  Amsbury  was  announced  transferred  from  the  Ne- 
braska Conference.  John  L.  Dyer  was  elected  delegate  to  the 
General  Conference,  and  William  M.  Smith  alternate.  The  ap- 
pointments were: 

DENVER  DISTRICT— William  M.  Smith,  P.  E., 
and  Pastor  at  Golden  City. 

Denver ...B.  T.  Vincent. 

Valmont  and  Burlington William  W.  Baldwin. 

Central  and  Nevada O.  P.  McMains. 

Georgetown  and  Empire William  A.  Amsbury. 

Black  Hawk To  be  supplied. 

SOUTH  PARK  DISTRICT— John  L.  Dyer,  P.  £. 
Fairplay  and  Dayton,  the  Presiding  Elder,  and  one  to  be  supplied. 

Colorado  and  Canon  Cities .George  Murray. 

Pueblo C.  H.  Kirkbride. 


THE   CONFERENCE   ORGANIZED. 


28l 


George  Richardson  was  transferred  to  the  Wisconsin  Con- 
ference, and  afterward  re-transferred  to  the  Rock  River  Confer- 
ence, which  he  had  joined  in  1861.  Brother  Richardson  was  born 
July  21,  1838,  in  Vermont;  educated  at  Evanston,  IlHnois.  In 
1871,  after  ten  years  of  hard  service  in  Ilhnois  and  Colorado, 
on  account  of  failing  health,  he  was  superannuated,  which  rela- 
tion he  still  retains.  As  an  active  worker  he  remained  in  Colo- 
rado only  three  years.  He  was  the  first  pastor  of  Lawrence 
Street  Church,  and  second  president  of  Colorado  Seminary;  at 
Empire  also  in  1866;  each  of  these  places  a  year. 

During  his  pastorate  of  Law- 
rence Street,  after  Phillips  left 
the  Seminary,  he  acted  as  pres- 
ident of  that  institution,  leaving 
it  without  a  dollar  of  indebted- 
ness against  it.  While  pastor  at 
Empire,  he  organized  a  class  of 
twelve  members,  and  built  a 
small  church  at  Mill  City,  now 
Dumont. 

In  the  summer  of  1866  he  or- 
ganized a  class  in  Georgetown, 
in  Rev.  John  Cree's  house,  ap- 
pointing him  leader.  This  class 
continues  to  this  day.  Having 
been  away  four  years,  he  re- 
turned in  July,  1 87 1,  to  his  old 
stamping-ground,  to  recuperate 
his  wasted  energies.  In  1880  he  moved  with  his  family  to  the 
vicinity  of  Denver,  to  make  this  his  permanent  home,  locating 
on  a  piece  of  land  at  Argo,  a  suburb  of  Denver.  In  his  own 
house  a  prayer-meeting  was  soon  started,  out  of  which  has 
grown,  largely  through  his  influence  and  liberality,  the  Argo 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

His  devoted  wife,  the  mother  of  four  sons  and  one  daughter, 
died  in  holy  triumph  March  20,  1884.  Her  mortal  remains  await 
the  resurrection  of  the  just,  at  ''Riverside  Cemetery."     In  June, 


G.  RICHARDSON. 


282  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

1885,  he  was  united  in  marriage,  by  Rev.  D.  H.  Moore,  D.  D., 
to  Miss  Martha  F.  Franks,  formerly  of  Doylestown,  Ohio.  She 
died  May,  1894.  He  is  now  president  of  the  Central  Savings 
Bank,  of  Denver,  Colorado. 

1868.— The  sixth  session  of  the  Conference  met  in  Golden 
City,  June  19th,  Matthew  Simpson,  president.  Six  answered  to 
their  names:  John  L.  Dyer,  B.  T.  Vincent,  George  Murray,  Will- 
iam M.  Smith,  O.  P.  McMains,  and  W.  W.  Baldwin,  who  was 
elected  secretary.  George  H.  Adams  was  announced  transferred 
from  the  Illinois  Conference,  and  introduced.  The  Conference 
took  action,  recommending  the  establishment  of  a  depository 
in  Denver  for  our  Book  Room  supplies  and  publications  for  this 
Western  country. 

Charles  King  was  requested  to  surrender  his  parchments. 
W.  F.  Warren  was  recommended  from  Fair  Play,  and  was  ad- 
mitted on  trial;  though  his  name  had  been  signed  to  the  docu- 
ment as  secretary  of  the  Quarterly  Conference,  the  Urst-horn  of 
the  Colorado  Conference. 

Trustees  for  the  Colorado  Seminary  were  elected  for  four 
years.  William  W.  Baldwin  was  located  at  his  own  request.  He 
served  the  Church  faithfully  for  two  years  in  Black  Hawk,  and 
one  year  in  Valmont,  which  then  included  Boulder  and  Burling- 
ton, now  Longmont.  After  leaving  Colorado  he  entered  one 
of  the  Eastern  Conferences,  where  he  has  been  doing  excellent 
work. 

This  year  closed  the  effective  relation  of  Charles  H.  Kirk- 
bride,  who  was  made  supernumerary.  He  was  at  Boulder  one 
year;  Pueblo,  two  years.  He  homesteaded  a  piece  of  land  near 
that  town,  and  was  located  at  his  own  request  in  1870.  Soon 
after,  he  took  refuge  in  California's  salubrious  clime.  William  A. 
Amsbury  was  granted  a  location.  It  is  said  the  bishop  had  great 
difficulty  in  adjusting  the  appointments.    Here  they  are: 

DENVER  DISTRICT— B.  T.  Vincent,  P.  E. 

Central  City G.  H.  Adams. 

Georgetown George  Murray. 

Valmont  and   Burlington,   Denver,    Clear   Creek,    Golden   City, 
Black  Hawk^  and  Nevada,  were  left  to  be  supplied. 


THE  CONFERENCE   ORGANIZED.  283 

SOUTH  PARK  DISTRICT— William  M.  Smith,  P.  E. 

Colorado  City  and  Pueblo O.  P.  McMains. 

Fair  Play W.  F.  Warren. 

Trinidad Suppli'^d  by  E.  J.  Rice. 

Canon  City To  be  supplied. 

RIO  GRANDE  DISTRICT— John  L.  Dyer,  P.  E. 
Cimarron,  Elizabethtown,  and  San  Luis  Valley,  each  to  be  sup- 
plied. 

DAKOTA  DISTRICT— To  be  supplied. 
Cheyenne  and  Laramie  City To  be  supplied. 


VI. 

HOW  WK  CAIVIK  "TO  GO  TO   COL.O- 

RADO. 

Opttimes  have  I  been  asked,  "How  did  you  come  to  go  to 
Colorado?"  In  brief,  I  answer  here.  Few  were  happier  or  more 
contented  in  the  regular  Ohio  pastorate  than  myself;  yet  for  a 
long  time  I  had  felt  there  was  work  for  me  to  do  in  the  far  West; 
but  why  should  I  worry  about  it,  so  long  as  the  way  did  not  open. 

The  Pittsburg,  now  East  Ohio,  Conference  met  March  24, 
1869,  in  New  Philadelphia,  the  county-seat  of  Tuscarawas 
County,  Ohio.  I  was  then  closing  my  second  year  at  Canal 
Dover,  which  stood  just  above,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
One  morning  Bishop  Ames,  who  presided,  sent  word  for  me 
to  dine  with  him  that  day  at  Brother  McClain's.  Never  suspect- 
ing the  bishop's  motive,  the  invitation  was  accepted.  At  the 
dinner-table  I  was  seated  at  the  bishop's  right,  and  he  was  de- 
scribing a  recent  trip  to  Omaha  and  beyond,  far  out  on  the 
Plains,  over  the  newly-constructed  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  when 
I  innocently  inquired  as  to  the  needs  of  the  work  in  the  far  West. 
Turning  his  face  towards  me,  he  asked,  "Young  man,  have  you 
not  had  impressions  that  you  ought  to  go  West?"  "I  can  not 
say  that  I  have  not,  bishop,"  was  the  reply. 

Dinner  over,  the  bishop  said,  "Come  with  me  to  my  room." 
Seated,  he  continued,  "I  want  you  to  go  to  Colorado."  "Where 
is  Colorado,  bishop?"  "You  know  where  Denver  is,  on  the 
map?"  "Yes."  "Well,  Denver  is  Colorado."  "But  I  can  not  go, 
bishop.  My  wife  is  an  invalid,  and  has  been  under  the  physician's 
care  for  six  months."  Speaking  then  with  great  emphasis,  he 
said:  "That  delightful  climate  will  prolong  her  life.  The  beautiful 
valleys,  hills,  and  mountains  will  charm  her.  I  am  now  convinced 
that  it  is  your  duty  to  go.  I  give  you  two  weeks  to  get  ready. 
Write  to  Bishop  Kingsley,  who  presides  at  that  Conference  in 
June,  that  I  have  found  him  a  man,  as  I  have  not  the  time,  and 
tell  him  I  say  you  must  go.  Ask  Bishop  Thomson  to  transfer 
you  to  the  Colorado  Conference."    "Hold,  bishop!"  I  answered, 

284 


HOW  WE   CAME   TO   GO   TO   COLORADO.  285 

"I  have  no  money  to  defray  the  expense  of  moving  so  far." 
I  thought  this  would  block  the  bishop's  scheme.  But,  no! 
Listen  to  his  reply.  "We  have  a  fund  for  that  purpose,  and  I 
will  pay  them."  In  consulting  with  my  wife,  she  said:  ''To  stay 
here  is  death.  I  can  but  die  if  I  go,  and  it  may  prolong  my  life." 
In  two  weeks,  library  and  household  goods,  except  furniture, 
were  packed,  farewells  said,  and  this  writer,  with  his  family,  was 
en  route  for  Central  City,  Colorado.  The  following  note  accom- 
panied his  transfer: 

"Dei^awarE,  Ohio,  May  8,  1869. 
"Dear  Brother, — Yours  received.  Although  we  need  you  in  the 
North  Ohio  Conference,  yet  the  necessities  of  the  work  in  the  far  West 
are  so  great  that  I  do  not  hesitate  to  comply  with  your  request  for  a 
transfer  to  the  Colorado  Conference,  which  you  will  find  on  the  opposite 
page.        Yours  truly,  (Signed,)         E.  Thomson." 

The  last  good-bye  was  said,  in  Ohio,  at  Norwalk,  Huron 
County,  on  the  morning  of  May  24,  1869,  when  we  stepped  on 
board  the  train  for  Colorado  Territory,  which  seemed,  at  that 
time,  so  far  away.  We  halted  in  Iowa  and  Missouri  to  visit 
friends  and  relatives.  As  this  was  our  first  trip  West,  much  was 
new  and  novel,  and  was  greatly  enjoyed. 

Soon  after  passing  Springfield,  Illinois,  at  about  seven  o'clock 
A.  M.,  the  sleeper,  in  which  we  were  riding,  jumped  the  track, 
thumped  along  on  the  ties  for  a  short  distance,  careened  over 
to  the  right  against  a  bank  of  earth,  and  smashed  in  the  win- 
dows on  that  side  of  the  car.  While  all  were  badly  shaken  up, 
no  bones  were  broken,  though  some  carried  bruises  for  weeks 
afterward. 

The  conductor's  wife  was  going  to  her  father's  with  her  first- 
born, a  mere  babe.  A  moment  before  the  accident  the  writer 
suggested  that  she  lay  the  little  one,  wrapped  in  a  shawl,  on  a 
seat  to  sleep,  as  the  mother  seemed  very  weary  and  needed  rest. 

That  darling  child  of  only  a  month  was  found  after  the  wreck 
in  the  debris,  covered  with  black  soil  and  broken  glass,  unawak- 
ened  and  unharmed,  while  the  mother  was  considerably  bruised. 

A  large,  fleshy  woman,  gasping  for  breath,  was,  with  difficulty, 
carried  out  and  laid  on  the  ground.    When  she  was  asked  by  a 


286  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

lady  passenger,  whose  head  had  been  bumped  severely,  if  she  was 
hurt,  she  replied,  in  a  scarcely  audible  voice,  "Yes,  and  that  bad, 
too."  After  the  excitement  was  over,  she  could  not  find  a 
scratch. 

A  family  from  West  Virginia  was  on  a  visiting  tour  of  inspec- 
tion. As  soon  as  the  car  tipped  over,  the  wife,  a  tall,  lank  woman, 
went  down  on  her  knees,  and  prayed  vehemently  for  several  min- 
utes. Rising  to  her  feet,  swinging  her  sunbonnet  around  her 
head  vigorously,  in  a  sharp,  shrill  voice,  she  exclaimed:  "I  knowed 
it!  I  knowed  it!  I  told  my  old  man  we  would  all  be  killed  if 
we  went  on  the  cars.  I  am  not  a-going  to  ride  another  step!  I 
shall  walk,"  and  out  of  the  wrecked  car  she  crept,  starting  off  on 
foot.  A  number  of  the  passengers  got  around  her,  and  inter- 
cepted her  progress,  finally  inducing  her  to  return  to  the  train, 
when  she  found  that  no  one  was  killed  or  seriously  injured. 

We  crossed  the  Mississippi  River  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  on  a 
steamer,  and  the  Missouri  River  at  Omaha  on  a  ferry-boat. 
There  were  no  bridges  at  the  time  across  those  streams. 

At  Omaha,  in  the  hotel  where  we  spent  the  night,  a  lady  was 
robbed  of  her  pocket-book.  She  could  neither  go  back  or  for- 
ward. What  was  she  to  do?  The  thief  did  not  leave  her  a  copper 
to  pay  her  hotel  bill,  or  to  buy  her  ticket  to  Cheyenne,  where  she 
had  been  summoned  to  care  for  a  sick  sister,  who  was  the  wife 
of  one  of  the  editors  of  the  leading  paper  published  there  at  that 
time.  We  found  her  in  tears,  listened  to  her  story,  pitied  her, 
paid  her  hotel  bill,  bought  her  ticket,  took  her  into  the  sleeper 
with  us,  and  brought  her  to  her  destination.  Her  brother-in-law 
made  it  all  right  with  us. 

Our  train  left  Omaha  on  the  morning  of  June  22d,  reaching 
Cheyenne  the  next  morning.  This  was  then  a  typical  border 
town,  where  the  rougher  element  greatly  predominated.  The 
buildings  were  mostly  one-story  board  shanties.  Since  then 
large  brick  and  stone  blocks  and  elegant  residences  have  taken 
their  places.  Cheyenne  now  is  a  model  city  of  neatness  and 
thrift,  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Wyoming. 

There  was  quite  a  variety  of  passengers  in  the  sleeper. 
Among  them  were  several  dignitaries  of  an  unmentioned  Church. 
Although  the  water-tanks  were  filled  at  the  river,  yet  as  soon 


HOIV  WE   CAME   TO   GO   TO   COLORADO.  287 

as  we  were  well  out  on  the  Plains,  the  water  became  dangerous  to 
health,  and  therefore,  when  drank,  **soniethin'  "  must  be  put 
therein  to  prevent  sickness.  "A  change  of  water  is  very  bad, 
you  know,"  remarked  one  of  the  gentlemen  above  referred  to, 
as  an  excuse  for  visiting  the  tank  so  often.  It  was  remarkable 
how  thirsty  those  men  became!  The  writer  always  takes  water 
straight,  and  plenty  of  it,  without  injury,  no  matter  where  he  is. 

The  coach  was  to  leave  at  nine;  but  for  some  reason  did  not 
get  ofif  until  ten  A.  M.  For  my  son,  a  lad  of  eleven  years,  and 
small  of  his  age,  the  cost  of  a  seat  to  Denver,  one  hundred  and 
ten  miles,  was  $18. 

There  were  seventeen  passengers,  not  counting  the  baby, 
with  baggage  and  express  matter  enough  to  fill  a  lumber-wagon; 
yet  four  horses  managed  to  pull  it  all  through,  by  exchanging 
every  twelve  or  fifteen  miles. 

The  streams  crossed  after  nightfall  were  bank-full,  in  places 
covering  the  low  bottoms.  The  bridges  were  mostly  rickety 
concerns,  made  of  round  poles  or  of  puncheons,  not  especially 
inviting  as  crossings,  with  the  raging  torrent  underneath.  The 
driver  required  the  drowsy  passengers  to  walk  over  before  he 
would  cross  with  the  coach.  One  was  considered  so  unsafe  that 
he  forded  the  stream  with  his  team  after  the  passengers  had 
crossed  the  tottering  concern.  These  walks  relieved  the  monot- 
ony of  the  ride  several  times  during  the  night. 

On  the  coach  was  Mr.  A.  J.  Gill,  a  realty  agent,  and  one  of 
the  first  Sunday-school  superintendents  in  Denver.  He  enter- 
tained us  "tender-feet"  with  thrilling  incidents  of  hairbreadth 
escapes  from  Indian  depredations,  along  the  way.  Another,  on 
the  middle  seat  of  the  coach,  was  John  R.  Hanna,  Esq.,  for  years 
a  leading  banker  in  Denver,  and  an  active  worker  in  the  First 
Congregational  Church.  Our  first  view^  of  Denver  was  from 
the  bluff  on  the  ''north  side,"  and  was  anything  but  inspiring. 
On  that  side  of  the  Platte  River  there  was  but  one  dwelling- 
house,  some  powder-houses,  and  the  Masonic  cemetery,  with  a 
board  fence.  '  F  Street,  now  Fifteenth,  was  the  main  business 
street,  and  that  morning  was  lined  with  "prairie  schooners,"  each 
one  of  which  was  drawn  by  from  four  to  twelve  yoke  of  oxen.  If 
not  on  the  move,  these  were  lying  down,  chewing  their  cuds. 
19 


288  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Most  of  the  business-houses  were  one-story  frames.  Many  of  the 
dwelHngs  were  no  better.  There  were  a  few  brick  buildings; 
such  as  the  United  States  Mint,  and  the  store  north  of  it;  the 
Lawrence  Street  Church,  corner  of  Fourteenth  and  Lawrence 
Streets;  Ex-Governor  Evans's  residence,  on  the  corner  of  Four- 
teenth and  Arapahoe  Streets,  where  he  died,  and  the  Colorado 
Seminary  opposite;  the  American  House,  also,  which  was  first 
opened  that  morning  for  business,  and  a  few  others,  which  I  can 
not  now  recall.  Denver  then  claimed  a  population  of  four  thou- 
sand souls.  Although  we  reached  the  city  at  eight  o'clock  A.  M., 
June  24,  1869,  the  coach  for  Central  City  had  been  gone  an 
hour.  The  Conference  met  there  that  morning,  and  we  had 
promised  to  be  present  on  that  day.  What  shall  we  do?  became 
an  important  inquiry.  There  seemed  no  other  alternative  than 
to  hire  a  rig  to  convey  us  thither.  After  canvassing  the  livery 
stables,  the  best  terms  for  a  good  team,  driver,  and  a  two-seated 
carriage,  leaving  our  trunks  to  be  forwarded  by  freight,  was  $35, 
to  convey  us  thirty-five  miles. 

The  mountains  appeared  to  our  unpracticed  eyes  only  half  a 
mile  distant,  certainly  not  over  a  mile  away  at  the  farthest.  We 
thought,  with  our  spanking  team  of  strawberry  roans — and  there 
are  few  better — we  shall  reach  the  mountains  in  fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes,  and  be  way  beyond  their  snowy  summits  long  before 
arriving  at  our  destination.  After  an  hour's  driving  at  a  good 
gait  they  seemed  no  nearer  than  when  we  first  started.  The 
writer  said  to  the  driver,  a  nice  young  man  of  nearly  twenty 
years,  who  a  few  weeks  after  was  drowned  while  bathing  in 
Twin  Lakes:  "What  is  the  matter?  Are  the  mountains  receding, 
or  are  we  trotting  in  a  half-bushel?"  We  halted  by  the  wayside, 
and  refreshed  ourselves  and  horses  at  a  spring  of  water,  flowing 
from  under  a  bank.  Still,  another  hour  or  more  passed  before 
we  reached  Golden  City  at  the  foothills,  entered  the  narrow, 
rocky  gorge  of  the  "Golden  Gate,"  and  began  the  ascent  of  the 
mountains. 

Rev.  Stevens,  of  the  Kansas  Conference,  occupied  one  of  the 
seats  of  the  carriage  with  us. 

As  we  slowly  ascended  along  the  gravelly  bed  of  an  ephemeral 
stream,  with  towering  rocks  on  either  hand,  expressing  our  sur- 


HOW   WE   CAME   TO   GO   TO   COLORADO.  289 

prise  at  their  dimensions,  the  driver  remarked,  ''The  Rocky 
Mountains  are  rightly  named." 

Surely,  thought  we,  after  an  hour  or  more  of  such  climbing, 
we  shall  soon  reach  the  top,  touch  the  snow,  and  look  off  on  the 
other  side.  We  halted  at  the  stage  station,  near  the  foot  of  "Guy 
Hill,"  for  a  late  dinner.  The  ride  and  the  mountain  air  sharpened 
our  appetites,  so  that  we  did  ample  justice  to  the  sumptuous  re- 
past; for  which  the  charge  was  one  dollar  each.  Several  times 
during  the  day  we  were  compelled  to  take  the  roadside,  in  very 
dangerous  nooks  to  make  way  for  those  long  ox-freight-teams  to 
pass.  Just  before  the  sun  sank  behind  the  snow-bedecked  peaks, 
we  alighted  in  front  of  the  pleasant  home  of  Henry  M.  Teller, 
Esq.,  for  years  United  States  senator  from  Colorado,  where 
Bishop  Kingsley  and  others  gave  us  a  hearty  welcome.  Yet  the 
snowcapped  summits  were  far  beyond  us,  and  really  seemed  no 
nearer  than  in  the  morning. 

All  the  way  up  we  were  awed  and  amazed  at  the  grandeur 
and  sublimity  of  the  mountains,  rising,  as  they  do,  peak  on  peak, 
higher  and  higher,  until  their  lofty  summits  seemed  to  pierce 
the  very  clouds,  and  inaccessible;  reminding  us  of  Pope's  sub- 
lime words, — 

"Hills  peep  o'er  hills,  and  Alps  on  Alps  arise." 


VII. 

TTHK  COLORADO  CONKERKNCR  AS 
WK  KOUND  IT  IN  1869. 

Central  City  was,  at  that  time,  the  headquarters  of  gold- 
lode  mining  on  the  eastern  face  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and 
claimed  a  population,  with  its  adjuncts,  of  six  thousand,  subject  to 
fluctuations.  It  is  the  county-seat  of  Gilpin  County,  stands  at 
the  mouth  of  two  gulches,  and  is  far  from  level.  Moving  or 
lounging  about  the  narrow  streets  (the  gulches  will  admit  of  no 
other)  were  the  inevitable  ox-teams.  The  stamp-mills  kept  up 
a  continuous  "Thump!  thump!"  day  and  night,  Sunday  and 
week-day  alike.  Numerous  quartz  teams  were  hauling  ore  from 
the  mines  to  the  mills.  Judging  from  appearances,  business 
houses,  saloons,  gambling-houses,  brothels,  and  theaters  did  a 
thriving  business  on  Saturday  nights  and  Sundays.  The  only 
exception  to  this  was  the  absence  of  work  in  the  mines;  for,  as 
a  rule,  Cornish  miners  will  not  work  on  the  Sabbath-day.  To 
us,  just  arrived  from  the  East,  it  seemed  exceedingly  queer,  and 
we  felt  we  had  reached  a  world  where  pandemonium  was  turned 
loose. 

The  Conference  had  only  six  members  in  the  active  work  in 
full  connection,  viz.:  John  L.  Dyer,  B.  T.  Vincent,  George  H. 
Adams,  William  M.  Smith,  George  Murray,  O.  P.  McMains, 
and  two  supernumeraries,  C.  H.  Kirkbride  and  Charles  King. 
There  was  also  one  probationer,  W.  F.  Warren,  and  two  local 
preachers,  who  had  supplied  charges  the  year  previous.  These 
were  excellent  men,  and  did  a  good  work ;  but  others  have  entered 
into  their  labors. 

Bishop  Kingsley  ordained  to  local  deacon's  orders  D.  T. 
Griffith  and  William  Shepherd,  who  had  supplied  Caiion  City; 
to  local  elder's  orders,  P.  Peterson,  who  had  the  preceding  year 
been  on  the  Valmont  and  Burlington  work.  These  latter  places 
have  been  superseded  by  Boulder  and  Longmont.  J.  L.  Peck 
had  served  Lawrence  Street  Church;  A.  Gather  had  been  on  the 
Dakota  District,  preaching  at  Cheyenne  and  Laramie  City;  Jesse 

290 


THE   COLORADO   CONFERENCE  IN  l86g.  29 1 

Smith  had  filled  the  Clear  Creek  Charge,  now  Arvada;  these  were 
transferred  into  the  Conference.  G.  W.  Swift,  who  had  preached 
at  Black  Hawk  and  Nevada,  was  admitted  on  trial. 

George  Wallace  was  received  by  transfer  from  the  Rock  River 
Conference  in  Illinois,  and  Isaac  H.  Beardsley  from  the  North 
Ohio.  A.  Gather  was  transferred  back  to  the  Philadelphia  Con- 
ference. 

The  statistical  report  showed  that  there  were,  in  the  Colorado 
Conference,  498  members,  847  probationers;  21  Sunday-schools, 
with  487  scholars;  3  parsonages,  valued  at  $1,300;  12  churches, 
valued  at  $65,900;  received  for  benevolences  of  the  Church,  $683; 
total  salaries  paid,  $14,453;  twelve  men  received  appointments 
from  the  bishop,  nine  to  charges  and  three  on  districts,  namely: 

DENVER  DISTRICT— B.  T.  Vincknt,  P.  E., 
and  Pastor  at  Golden. 

Denver J.  L.  Peck. 

Boulder  and  Burlington Supplied  by  R.  J.  Van  Valkenberg. 

Big  Thompson   and    La    Poudre    (now   Fort    Collins,   Windsor, 

Greeley,  Evans,  and  Loveland) ,  G.  W.  Swift. 

Ralston  and  Clear  Creek  (now  Arvada) Jesse  Smith. 

Central  City G.  H.  Adams. 

Black  Hawk  and  Nevada George  Wallace. 

Georgetown Isaac  H.  Beardsley. 

ARKANSAS  DISTRICT— George  Murray,  P.  E., 
and  Pastor  at  Colorado  City. 

Canon  City William   M.   Smith. 

Pueblo O.  P.  McMains. 

Fair  Play W.  F.  Warren. 

SANTA  FE  DISTRICT— John  L.  Dyer,  P.  E. 
Without  a  member  or  a   solitary  assistant,  not  even  a  wife,  he  was 
not  only  presiding  elder,  but  pastor  for  all  New  Mexico  and  the  San  Luis 
Valley  in  Colorado. 

John  L.  Dyer  was  born  March  16,  1812,  near  Columbus, 
Ohio.  His  sole  object,  entering  the  ministry  at  a  rather  ad- 
vanced age  in  life,  was  to  so  preach  the  gospel  as  to  save  souls. 
June  20,  1 86 1,  found  him  walking  into  Denver  City  penniless, 
having  been  robbed  the  night  before. 


292 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


In  1868,  when  the  bishop  proposed  that  he  go  to  New  Mexico 
the  coming  year,  he  objected,  on  the  ground  of  non-adaptabiHty. 
Succeeding  events  have  shown  that  there  was  no  mistake  in  that 
appointment.  **He  was  the  right  man  in  the  right  place."  On 
his  way  southward,  to  the  vast  "regions  beyond,"  on  horseback, 
if  a  pony  can  be  called  a  horse,  he  preached  to  the  soldiers  at 

Fort  Garland,  which 
stood  at  the  southern 
base  of  Sierra  Blanca, 
the  loftiest  peak  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  on 
the  eastern  edge  of  the 
San  Luis  Valley.  This 
was  probably  the  first 
sermon  ever  preached 
in  that  valley. 

''Father"  Dyer  was 
never  particular  where 
he  preached,  whether 
in  the  street,  saloon, 
cabin,  school-room, 
church,  on  mountain, 
valley,  or  plain,  so  he 
delivered  the  message 
of  salvation  to  dying 
men.  In  his  preaching 
he  never  once  consid- 
ered ease,  popularity, 
or  salary.  When  tak- 
ing a  collection,  he  was 
always  glad  to  get  his  hat  back,  if  perchance  there  should  be 
nothing  of  value  in  it,  for  he  had  spoken  the  truth  to  sinful  men. 
What  cared  he  whether  he  traveled  on  foot,  horseback,  or  "snow- 
shoes!"  The  one  burning  desire  was,  that  he  "might  not  build 
upon  another  man's  foundation." 

John  L.  Dyer  has  preached  the  gospel  in  more  out-of-the-way 
places,  and  in  more  new  towns,  for  the  first  time,  than  any  other 
man,  living  or  dead,  within  the  bounds  of  the  Colorado  Confer- 


FATHER  DYER, 
"  The  Snow-shoe  Itinerant. 


THE  COLORADO  CONFERENCE  IN  l86g.  293 

ence.  Often  working  with  his  own  hands  for  his  support  on  the 
week-days,  yet  when  the  Sabbath  came  he  blew  the  gospel 
trumpet  with  no  uncertain  sound.  He  has  been  a  *'True  Sir 
Knight"  of  the  gospel  throughout  this  region  for  thirty-six  years. 
His  sermons  always  had  the  true  gospel  ring  in  them.  Every- 
where he  proclaimed  a  free  salvation;  yet  in  his  denunciations 
of  wrong  he  spared  neither  friend  nor  foe. 

His  ready  wit  and  religious  enthusiasm  carried  him  through, 
winning  the  respect  of  saint  and  sinner.  A  few  sallies  of  his  wit, 
not  in  his  "Snow-shoe  Itinerant,"  pubHshed  in  1890  by  the 
Western  Methodist  Book  Concern,  will  be  enjoyed. 

Some  time  during  the  early  spring  of  1868,  one  Sabbath  after- 
noon, weary  and  dusty  from  a  walk  of  over  a  hundred  miles,  he 
met  with  the  old  Lawrence  Street  Sunday-school,  when  the  pas- 
tor made  the  following  announcement:  "Children,  Old  Father 
Dyer  is  in  the  audience,  and  after  singing  this  hymn  he  will  make 
a  short  talk."  The  hymn  was  sung,  and  the  pastor  invited  "Old 
Father  Dyer"  forward  to  the  altar  to  address  the  school. 

This  reference  quickened  his  pulse,  as  he  walked  upon  the 
platform  with  a  firm  and  elastic  step,  and  with  a  peculiar  twinkle 
in  one  corner  of  his  eye,  in  a  drawling  tone  of  voice,  he  began 
with:  "O-l-d  F-a-t-h-e-r  D-y-e-r;  yes,  children,  O-l-d  F-a-t-h-e-r 
D-y-e-r.  I  may  be  old;  but  I  am  not  barefoot  on  the  top  of  my 
head,  neither  do  I  wear  store  teeth  tied  into  my  mouth  with  a 
string!" 

The  point  of  the  joke  will  readily  be  seen,  when  we  recollect 
that,  though  their  pastor  was  about  twenty-two  years  younger 
than  he,  yet  the  top  of  his  head  was  "above  timber-line,"  and  he 
wore  false  teeth. 

At  the  session  of  the  Conference  held  in  Colorado  Springs 
in  1874,  "Father  Dyer"  had  been  on  the  "Outposts"  during  the 
•  year  previous,  and  had  taken  no  collections,  though  a  few  had 
been  converted.  Bishop  Bowman  thought  it  best  to  remind  him 
and  others  how  important  it  was  to  take  all  the  collections  at 
every  appointment,  no  matter  where  he  preached,  and  by  way 
of  illustration  told  of  a  circuit  he  once  traveled,  and  how  carefully 
he  attended  to  all  the  financial  matters.  Every  eye  was  on  Father 
Dyer,  to  see  how  he  was  taking  it,  every  ear  open  for  his  response. 


294  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

When  the  bishop  had  finished,  Father  Dyer  slowly  arose,  address- 
ing the  chair,  said,  ''Bishop,  you  did  WELL."  The  whole  audience 
were  convulsed  with  laughter. 

At  the  Golden  Session  in  1878,  a  new  constitution  for  the 
"Preachers'  Aid  Society"  was  before  the  body  for  consideration. 
A  tall,  dark-complexioned  brother  arose,  and  made  a  telling, 
tearful  speech  against  the  adoption  of  one  of  the  by-laws,  closing 
with,  "If  that  becomes  the  rule  of  this  Conference,  and  I  should 
die  before  the  year  is  out,  then  my  wife  and  children  could  get 
no  help  from  this  fund  for  the  next  four  years."  The  speech 
was  scarcely  ended  and  the  speaker  seated,  when  Father  Dyer, 
with  his  hands  on  the  back  of  the  seat  in  front  of  him,  half  arose 
and  addressed  the  chair,  quoting,  in  a  drawling  tone  of  voice,  the 
following  lines: 

"Hark,  from  the  tombs  a  doleful  sound! 

Mine  ears  attend  the  cry." 

The  effect  was  electrical  and  ludicrous  in  the  extreme. 

One  day  at  the  same  session,  a  young  brother,  whose  hearing 
was  rather  dull,  and  who  used  a  tin  ear-trumpet,  made  himself 
quite  conspicuous  by  declaring  that  some  remarks  Father  Dyer 
had  made  were  rather  personal,  and  demanded  to  know  to  whom 
he  had  reference.  Father  Dyer  responded  quickly  with,  "I  meant 
it  for  any  one  whom  the  coat  might  fit;  especially  the  young 
brother  over  there  with  the  tin  horn."  This  brought  down  the 
house  in  roars  of  laughter.  Bishop  Simpson,  occupying  the 
chair,  failed  to  maintain  his  usual  gravity. 

Father  Dyer  was  visiting  an  old  acquaintance  in  the  moun- 
tains, on  the  South  Park  Road,  in  1893,  and  his  friend  invited 
him  to  tarry  for  dinner.  After  the  blessing  was  asked,  a  half- 
grown  son  nudged  his  father  in  the  side,  inquiring,  "Dad,  who 
was  ne  talking  to?" 

rhere  are  those  who  look  down  upon,  and  speak  in  derision 
of  so-called  "circuit-riders."  Father  Dyer  says,  "I  never  rode 
a  circuit;  I  always  rode  a  horse!" 

Bkthuel  T.  Vincent  was  born  in  Tuscaloosa,  Alabama, 
August  9,  1834.    His  father  moved  North  when  he  was  two  and 


THE   COLORADO   CONFERENCE  IN  1 86^. 


295 


a  half  years  old,  settling  in  Central  Pennsylvania,  where,  with 
the  opportunities  of  the  public  school  only,  he  was  enabled  to 
lay  a  foundation  in  common  English  branches  for  studies  that 
ever  since  he  has  been  compelled  to  follow  in  the  midst  of  busi- 
ness and  clerical  duties.  He  spent  two  years  in  clerking  in  Erie, 
Pa.,  and  six  in  Chicago.  He  was  a  short  time  at  Garrett  Biblical 
Institute,  Evanston,  111.;  en- 
tered the  ministry  in  i860, 
in  the  Rock  River  Confer- 
ence. His  appointments  have 
been  :  Lamont,  two  years  ; 
Lockport,  one  year;  trans- 
ferred to  the  Colorado  Con- 
ference, September  28,  1863, 
and  was  at  Central  City,  in- 
cluding Black  Hawk  and  Ne- 
vada, a  part  of  the  time,  for 
three  years;  Denver,  two 
years;  four  years  on  the 
then  Denver  District,  includ- 
ing the  pastoral  oversight  of 
Golden  City  one  year ;  Law- 
rence Street,  Denver,  three 
years  more;  Colorado 
Springs,  eight  months; 
transferred  to  the  Philadel- 
phia Conference,  and  was 

stationed  at  Mauch  Chunk;  Park  Avenue,  Philadelphia;  Potts- 
ville;  Fortieth  Street,  Philadelphia;  three  years  each.  He  and 
Mrs.  Vincent  then  spent  three  months  in  Europe,  and  on  his 
return  was  pastor  two  years  at  First  Church,  Akron,  Ohio;  mak- 
ing fourteen  years  in  the  East.  He  was  then  transferred  back 
to  Colorado  in  1889,  and  served  the  Church  in  Greeley  some- 
thing less  than  a  year;  then  First  Church,  Pueblo,  two  years. 
When  Bishop  Hurst  wisely  formed  the  New  Denver  District,  in 
1892,  he  was  appointed  thereto.  He  is  an  entertaining  talker,  an 
instructive  preacher,  earnest  and  energetic  in  all  his  movements. 
He  is  attentive  to  all  the  minutice  of  the  work  committed  to  him, 


REV.  B.  T.  \^NCENT,  D.  D. 


296  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

whether  in  the  pastorate  or  on  the  district.  As  a  Sunday-school 
teacher  and  organizer  and  normal  class-leader,  he  has  few  su- 
periors. He  is  in  great  demand  as  a  teacher  and  lecturer  at  the 
Chautauqua  Assemblies.  He  has  builded  largely  in. the  temple 
of  the  living  God  in  Colorado. 

O.  P.  McMains  was  transferred  to  the  Colorado  Conference 
in  1865.  He  served  Black  Hawk,  one  year;  Burlington,  one 
year — this  work  then  embraced  the  valleys  of  Boulder,  Left 
Hand,  Saint  Vrain,  Little  and  Big  Thompson,  Cache  La  Poudre, 
and  the  Platte  River  to  Denver.  In  1867,  he  was  sent  to  Central 
City.  During  that  year  he  made  a  trip  to  California;  but  re- 
turned in  time  to  be  appointed  to  Colorado  City  and  Pueblo,  in 
1868. 

At  the  latter  place  he  secured  lots,  and  built  an  adobe  church ; 
the  whole  property  valued  at  $2,500.  In  this  unfinished  building 
the  Conference  was  held  in  1870.  Pie  remained  here  three  years, 
Colorado  City  having  been  taken  off  at  the  end  of  the  first  year. 
In  1 87 1  he  was  granted  a  location  at  his  own  request,  and  settled 
on  a  piece  of  land  near  Raton,  N.  M. 

In  1875-6  he  was  imprisoned  in  and  out  for  over  a  year  in  that 
Territory,  it  was  thought  through  spite,  on  account  of  his  zeal 
in  ferreting  out  the  assassin  of  Rev.  F.  J.  Tolby,  who  was  assas- 
sinated in  1875  while  returning  to  Cimarron,  from  filling  an 
appointment  in  Elizabeth  town.  The  citizens  of  Colorado  sent  a 
petition  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  in  his  behalf,  signed 
by  hundreds  of  names.  Soon  after,  he  was  tried,  and  finally  dis- 
charged. He  has  made  a  most  desperate  fight  in  the  courts  for 
the  settlers  against  the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  monopoly,  which  he 
and  others  believe  to  be  a  most  gigantic  fraud.  He  now  resides  at 
Stonewall,  Las  Animas  County,  Colorado. 

William  M.  Smith  came  to  Colorado  by  transfer  in  1865, 
and  was  appointed  to  Denver  City,  where  he  served  one  year; 
then  two  years  on  the  Denver  District;  one  year  on  the  South 
Park  District;  and  one  year  at  Cafion  City;  withdrew  from  the 
connection  in   1873,  and  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 


THE   COLORADO   CONFERENCE  IN  l86g.  297 

Church,  South,  and  became  their  organizer  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain region. 

W.  F.  Warren  was  admitted  on  trial,  June  20,  1868,  at  the 
first  session  held  in  Golden  City;  was  ordained  deacon  at  Pueblo 
in  1870,  and  elder  at  Georgetown  in  1872.  He  served  the  follow- 
ing charges,  each  two  years:  Fairplay;  Colorado  City;  Boulder 
and  Valmont,  building  a  church  at  the  former  place,  and  Chey- 
enne; he  was  then  three  years  in  Greeley;  one  year  at  Evanston 
and  Rock  Springs,  Wyoming.  At  the  session  in  Leadville  in 
1881,  he  was  made  a  supernumerary.  In  1883  he  transferred 
to  the  California  Conference,  where  he  has  been  doing  excellent 
work  for  the  Master,  preaching  always  a  free  and  a  full  salvation 
from  all  sin.    (See  i  John  i,  7.) 

Georgk  Murray  found  himself  in  Colorado  by  ecclesiastical 
authority  in  1866,  serving  the  Churches  of  Colorado  and  Cafion 
Cities,  where  he  did  faithful  work  for  twQ,^  years,  though  they 
were  forty  miles  apart,  and  almost  without  an  inhabitant  be- 
tween. In  1867,  he  and  Rev.  B.  M.  Adams,  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  of  Cafion  City,  had  a  blessed  revival ;  about  one  hundred 
were  added  to  their  Churches.  In  1868,  he  was  sent  to  George- 
town. Here  he  superintended  the  building  of  the  church,  which 
was  dedicated  by  Bishop  Kingsley  in  June  of  1869.  Then  he 
was  presiding  elder  of  the  Arkansas  (now  Pueblo)  District  for 
three  years.  On  account  of  injuries  received  by  being  thrown 
from  a  buggy,  he  was  superannuated  in  1872.  He  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Ohio  Conference  in  1874.  For  some  years  he  has 
resided  at  College  Mound,  Mo. 

George  H.  Adams  joined  the  Illinois  Conference  on  trial, 
1859;  admitted  to  full  connection,  1861 ;  transferred  to  Colorado 
in  1867,  and  was  appointed  to  Central  City,  where  he  remained 
three  years.  In  1870  he  became  preacher  in  charge  of  the  newly- 
formed  work  of  Laramie  City,  Cheyenne,  and  Greeley,  with 
E.  C.  Brooks  as  his  colleague.  Brooks  spent  most  of  his  time 
at  Laramie  City,  and  Adams  the  most  of  his  at  the  two  last- 


298 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


named  places,  starting  a  Church  enterprise  at  Greeley,  which 

he  succeeded  in  pushing  to  a  successful  completion   in   1871. 

Bishop    Foster    made    him    presiding    elder    of    the    Greeley 

District  in  1872,  on  which  he  re- 
mained four  years.  The  next  two 
years  he  was  financial  agent  for 
the  Central  City  Church,  which 
he  succeeded  in  saving,  at  great 
sacrifice  to  himself  He  became 
superintendent  of  Missions  in  Ari- 
zona in  1879,  which  position  he 
held  for  twelve  years.  The  Con- 
ference of  1 89 1  granted  him  a 
superannuated  relation,  on  ac- 
count of  the  partial  loss  of  his 
eyesight.  His  home  is  in  Phoenix, 
Arizona. 

Brother  Adams  is  a  man  of  no 
mean  ability,  and   has   wrought 
earnestly  in    the   work   of   the 
ge;o.  h.  ADAMS.  Church  of  his  choice. 

The     Ohio     State     University 

conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  in  1889. 


Jesse  Smith  was  transferred  from  the  Maine  Conference  in 
1868,  and  sent  to  "Ralston  Crossing  and  Clear  Creek,"  now 
Arvada,  which  he  served  two  years;  then  to  Fairplay  and  Gran- 
ite, one  year;  and  Monument,  one  year;  transferred  to  the  Central 
Illinois  Conference  in  1872. 


John  Levi  Peck,  born  November  26,  1828.  Entered  the 
ministry  in  the  New  York  Conference  in  1852.  Having  subse- 
quently retired  from  the  active  work,  he  graduated  from  the 
Homeopathic  Medical  College  of  New  York  City  in  1866,  and 
located  in  Bridgeport,  Conn.  The  conviction  that  he  ought  to 
preach  the  gospel  still  pressed  upon  him.  He  re-entered  the 
work,  and  was  appointed  to  Second  Street  Church,  New  York 


THE   COLORADO   CONFERENCE  IN  l86g.  299 

City,  from  which  he  transferred  to  Lawrence  Street,  Denver,  in 
1868,  where  he  remained  three  years;  then  was  transferred  back 
to  his  old  Conference,  where  he  has  filled  important  stations  for 
years.  He  is  now  on  the  retired  list,  living  a  green  and  happy 
old  age. 

George  Wallace  was  transferred  from  the  Rock  River  Con- 
ference in  1869,  and  appointed  to  Black  Hawk  and  Nevada,  where 
he  remained  two  years;  then  to  Platte  River  Circuit  (now  Fort 
Lupton,  Platteville,  and  Evans  Charges) ;  Erie  and  Valmont,  and 
Pueblo,  one  year  each;  located  in  1878.  His  home  is  in  Boulder, 
Colorado,  where  his  devoted  wife  died,  April,  1893.  He  married 
again  in  June,  1894.  Brother  Wallace  is  a  clear  thinker,  superior 
Bible-class  teacher,  and  an  able  preacher. 

George  W.  Swi:ET  came  into  the  Conference  on  trial  in  1869, 
having  served  Black  Hawk  part  of  the  previous  year.  He  was 
then  sent  to  Big  Thompson  and  La  Poudre;  Ralston  and  Clear 
Creek,  1870;  Golden,  1871;  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  1872;  trans- 
ferred to  the  Pittsburg  Conference  in  1873. 

R.  J.  Van  Valkenberg  was  born,  August  6,  1823,  in  Scho- 
harie County,  New  York;  converted  December  28,  1841 ;  licensed 
to  preach  in  1845;  admitted  into  the  Wyoming  Conference,  1850, 
at  its  first  session. 

''In  1862,  while  preaching  one  Sunday  morning  at  Montrose, 
Pa.,  a  telegram  came  from  Governor  Curtin  for  help,  as  the 
rebels  were  preparing  to  bombard  Harrisburg.  'Van'  left  the 
pulpit,  and  raised  a  company  of  one  hundred  and  eight  men,  of 
which  he  was  elected  captain.  After  the  battle  of  Antietam  he, 
with  his  company,  returned  home ;  but  they  were  held  as  a  reserve, 
and  were  on  the  picket-line  at  Carlisle,  Pa.,  the  entire  night  be- 
fore the  commencement  of  the  battle  of  Gettysburg. 

"He  soon  after  volunteered  as  chaplain  of  the  Pioneer  Corps, 
going  with  Sherman  'through  Georgia.'  He  was  sick,  nigh  unto 
death,  and  for  two  months  lay  in  the  hospital  at  Atlanta,  Ga.  In 
January,  1865,  he- was  honorably  discharged  at  Nashville,  Tenn., 


300 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


and  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Oswego,  N.  Y.;  but  in  April  of 
that  year  came  to  Colorado  in  search  of  health." 

He  went  to  work  in  the  mines  near  Central  City  at  four  dol- 
lars a  day.    In  1867  he  supplied  the  Church  in  Central  for  about 

:  six  months.  The  court- 
house was  their  place 
of  meeting.  He,  in 
1869-70,  supplied  the 
Boulder  and  Burling- 
ton Circuit,  preaching 
regularly  at  Boulder, 
Valmont,  Burlington, 
Hager's,  Upper  St. 
Vrain,  Porter's,  Baily's 
and  at  Way's  on  I^eft 
Hand.  The  second 
year,  Boulder  and  Val- 
mount  were  made  a 
separate  charge.  In 
the  spring  of  1871  the 
Chicago  Colony  laid 
out  the  town  of  Long- 
mont.  "Van"  at  once 
moved  up  the  Church 
and  Sunday-school,  preaching  the  first  sermon  and  conducting  the 
first  Sunday-school  in  that  town.  He  built  the  first  house  in  Erie, 
May,  1872,  where  he  preached  the  first  sermon  and  organized  the 
first  Sunday-school.  "  He  is  kept  in  civic  office  almost  constantly, 
having  served  as  postmaster,  justice  of  the  peace,  mayor,  presi- 
dent of  School  Board,  representative  from  Weld  County  in  the 
Legislature  in  1883,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  has  fought 
whisky,  beer,  and  the  devil,  and  is  still  on  the  war-path." 

March  i,  1893,  he  and  his  good  wife  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding.  Many  were  the  guests,  and  valuable  were  their  pres- 
ents. They  are  enjoying  a  happy  old  age  in  the  smile  of  God 
and  love  of  their  children,  grand  and  great-grandchildren,  and 
the  confidence  of  the  community.  "Van"  is  a  genial  companion, 
good  singer,  and,  when  at  his  best,  a  strong  preacher. 


R.  J.  VAN  VAIvKKNBERG. 


VIII. 
GEORGKTOWN. 

Georgetown  stands  close  up  under  the  range,  in  a  small 
"Park,"  half  a  mile  wide  and  a  mile  long,  surrounded  by  precipi- 
tous mountains,  which  rise  from  two  to  three  thousand  feet  above 
the  town.  In  1869,  of  which  time  I  write,  its  buildings  were 
entirely  of  wood.  A  population  was  claimed  of  four  thousand 
souls.  Nearly  all  were  engaged  in  mining,  or  in  supplying  them. 
It  was  then  the  center  of  silver-mining  in  Colorado,  and  the  head- 
quarters for  an  unusually  rough  element  of  society.  Saturday 
evening  the  men  came  down  off  the  mountains  to  get  their  mail, 
and  supplies  for  the  coming  week.  There  seemed  to  be  more 
business  done  on  the  Sabbath  than  any  other  day.  The  male 
population  greatly  predominated.  The  church,  which  seated 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty,  would  often  be  filled  with  men, 
not  over  a  dozen  women  being  present. 

On  reaching  Georgetown,  in  a  hack  from  Central  City,  we 
found  comfortable  lodgings  at  ''The  Legget  House,"  where  we 
remained  for  two  days.  The  bill,  after  making  some  reduction, 
was  $18! 

Peter  J.  Smith,  a  large-hearted  local  preacher,  called  on  Fri- 
day evening,  and,  without  an  apology,  invited  us  to  his  home. 
This  we  found  to  be  a  house  of  three  small  rooms,  with  only  one 
bed,  a  lounge,  and  a  cot.  His  family  consisted  of  himself,  wife, 
child,  and  mother.  Now  he  had  taken  in  three  more,  myself, 
wife,  and  son,  until  we  could  do  better.  Surely  this  humble 
abode  seemed  to  us  weary  travelers  a  veritable  paradise.  The 
bed  was  divided,  one  part  placed  on  the  floor,  and  we  were  made 
very  comfortable;  but  that  most  appreciated  was  the  hearty 
welcome  with  which  we  were  entertained. 

We  afterward  learned  that  there  were  several  families  who 
could  have  kept  their  pastor  and  his  family  over  the  Sabbath 
much  more  conveniently;  but  they  were  too  busy,  or  too  in- 
different, to  think  of  it. 

301 


302  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

The  next  week  we  .secured  board  in  a  private  family,  for  two, 
at  $i8  per  week,  our  son  remaining  at  Brother  Smith's. 

Charles  King  was  sent  to  Empire  City  in  October,  1864, 
where  he  remained  two  years.  The  charge  was  a  two-weeks'  cir- 
cuit, with  four  regular  appointments:  Upper  and  Lower  Empire; 
Mill  City,  now  Dumont;  and  Idaho  Springs.  At  Empire  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  E.  Royce,  with  whom  he  lived  happily  till  his 
departure.  After  his  death  she  was  subsequently  married  to 
Albert  Wolff,  of  Arvada. 

In  the  evening  of  July  25,  1864,  B.  T.  Vincent  preached  the 
first  sermon  in  Georgetown,  in  the  dining-room  of  J.  E.  Plum- 
mer's  boarding-house,  which  was  built  of  logs,  and  stood  just 
below  Tucker  Brothers'  store,  on  the  east  side  of  the  creek. 
Thirty-five  were  present  at  this  first  service.  The  town  then  had 
about  one  hundred  inhabitants.  He  organized  a  class  of  seven, 
with  Brother  Plummer  leader.  They  held  weekly  prayer-meet- 
ings, and  a  Sunday-school  on  the  Sabbath  in  his  dining-room. 
A  year  after,  the  town  became  so  near  depopulated  that  Brother 

P left,  and  the  Sunday-school  and  class  went  down.    Charles 

King  preached  there  a  few  times  on  week-nights.  He  started 
a  church  in  Upper  Empire,  upon  which  George  Reynolds  loaned 
some  money.  In  1869,  Reynolds  took  the  building  for  the  debt, 
and  moved  it  to  Georgetown,  and  fitted  it  up  for  a  saloon  and 
billiard-hall.  It  stood  next  door  to  Tucker  Brothers'  grocery- 
store,  near  which,  in  a  quarrel,  a  man  shot  another  ''to  start  a 
graveyard,"  as  he  declared;  but  was  himself  hung  to  a  tree  before 
morning,  while  the  wounded  man  recovered. 

The  following  year  things  began  to  brighten  up.  George 
Richardson  was  appointed  to  Empire  Circuit  in  July,  1866.  He 
began  preaching  regularly  in  Georgetown  in  Rev.  John  Cree's 
house,  which  stood  in  the  lower  town,  where  he  organized  a  class 
appointing  him  the  leader.  Six  months  after,  services  were  held 
in  a  hall  in  the  upper  town.  Peter  J.  Smith,  who  was  tall  and 
slender,  used  to  stand  on  the  front  steps  of  the  hall,  and  call  the 
people  together  for  worship,  blowing  a  "conch-shell,"  which  gave 
forth  unearthly  sounds,  filling  all  the  valley  and  echoing  from 
mountain  to  mountain  with  increasing  reverberations. 


GEORGETOWN.  303 

The  Sunday-school,  which  continues,  was  organized  in  Mr. 
Wood's  log  cabin  in  the  spring  of  1867  by  P.  J.  Smith,  James 
Reed,  and  James  Kempton.  In  June  following  they  moved  into 
a  hall,  where  the  school  was  reorganized,  John  S.  Reed  assisting, 
when  each  contributed  ten  dollars  for  supplies. 

William  A.  Amsbury  became  pastor  in  1867.  George  Murray 
in  1868.  He  superintended  the  erection  of  the  first  church  edifice, 
which  cost  about  $8,000.  This  was  dedicated  by  Bishop  Kings- 
ley,  June  20,  1869. 

The  writer,  as  stated  above,  came  to  Colorado  in  June,  1869, 
and  was  at  the  session  of  the  Conference  held  in  Central  City. 
The  first  intimation  he  had  of  where  he  was  to  go  was  when  his 
name  was  announced  for  Georgetown.  On  reaching  the  field 
he  was  greatly  disappointed,  in  that  it  was  a  much  better  appoint- 
ment than  he  had  expected.  The  *'good"  appointments  at  that 
time  were  few  and  far  between. 

For  the  sixteen  years  that  he  had  been  in  the  ministry  he 
had  known  little  else  than  revival  work.  His  whole  being  was 
full  of  it,  and  he  found  it  quite  difficult  to  adapt  himself  to  any 
other. 

There  was  a  membership,  then,  of  only  forty-six,  with  four 
probationers  and  four  local  preachers.  The  congregation  was  an 
exacting  one,  many  of  them  collegiates.  The  church-building 
had  a  heavy  debt  hanging  over  it. 

God  gave  him  a  message,  and  he  delivered  it  to  the  best  of 
his  ability  without  fear  or  favor,  looking  only  for  Divine  approval. 
That  first  Sabbath  in  Georgetown!  Will  it  ever  be  forgotten? 
How  his  soul  agonized  before  God  in  prayer  for  hours  before 
the  time  of  service  to  begin!  The  sweet  assurance  came,  *'My 
presence  shall  go  with  thee,  and  I  will  give  thee  rest."  'Xo,  I 
am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  The  vic- 
tory that  day  was  on  the  'Xord's  side,"  and  was  accepted  as  a 
pledge  of  what  was  yet  to  come.  The  next  Tuesday's  daily  had 
the  following  notice  of  this  first  service: 

''The  new  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  preached 
his  first  sermon  in  Georgetown  on  Sunday  last.  The  audience 
was  large,  and  perhaps  a  little  critical;  but  the  reverend  gentle- 
man talked  so  easily  and  argued  so  clearly  that  the  critical  were 
20 


304  ECHOES  FROM  'PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

nonplused,  and  all  departed  favorably  impressed  with  what  they 
had  heard."    (Colorado  Miner,  July  6,  1869.) 

The  trustees  and  officers  of  the  Church  were:  H.  C.  Chapin, 
Esq.,  whose  home  has  been  in  Denver  for  years;  Fred  A.  Clark, 
Esq.,  who  was  killed  near  Fair  Play  by  a  falling  derrick  in  1874; 
Gotlieb  Kienzle,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  Helena,  Montana, 
many  years;  David  T.  Griffith,  after  whose  brother  Georgetown 
was  named.  He  was  a  local  deacon  of  fine  preaching  ability; 
afterward  entered  the  traveling  connection  in  Kansas;  but  soon 
retired  to  a  business  life,  dying  in  Georgetown  in  1880. 

Peter  J.  Smith,  a  local  preacher,  who  was  always  loyal  to 
God  and  the  Church  at  all  times,  had  a  warm  heart  and  sympa- 
thetic nature.  He  was  actively  in  the  Lord's  work  until  his  de- 
cease, early  in  1882.  His  body  and  that  of  his  wife  lie  in  the 
Fort  Lupton  Cemetery. 

William  Light  was  a  faithful  steward.  He  and  his  companion 
rest  at  the  Riverside  Cemetery,  Denver. 

Carver  J.  Goss  has  also  gone  on  before.  He  was,  for  a  time, 
superintendent  of  the  American  Tunnel  Company.  One  day  he 
had  a  little  difficulty  with  one  of  his  men,  who  drew  a  revolver 
and  fired  at  him,  but  missed  his  mark.  Goss,  being  on  horseback, 
escaped  before  the  fellow  could  fire  again. 

Just  before  dark  I  heard  of  the  shooting,  and  hastened  to  his 
residence  to  learn  the  particulars,  and  render  assistance  if  neces- 
sary. As  I  approached  in  the  twilight,  I  noticed  his  two  sons,  Chet 
and  Carver,  mere  lads,  standing  at  the  corner  of  the  house  with 
guns  in  their  hands,  but  thought  nothing  of  that,  until  one  of  them 
leveled  his  gun  at  me,  saying  to  his  brother  as  he  did  so,  ''Shall 
I  shoot?"  For  a  second  I  was  dazed,  and  almost  seemed  to  feel 
the  shot  penetrating  my  breast;  when  consciousness  returned,  I 
answered,  ''I  guess  not."  The  gun  dropped,  and  the  boys  have 
always  been  glad  that  they  did  not  shoot, — and  so  have  I !  They 
were  standing  guard  to  protect  their  father,  and  when  they  saw 
me  coming,  supposing  it  was  their  father's  assailant,  were  ready 
to  act  on  the  defensive. 

Easton  Tindal,  a  class-leader,  walked  with  God  day  by  day, 
and,  like  Stephen,  was  "full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  A 
crown  adorns  his  brow. 


GEORGETOWN,  305 

James  Kempton  was  a  steward.  He  feared  the  face  of  no  man, 
was  exceedingly  fond  of  controversy,  though  a  good  Bible-class 
teacher.  He  now  has  a  charming  home  at  Pleasant  View,  near 
Ivongmont,  Colorado. 

James  Stanton,  a  local  preacher,  was  born  in  Liskard,  Corn- 
wall, England,  December  18,  1847.  He  came  to  America  in 
April,  1869,  and  to  Georgetown  in  July  of  the  same  year.  He 
was  converted  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and  licensed  to  preach  two 
years  after.  He  was  a  man  of  more  than  average  natural  ability, 
and  was  always  ready  to  do  any  work  assigned  him.  For  years 
subsequently  he  resided  at  Platteville,  and  was  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising. He  has  still  here  his  family  home.  He  retired  from 
business  a  few  years  since,  and  has  been  preaching  for  the  Con- 
gregationalists  at  Eaton,  and  near  Cripple  Creek,  Colorado.  A 
very  useful  man,  indeed. 

John  Cree,  a  local  elder,  was  a  superior  class-leader,  and  was 
always  at  his  post,  ready  for  duty.  He  was  born  in  Belmont 
County,  Ohio,  October  31,  1810,  and  departed  this  life  in  Denver, 
Colorado,  January  7,  1893.  His  death-chamber  was  as  the  ante- 
room to  the  King's  palace.  Such  joyous  expressions  as  the  fol- 
lowing fell  from  his  lips  from  time  to  time:  "I  feel  the  fanning 
of  the  angels'  wings."  To  his  wife:  "We  are  not  our  own,  we 
belong  to  Jesus;  do  not  grieve:  I  belong  to  him,  and  you  belong 
to  him,  and  in  his  own  good  time  he  will  bring  us  both  home." 
"I  want  all  my  friends  to  know  that  all  is  well.'' 

With  much  feeling  he  dedicated  his  children,  grandchildren, 
and  great-grandchildren  to  God,  saying,  ^'J^sus,  they  all  belong 
to  thee." 

He  often  tried  to  sing;  but,  his  voice  failing,  he  would  finish 
the  stanza  by  repeating  the  remainder.  The  following  are  from 
these  selections  of  song: 

"Take  my  poor  heart,  and  let  it  be 
Forever  closed  to  all  but  Thee." 

"What  is  this  that  steals  across  my  breast?    Is  it  death? 
If  this  be  death,  I  soon  shall  be 
From  every  pain  and  sorrow  free; 
I  shall  the  King  of  Glory  see, — 
All  is  well,  all  is  well." 


3o6  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

At  the  very  last  he  said:  ''It  is  growing  lighter  and  more 
light.  Glory  to  God,  I  feel  the  breezes  from  the  heavenly  land! 
It  is  just  a  step  over." 

William  A.  Amsbury,  a  local  elder  of  good  preaching  ability, 
was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Nebraska  Conference,  where  he 
had  done  effective  work  for  several  years.  In  1866-7,  he  preached 
at  Central  City;  was  transferred  to  the  Colorado  Conference  in 
1867,  and  appointed  to  Georgetown;  located  in  1868,  and  en- 
gaged in  mining  enterprises  at  Georgetown.  A  few  years  after, 
he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  and  traveled 
in  the  active  work  there  until  1885,  when  he  returned  to  his 
mother  Church,  entering  the  West  Nebraska  Conference,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  pastorate  two  years,  when  he  was  placed 
on  the  Sidney,  afterward  North  Platte,  District.  As  he  was 
closing  a  term  of  six  successful  years  he  was  killed  by  the  acci- 
dental discharge  of  his  revolver,  on  a  train,  September  11,  1893. 

After  six  weeks'  study  of  the  situation  in  this  new  pastorate, 
the  writer  decided  it  was  his  duty  to  speak  on  ''The  Proper  Ob- 
servance of  the  Sabbath."  There  was  no  uncertain  sound  about 
that  message.  Things  were  called  by  their  right  names.  There 
was  no  mincing  of  matters  in  any  of  his  declarations.  A  few  were 
displeased,  while  many  others  were  greatly  delighted.  The  gos- 
pel preached  from  a  warm  heart  becomes  "a  savor  of  life  unto 
life,  or  of  death  unto  death,"  depending  upon  how  it  is  received. 
God  gave  his  servant  favor  in  the  sight  of  the  people,  on  account 
of  his  fidelity  to  the  truth.  The  people  knew  just  where  he  stood 
on  all  vital  questions  relating  to  their  eternal  interests.  The  fol- 
lowing winter  the  pastor  held  a  protracted-meeting  for  two 
months,  preaching  every  night  but  seven.  A  gracious  revival 
was  the  result;  nearly  forty  souls  converted,  and  quite  a  number 
entering  the  rest  of  faith — the  haven  of  "perfect  love." 

A  few  incidents  illustrative  of  pastoral  work  at  that  time  may 
not  be  out  of  place.  One  Sabbath  evening  after  Church  I  was 
invited  to  go  down  into  the  lower  part  of  the  town  to  marry  a 
couple.  Taking  James  Mclyaughlin,  one  of  my  stewards,  with 
me,  we  proceeded  to  the  designated  locality.  The  house  was  a 
two-room  board  cabin.     A  keg  of  beer,  surmounted  by  a  tin 


GEORGETOWN.  307 

dipper,  stood  on  a  chair  behind  the  door.  The  guests  were  re- 
quested to  help  themselves  freely,  which,  judging  from  their  looks 
and  actions,  they  had  done.  We  were  urged  to  participate,  but 
politely  and  firmly  refused.  The  lady,  about  to  be  married,  had 
just  arrived  on  the  evening  coach,  having  come  from  Cornwall, 
England.  When  the  bride  and  groom  appeared,  she  was  neatly 
attired,  while  his  trousseau  consisted  simply  of  a  white  shirt,  pants, 
belt,  and  slippers. 

On  another  occasion  I  married  a  couple  of  elderly  people. 
They  were  two  hundred  miles  from  their  contemplated  home, 
and  their  funds  were  low.  They  must  have  a  sack  of  flour,  some 
bacon,  and  other  necessary  articles  to  begin  housekeeping.  He 
could  not  spare  one  cent  for  the  preacher;  but  would  pay  him 
some  time.  Two  years  afterward  he  returned,  and  gave  me  a 
handsome  fee. 

By  an  explosion  in  a  tunnel  two  men  were  killed,  and  their 
bodies,  badly  bruised,  were  brought  to  the  church  for  a  joint 
funeral  service.  One  of  these  left  a  widow  and  three  boys  to 
mourn  his  loss.  After  a  time  she  married  again,  which  resulted 
unhappily,  when  she  sought  and  obtained  a  divorce  on  the  ground 
of  cruelty.  Six  months  or  more  had  passed  away,  when  this 
divorced  husband  came  for  me  to  remarry  them.  After  consult- 
ing with  her,  in  his  presence,  I  found  she  had  agreed  to  marry  him 
again  only  on  one  condition,  that  I  thought  it  best  and  would 
perform  the  ceremony.  Instantly  I  replied,  'If  you  throw  the 
responsibility  on  me,  I  will  never  marry  you  to  any  man,"  and 
I  did  not.  He  was  very  angry,  and  said  some  unpleasant  things. 
Twenty-one  years  afterward  I  met  him  on  the  street  in  Denver, 
when  he,  recalling  the  incident,  which  had  slipped  out  of  my 
mind,  thanked  me  with  tears  in  his  eyes  for  not  complying  with 
his  wishes  on  that  uneventful  night. 

One  morning  three  men  came  staggering  up  to  my  door. 
The  spokesman,  though  his  tongue  was  thick  and  heavy,  stam- 
mered out  in  broken  accents:  "When  we  came  from  the  'Isle  of 
Man'  there  were  four  of  us;  one  is  dead,  and  we  wish  to  give  him 
a  'decent  put-in-way,'  so  we  can  write  it  'ome."  Which  meant 
a  Christian  burial. 

Just  four  weeks  from  that  day  two  of  the  same  company  re- 


308  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

turned  for  me  to  attend  the  funeral  of  the  one  who  had  done  the 
talking  before.  They  were  well  under  the  influence  of  liquor. 
Some  time  afterward  the  fourth  one  came  nineteen  miles  for  me 
to  preach  the  funeral  sermon  of  the  third  man  in  that  group  of 
four.  Who  attended  the  fourth  man's  funeral,  if  dead,  I  never 
knew. 

One  stormy  night  I  was  called  to  see  a  man  dying  with  the 
"black  tongue" — bad  whisky.  The  physician  told  them  he  would 
die  before  morning.  At  once  they  sent  for  the  preacher  to  get 
him  ready  for  eternity.  I  read  many  of  the  precious  promises 
of  the  Bible  to  him,  pointed  him  to  Christ,  the  Savior  of  sinners, 
and  prayed  with  him.  An  hour  after,  his  body  lay  stiff  in  death. 
The  dying  hour  is  a  poor  time  to  prepare  for  eternity;  the  best 
time  to  begin  is  now,  without  a  moment's  delay. 

To  be  routed  out  during  the  hours  of  the  night  to  visit  the 
sick  and  the  dying,  was  no  unusual  thing.  Men  and  women,  who 
never  thought  of  the  minister,  or  of  the  future,  except  to  curse 
the  one  and  make  light  of  the  other,  finding  themselves  standing 
on  the  threshold  of  eternity,  would  become  alarmed  at  their 
moral  condition,  and  immediately  send  for  the  preacher  to  come 
and  pray  for  them.  It  is  a  great  satisfaction  now,  after  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  rolled  away,  to  think  that  I  never 
refused  one  of  these  calls,  no  matter  when  or  where.  The  latter 
was  not  always  in  the  most  reputable  localities. 

The  church  stood  about  three  hundred  feet  from  the  base 
of  the  nearly  perpendicular  mountain,  and  the  preacher's  resi- 
dence was  about  half-way  between  them. 

At  that  time  cord-wood  was  bringing  five  dollars  for  a  small 
load.  The  times  were  hard,  for  ''Burlah  had  not  yet  struck  it." 
We  could  not  afford  to  buy  at  such  prices.  Fuel  was  needed  at 
both  places.  There  was  plenty  up  yonder  on  the  mountain  in 
sight.  How  to  get  it  down,  was  the  question.  Some  one  said, 
*Xet  us  make  a  wood-bee,  and  invite  everybody  to  come."  It 
was  accordingly  done.  A  goodly  number  came  with  their  axes, 
clambered  up  the  steep  mountain  side,  felled  the  trees,  and  sent 
them  down  the  natural  wood-slide,  of  a  thousand  feet  or  more. 
Before  night  there  was  wood  enough  to  supply  the  church  and 
parsonage  for  over  two  years. 


GEORGETOWN.  309 

One  wintry,  windy  night  the  Barton  House,  the  leading  hotel, 
was  burned.  Many  laughable  incidents  occurred.  The  writer 
saw  a  guest,  in  feeble  health,  sitting  on  a  rock  watching  the 
burning  building,  with  a  pair  of  drawers  wrapped  tightly  around 
his  neck  to  prevent  taking  cold,  having  left  his  pantaloons,  with 
all  his  valuables,  in  his  room  to  be  consumed  by  the  fire. 

Forest  fires  were  quite  common,  and  would  burn  for  days, 
unless  put  out  by  the  rain,  or  stopped  because  that  particular 
piece  of  timber  had  been  burned  over.  Such  a  fire  was  con- 
suming the  forest  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  above  where  Silver 
Plume  now  stands.  A  teamster  was  caught  in  this,  as  the  fire 
swept  down  the  mountains  on  either  side  of  him.  What  was  to 
be  done  ?  He  did  not  dare  to  go  ahead,  for  his  wagon  was  loaded 
with  powder;  and  he  could  not  retreat,  as  the  flame  had  closed 
in  behind  him.  To  remain  in  that  little  open  place  in  the  timber 
would  be  death  in  a  few  minutes,  for  the  heat  was  becoming  in- 
tense. He  unhitched  his  team,  jumped  astride  one  of  them,  led 
the  other,  abandoned  his  load,  and  fled  through  the  tongues  of 
flame  to  a  place  of  safety.  Soon  there  was  an  explosion  that 
shook  the  mountains.  Not  a  vestige  of  that  wagon  was  ever 
found,  save  a  few  scraps  of  iron. 

On  Thanksgiving-day,  1869,  a  terrific  wind-storm  swept  the 
mountain  heights,  and  tore  down  through  the  caiions  with  great 
force,  uprooting  trees,  unroofing  buildings,  and  carrying  others 
entirely  away.  It  was  not  a  steady  blow,  but  came  in  gusts  and 
whirls  a  minute  or  two  apart,  so  strong  that  a  man  could  not 
stand  without  holding  to  something,  or  falling  on  the  ground  and 
clinging  to  a  stump  or  rock.  The  gentlemen  who  lived  next  to 
us  discovered  that  his  house  was  weaving,  and  hastened  out  just 
in  time  to  see  the  dwelling  lifted  from  its  foundation  and  vanish. 
An  hour  or  more  after,  having  another  small  house  across  the 
gulch,  he  concluded  to  go  over  to  it,  nail  up  the  doors  and  win- 
dows, and  make  it  secure.  This  done,  he  stepped  out  to  the  gate, 
and  seized  hold  of  a  post  just  as  one  of  those  terrific  whirls  came, 
and  picked  up  that  house  as  if  it  had  been  a  feather,  carrying  it 
away,  so  that  not  a  fragment  was  ever  found. 

A  nine-year-old  girl  was  killed  by  a  piece  of  timber,  which 
struck  her  on  the  head  as  she  was  fleeing  for  safety. 


3IO  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

A  colporteur,  who  was  selling  religious  books  and  Bibles, 
called  at  one  of  the  best-looking  houses  in  town,  without  knowing 
the  character  of  its  inmates.  He  learned  that  they  had  no  Bible, 
and,  as  they  refused  to  buy,  he  ofifered  to  give  them  one.  Then 
said  the  well-dressed  lady  of  the  house:  *'The  Bible  would  destroy 
my  business.  I  could  not  permit  it  to  lie  on  my  stand."  He  bade 
them  "good-day,"  and  left. 

For  a  time  I  preached  ^t  Empire  on  Tuesday  evenings.  It 
was  six  miles  around  the  road;  but  only  two  over  the  'Tass," 
which  was  crossed  by  a  mere  Indian  trail,  very  narrow  and  dan- 
gerous. It  led  along  the  steep  sides  of  a  mountain,  over  the  top 
of  a  precipice,  and  under  shelving  rocks.  In  some  places,  if  a 
misstep  was  made,  a  plunge  of  hundreds  of  feet  would  follow, 
resulting  in  certain  death  on  the  sharp,  craggy  rocks  below. 
This  had  been  demonstrated  several  times  by  animals,  as  their 
mangled  bodies,  lying  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  silently 
affirmed. 

A  young  man,  who  was  happily  converted  ten  years  before 
in  one  of  my  meetings,  presented  me  with  a  hickory  cane  of  his 
own  make,  with -a  bent  handle,  not  unlike  a  shepherd's  crook. 
This  I  usually  carried  when  tramping  about  the  mountains. 
After  preaching  at  Lower  Empire  one  wintry  night,  on  my  re- 
turn by  starlight,  when  in  the  scattering  timber  on  the  top  of  the 
"Pass"  I  lost  the  trail.  Loose  snow  had  blown  in  and  hardened 
into  quite  a  crust  after  I  passed  over  in  the  afternoon.  I  became 
somewhat  bewildered,  and,  before  I  was  aware  of  any  danger, 
my  feet  flew  from  under  me,  and  I  slid  toward  the  edge  of  a  cliff 
over  which  the  snow  was  hanging.  For  a  moment  or  two  I 
thought  my  time  had  come.  Just  before  I  reached  that  fearful 
precipice  I  thrust  my  cane  through  the  crust.  It  held,  and  that 
alone  saved  me  from  making  the  awful  leap.  The  edge  of  the 
cliflf  was  not  my  length  away.  After  gathering  strength  I  dug 
places  for  my  hands  and  feet  in  the  crust,  crept  back,  found  the 
trail,  and  reached  home  safely  about  midnight,  thankful  that 
things  had  been  no  worse.  Never  after  did  I  attempt  to  cross 
that  pass  by  starlight.  A  good  wagon  road  has  been  built  at 
great  expense  over  it  since  that  time. 

During  the  last  Conference  year  the  Church  debt  was  nearly 


GEORGETO  WN.  3 1 1 

wiped  out,  a  new  organ  procured,  and  a  thousand-pound  bell 
secured  and  hung  in  the  belfry,  January  13,  1872.  This  was  to 
have  been  rung  the  following  morning  for  the  first  time,  to  sum- 
mon the  people  to  church.  It  was  rung;  but  at  a  much  earlier 
hour  than  was  anticipated,  and  for  a  different  purpose:  its  tones 
rang  out  to  call  the  people  to  witness  the  destruction  by  fire  of 
the  "Stuart  Reduction  Works." 

Thomas  R.  Sheer,  son  of  Henry  Sheer,  of  the  Baltimore  Con- 
ference, became  their  pastor  in  1872;  but  remained  only  three 
months.  R.  L.  Harford  supplied  the  Church  until  Conference 
of  1874.  C.  W.  Blodgett,  1874-5.  In  1876  W.  A.  Dotson  was 
appointed,  but  remained  only  a  short  time — D.  H.  Snowden  filled 
the  vacancy.  O.  L.  Fisher,  1877-9.  While  he  was  pastor  the 
church-building  was  enlarged.  John  Wilson,  1880;  H.  S.  Hilton, 
1881;  C.  L.  Libby,  1882;  T.  A.  Uzzell,  1883-4.  During  his  pas- 
torate the  church  was  removed  to  a  new  site,  on  account  of  the 
railroad  crossing  the  lot.  John  Harrington,  1885;  S.  A.  Winsor, 
1886  and  1888;  D.  W.  Calfee,  1887,  who  remained  but  a  little 
while — the  year  was  filled  out  by  H.  C.  Scripps;  W.  P.  Rhodes, 
1889-90;  William  Osburn,  1891;  W.  L.  Bailey,  1892-4;  W.  I. 
Taylor,  1895;  L  F.  McKay,   1896. 


The  Railroad  Loop  above  Georgetown,  and 
Torry's  Peak  in  the  distance. 


IX. 

HOW    WK    WKNT    TO     CONKERKNCK 
AT    PUKBLO    IN    1870. 

Our  "outfit"  consisted  of  an  old  canvas-covered  wagon,  that 
had  crossed  the  Plains  nearly  ten  years  before,  and  was  drawn  by 
two  of  the  long-eared  tribe,  small  of  stature.  "Bet"  was  the 
freest.  "Ned"  had  to  be  encouraged  a  little,  now  and  then,  with 
a  whip,  except  at  about  meal-time;  yet  he  was  a  mule  for  all  that. 

In  the  culinary  department  was  a  camp-kettle,  cofifee  and 
tea  pots,  tin  plates,  cups  and  saucers,  canned  fruits,  lobsters, 
oysters,  jellies,  and  a  supply  of  staple  groceries.  A  Sibley  tent 
and  suitable  bedding  completed  our  living  equipment.  Our 
armament  consisted  of  a  Henry  rifle,  a  double-barreled  shotgun, 
and  two  of  Colt's  navy  revolvers,  with  the  necessary  ammunition. 
There  were  two  objects  in  thus  arming  ourselves:  first,  to  pro- 
cure our  meat  along  the  way;  second,  and  by  no  means  least,  to 
defend  ourselves  against  an  Indian  attack,  to  which  we  were 
liable;  for  we  were  determined  to  sell  our  lives,  if  need  be,  as 
dearly  as  possible.  Thus  equipped,  we  started  for  a  Methodist 
Annual  Conference  in  the  Territory  of  Colorado,  June  14,  1870. 
Our  party  consisted  of  W.  B.  Case,  owner  and  driver  of  the  team, 
now  residing  at  Grand  Junction,  Colorado;  P.  C.  Castle,  now  liv- 
ing in  a  desirable  home  at  "Pleasant  View,"  near  Longmont, 
Colorado;  the  writer,  wife  and  son. 

We  had  been  unavoidably  delayed,  and  did  not  get  ofif  until 
two  o'clock  P.  M.,  on  Tuesday.  We  halted  long  enough  at 
Idaho  Springs  to  take  a  bath  at  the  Soda  Springs.  Two  miles 
farther  we  camped  for  the  night,  having  made  fifteen  miles  that 
afternoon.  Two  of  the  company  slept  in  the  wagon,  and  the  oth- 
ers in  a  board  shanty,  without  windows.  All  arose  early  the  next 
morning,  and,  squatted  on  the  rocks  near  the  camp-fire,  partook 
of  a  hastily-prepared  breakfast.  At  seven  o'clock  we  start  again. 
The  road  takes  us,  as  on  yesterday,  along  the  banks  of  Clear 
Creek,  whose  foaming,   sparkling  waters  go  dashing  by,  with 

312 


HOW   WE    WENT  TO   CONFERENCE.  313 

towering  mountains  on  either  side.  About  ten  o'clock  we  leave 
the  narrow  valley  of  the  creek,  and  ascend  Floyd  Hill,  which  is 
four  miles  long.  A  short  distance  beyond  the  summit  we  camp 
in  a  Cottonwood  grove  for  our  noon  lunch. 

Down  this  Floyd  Hill  the  writer  once  rode,  beside  the  driver, 
at  a  furious  rate.  On  the  top  of  the  coach  were  three  or  four 
portly  English  gentlemen,  who  complained  of  the  slow  speed 
of  the  coach  all  the  way  up  from  Golden  City.  This  continuous 
fault-finding  had  become  quite  monotonous;  but  the  driver  paid 
no  attention  to  them. 

On  reaching  the  top  of  that  steep,  four-mile  hill,  the  driver 
halted,  got  down  and  examined  every  buckle,  the  bits,  lines, 
traces,  collars,  and  then  looked  the  coach  over,  particularly  the 
bolts  of  the  brakes.  It  took  him  several  minutes  to  do  all  this; 
but  he  seemed  in  no  hurry,  though  the  Eastern  passengers  were 
grumbling  about  the  delay.  When  all  was  ready,  with  his  right 
foot  on  the  brake,  and  the  ribbons  properly  adjusted,  he  gave 
one  crack  of  the  w^hip,  when  his  four  horses  started  on  a  keen 
run  down  the  long  hill.  The  road  was  good;  but  there  were 
curves,  and  several  cuts  where,  on  the  right  side,  the  ground  was 
level  with,  or  a  little  above,  the  top  of  the  coach.  Our  English 
cousins  were  alarmed,  and  begged  the  driver  to  slow  up;  but 
he  heeded  not  their  entreaties.  On  and  on,  down  and  down,  we 
go  at  breakneck  speed.  In  rounding  some  of  the  curves  the 
coach  half  careened  over.  The  passengers  were  wild  with  fear. 
As  the  coach  passed  close  to  a  high  bank,  one  of  the  gentlemen 
on  top  leaped  oflf,  fell,  rolled  over  and  over;  at  the  next  bank  the 
others  jumped,  and  such  an  upsetting  as  those  men  received, 
falling  over  arid  upon  each  other;  the  driver  never  stopped  to 
pick  up  his  stray  passengers,  until  the  foot  of  the  hill  had  been 
reached.  Here  he  waited  a  half  hour  or  more  for  the  gentlemen 
to  overtake  us.  When  they  hobbled  down  to  the  coach,  the  per- 
spiration was  flowing  freely,  and  their  bruises  needed  some  atten- 
tion. The  grumblers  were  all  dead ;  yet  we  had  not  lost  a  passen- 
ger! Moral:  Coach-drivers  know  their  own  business,  and  it  is 
best  never  to  find  fault  with  them. 

At  the  head  of  Mt.  Vernon  Caiion  we  have  a  good  view  of 
the  Plains.     Land  and  sky  seemed  to  kiss  each  other  in  the  far 


314  .  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

east.  Down  this  gradual  slope  of  seven  miles  the  author  once 
rode  at  a  rapid  gait.  It  was  almost  impossible  to  breathe  on  ac- 
count of  the  dust,  which  filled  the  coach  as  well  as  the  lungs,  eyes, 
and  ears  of  the  passengers.  The  driver  was  making  good  time. 
The  occupants  of  the  coach  were  complaining,  when  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth Thompson,  who  gave  to  the  town  of  Longmont  the  use  of 
'Xibrary  Hall,"  sang  that  familiar  verse: 

"This  is  the  way  I  long  have  sought, 
And  mourned  because  I  found  it  not." 

The  surroundings  were  such  that  all  were  convulsed  with 
laughter.    There  were  no  more  complaints. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  caiion  was  the  little  town  of  Mt.  Ver- 
non. Here  the  road  turns  southward  behind  the  "Hogback," 
crosses  Bear  Creek  on  a  straw-covered  pole  bridge,  just  below 
where  Morrison  now  stands,  and  on  over  the  present  site  of  Fort 
Logan.  We  crossed  the  Platte  River  on  what  was  then  known 
as  Brown's  Bridge.  From  one  of  the  stringers  of  this  bridge 
was  hung  a  man  the  day  before  for  horse-stealing. 

That  evening  wx  camped  eight  miles  south  of  Denver,  at  the 
mouth  of  a  little  creek,  near  which  gold  was  found  in  1859-60. 
The  next  forenoon  we  drove  down  to  Denver  for  some  necessary 
articles,  including  a  spring  seat,  which  cost  $8.  Returning  to 
camp,  we  lunch,  pack,  and  are  off  southward,  passing  up  the 
Platte  Valley,  along  which  cultivated  farms  and  beautiful  groves 
abound.  Having  taken  a  short  cut  for  Plumb  Creek  over  a 
dim  track,  we  got  lost,  and  wandered  about  on  the  open  prairie 
for  a  while;  but  finally  reached  the  junction  of  East  and  West 
Plumb  Creeks  at  dusk,  where  we  pitched  our  tent  in  a  secluded 
willow-grove  under  a  blufT.  What  added  not  a  little  to  our  anxi- 
ety, when  picketing  out  the  mules,  was  the  finding  of  a  tent-pole 
which  had  lately  been  used  by  the  bloodthirsty  Indians,  for  whom 
we  had  no  use  just  then.  Not  daring  to  build  a  fire  for  fear  of 
discovery,  we  partook  of  a  cold  lunch,  and  slept  soundly,  not- 
withstanding our  little  surprise.  The  next  day  our  trail  led  up 
the  valley  of  West  Plumb  Creek,  near  the  base  of  the  mountains. 
That  afternoon  we  drove  under  a  tree,  to  which  a  criminal  had 


HOW   WE    WENT   TO    CONFERENCE.  315 

been  hung  not  long  before.  All  day  we  kept  a  sharp  lookout 
for  Indians,  carrying  our  weapons  in  hand  ready  to  fire;  for  near 
this  route  they  had  recently  raided  the  country,  burning  houses, 
scalping  innocent  women  and  children,  spoiling  their  goods,  and 
stealing  the  stock. 

On  the  summit  of  the  watershed,  between  the  Platte  and  Ar- 
kansas Rivers,  was  a  beautiful  lake,  now  named  for  General 
Palmer,  on  the  bosom  of  which  several  dozen  wild  ducks  were 
floating.  We  drove  along  the  west  side  of  it,  where  the  railway 
station  appears  in  the  accompanying  cut. 

The  lake  then  had  two  outlets,  one  at  the  north  and  the  other 
at  the  south,  just  east  of  where  "Glen  Park,"  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain Chautauqua  Assembly  grounds,  are  now  located. 

Here  we  strike  Monument  Creek,  down  which  we  drove  for 
seven  miles,  and  spent  the  night  with  Levi  Welty,  Esq.,  who,  at 
that  time,  was  a  dairyman.  Promising  to  stop  on  our  return,  we 
left  early  the  next  morning,  and  reached  Colorado  City  just  at  the 
close  of  the  four  o'clock  service,  conducted  by  the  bishop.  They 
had  worried  no  little  over  our  delay,  fearing  that  we  had  been 
scalped  by  some  wandering  band  of  Indians.  As  we  drove  up, 
the  bishop  came  out  to  the  wagon,  and,  with  tears  in  his  eyes, 
declared  he  ''never  was  so  glad  to  see  anybody  in  his  life." 

The  majority  of  the  preachers  were  then  living  north  of  the 
Divide.  No  railroad  had  yet  reached  Denver,  and  none  had 
started  therfrom  in  any  direction.  The  journey  from  Denver 
to  Pueblo  had  to  be  made  by  team. 

The  bishop's  party  had  preceded  us,  and  consisted  of  B.  T. 
Vincent  and  wife,  G.  H.  Adams  and  wife,  R.  J.  Van  Valkenberg 
and  wife,  G.  S.  Allen,  J.  L.  Dyer, — each  with  his  own  conveyance. 
Besides  these  was  an  ambulance,  furnished  by  Ex-Governor 
Elbert,  drawn  by  a  team  from  the  livery-stable,  for  which  they 
jointly  paid  five  dollars  per  day.  In  this  rode  the  bishop,  Chap- 
lain McCabe,  his  wife,  and  son  John,  a  mere  lad,  who  is  now  a 
member  of  the  New  Jersey  Conference;  H.  D.  Carroll  and  wife, 
from  Baltimore,  Md.;  George  Wallace,  J.  L.  Peck;  and  E.  C. 
Brooks,  who  drove  the  team.  The  bishop  and  others  declared 
that  he  managed  to  hit  the  roughest  places  in  the  road.  "Father" 
Dyer  secured  quarters  for  the  whole  party  over  night  at  a  farm- 


HOW   WE    WENT  TO   CONFERENCE.  317 

house.  Reports  of  hostile  Indians  near  were  numerous.  Every 
man  looked  well  that  night  after  his  fire-arms.  The  second  day 
out  from  Denver  this  party  reached  the  summit  of  the  Divide. 
G.  H.  Adams  and  wife  were  in  the  lead.  Just  as  they  came  to  the 
top,  a  cinnamon  bear  crossed  the  road  a  few  steps  in  front  of 
them.  His  business  was  so  urgent  that  he  did  not  stop  to  make 
a  meal  on  human  flesh.  Here  the  bishop  ordered  a  halt,  had 
the  teams  ranged  abreast,  and  called  attention  to  the  grandeur 
of  the  scenery,  as  they  looked  off  down  the  valley  of  the  Monu- 
ment to  that  of  the  Fountain,  and  eastward;  then  westward, 
where  mountain  on  mountain  piled,  rising  into  the  very 
clouds. 

When  all  were  filled  with  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  the 
scene,  the  bishop  said,  "Now,  Brother  *Van,'  lead  us  in  singing, 

'Come  all  ye  saints  to  Pisgah's  mountain,'  "  etc. 

After  that  was  sung.  Chaplain  McCabe,  now  Bishop,  with  his 
melodious  voice,  led  off  with  that  grand  old  hymn  of  Charles 
Wesley: 

"And  can  it  be  that  I  should  gain 
An  interest  in  the  Savior's  blood?" — Hymnal,  422. 

We  expected  to  join  them  en  route;  but  they  went  up  Cherry 
Creek  and  we  up  Plumb,  hence  did  not  meet  until  as  above 
stated.  Our  home  over  the  Sabbath  was  with  T.  Girton,  Esq., 
who  resided  in  a  three-room  log  house,  two  miles  northeast  of  the 
town.  His  herd  of  cattle  roamed  over  the  ground  where  the 
beautiful  city  of  Colorado  Springs  now  stands.  Little  did  we 
think  that  such  a  charming  town  would  ever  adorn  the  locality 
where  prairie-dogs  then  sported  at  will. 

B.  T.  Vincent  preached  on  Sabbath  morning,  and  L.  Hart- 
sough  at  night.  J.  L.  Peck,  Chaplain  McCabe,  Gay  S.  Allen, 
B.  T.  Vincent,  G.  H.  Adams,  George  Murray,  and  Bishop  Ames 
addressed  the  Sunday-school  in  the  afternoon. 

Monday  morning  all  were  ofif  to  see  the  sights,  the  Garden 
of  the  Gods,  Glen  Eyrie,  and  Soda  Springs,  now  Manitou.  The 
only  sign  of  civilization  was  one  unoccupied  log  cabin,  with  a 
dirt  roof  and  floor. 


HOW   WE    WENT  TO    CONFERENCE.  319 

The  springs  gurgle  up  at  the  north  base  of  Pike's  Peak,  which 
rises  eight  thousand  feet  above  them,  and  fourteen  thousand  two 
hundred  and  sixteen  feet  above  sea-level.  There  was  not  even 
a  decent  trail  to  its  summit.  Now  the  ascent  can  be  made  by  a 
cog-wheel  railroad,  by  carriage,  on  horseback,  or,  if  one  prefers, 
on  foot. 

Sitting  on  the  rocks  near  the  springs,  we  ate  our  lunch,  which 
had  been  prepared  by  the  good  people  of  Colorado  City. 


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EAST  ENTRANCE  OF  THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  GODS. 

North  of  the  eastern  entrance  to  the  Garden  of  the  Gods 
stands  a  red-sandstone  rock,  nearly  perpendicular  on  all  sides, 
about  two  hundred  feet  high.  Within  is  a  cathedral  cave,  into 
which  a  number  of  us  crept  through  a  low  passage-way,  while 
the  bishop  and  a  few  others  remained  without.  A  tallow  candle 
and  a  few  torches  were  our  only  light.  The  chaplain  led  in 
singing,  with  delightful  effect, 

"Rock  of  ages,  cleft  for  me, 
Let  me  hide  myself  in  thee." 

On  resuming  our  journey  southward,  besides  those  already 
named,  there  were  added  to  our  party  George  Murray  and  W.  F. 
Warren.  The  old  "Santa  Fe  Trail"  was  hard  and  smooth,  and  fol- 
lowed down  the  east  side  of  the  Fountain.  The  day  was  perfect, 
such  as  only  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  can  produce.  All 
reached  Pueblo  in  due  season,  and  were  cordially  greeted  by  the 
pastor,  O.  P.  McMains.  He  and  his  people  had  been  hard  at 
work  building  a  new  church.  The  unplastered  adobe  walls  were 
up,  roof  on,  floor  down,  and  windows  in.     Rough  boards  and 


320  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

chairs  were  used  as  seats.  In  this  unfinished  building  the  Con- 
ference was  called  to  order  on  Thursday  morning,  June  23,  1870, 
by  the  bishop.  John  L.  Dyer  conducted  the  devotional  exer- 
cises. Thirteen  members  answered  to  their  names.  The  bishop 
announced  the  transfer  of  Thomas  Harwood  from  the  West  Wis- 
consin Conference;  L.  Hartsough,  G.  M.  Pierce,  and  J.  R.  Moore, 
from  the  Central  New  York  Conference;  W.  D.  Chase  and  F.  C. 
Millington,  from  the  Black  River  Conference. 

O.  P.  McMains  was  elected  secretary,  and  W.  F.  Warren 
assistant.  L.  Hartsough,  E.  J.  Rice,  C.  C.  McCabe,  E.  C. 
Brooks,  and  G.  S.  Allen  were  introduced.  C.  H.  Kirkbride  was 
granted  a  location  at  his  own  request.  Charles  King  withdrew 
from  the  connection.     Edward  C.  Brooks  was  admitted  on  trial. 

At  five  o'clock,  Saturday  afternoon,  the  Conference  assembled 
to  close  its  business,  listen  to  the  bishop's  fatherly  counsel,  and 
hear  the  appointments  read: 

DENVER  DISTRICT— B.  T.  Vincent,  P.  E. 

Laramie,  Cheyenne,  and  Greeley. G.  H.  Adams  and  E.  C.  Brooks. 

Denver J.    L.    Peck. 

Central W.    D.    Chase. 

Black  Hawk  and  Nevada George  Wallace. 

Georgetown I.    H.    Beardsley. 

Idaho  and  Empire To  be  supplied. 

Golden  City F.   C.   Millington. 

Divide  Circuit John  L.  Dyer. 

Ralston  and  Clear  Creek G.  W.  Swift. 

Boulder  and  Valmont Supplied  by  G.  S.  Allen  (for  a  short 

time;  then  by  R.  W.  Bosworth.) 

Burlington  Circuit Supplied  by  R.  J.  Van  Valkenberg. 

Big  Thompson  and  La  Poudre J.  R.  Moore. 

Platte  Circuit Supplied  by  G.  S.  Allen. 


ARKANSAS  DISTRICT— George  Murray,  P.  E., 
and   Pastor  at   Cafion    City. 

Colorado  City W.   F.  Warren. 

Pueblo O.  P.  McMains. 

Fairplay  and  Granite Jesse  Smith. 

La  Junta  and  Elizabethtown,  N.  M Thomas  Harwood. 

Trinidad Supplied  by  E.  J.    Rice. 


HOW  WE    WENT  TO   CONFERENCE.  32 1 

A  moment  after  the  bishop  had  announced  O.  P.  McMains 
returned  to  Pueblo,  he  sprang  to  his  feet  in  great  excitement,  and 
cried  out:  "Bishop,  this  is  tyranny.  I  can  not  stand  it,  and  I 
will  not.  I  won't  go  back."  The  bishop  turned  around  to  him, 
and  quietly  said:  "Do  n't  be  hasty.  Brother  McMains.  Come  and 
see  me,  and  we  will  talk  the  matter  over  together."  On  leaving 
the  church  "Mac"  stepped  between  Brothers  Brooks  and  Swift, 
and  taking  each  by  the  arm,  said,  "Boys,  I  tell  you  that  old 
Bishop  Ames  is  a  tyrant." 

He,  however,  took  tea  with  the  bishop,  and  was  closeted  with 
him  for  a  couple  of  hours.  He  came  late  that  evening  to 
the  church.  After  the  service  he  said  to  the  same  brethren: 
"Why,  boys,  did  you  know  Bishop  Ames  is  an  angel.  Why,  he 
just  talked  with  me  so  kindly,  and  prayed  with  me  and  promised 
to  help  me.  I  am  going  on  with  my  work."  What  a  difference 
the  state  of  one's  mind  makes! 

The  Sabbath  was  a  day  of  power  and  riches  of  grace  to  many 
souls.  John  L.  Dyer  preached  at  7.30  A.  M.,  from  "He  calleth 
for  thee."  At  nine  A.  M.  a  remarkable  love-feast  was  held.  At 
10.30  the  bishop  preached  from  i  John  v,  10:  "He  that  believeth 
on  the  Son  of  God  hath  the  witness  in  himself."  The  writer 
has  never  forgotten  one  remark,  made  as  the  tears  were  coursing 
down  his  cheeks,  "Brethren,  I  carry  a  pocket  edition  of  this  re- 
ligion in  my  heart."  At  three  o'clock  there  was  a  grand  Sunday- 
school  rally,  and  at  five  P.  M.  George  Wallace  preached  to  the 
campers  in  the  grove  on  the  bottoms.  In  the  evening  Chaplain 
McCabe  preached  from  2  Corinthians  iv,  18;  subject,  "The  Un- 
seen Things."  His  sermon  and  singing  captivated  all  hearts. 
W\  F.  Warren  was  ordained  deacon  and  E.  J.  Rice  local  elder  by 
the  bishop. 

Arrangements  had  been  made  for  the  bishop  to  preach  on 
his  return  in  a  little  log  schoolhouse,  which  stood  about  two 
miles  south  of  where  the  town  of  Monument  now  stands.  The 
house  was  very  much  crowded.  The  bishop,  not  feeling  well, 
sat  in  the  splint-bottom  chair,  and  discoursed  to  them  from  the 
First  Psalm  for  over  an  hour.  The  writer  preached  in  the  same 
place  on  the  following  Sabbath,  and  heard  of  the  bishop's  re- 
markable sermon. 


322  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Our  Homeward  Trip. — Monday  morning,  June  2y,  1870, 
we  left  Pueblo  on  our  return  by  the  way  of  Cafion  City,  which 
added  forty  miles  to  the  one  hundred  and  seventy  already  trav- 
eled. 

The  morning  was  delightful.  The  sun  shone  brightly.  The 
sky  was  overcast  by  an  occasional  cloud.  Our  road  led  up  the 
left  bank  of  the  Arkansas  River.  Herds  of  cattle  were  feeding 
here  and  there  along  the  way.  An  occasional  wheat-field  waved 
its  golden  grain  in  the  gentle  breezes.  Eight  miles  up,  we  cross 
on  what  is  known  as  the  "Natural  Bridge."  Here  the  stream 
is  compressed  into  a  narrow  gorge  of  perhaps  thirty  feet  in  width ; 
the  rocks  on  either  side  are  some  twenty  feet  or  more  above  the 
seething,  raging,  foaming  torrent.  Two  flat  rocks  projected 
toward  each  other  so  near  as  almost  to  touch.  Over  this  narrow 
space  poles  had  been  thrown,  and  across  these  were  smaller  ones 
covered  with  brush  and  straw.  On  this  seemingly  frail  structure 
we  cross,  pass  a  few  cultivated  fields,  ascend  to  the  table-lands, 
and  camp  at  night  in  a  log  schoolhouse  on  the  west  side  of 
Frazier  Creek.  At  noon  of  the  second  day  we  re-cross  the  river 
to  Cafion  City.  The  buildings  were  mostly  constructed  of  stone. 
The  city  stands  close  to  the  base  of  the  mountains,  and  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Grand  Cafion  of  the  Arkansas  River,  which  pre- 
sents one  of  the  most  wonderful  scenes  of  sublimity  that  na- 
ture offers.  The  river,  with  an  average  fall  of  fifty  feet  to  the 
mile,  runs  between  stupendous  walls  of  rock,  from  one  thousand 
to  twenty-six  hundred  feet  in  height. 

"Like  a  steed,  in  frantic  fit, 
That  flings  the  froth  from  curb  and  bit, 
The  rain  chafes  its  waves  to  spray 
O'er  every  rock  that  bars  its  way, 
Till  foam-globes  on  its  eddies  ride 
Thick  as  the  schemes  of  human  pride." 

Pike's  hoary  peak  looms  up  on  the  north,  mountains  are  on 
the  west  and  south,  while  the  broad  valley  of  the  Arkansas  River 
opens  out  to  the  eastward.  Near  the  city  are  found  beds  of 
bituminous  coal  and  inexhaustible  stone-quarries.  Close  to  these 
the  Colorado  Penitentiary  is  located.     That  evening  the  writer 


HOW   WE    WENT  TO   CONFERENCE.  323 

preached  in  the  old  stone  church  to  an  attentive  congregation, 
on  "Christian  Union."  Here  we  found  very  pleasant  entertain- 
ment v^ith  a  Brother  Richardson  and  family.  Our  route  home- 
ward was  around  the  east  base  of  Pike's  Peak. 

The  first  night  out  from  Canon  found  us  oh  the  bank  of 
Turkey  Creek.  What  added  not  a  little  to  the  unpleasantness 
of  the  situation  was,  that  the  very  spot  selected  by  us  for  a  camp 
had  been  only  recently  occupied  by  a  band  of  Indians.  Some 
of  the  lodge-poles  were  there;  the  feet  and  bones  of  wild  animals 
were  scattered  about,  and  a  scalp  had  been  left  dangling  from 
the  limb  of  a  small  tree.  What  could  we  do?  Night  was  coming 
on.  How  far  it  might  be  to  a  house  or  water  we  did  not  know. 
We  had  seen  but  three  houses  since  leaving  Caiion  City.  Supper 
was  eaten,  mules  picketed,  guns  and  revolvers  loaded,  and 
prayers  said,  when  we  turned  in  and  slept  unmolested. 

The  next  forenoon  we  passed  numbers  of  cattle  and  horses 
feeding  on  the  luxurious  grasses  along  the  way,  fat  as  seals. 
We  came  to  a  large  spring  of  cool,  clear  water,  flowing  from  the 
base  of  a  knoll,  on  which  were  some  log  buildings.  Near  by, 
under  the  shade  of  a  pine-tree,  sat  an  aged  gentleman.  After  the 
usual  salutations,  the  writer  accosted  him  with,  ''From  whence 
came  you?"  ''Way  down  on  the  Arkansaw  River,  in  Arkansaw." 
"Are  there  any  settlers  near  you?"  "The  nearest  are  seven  miles 
off.  They  are  getting  entirely  too  thick.  I  am  going  to  move 
on."  "You  are  a  stockman,  I  should  judge,  from  your  sur- 
roundings?" "Y-e-s."  "How  many  head  of  horses  and  of  cattle 
have  you?"  "We  have  about  four  hundred  horses;  but  I  do  not 
know  how  many  cattle — there  are  hundreds."  Cattle  men  never 
know  how  much  stock  they  own.  If  they  did,  it  might  make  a 
difference  with  their  taxes!  He  had  a  wife,  son,  daughter,  and 
son-in-law.  He  gave  us  to  understand  that  he  "had  nothing 
to  do  with  poHtics  and  religion."  We  drove  on.  Night  found 
us  at  our  old  stopping-place  near  Colorado  City.  Saturday 
evening,  July  2d,  according  to  promise,  we  stopped  with  our 
old  friend,  Levi  Welty,  Esq.,  on  Monument  Creek,  near  which 
place  the  writer  preached  twice  the  next  day,  and  addressed  the 
Sunday-school.     On   Monday,  July  4th,  there  was  a  Sunday- 


324  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

school  "picnic"  in  Aloniiment  Park,  so  named  because  of  the 
singular  monuments  found  there. 

The  day  was  pleasantly  spent  in  speech-making,  vocal  and 
instrumental  music,  and  in  social  intercourse.  The  attendance 
was  large,  and  the  abundant  dinner  could  not  well  be  surpassed. 

After  tarrying  somewhat  by  the  way,  we  reached  our  own 
home  in  Georgetown  exactly  one  month  from  the  day  we  left. 
The  people  had  supper  prepared  at  the  parsonage,  and  gave  us 
a  cordial  welcome. 

We  had  no  difficulty  in  keeping  our  larder  supplied  with 
prairie-chickens  and  rabbits  during  the  whole  trip  of  three  hun- 
dred and  eighty  miles. 

Thk  New  Me:mbi;rs,  and  What  Bkcam^  of  Thi^m. — ^W.  D. 
Chase  filled  the  pulpit  of  the  Church  in  Central  City  for  nearly 
three  years,  and  was  then  transferred  back  to  Northern  New 
York  Conference,  whence  he  came. 

J.  R.  Moore  remained  only  three  years;  two  on  the  Big 
Thompson  and  Poudre;  one  at  Trinidad,  where  he  completed  an 
adobe  church,  begun  by  his  predecessor.  Rev.  E.  J.  Rice,  de- 
ceased, who  also  donated  the  ground  on  which  it  stood.  He 
was  supernumerated  in  1873,  but  took  work  in  New  Mexico.  In 
1876  he  was  transferred  back  to  his  old  Conference. 

G.  M.  Pierce  was  sent  as  a  missionary  to  Utah,  where  he  re- 
mained for  several  years,  though  he  was  transferred  to  the  Cen- 
tral New  York  Conference  in  1870,  and  then  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain Conference  in  1872.  He  is  now  laboring  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  in  the  Northwest. 

L.  Hartsough  had  been  on  the  so-called  Dakota  District  the 
previous  year,  supplying  Cheyenne  and  Laramie  City.  At  the 
last-named  place  he  began  a  church  enterprise,  which  was  com- 
pleted by  his  successor,  E.  C.  Brooks,  the  following  year.  He 
was  transferred  to  the  Central  New  York  Conference  in  1870; 
re-transferred  to  the  Dakota  Conference  subsequently,  where 
he  has  done  effective  work  for  the  Master. 

Franklin  Ceiylon  Millington  was  born  March  18,  1841, 
in  Nicholville,  St.  Lawrence  County,  New  York.     He  took  an 


HO  IF   JVE    WENT  TO   CONFERENCE. 


325 


academic  course  at  the  St.  Lawrence  Academy,  at  Potsdam; 
was  converted  at  West  Potsdam  when  fourteen  years  of  age; 
hcensed  to  exhort  by  Rev.  J.  C.  Corbin,  and  to  preach  by  Rev. 
J.  H.  Lamb.  His  call  to  the  ministry  was  unquestionable.  He 
was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Northern  New  York  Conference 
in  April,  1864.  Served  Constable,  Colton,  North  Potsdam,  Mas- 
sena,  and  Lawrenceville ;  was  married  to  Miss  Adaline  Sheldon, 
April  13,  1865.  In  April,  1870,  Bishop  Ames  transferred  him 
to  the  Colorado  Conference,  and  appointed  him  to  Golden  City 
in  June  following.  He  and  his  family  rode  into  Denver  on  the 
24th  of  that  month,  on  the  first 
passenger  train  entering  the  city, 
the  Denver  Pacific  Railroad  being 
the  first  to  connect  Denver  by  rail 
with  the  rest  of  the  world. 

In  the  early  spring  of  187 1  the 
Chicago  Colony  laid  out  the  town- 
site  of  Longmont,  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  St.  Vrain,  to  which  he 
was  appointed  that  year.  Here 
he  started  a  church  enterprise  in 
the  spring  of  1872,  and  a  society  in 
Erie  the  previous  January.  The 
church-building  was  a  two-story 
frame,  and  stood  on  Main  Street, 
just  south  of  Third  Avenue.  One 
room  was  for  Church  services,  and 
the  other  for  rental  purposes.  This  property  was  used  for  twelve 
years,  when  it  was  sold,  and  the  present  beautiful  church  erected. 

Another  new  town,  laid  out  just  east  of  Colorado  City,  once 
the  Capital  of  the  Territory,  was  christened  ''Colorado  Springs," 
though  six  miles  east  of  the  Springs  proper.  To  these  two  places 
he  was  sent  in  1872.  His  predecessor,  W.  F.  Warren,  had  or- 
ganized a  class  and  a  Sunday-school,  and  had  also  built  a  small 
church.  This  was  enlarged,  so  that  two  years  later  he  reported 
a  church  worth  $2,500.  In  1875  he  was  stationed  at  Saint  James, 
West  Denver,  where  he  built  a  four-room  brick  parsonage  free 
of  debt.     He  also   completed   the   ''Evans   Memorial   Chapel," 


F.  C.  MILLINGTON. 


326 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


raising  the  funds  by  selling  lots  belonging  to  Ex-Governor 
Evans,  and  applying  the  same  to  the  finishing  of  the  church. 
Three  years  later  found  him  pushing  another  parsonage  en- 
terprise of  five  rooms  at  California  Street,  which  was  completed, 
paid  for,  and  occupied  within  thirty  days.  During  two  of  his 
three  years  here  he  had  a  Sunday-school  in  the  Ashland  school 
building  in  North  Denver,  and  preached  there  regularly. 

Then  came  three  years  and  a  half  as  presiding  elder  on  the 
"Northern  District,"  which  he  served  with  marked  ability  and 
success.     This  he  resigned  to  take  the  financial  agency  of  the 

University  of  Denver,  which  po- 
sition he  held  for  something  over 
two  years.  The  crowning  monu- 
ment of  his  life-work  is  Univer- 
sity Park,  which  he  was  largely 
instrumental  in  securing  and 
platting.  These  grounds  over- 
look the  city,  yet  are  free  from 
its  din  and  smoke,  and  only  a 
short  ride,  by  two  car  lines,  from 
its  center. 

His  last  earthly  appointment 
was  "associate  pastor"  of  Trinity 
Church,  which  continued  only 
five  months,  when  he  died  sud- 
denly, from  neuralgia  of  the 
heart,  on  December  2y,  1887. 
His  body  awaits  the  -resur- 
rection of  the  just  in  Riverside  Cemetery,  and  his  soul  rests 
with  God. 

Brother  Millington  was  a  good  preacher  of  the  gospel,  a 
conscientious  Christian  gentleman,  and  a  thorough  business  man 
in  Church  affairs. 


T.  HARWOOD. 


Thomas  Harwood  was  born  November  16,  1829,  in  Caroline 
County,  Maryland;  was  converted  in  1839;  united  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  at  Thomas  Chapel,  Delaware,  1841 ; 
licensed  to  preach  in  Michigan,  1855;  ordained  local  deacon  by 


HOW   WE    WENT  TO   CONFERENCE. 


327 


Bishop  Levi  Scott,  September  9,  i860;  elder  by  Bishop  Ames, 
September  2^,  1868.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  Company  G, 
25th  Wisconsin  Volunteers,  for  eighteen  months,  1862-3.  and 
chaplain  of  the  same  for  eighteen  months  more,  1863-4-5. 

He  held  license  as  a  local  preacher  from  1855  to  i860.  Then 
joined  the  Northwest  Wisconsin  Conference  on  trial ;  was  dropped 
in  1862,  because  he  went  into  the  army;  was  readmitted  on 
trial  in  1865;  received  into  full  connection  in  the  West  Wisconsin 
Conference  in  1868;  transferred  to  the  Colorado  Conference  in 
September,  1869,  and  appointed  to  La  Junta,  New  Mexico,  where 
he  began  the  study  of  the  Spanish 
language;  reappointed  in  1870. 
From  1872  to  1884  he  was  super- 
intendent of  the  ''New  Mexico 
Mission,"  during  which  time  he 
had  charge  of  the  English  and 
Spanish  work,  organizing 
churches  both  among  Americans 
and  Mexicans. 

In  1885,  the  mission  work 
having  been  divided,  he  was  ap- 
pointed superintendent  of  "New 
Mexico  Spanish  Missions,"  with 
eleven  assistants.  In  1893,  he, 
with  twenty  assistants,  was  trans- 
ferred from  us,  and  organized 
into  a  "Spanish  Mission  Confer- 
ence." What  wonders  God  hath 
wrought  among  the  people  of  New  Mexico,  English  and  Spanish, 
through  the  efhcient  labors  of  Brother  and  Sister  Harwood,  as 
they  taught,  preached,  and  lived  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God 
in  their  presence! 


MRS.  E.  J.  HARWOOD. 


Mrs.  Emily  Jane  Harwood,  his  wife,  has  faithfully  and 
efficiently  had  part  in  the  mission  work  of  New  Mexico.  They 
began  here  with  nothing,  not  having  even  a  knowledge  of  the  lan- 
guage. All  has  been  dug  up,  after  the  language  was  acquired, 
out  of  that  hard,  sterile,  Roman  Catholic  soil,  in  the  last  twenty- 


328  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

six  years.  They  now  have  35  traveling  and  local  preachers, 
2,500  members  and  probationers,  20  church-buildings,  20  parson- 
ages and  40  Sunday-schools,  with  1,000  scholars.  The  Church 
property  is  valued  at  $50,000  in  the  Spanish  work  alone.  The 
English  work  amounts  to  very  nearly  as  much  more.  To  God 
belongs  the  praise. 

But  for  the  day  and  Sunday  schools  this  could  never  have 
been  accomplished.  Sister  Harwood  began  teaching  in  Wisconsin 
at  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  ranked  as  a  first-class  teacher  be- 
fore coming  to  New  Mexico.  She  taught  in  Tiptonville,  N.  M., 
for  fifteen  years,  then  in  Socorro  several  years,  and  then  in  Albu- 
querque, covering  a  period  of  almost  twenty-seven  years.  From 
these  schools  have  gone  out  scholars  into  nearly  all  parts  of  New 
Mexico,  Arizona,  and  adjacent  localities. 

Dr.  Harwood  has  assisted  in  these  schools  all  that  was  possi- 
ble, without  neglecting  the  other  work  which  he  was  required 
to  do.  When  he  looks  back,  and  calls  to  mind  the  many  young 
men  and  women,  now  married,  settled,  and  doing  well,  who  are 
making  good  citizens,  filling  responsible  positions  as  merchants, 
clerks,  officials  in  different  places;  others  in  the  medical,  legal, 
or  ministerial  professions — places  which  they  never  could  have 
filled  only  for  these  schools — he  feels  that  their  work  in  New 
Mexico  has  not  been  in  vain. 

It  is  only  just  to  Sister  Harwood  to  say  that  in  all  these  years 
of  teaching  in  these  mission  schools  she  has  not  received  one  cent 
as  salary  from  any  source.  When  she  taught  in  the  public 
schools,  as  she  has  ocasionally  done,  she  was  paid,  and  when 
teaching  in  her  private  schools  she  received  tuition;  but  in  her 
Mission  and  Biblical  schools,  as  at  present,  she  has  always  taught 
without  expense  to  the  Church,  which  has  sustained  her  husband 
for  nearly  twenty-seven  years  in  his  missionary  labors  among  all 
classes  in  that  remote  region. 

The  following  extract  describes  the  latest  addition  to  the 
evangelizing  forces  of  this  Mission: 

"For  the  past  eight  or  ten  years  the  Methodist  workers  in 
New  Mexico,  and  the  workers  in  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary 
Society  throughout  the  country,  have  been  planning,  praying, 


HOW   WE    WENT  TO   CONFERENCE.  329 

and  working  for  a  girl's  industrial  home,  to  be  located  in  Albu- 
querque. In  fact,  such  a  Home  was  opened  about  six  years  ago, 
and  was  carried  forward  in  a  small  way  in  rented  buildings. 

"By  the  universal  consent  of  the  laborers,  here  and  abroad, 
this  plan  was  deemed  inadvisable,  and,  after  three  years  of  earnest 
effort,  was  abandoned,  until  such  time  as  a  permanent  Home 
could  be  erected.  At  that  time  it  was  hoped  that  this  would  be 
accomplished  within  a  year.  Three  years  of  anxiety,  mingled 
with  hope,  however,  have  passed,  and  now  the  building  stands 
splendidly  located,  an  ornament  to  the  city  and  a  monument  to 
the  faith  and  sacrifice  of  many  friends. 

**The  design  of  the  Home  is  to  gather  in  as  many  as  may  be 
practicable  of  the  Spanish-speaking  girls  of  New  Mexico.  Here 
it  is  hoped  they  may  secure  such  training  as  will  enable  them  to 
preside  over  practical  Christian  homes  of  their  own.  The  Home 
is  under  the  management  of  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

"The  building,  which  was  dedicated  Sunday,  March  i,  1896, 
is  a  beautiful  brick  structure,  costing  $6,400.  The  grounds,  150 
feet  front  by  142  feet  deep,  cost  $625,  making  a  total,  without 
furnishings,  of  $7,025.  Of  this  amount,  almost  all  has  been  con- 
tributed by  parties  outside  of  Albuquerque.  These  contributions 
have  come  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  The  largest  contribu- 
tion by  any  one  Conference  Society  was  by  the  Colorado,  which 
thus  secured  the  honor  of  naming  the  Home.  With  a  keen 
appreciation  of  services  that  have  been  many-fold  greater  than 
all  others  combined,  they  have  named  it  in  honor  of  the  veteran 
superintendent  of  the  Spanish  work  in  New  Mexico,  and  his 
devoted  wife,  the  'Harwood  Home.' 

"To  Mrs.  Anna  Kent,  secretary  of  the  Society  for  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona,  great  credit  is  due  for  the  successful  comple- 
tion of  the  building. 

"The  superintendent  and  her  assistants,  Misses  Apperson  and 
Rodriges,  are  women  of  earnest  Christian  character,  practical 
common  sense,  and  wide  and  varied  experience.  Under  their 
direction  it  is  confidently  expected  that  the  school  will  very 
quickly  attain  a  condition  of  great  usefulness." 


330 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


Edward  C.  Brooks  was  born  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  October  14, 
1846;  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  spring  of 
1858,  at  St.  Paul,  Minn.;  was  licensed  to  exhort  in  1865,  and  to 
preach  at  Evanston,  111.,  in  the  spring  of  1868;  traveled  "Good- 
ing's Grove  Circuit,''  Rock  River  Conference,  one  year;  then 
came  to  Colorado  in  the  fall  of  1869,  and  was  appointed  by  the 
elder  to  fill  a  vacancy  at  Golden.  During  the  next  six  months 
he  built  a  room,  12  x  14,  for  a  study,  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  church.  In  1870  he  was  the  junior  preacher  on  the  Earamie, 
Cheyenne,  and  Greeley  Circuit.    July  17,  1870,  he  preached  the 

second  Methodist  sermon  in  the 

town   of   Greeley,   and   organized 

a    class    of    seventeen    members. 

Previously,   on   May  22d,   G.   H. 

Adams  had   preached   there,   and 

appointed    H.    M.    Eaw,    a    local 

jjus^  preacher,  class-leader,  with  author- 

JMHh  ity  to  gather  up  all  Church  letters 

^^^JBjK^^  possible.     Before   either  of  these 

V^^BjA^^H^-  .  came,  however,  the  Rev.  William 

^HH|B||HP^^  Antes  had  preached  in  that  local- 

^^^^^  ity  a  number  of  times,  in  1864-5. 

The  most  of  his  time  that  year 
was  spent  at  Earamie  City,  com- 
pleting the  church  there.  He  was 
ordained  deacon  in  1871,  and  sent 
to  Cafion  City.  On  Christmas  of 
that  year  he  held  the  first  religious 
service,  and  preached  the  first  sermon  ever  delivered  in  the  Colo- 
rado Penitentiary.  He  officiated  as  chaplain  during  the  balance 
of  his  pastorship  in  Canon,  organizing  a  class  there  of  thirteen 
members,  all  prisoners,  and  baptizing  eight  of  the  number.  In 
1873  he  was  sent  to  the  Eas  Animas  Circuit,  one  hundred  and  ten 
miles  long  and  forty-five  wide,  where  there  were  only  fifteen 
members.  He  preached  the  first  sermon  in  the  town  of  West  Eas 
Animas;  was  transferred  to  the  South  Kansas  Conference  in  1874, 
where  he  labored  for  several  years,  then  transferred  to  the  Iowa 
Conference,  where  he  is  now  preaching  the  everlasting  gospel. 


K.  C.  BROOKS. 


HOW   WE    WENT  TO   CONFERENCE. 


331 


At  this  session  of  the  Conference,  Idaho  and  Empire  were 
left  to  be  suppHed.  H.  J.  Shaffner  was  transferred  from  the 
Minnesota  Conference  to  supply  that  work.  He  preached  at 
Empire,  Idaho  Springs,  and  Burgan's  Schoolhouse,  from  Sep- 
tember 18  to  October  16,  1870,  when  he  became  so  great  a  suf- 
ferer with  asthma  that  he  had  to  leave  the  work.  In  Golden, 
where  his  family  resided,  he  lay  for  a  long  time  with  acclimating 
fever,  which  very  nearly  ended  his  earthly  career. 

In  1871  a  Denver  Circuit  was  organized,  to  which  he  was 
appointed.  This  embraced  Arvada,  West  Denver,  and  Bennett 
Schoolhouse,  which  stood  at  the 
corner  of  what  is  now  Broadway 
and  Evans  Avenue.  These  were 
his  regular  appointments.  De- 
cember 23,  1871,  he  organized 
the  California  Street  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Up  to  the 
spring  of  1872  he  lived  in  Ar- 
vada, when  he  moved  into  his 
own  unfinished  house  at  the  cor- 
ner of  California  and  Twenty- 
fifth  Streets,  where  he  held  the 
first  prayer-meeting,  June  16, 
1872,  and  soon  after  the  first 
class-meeting  in  the  same  place. 
He  organized  the  California 
Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Sun- 
day-school, June  16,  1872,  in  a 
little  shanty  schoolhouse,  owned  by  Judge  Miller,  on  the  corner 
of  Curtis  and  Twenty-third  Streets. 

The  first  quarterly-meeting  was  held  in  his  house  by  Dr. 
B.  F.  Crary,  presiding  elder,  October  14,  1872.  Here  he  preached 
regularly  from  the  very  start  until  the  church  was  erected,  which 
was  dedicated  by  Dr.  Crary,  November  24,  1872.  The  society 
then  had  twenty-seven  members. 

He  organized  the  West  Denver  Union  Sunday-school  into  a 
Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday-school,  June  i,  1872,  which  is  now 
known  as  the  St.  James   Methodist   Episcopal   Sunday-school. 


H.  J.  SHAFFNER. 


332  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

He  also  organized  a  Sunday-school  and  society,  with  Dexter 
Soggs  leader,  in  North  Denver,  of  which  Asbury  Church  is  the 
legitimate  successor. 

On  March  21,  1873,  his  beloved  companion,  mother  of  their 
six  children,  three  of  whom  had  preceded  her,  was  called  to  her 
glory  home,  shouting  as  she  entered  the  valley. 

In  1874  he  was  sent  to  a  new  field,  "Morrison  and  Peters- 
burg." At  the  former  he  organized  a  society  and  a  Sunday- 
school.  His  next  appointment  was  ''West  Las  Animas."  He 
arrived  on  this  charge  September  6,  1875,  and  found  an  old  or- 
ganization with  less  than  half  a  dozen  members  in  sight;  no 
house;  no  church-building.  C.  W.  Bowman,  Philip  Landers, 
and  Major  Price  formed  a  nucleus  around  which  the  organization 
was  perfected.  A  church  was  then  built,  and  dedicated  by  Dr. 
Crary,  presiding  elder,  free  of  debt,  January  23,  1876.  He  also 
organized  the  Sunday-school,  and  established  all  the  usual 
agencies  of  Church  work. 

Then  followed  two  prosperous  years  as  pastor  at  Pueblo. 
Here  he  added  one  lot  to  the  Church  property,  and  helped  many 
souls  to  Christ,  and  received  them  into  the  Church. 

He  was  sent  to  Boulder  in  1879,  where  he  built  a  brick  par- 
sonage of  five  rooms,  and  paid  for  it;  to  Cheyenne  in  1880.  Here 
God  gave  him  a  good  revival,  in  which  forty-six  souls  were  con- 
verted and  added  to  the  Church.  Asthma  compelled  him  to 
sever  his  relation  with  this  charge,  and  he  left  February  21,  1881, 
for  the  Pacific  Coast,  thus  closing  ten  successful  years  in  the 
Colorado  Conference,  which  that  year  gave  him  a  supernumerary 
relation.  Two  years  after,  he  was  transferred  to  the  Southern 
California  Conference.  His  home  is  now  in  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  awaits  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  God. 


PLKASURE   SAUNTTKRINGS. 

NuMBKR  Onk. — A  party  of  fourteen,  consisting  of  Mrs.  J. 
Bowman,  Miss  Phebe  Green,  Captain  William  Light  and  wife, 
the  writer  and  wife,  with  eight  others,  drove  to  the  ''Willow 
Grove  Camp-meeting,"  which  began  September  i,  1870,  and 
lasted  for  five  days.  This  was  held  in  a  grove  on  Isaac  Mc- 
Broom's  farm,  near  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek,  northeast  of  the 
present  site  of  Fort  Logan,  and  just  south  of  where  the  school- 
house  now  stands. 

The  following-named  brethren  preached  during  the  progress 
of  the  meeting:  B.  T.  Vincent,  presiding  elder;  F.  C.  Millington, 
G.  W.  Swift,  W.  F.  Warren,  Gay  S.  Allen,  and  the  writer.  John 
L.  Dyer,  having  the  meeting  in  charge,  did  not  preach,  it  being 
within  the  bounds  of  his  work.  H.  J.  Shaffner,  though  present 
with  his  family,  was  so  affected  with  asthma  that  he  could  not 
preach.  Gay  S.  Allen's  sermon,  from  ''This  man  might  have 
been  set  at  liberty,  if:"  the  whole  audience  was  swayed  as  by 
a  tempest  for  an  hour,  and  the  altar  was  soon  crowded  with 
penitents.  The  camp-meeting  resulted  in  several  conversions, 
and  in  the  quickening  of  the  spiritual  life  of  believers. 

During  the  Sabbath  services,  Colorow,  a  noted  Ute  Indian 
chief,  with  his  daughter,  called  to  see  what  was  going  on.  He 
was  a  solidly-built  man,  of  perhaps  two  hundred  pounds  weight, 
was  bareheaded,  wore  a  buckskin  jacket,  with  pantaloons  and 
moccasins  of  the  same  material.  The  jacket  and  pants  lacked 
about  two  inches  of  coming  together,  where  the  native  hide  was 
exposed.  In  a  belt  around  his  waist  there  hung  two  of  Colt's 
navy  revolvers,  old  style,  and  a  long  bowie-knife. 

His  daughter  was  dressed  in  a  well-worn  buckskin  suit, 
fringed  here  and  there,  with  panties  of  the  same  material.  She 
was  about  eighteen,  had  long,  black,  coarse  hair  hanging  down 
her  back,  with  "bangs"  over  the  eyes.    The  writer  has  often  won- 

333 


334  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

dered  if  the  custom  of  wearing  "bangs"  did  not  originate  with 
the  Indian  maiden!  For  an  hour  or  more  she  sat  astride  of  her 
horse,  just  outside  the  camp-grounds,  motionless  as  a  statue, 
holding  her  father's  horse,  while  he  stood  leaning  against  a 
tree,  close  to  the  people,  gazing  upon  the  services.  They  wanted 
''biscuit."  The  people  hastened  to  supply  their  needs,  when 
meat,  potatoes,  bread,  cake,  pie,  all  that  was  given  them,  was 
thrust  into  a  common  sack;  not  a  mouthful  did  they  taste  while 
in  sight. 

Numbe:r  Two. — The  second  was  to  the  Ministerial  Associ- 
ation of  the  Denver  District,  which  met  in  Boulder,  February 
22,  1871.  Leaving  our  mountain  home  on  Monday  morning,  in 
company  with  Rev.  B.  T.  Vincent,  our  popular  presiding  elder, 
who  had  his  own  conveyance,  we  drive  to  Idaho  Springs,  and 
halt  for  a  plunge  bath,  hasten  on  to  Golden  City,  where  the  writer 
was  dropped,  while  the  presiding  elder  proceeded  on  to  Denver. 

George  Osborn,  Esq.,  came  over  from  "Ralston  Crossing" 
with  a  light  spring-wagon,  and  conveyed  Rev.  E.  C.  Brooks 
and  wife,  F.  C.  Millington,  and  the  writer  to  his  own  home  for 
the  night.  The  next  morning  we  were  joined  by  Rev.  G.  W. 
Swift,  and  proceeded  by  the  same  conveyance  to  Boulder.  Rn 
route  a  few  tame  buffalo  were  seen,  feeding  with  some  cattle  near 
the  track.  The  two  younger  members  of  the  party  thought  to 
scare  them  by  chasing  them  on  foot.  They  were  on  the  opposite 
side  of  a  small  run,  and  did  not  scare  worth  a  cent;  but  made 
directly  for  the  boys  at  a  rapid  gait.  The  boys  soon  changed 
their  tactics,  leaped  the  creek,  and  ran  to  the  wagon  with  all 
dispatch  possible.    They  had  not  lost  any  buffaloes! 

The  Boulder  of  that  day  was  not  the  Boulder  of  to-day;  it 
was  then  but  a  small  village,  with  a  few  scattering  houses.  The 
Association  met  in  the  Congregational  Church,  which,  I  be- 
lieve, was  the  only  church-building  there  at  the  time,  and  was  a 
gathering  of  deep  interest  and  profit. 

Rev.  G.  S.  Allen,  who  was  supplying  the  Platte  River  Cir- 
cuit, invited  me,  at  the  close  of  the  Association,  to  accompany 
him  to  his  field  of  labor.  When  he  was  getting  ready  to  start, 
on  Friday  morning,  I  noticed  that  he  put  in  his  grip  a  Bible, 


PLEASURE   SAUNTERINGS.  335 

hymn-book,  and  a  Colt's  navy  revolver.  I  said,  "Gay,  what  do 
you  want  with  that?"  pointing  to  the  ivory-handled  revolver. 
He  answered,  smiling,  "It  may  come  handy  before  we  get  back. 
One  never  knows  whom  they  will  meet." 

That  was  the  first  time  I  ever  saw  a  minister  place  "carnal" 
and  "spiritual"  weapons  side  by  side;  but  it  is  not  the  last,  as  the 
future  of  this  narrative  will  show. 

His  appointments  for  the  coming  Sabbath  were  at  the  Grout 
Schoolhouse,  directly  west  of  old  Fort  Lupton,  in  the  morning, 
and  at  Jackson's  residence,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  at  night. 

The  congregations  were  large  for  the  communities,  and  very 
attentive  while  the  writer  discoursed  to  them.  Then  "Gay," 
according  to  the  old  custopi,  followed  with  rousing  exhorta- 
tions. 

Much  of  the  "Fort"  was  then  standing.  Its  walls  were  of 
adobe,  four  square,  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  with  port-holes  here 
and  there  along  the  sides,  and  were  built  by  the  Northwestern 
Fur  Company,  about  the  year  1830.  It  stands  on  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  river,  and  overlooks  a  vast  area  of  table-land  on  the 
east,  and  the  broad  bottoms  opposite  on  the  west. 

At  the  northeast  corner  was  a  watch-tower,  rising  several 
feet  above  the  adjacent  walls,  in  which  was  a  well  of  water.  On 
one  side  of  the  inner  wall  w^re  rooms  for  dwellings  and  storage. 
The  entrance  was  covered  by  a  small  adobe  building,  while  two 
or  three  others  stood  just  beyond.  Much  of  the  old  wall  still 
remains.  The  ground  has  been  owned  for  many  years  by  David 
Ewing,  Esq.,  on  which  his  family  now  resides,  he  having  crossed 
to  the  other  shore. 

Number  Three. — Learning  early  in  the  spring  of  1871,  that 
a  colony  had  located  at  Green  City,  twenty-five  miles  below  the 
then  new  town  of  Evans,  and  that  a  brother  of  mine,  whom  I  had 
seen  but  once  in  seventeen  years,  had  joined  them,  I  decided 
to  visit  them,  and  preach  for  them  on  the  last  Sabbath  of  April. 
On  my  way  there,  having  reached  Evans  by  rail  from  Denver, 
the  only  available  conveyance  at  hand  was  a  wagon  loaded  with 
lumber,  drawn  by  a  pair  of  mules,  just  shipped  in  from  the  States, 
and  not  yet  acclimated.  They  were  driven  by  a  boy,  perhaps 
22 


336  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

seventeen  years  of  age,  who  had  never  camped  out  in  his  Hie. 
He,  too,  was  a  ''tenderfoot."  The  road  was  fair,  with  no  im- 
provements along  the  way.  Late  in  the  afternoon  the  mules 
gave  out,  and  would  not  budge  an  inch.  No  amount  of  coaxing 
could  induce  them  to  take  another  step.  There  we  were  on  a 
broad  prairie,  far  from  fuel,  water,  or  feed  for  the  mules  or  our- 
selves, and  without  a  blanket  or  cover  of  any  kind,  save  a  few 
newspapers,  and  with  night  approaching.  What  could  we  do, 
not  knowing  where  we  were,  but  to  bivouac  right  there.  The  boy 
had  not  even  a  lariat  to  picket  out  the  mules.  There  was  no 
other  alternative,  but  we  made  the  best  of  it.  The  mules  were 
unhitched  and  tied  to  the  front  end  of  the  wagon,  while  we  crept 
under  it,  lying  in  the  road,  with  boards  set  up  against  the  wheels 
to  protect  us  from  the  chilly  winds,  and  covered  as  much  as 
possible  with  newspapers,  which  changed  more  or  less  with  every 
breeze.  Between  the  noise  of  the  restless  mules,  having  had 
nothing  to  eat  or  drink  since  morning,  our  own  hunger  and 
thirst,  the  constant  tramp  and  how^ling  of  the  wolves  about  us, 
and  the  tossing  about  and  whining  of  the  boy,  we  got  very  little 
rest. 

At  daylight  we  hitched  up,  crossed  a  sandy  ridge,  came  to  a 
bend  in  the  river,  watered  the  mules,  and  reached  Green  City 
about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  where  I  found  a  pleasant 
home  with  George  O.  Stevens,  Esq. 

The  following  Sabbath,  April  30,  1871,  I  preached  twice  in 
David  S.  Green's  unfinished  residence;  text,  morning,  2  Tim- 
othy iii,  16;  afternoon,  Ecclesiastes  xii,  13,  14. 

The  following  week  several  of  us  went  down  into  the  vicinity 
of  Fremont's  Orchard  on  a  hunt.  The  hills  were  covered  with 
antelope,  but  our  guns  were  short  range;  several  were  wounded, 
but  we  got  no  big  game.  On  an  island  in  the  river  we  saw  sev- 
eral deer;  but  they  plunged  into  the  stream  and  swam  to  the 
shore  before  we  could  get  a  good  shot  at  them. 

Number  Four. — My  fourth  trip  was  to  the  Hot  Sulphur 
Springs  of  Middle  Park,  about  sixty-five  miles  distant  from 
Georgetown,  on  the  west  side  of  the  great  snowcapped  range 
of  the  continent. 


PLEASURE  SAUNTERINGS.  337 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning,  the  14th  of  August,  187 1,  when 
a  party  of  thirteen  started,  on  horseback,  for  a  ten  days'  tramp 
through  the  very  heart  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  crossing  over 
the  Empire  and  Berthoud  Passes. 

The  trail,  for  such  it  was,  led  us  through  deep  cafions,  over 
rocky  heights,  along  the  edges  of  fearful  precipices,  up  and  down 
deep,  narrow  defiles;  then  along  mountain  sides  where  the  de- 
clivities were  so  steep  that  one  could  touch  the  mountain  with 
the  hand;  again  through  miles  of  fallen  timber;  and,  finally,  out 
into  a  broad,  open  park,  with  hills,  valleys,  plains,  groves  of  ever- 
green, streamlets,  creeks,  rivers,  and  lakes  spread  out  before 
the  observer. 

For  ten  days  such  scenery  was  passing  and  repassing  in 
panoramic  view  before  our  enraptured  vision — too  grand  and 
imposing  for  a  description.  To  be  appreciated,  it  must  be  seen. 
What  if  we  passed  beyond  the  haunts  of  civilization?  Others 
had  gone  the  same  way  before  us,  and  others  by  the  thousand  will 
come  after.  Did  I  say  it  was  morning  when  we  left  our  moun- 
tain-walled town?  No,  it  was  noon  before  our  animals  were  all 
packed  and  we  waved  the  last  farewell  to  loved  ones  gazing  after 
us.  An  ancient  caravan  leaving  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  could 
scarcely  have  been  more  imposing.  Some  of  our  animals  were 
such  as  the  Savior  rode  in  his  flight  from  the  wrath  of  Herod. 

Wherever  night  overtook  us  we  unpacked  and  unsaddled  our 
animals,  pitched  our  tents,  cooked  and  ate  our  suppers,  sang  and 
chatted  around  our  camp-fires,  said  our  prayers,  and  offered  our 
praises  to  the  God  and  Creator  of  all,  turned  in,  and  slept  soundly 
until  daybreak  (not  on  beds  of  down  or  spring  mattresses,  but  on 
mother  earth),  when  all  were  astir  to  get  an  early  start.  Break- 
fast over,  prayers  said,  tin  dishes  washed,  animals  saddled  and 
repacked,  our  four  favored  ones  of  the  fairer  sex  often  taking 
the  lead,  single  file,  we  start.  Noon  comes;  our  animals  are 
turned  loose  to  fill  themselves  on  the  mountain  grasses  of  this 
rocky  region ;  dinner,  gotten  in  haste,  is  eaten  to  satisfy  appetites 
sharpened  by  a  morning  ride. 

We  always  camped  beside  some  gurgling  fountain,  murmur- 
ing brook,  or  flowing  river,  whose  limpid  waters  hasten  on  to 
their  ocean  home.     There  were  several  invalids  in  our  party. 


338  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

whose  object  was  not  only  sight-seeing,  but  health.  If  the  thou- 
sands of  the  East  suffering  from  dyspepsia,  asthma,  consumption 
in  its  earlier  stages,  and  other  ailments,  could  be  made  to  believe 
how  exhilarating,  invigorating,  and  health-restoring  to  the  whole 
system  such  a  tramp  would  be  to  them,  they  would  break  every 
binding  chain,  and  spend  months  in  traversing  our  mountain 
slopes  and  deep  gorges,  visiting  our  mineral  fountains  and  vast 
parks. 

The  springs  are  located  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Grand 
River,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  great  Colorado,  whose  waters 
empty  into  the  Pacific  Ocean.  We  forded  its  transparent  waters, 
and  pitched  our  tents  about  one-half  a  mile  above  the  springs. 
While  we  were  arranging  the  camp.  Rev.  George  Richardson, 
now  of  Argo,  Colorado,  caught  some  thirty  trout  from  the  ad- 
jacent river.  One  morning  before  breakfast  he  threw  out  on 
the  bank,  with  his  hook  and  line,  sixty-three  speckled  beauties, 
while  the  rest  of  us  could  scarcely  get  a  bite.  He  kept  it  up  at 
that  rate  all  the  time  we  remained  there.  Did  we  not  enjoy  them, 
though?  •  I  dare  not  tell  the  number  we  ate  at  a  meal.  It  was 
trout  for  breakfast,  dinner,  and  supper,  and  yet  we  never  tired 
of  them. 

Would  that  all  ministers  were  as  successful  as  "fishers  of 
men!"  On  approaching  the  springs,  one  is  reminded  of  a  cer- 
tain place  spoken  of  in  the  Bible.  Imagining  no  danger,  we  walk 
on,  and  enter  a  log  bath-house.  A  stream  of  hot  water,  114  de- 
grees F.,  pours  over  a  projecting  rock  into  a  rocky  basin,  eight 
feet  below,  twelve  feet  across,  and  two  feet  deep,  formed  largely 
by  its  own  action  through  unknown  ages. 

Who  will  dare  step  into  that  pool  of  boiling  water?  One  in- 
stinctively exclaims  as  he  touches  hand  or  foot  to  the  seething 
element.  Wait  a  moment,  dip  a  little,  go  slow;  in  a  few  minutes 
you  will  be  able  to  stand  under  that  small  stream  pouring  over 
the  head,  shoulders,  and  body,  and  call  it  good.  As  one  gazes 
upon  those  who  resort  thither  for  relief,  he  is  reminded  of  the 
Pool  of  Bethesda,  about  the  time  the  angel  made  his  annual 
visits.  From  this,  as  the  center  of  operations,  excursions  are 
made  in  various  directions.  The  scenery  is  attractive,  varied,  and 
beautiful,  game  plenty,  fish  are  abundant  in  streams  and  lakes. 


PLEASURE,  SAUNTERINGS.  339 

These  springs  have  been  a  favorite  place  of  resort  for  the  Ute 
Indians  for  unnumbered  centuries.  They  came  in  squads,  re- 
maining two  or  three  weeks,  fishing,  hunting,  or  bathing,  as  their 
necessities  or  notions  prompted  them.  The  ''bucks,"  "squaws," 
and  ''papooses"  all  bathed  at  once.  Modesty  is  "an  unknown 
quantity"  among  them.  They  would  make  the  surrounding  hills 
echo  with  their  shouts  of  laughter  and  merriment  while  enjoying 
the  bath.  A 'company  of  three  hundred  left  the  springs  a  day 
or  two  before  we  arrived. 

The  only  house  there  at  the  time  was  a  two-room  log  cabin, 
occupied  by  an  invalid  "bacher,"  who  collected  "toll"  from  the 
bathers  in  the  springs.  Quite  a  party  of  campers  gathered  for 
religious  services  on  Sabbath  morning,  August  20,  187 1,  to  hear 
a  sermon  from  the  Rev.  Thomas  R.  Sheer.  His  text  was,  "Behold 
the  man."  (John  xix,  5.)  It  was  an  excellent  discourse.  That 
day  eighteen  dined  on  grouse  at  our  camp,  and  yet  the  bones 
were  not  all  picked! 

A  gentleman  joined  our  party  who  had  some  provisions  in  a 
sack,  which  he,  wrapped  in  a  blanket,  used  for  a  pillow  as  he 
slept.  One  night  he  was  awakened  by  a  coyote  endeavoring  to 
draw  it  from  under  his  head.  Two  boys  and  two  men.  Rev. 
George  Richardson  and  Rev.  Thomas  R.  Sheer,  slept  under  the 
trees  wherever  we  camped.  Often  they  were  awakened  by  coyotes 
picking  up  the  crumbs  about  the  camp;  especially  when  tramped 
over.  Some  nights  the  wolves  made  the  air  hideous  with  their 
bowlings.  One  evening,  when  returning  from  the  springs,  we 
heard  the  cry  of  a  child,  as  we  supposed,  from  a  cliff  of  rocks 
just  back  of  our  tents.  We  thought  a  little  one  had  wandered 
from  some  camp  and  was  lost,  and  at  once  said,  "We  will  go  to 
its  rescue."  Just  then  it  was  suggested  by  an  old-timer  that 
"that  was  the  seductive  cry  of  a  panther."  It  is  needless  to  say 
that  wx  had  lost  no  panthers! 

One  morning  a  company  of  nine  started  off  to  hunt  "agates" 
and  wild  game.  We  crossed  ridge  after  ridge  until  we  reached 
the  broad,  grassy  bottoms  of  the  Troublesome.  Here  we  halted 
for  dinner,  and  spent  the  afternoon  in  hunting  agates,  shooting 
at  the  flocks  of  geese,  ducks,  and  sage-hens  that  were  flying 
around  us.     We  find  some  agates  and  kill  some  game,  remain 


340  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

all  night,  and  return  the  next  day  to  the  springs  in  time  for 
dinner.  A  week  passes  in  these  excursions  almost  before  we  are 
aware  of  it;  our  time  is  shortening;  we  must  retreat  from  these 
wilds  of  nature.  Invigorated  and  strengthened,  the  following 
members  of  the  party — the  writer,  wife,  and  son;  Rev.  J.  W. 
Sinnock  and  wife,  now  of  New  Mexico;  Miss  Mary  Smith,  then 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Georgetown;  Miss  Sue  Black, 
of  Bolivar,  Ohio,  since  become  Mrs.  James  McLaughlin,  of  Utah; 
and  young  Willie  Hood, — returned  to  our  home  in  Georgetown, 
healthier,  wiser,  and  better.    The  others  extended  their  trip. 

Number  Five. — Four  years  after,  a  wagon-road  having  been 
constructed  across  the  range  over  Berthoud  Pass,  a  party  of  six, 
in  which  were  John  Black,  Esq.,  and  his  sister,  of  Baltimore, 
Md.,  and  this  writer  and  his  good  wife,  went  over  the  same  route 
with  a  team,  wagon,  and  saddle-ponies.  At  Hot  Sulphur  Springs 
we  now  found  quite  a  village,  and  a  bridge  over  the  Grand 
River;  also  an  elegant  bath-house  in  the  place  of  the  old  log  one. 
With  some  difficulty,  as  there  was  nothing  but  a  trail  to  follow, 
we  reached  the  valleys  of  the  Troublesome  and  the  Muddy. 
En  route  we  found  that  stockmen  had  gone  in  with  their  herds 
of  horses  and  cattle,  which  were  fattening  on  the  nutritious 
grasses.  Our  trip  was  extended  down  the  Grand  River  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Blue,  up  that  river  to  the  Snake,  and  up  that  stream 
to  the  base  of  the  range.  We  here  ascended  the  precipitous 
continental  Divide  over  a  winding  wagon-road,  and  crossed  Ar- 
gentine Pass,  which  is  thirteen  thousand  feet  above  sea-level,  and 
about  two  thousand  feet  above  timber-line.  The  descent  on  the 
west  side  is  simply  terrific.  Whoever  makes  it  will  not  soon 
forget  it.  The  road  to  Georgetown  was  more  gradual,  and 
through  timber  much  of  the  way.  Before  there  was  a  wagon- 
road  over  this  Pass,  Stephen  Utter,  at  the  head  of  a  pack-train  of 
jacks,  loaded  with  ore,  had  crossed  the  Pass,  and  just  as  he  came 
down  into  the  timber  on  the  east  side  was  met  by  a  Mister  Bruin, 
who  seated  himself  in  the  trail,  and  waited  to  give  him  a  warm 
reception.  It  was  not  convenient  for  Mr.  Utter  to  pass  on  either 
side  of  him.  The  bear  was  bound  to  have  a  feast  on  human  flesh. 
Mr.  Utter,  when  not  twenty  feet  distant,  pulled  his  navy  revolver. 


PLEASURE  SAUNTERINGS.  34I 

and  shot  the  animal  through  the  heart.  Cutting  skids  from 
sapHngs  near  by,  he  placed  his  riding  mule  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain  below  the  bear,  and,  aided  by  his  man  from  the  rear, 
rolled  Mr.  Bruin  on  the  back  of  the  mule  and  brought  him  to 
town,  where  he  was  swung  up  by  a  rope  and  tackle  in  front  of 
his  brother's  livery-stable.  The  next  day  the  neighbors  feasted 
on  bear-meat. 

This  reminds  me  of  another  incident,  which  occurred  soon 
after  the  above.  Two  young  men  went  over  in  the  Snake  River 
country  bear-hunting.  They  w^ould  make  their  names  famous 
as  bear-hunters.  Well,  they  did;  and  I  will  tell  you  how.  Walk- 
ing along  through  the  timber,  where  fires  had  raged  some  years 
before,  they  saw  on  a  knoll  near  them  several  cubs  playing  among 

the  rocks.    One  of  the  men  said,  "Let  us  shoot  them."     M 

replied,  "Do  n't  do  that,  for  if  you  wound  and  do  not  kill,  the 
cub  will  make  such  a  fuss,  that  the  mother,  who  is  somewhere 
near,  will  be  down  on  us  in  a  jiffy."  The  other,  heeding  not  the 
warning,  fired,  wounding  one  of  the  innocent  cubs,  which  set 
up  a  fearful  cry  as  predicted.  In  a  moment  the  old  mother  ap- 
peared, snuffed  her  suffering  offspring,  saw  the  two  men  a  little 
way  off,  and  instinctively  supposing  them  to  be  the  cause,  made 
for  them  rapidly,  with  mouth  widely  opened.  They  were  alarmed 
to  see  such  a  brute  coming  for  them  in  that  manner.  There  was 
no  time  for  parleying.  In  their  excitement  they  neglected  to 
shoot  at  the  enraged  animal;  but  ran  for  the  nearest  tree,  where 
they  dropped  their  guns  and  "shinned"  it  up  as  fast  as  possible. 
Such  climbing  as  that  up  those  barkless  pines  is  not  often  seen! 
The  bear  could  not  climb  the  smooth  trunks.  The  men  were 
beyond  her  reach.  The  next  best  thing  for  her  to  do  was  either 
to  shake  them  or  the  trees  down;  so  seizing  each  in  turn  with 
her  forepaws,  she  gave  them  a  fearful  shake.  Each  man  ex- 
pected his  tree  to  come  down.  This  was  repeated  several  times, 
going  from  one  to  the  other.  Being  in  no  hurry,  she  seated  her- 
self midway  between  them,  and  awaited  results. 

The  men  clung  to  the  trees  for  dear  life  until  sundown,  when 
Mrs.  Bruin's  wrath  having  somewhat  cooled,  she  concluded  it 
was  time  to  look  after  other  matters,  and  left;  not,  however, 
without  returning  several  times  to  see  that  her  game  was  still 


342  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

treed.  Thinking,  doubtless,  that  they  were  safe,  she  passed  out 
of  sight  beyond  the  knoll  to  look  after  her  cubs.  The  brave 
hunters  then  slid  down,  picked  up  their  guns,  and  retreated  to 
camp.  Not  a  gray  hair  did  either  of  them  have  when  they  left 
Georgetown,  yet  when  they  returned  both  were  as  gray  as  rats. 
No  consideration  could  induce  them  to  go  bear-hunting  after  that. 

In  this  trip  of  three  weeks  we  saw  very  little  game;  while  on 
the  former  one  sage-hens,  wild-geese,  and  antelope  were  nu- 
merous. 

One  evening  found  us  at  a  forsaken,  lonely  cabin.  The  door 
was  ajar,  and  some  of  the  chinks  were  out  from  between  the  logs. 
There  was  a  rude  fireplace,  and  in  one  corner  a  resemblance  to 
a  bedstead.  As  we  gazed  upon  this  forsaken  abode,  we  were 
reminded  of  the  following  incident:  "A  belated  home  missionary 
was  casting  about  him  for  a  desirable  place  in  which  to  spend 
the  night,  when  a  little  way  ahead  he  descried  a  rude  cabin." 
We  wondered  if  this  was  not  the  identical  one. 

"Approaching  nearer,  he  saw  it  was  one  of  the  poorest  of  these 
rough  habitations,  and  much  of  the  'chinking'  between  the  logs 
had  fallen  out,  rendering  the  place  additionally  uncomfortable. 

"  'Such  a  place  as  that  is  surely  deserted,'  said  the  young  min- 
ister to  himself;  'and  I  am  inclined  to  think  I  would  rather  sleep 
out  of  doors  to-night,  than  inside  that  shell,  even  if  it  should  prove 
to  be  inhabited  by  one  who  would  make  me  welcome.' 

"At  that  moment  the  sound  of  song  floated  out  through  the 
openings  between  the  logs,  and  our  traveler  stopped  his  horse  to 
listen  to  the  man's  weak  voice  singing  that  dear  old  home-song, 
'The  Home  of  the  Soul.' 

*0,  that  home  of  the  soul!  in  my  visions  and  dreams 

Its  bright  jasper  walls  I  can  see, 
Till  I  fancy  but  dimly  the  veil  intervenes 
Between  that  fair  city  and  me!' 

were  the  words  which  reached  the  ears  of  the  listener  outside. 

"  *I  must  see  the  man  who  can  sing  like  that  in  such  a  place  as 
this,'  thought  the  missionary,  riding  up  to  the  cabin,  and  alight- 
ing from  his  horse. 

"A  feeble  'Come!'  came  from  within,  in  answer  to  his  knock; 


PLEASURE  SAUNTERINGS.  343 

and,  entering,  he  found  himself  in  the  one  small  room  of  the  cabin, 
which  was  almost  destitute  of  furniture. 

*'In  one  corner  a  rude  bedstead  of  poles  and  brush  had  been 
constructed,  on  which  some  old  blankets  were  spread,  and  on 
this  hard  bed  lay  a  man,  evidently  very  near  to  death. 

"Dying  alone  in  this  situation,  twenty  miles  from  the  nearest 
camp,  still  his  look  into  the  beyond  seemed  so  clear,  so  real,  that 
the  language  of  the  hymn  he  feebly  sang  was  indeed  the  language 
of  the  heart.  He  died  that  night,  and  I  have  never  ceased  to 
feel  a  thrill  of  thankfulness  whenever  I  think  of  him,  that  I  was 
belated  that  day,  and  so  enabled  to  be  with  that  man  when  the 
end  came.    Surely,  that  which  satisfies  a  man  when  dying  in  the 


View  of  Glenwood  Hot  Salt-water  Springs,  and  of 
THE  Grand  River. 

midst  of  such  surroundings,  is  not  a  thing  to  be  lightly  rejected. 
When  a  young  man  leaves  the  home  of  his  boyhood,  he  can  not 
afford  to  leave  the  religion  of  Christ,  too." 

Why  speak  of  the  "pleasure  saunterings"  of  other  days,  when 
there  are  so  many  attractions  now  that  were  then  unknown? 
They  are  next  to  endless  in  Colorado  and  the  adjacent  regions. 
Space  forbids  the  enumeration  of  them.  What  changes  a  quarter 
of  a  century  has  made  in  the  methods  of  travel  through  the  grand 
scenery  of  these  Rocky  Mountains!  Nearly  every  part  can  now, 
or  soon  will  be  reached  by  railways.  The  "iron-horse"  takes 
the  enraptured  passenger  up  through  the  deep-winding  caiions, 
along  mountain  sides,  and  over  dizzy  heights,  "where  snow  has 


344  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

lain  since  the  first  flake  fell."  It  is  only  here  and  there  that  other 
methods  of  travel  are  necessary  to  reach  the  desirable  places  of 
resort.  As  one  glides  along  the  ''iron  way,"  the  scene  is  an  ever- 
changing  kaleidoscope.  Why  not  take  a  quafif  of  this  pure  ozone, 
and  get  one  grand  view  from  some  sublime  elevation  that  will  be 
a  source  of  delight  the  balance  of  your  days? 

"Colorado!  Colorado! 
With  thy  silver-crested  mountains; 
With  thy  sparkling,  dashing  fountains; 
With  thy  air  so  pure  and  bracing, 
Sickness  from  the  body  chasing; 
With  thy  skies  so  blue,  entrancing; 
With  thy  mines  thy  wealth  enhancing, 
With  thy  caiions,  peaks,  and  passes, 
Noble  men  and  bonny  lasses, — 
Thou  art  sure  an  El  Dorado, 
And  I  love  thee,  Colorado!" 

—By  William  Wirt  King,  D.  D. 


XI. 
CONKERKNCKS    OK    1871-S. 

The  ninth  session  of  the  Colorado  Conference  was  opened 
in  the  city  of  Denver,  on  the  morning  of  July  20,  1871,  by  Bishop 
E.  S.  Janes,  who  conducted  the  opening  exercises.  Nixon  S. 
Buckner,  of  the  Illinois  Conference;  J.  H.  Merritt,  of  the  Black 
River  Conference;  T.  R.  Sheer,  of  the  Baltimore  Conference; 
R.  W.  Bosworth,  of  the  Wisconsin  Conference,  were  announced 
transferred  to  the  Colorado  Conference.  Henry  C.  Waltz  was 
admitted  on  a  certificate  of  location  from  the  North  Indiana 
Conference.  B.  T.  Vincent  was  elected  delegate  to  the  General 
Conference;  George  Murray,  alternate.  O.  P.  McMains  was 
granted  a  location  at  his  own  request.  Edward  C.  Brooks, 
George  W.  Swift,  and  William  Shepherd  were  ordained  deacons. 

The  appointments  were  as  follows: 

DENVER  DISTRICT— B.  T.  Vincent,  P.  E. 

Denver T.    R.    Slicer. 

Denver  Circuit H.  J.  Shaffner. 

Golden G.  W.  Swift. 

Central W.    D.    Chase. 

Black  Hawk  and  Nevada P.  McNutt. 

Georgetown I.    H.    Beardsley. 

Idaho  and  Empire To  be  supplied. 

Littleton  and  Plumb  Creek Supplied  by  J.  M.  Lambert. 

Cherry  Creek J.  L.  Dyer. 

Greeley G.    H.    Adams. 

Evans  and  Green  City To  be  supplied. 

Big  Thompson  and  Cache  la  Poudre J.  R.  Moore. 

Longmont F.    C.    Millington. 

Boulder  and  Valmont R.  W.  Bosworth. 

Caribou,  Ward,  and  James  Creek Supplied  by  G.  S.  Allen. 

Platte  River George  Wallace. 

South  Pass  and  Atlantic To  be  supplied. 

German  Mission To  be  supplied. 

Missionary  to  Utah  Territory G.  M.  Pierce. 

345 


346  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

PUEBLO  DISTRICT— George  Murray,  P.  E. 

Colorado  City W.  F.  Warren. 

Canon  City E.  C.  Brooks. 

Pueblo J.   H.   Merritt. 

Monument Jesse  Smith. 

Fairplay  and  Granite To  be  supplied. 

Arkansas   River To   be   supplied. 

Huerfano To   be    supplied. 

Trinidad Supplied  by  E.  J.  Rice. 

Elizabethtown,  N.  M N.  S.  Buckner. 

La  Junta,  N.  M Thomas  Harwood. 

Ocate  and  Peralto To  be  supplied. 

J.  L.  Peck,  transferred  to  the  New  York  Conference. 

The  personal  ecclesiastical  history  of  these  new  members  is 
briefly  this : 

R.  W.  Bosworth:  Boulder  and  Valmont,  two  years;  Greeley, 
one  year;  Fort  Collins,  three  years;  Boulder,  two  years  more; 
made  a  supernumerary  in  1878;  then  was  transferred  back  to  his 
old  Conference,  the  Wisconsin,  in  1880. 

Thoms  R.  Sheer,  a  son  of  the  venerable  Henry  Sheer,  of  the 
Baltimore  Conference,  remained  in  Colorado  only  a  short  time; 
at  Lawrence  Street,  Denver,  one  year,  and  Georgetown,  three 
months;  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  New  York  East  Con- 
ference in  1873. 

N.  S.  Buckner:  Elizabethtown,  N.  M.,  one  year;  Fairplay, 
two  years;  Arvada,  one  year;  then  he  was  transferred  to  the 
South  Kansas  Conference  in  1875. 

Henry  C.  Waltz  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Indiana,  June 
5,  1843,  ^"d  <ii^^  iri  Quincy,  Illinois,  May  11,  1877.  His  boyhood 
was  spent  on  a  farm.  In  September,  i860,  he  entered  the  Pre- 
paratory Department  of  the  Indiana  Asbury  University,  from 
which  he  graduated  with  the  highest  honors  of  his  class  in  June, 
1866.  He  then  spent  twenty-two  months  abroad,  traveling  in 
Europe  and  in  the  Holy  Land.  February  2,  1862,  he  united  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Greencastle,  Indiana,  and 
the  same  evening  received  the  evidence  of  sins  forgiven.  He 
was  licensed  to  preach  May  14,  1865,  and  entered  the  traveling 
connection  in  1869,  by  joining  the  North  Indiana  Conference. 


CONFERENCES  OF  l8yi-2,  347 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1870,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Helen  Carrott,  of  Quincy,  111.  On  account  of  failing  health, 
in  the  spring  of  1871  he  was  located  at  his  own  request,  and  came 
to  Colorado  to  rest  and  regain  his  health. 

He  filled  the  following  appointments  here  with  great  accepta- 
bility: 1871,  Cheyenne  and  Laramie;  1872  and  1873,  Golden;  and 
1874,  Pueblo.  At  the  session  of  Conference  in  1875  he  was  com- 
pelled, by  his  failing  health,  to  take  a  supernumerary  relation, 
which  he  held  until  his  death.  Among  his  last  utterances  were 
the  following:  "It  is  hard  for  me  to  leave  my  little  family;  but 
to  die  is  gain."  "I  am  going  home.  .  Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come 
quickly."  "Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commit  my  spirit."  A 
beautiful  floral  cross  was  placed  near  his  bedside,  when  he  said: 
"Simply  to  thy  cross  I  cling.  I  have  been  doing  this  the  most  of 
my  life."  To  a  pastor,  in  giving  directions  about  his  funeral 
service,  he  said:  "Say  but  little  about  me;  but  exalt  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  urge  all  present  to  accept  him,  and  hold  up  the 
missionary  cause."  Of  him  it  may  be  truthfully  said,  "Mark  the 
perfect  man  and  behold  the  upright,  for  the  end  of  that  man  is 
peace." 

John  H.  Merritt  was  born  in  Sudbury,  Vermont,  October 
3,  1836;  was  converted  October  10,  1855,  and  soon  after  called 
to  the  ministry;  licensed  to  exhort  June  21,  1858,  and  to  preach 
August  12,  1858;  joined  the  Black  River  Conference  April,  1859, 
and  served  the  following  charges  therein:  Edwards  and  Fine; 
Colton  and  Cox's  Mills;  Gouverneur  and  Richville;  Constable, 
Chateaugay,  and  West  Stockholm;  Louisville,  and  Fort  Coving- 
ton. He  was  transferred  to  Colorado  April  i,  1871,  and  has  been 
in  the  effective  ranks,  except  one  year,  ever  since.  He  has  served 
Pueblo  two  years;  Cafion  City,  three  years;  the  Southern  Dis- 
trict, four  years;  Silver  ClilT,  two  years;  the  Northern  District, 
five  and  one-half  years;  the  Southern  District,  two  years;  making 
eleven  and  one-half  years  in  the  presiding  eldership  in  the  Colo- 
rado Conference.  At  Fifth  Avenue,  Denver,  1892.  The  next 
year  he  was  made  a  supernumerary,  that  he  might  visit  foreign 
lands.  Finding  himself  greatly  recuperated,  in  1894  he  was 
made  "effective,"  and  sent  to  Arvada,  where  he  is  still  pastor 


348 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


(1896).  He  was  ordained  deacon  April  28,  1861,  by  Bishop 
Osman  C.  Baker,  and  elder  April  19,  1863,  by  Bishop  E.  S.  Janes. 
The  Deaconess  Home  in  Denver,  now  (1897)  discontinued,  was 
named  for  his  most  excellent  wife,  who  was  crowned  December 
8,  1891,  and  is  now  clad  in  her  celestial  robes.  A  very  interesting 
memoir  of  Sister  Merritt  was  written  by  Mrs.  A.  C.  Peck,  of 

Denver,  and  published  in  book 
form  by  the  Western  Methodist 
Book  Concern,  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio. 

Brother  Merritt  is  an  instruct- 
ive and  conscientious  minister 
of  the  gospel.  He  is  a  giant  in 
physical  stature,  being  over  six 
feet  tall,  and  weighing  about  two 
hundred  and  seventy  pounds. 
His  mother  is  a  direct  descendant 
of  the  martyred  John  Rogers, 
burned  at  the  stake  February  4, 
1555,  in  Smithfield,  London, 
England.  The  offense  was  given 
in  a  sermon  which  he  preached 
at  St.  Paul's  Cross,  August  3, 
1543.  This  led  to  his  arrest  and 
He  was  the  first  of  the  ''Marian 


RKV.  J.  H.  MURRITT,  D.  D. 


condemnation  by  Gardiner. 
Martyrs." 

His  ancestors  on  the  paternal  side  came  from  England  in  the 
Colonial  days,  and  settled  in  New  England.  His  grandfather 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 


1872. — July  25,  1872,  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M.,  Bishop  Foster 
began  his  first  Conference  in  Georgetown,  Colorado.  Rev.  G.  M. 
Pierce,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  conducted  the  opening  exercises.  G.  H. 
Adams  was  elected  secretary. 

George  Murray  was  made  a  superannuate,  and  George  Wal- 
lace a  supernumerary.  Twenty-three  preachers  and  two  supplies, 
John  Stocks  and  George  Skene,  received  appointments.  The 
Conference  made  two  excursions,  one  to  Green  Lake  and  the 


CONFERENCES  OF  lSyi-2.  349 

Other  to  Gray's  Peak;  the  latter,  however,  after  adjournment. 
This  closes  the  first  ten  years'  history  of  the  Colorado  Confer- 
ence, with  23  ministers,  1,277  members  and  probationers,  35  Sun- 
day-schools; 6  parsonages,  valued  at  $7,900;  and  23  churches, 
valued  at  $11,320.  This  report  shows  an  increase  in  this  decade 
of  17  ministers,  1,000  members,  5  parsonages,  22  churches,  and 
25  Sunday-schools. 


GRAY'S    PKAK. 

When  we  consider  the  chaotic  condition  of  things  in  this 
region,  where  few  expected  to  remain  longer  than  ''to  make  a 
raise,"  and  then  "go  back  to  God's  country,"  we  can  but  exclaim, 
*'What  hath  God  wrought!" 

The  transfers  were :  Paterson  McNutt,  from  the  Kansas  Con- 
ference, who  did  excellent  work  in  Black  Plawk  for  a  year  and  a 
half,  when  he  was  elected  professor  in  Asbury  University,  Green- 
castle,  Indiana.    He  returned  to  Colorado  in  1885,  and  supplied 


350  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

Del  Norte  for  a  time,  beginning  also  a  church  enterprise  in  Monte 
Vista.  He  died  February  9,  1886;  and  of  whom  it  can  truly  be 
said,  He  was  one  of  the  King's  noblemen. 

B.  F.  Crary,  D.  D.,  from  the  St.  Louis  Conference.  He  was 
not  present  at  the  Conference  session,  but  was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  Southern  District,  which  he  traveled,  ''as  it  was  before 
the  days  of  railroads  in  that  part  of  the  mountains,  with  a  light 
wagon  and  pair,  of  gray  ponies.  The  first  time  he  crossed  the 
Sangre  de  Cristo,  or  'Blood  of  Christ'  range  of  mountains,  when 
he  reached  the  summit,  and  stopped  to  behold  the  wondrous 
beauty  of  the  scene,  he  broke  out  singing  the  words  of  the  hymn : 

'Jesus,  thy  blood  and  righteousness, 
My  beauty  are,  my  glorious  dress. 
Midst  flaming  worlds  in  these  arrayed. 
With  joy  shall  I  lift  up  my  head.' 

"Upon  returning  from  Fairplay,  where  he  had  been  to  hold 
his  second  quarterly-meeting,  where  he  found  that  an  attempt 
to  steal  our  church  and  Sunday-school  had  been  foiled  by  the 
nerve  of  Sister  N.  S.  Buckner,  during  her  husband's  absence, 
he  said  to  me,  'If  hell  is  any  worse  place  than  Fairplay,  I  cer- 
tainly want  to  be  saved  from  going  there.'  He  was  always  happy 
and  cheerful,  abominating  shams  and  exposing  them  most  merci- 
lessly; but  always  ready  to  help  the  boys,  struggling  amid  un- 
favorable circumstances." 

In  the  fall  of  1872  he  was  preaching  at  the  Kramer  Settle- 
ment, below  Pueblo,  in  a  small  log  schoolhouse,  with  a  low  ceil- 
ing, when  the  Holy  Spirit  descended  upon  him  in  such  power, 
that  he  shouted  with  all  his  might.  The  people  present,  not  hav- 
ing been  accustomed  to  such  demonstrations,  opened  their  eyes 
in  astonishment,  wondering  what  next? 

The  Doctor  pushed  the  work  in  every  direction.  On  one  of 
his  long  mountain  trips,  with  his  camping  outfit,  when  farthest 
from  home  a  letter  of  joy  reached  him,  stating  that  a  son  had 
been  born.  Weeks  passed  before  he  could  return.  He  was  home- 
ward bound,  preaching  here  and  there  along  the  route,  when 
another  letter  brought  him  the  sad  intelligence,  "Your  son  is 
dead  and  buried."    This  gave  the  Doctor  a  tender  feeling  for  his 


CONFERENCES  OF  l8'/I-2. 


351 


brethren,  which  he  never  had  before.  For  four  years  he  served 
this  district  most  manfully,  and  then  was  transferred  to  the 
Northern  District,  where  for  four  years  more  he  did  some  of  the 
best  work  of  his  life. 

Dr.  Crary,  addressing  the  bishop  at  Golden,  in  his  Conference 
report  said: 

"I  hope  it  will  not  seem  improper  for  me  to  indulge  for  a 
moment  in  reminiscences,  which  force  themselves  upon  me. 
Thirty-three  years  ago  I  was  admitted  into  the  traveling  connec- 
tion in  the  Indiana  Con- 
ference, of  which  you.  Sire, 
were  an  honored  member. 
We  meet  strangely 
enough  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  after  the  event- 
ful journey  of  a  third  of 
a  century.  We  were  both 
young  then.  The  shad- 
ows are  lengthening  now 
over  the  mead  whither  we 
wander.  The  day  of  the 
Lord  is  at  hand,  and  soon 
the  voice  of  the  Master 
will  be  heard,  and  whether 
on  the  mountain  or  plain, 
in  the  city  full  or  by  the 
wayside,  we  shall  fall 
asleep  and  rest.  Life  seems  to  me  valuable  only  as  a  means  of 
doing  good,  and  thus  of  glorifying  God;  and  th^  end  of  life  here 
is  the  beginning  of  the  better  life  where  we  shall  enjoy  Him  for- 
ever. My  rule  of  life,  since  I  entered  the  ministry,  has  been  to 
do  the  work  assigned  me  to  the  best  of  my  ability.  If  I  should 
fall  at  any  time  and  he  unable  to  make  any  sign,  I  want  to  leave 
on  record  the  testimony  of  my  imfaltering  love  for  the  Church, 
and  my  cheerful,  happy  obedience  to  her  behests.  Life  is  just 
as  dear  as  ever,  but  reason  and  experience  show  that  its  tender 
threads  are  liable  to  break.  If  old  age  is  coming,  it  is  beginning 
with  greater  contentment,  intenser  love  for  my  brethren,  and 
23 


REV.  B.  F.  CRARY,  D.  D. 


352  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

sweeter  peace  with  God.  It  may  be  that  we  shall  not  all  meet 
again  on  earth,  but  we  shall  see  each  other  again  in  his  holy 
mountain,  in  the  City  of  our  God." 

Seventeen  years  afterward  the  Doctor  crossed  the  Divide,  as 
here  predicted,  "unable  to  make  a  sign." 

"He  was  born  in  Indiana,  December  12,  1821;  educated  near 
Cincinnati;  admitted  to  the  bar,  1845,  i^  Indiana;  the  same  year 
admitted  on  trial  into  the  Indiana  Conference;  1852,  presiding 
elder  Bloomington  District;  1856,  i860,  1864,  1868,  1872,  1876, 
1880,  General  Conference;  D.  D.  in  1859  from  Iowa  Wesleyan, 
in  1865  from  Indiana  University;  president  Hamline  University, 
1857;  State  Superintendent  Public  Instruction  in  Minnesota,  1861, 
and  pastor  Jackson  Street  Church,  St.  Paul;  1862,  private  and 
chaplain  3d  Minnesota  Volunteers,  served  at  Murfreesboro  and 
against  the  Sioux;  1864,  editor  Central  Christian  Advocate;  1872, 
presiding  elder  Colorado;  1880- 1895,  editor  California  Christian 
Advocate;  died  in  San  Francisco,  March  16,  1895." 

It  ought  to  be  said  that  during  the  time  of  his  suffering  with 
the  paralytic  stroke,  his  noble  wife  did  much  of  his  editorial  work, 
and  thus  contributed  to  the  interest  and  success  of  the  Advocate. 

Those  admitted  on  trial  were:  John  M.  Lambert,  who  was 
ordained  deacon,  and  sent  to  Littleton  Circuit — discontinued, 
1873;  Wilbur  F.  Mappin,  who  served  Laramie  City,  Wyoming, 
and  Evans,  Colorado,  each  a  year,  then  was  transferred  to  the 
Cincinnati  Conference,  in  1874. 

Cyrus  A.  Brooks  was  not  at  the  Conference,  neither  had  any 
member  thereof  known  him,  save  his  brother  Edward,  who.  sought 
his  admission.  When  his  name  was  presented.  Bishop  Foster 
remarked,  "That  his  father  had  made  a  good  record,"  and  a 
member  of  the  Conference  jokingly  said,  "Blood  will  tell."  The 
vote  was  then  taken,  and  he  was  made  a  member  on  trial  in  the 
Colorado  Annual  Conference.  He  was  born  in  Newark,  Ohio, 
January  29,  1842;  entered  the  Union  army  as  private  in  1861,  and 
came  out  four  years  after  as  assistant  surgeon ;  practiced  medi- 
cine for  some  years;  was  converted  in  1868,  and  always  felt  his 
place  to  be  in  the  pulpit.    The  North  Lawrence  Quarterly  Con- 


CONFERENCES   OF  l8yi-2.  353 

ference,  Kansas,  recommended  him  for  admission  on  trial  in  the 
spring  of  1872.  He  was  sent  to  Wet  Mountain  Valley,  which 
was  a  new  work,  without  a  Church  organization  of  any  kind. 
He  was  the  first  pastor  in  that  valley,  and  preached  the  first  ser- 
mon at  Ula,  August  21,  1872,  forming  a  class  composed  of  Addie 
C.  Brooks,  J.  M.  Burnell,  Catherine  Hamne,  and  Mrs.  Venable. 
He  was  obliged  to  work  in  a  sawmill  at  daily  labor  to  support 
his  family  a  part  of  the  year.  He  preached  the  first  sermon  in 
a  carpenter-shop,  at  Castle  Rock,  May  17,  1874,  from  Matthew 
xvi,  24,  and  built  the  parsonage  with  his  own  hands.  After  two 
years  here,  he  was  appointed  to  Colorado  City,  supplying  Colo- 
rado Springs  a  part  of  the  time.  The  next 
three  years  at  Fort  Collins;  then  at  Black 
Hawk  two  years;  Morrison  and  Kokomo, 
each  six  months;  Rosita  and  Silver  Cliflf, 
two  years;  Leadville,  two  years;  Longmont, 
six  months;  Evanston,  Wyoming,  one  year 
and  a  half.  In  1888  Bishop  Joyce  made  him 
presiding  elder  of  the  newly-formed  "Gunni- 
son District,"  now  Salida,  which  he  served 
for  the  full  Disciplinary  term  of  six  years. 
He  was  assigned  to  Golden  1894-5,  and  at 
Fort  Lupton  1896.  REV.  c.  a.  brooks. 

Like  Saul  of  the  Bible,  his   "head  and 
shoulders"  are  above  most  of  his  brethren.    Few  men  enjoy  tell- 
ing a  good  joke  more  than  he.     Brother  Brooks  is  an  earnest 
preacher  of  the  gospel. 

Whe:n  the  session  of  Conference  had  closed,  and  the  labor 
of  caring  for  others  had  passed,  an  article  was  written,  from  which 
I  make  a  few  extracts: 

"Conference  is  over.  The  preachers  have  come  and  gone. 
Bishop  Foster  acquitted  himself  grandly.  He  showed  himself  to 
be  the  right  man  in  the  right  place.  His  sermon  on  Sabbath 
was  remarkable  for  its  simplicity  and  power.  The  whole  audi- 
ence was  swayed  with  power  from  on  high.  The  session  was 
unusually  pleasant  and  harmonious.  Several  new  men  were 
added  to  our  list  by  reception  and  transfer.    The  statistics  show 


354  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

a  handsome  increase  in  all  the  departments  of  Church  work. 
God  is  helping  us  to  establish  a  healthy  moral  sentiment  in  all 
these  regions.  Society  is  rapidly  changing  for  the  better.  A 
-Spirit  baptism  is  greatly  needed.  The  speculation  fever  runs 
high.  The  success  of  fortunate  ones  excites  the  less  fortunate  to 
more  desperate  exertions,  and  thus  the  excitement  keeps  up. 
This  state  of  things  can  but  interfere  with  spiritual  growth.  God 
only  is  able  to  overrule  for  his  glory. 

''The  week  after  Conference  is  usually  a  busy  one:  with  us 
it  has  been  unusually  so.  The  law  of  the  Church  has  said  to  us, 
'Move.'  The  old  itinerant  boxes  have  to  be  brought  out  and 
dusted,  the  library  and  household  fixtures  adjusted  therein. 
How  desolate  and  lonely  the  rooms!  The  goods  are  gone; 
valise  and  its  contents  only  left.  We  go  through  the  rooms 
where  three  anxious  years  have  sped  pleasantly  away.  Somehow 
these  walls  have  made  up  a  part  of  our  being.  We  think  of  all 
the  rooms  occupied  during  the  years  of  our  itinerant  life.  We 
are  sad.  A  tear  moistens  the  eye  in  spite  of  our  resolution  to 
the  contrary.  We  think  of  that  'house  not  made  with  hands, 
eternal  in  the  heavens,'  from  which  there  will  be  no  moving;  joy 
springs  up  within;  we  are  contented  and  happy,  now;  this  helps 
wonderfully.  Other  hearts  will  laugh  and  cry  within  these  walls ; 
other  feet  will  tread  these  floors.  These  rooms  will  compose 
parts  of  other  lives.  Adieus  have  been  said  and  farewells  given! 
The  thought  often  comes  home  to  us:  'O,  say,  shall  we  meet  you 
all  there?' 

"But  we  must  not  linger:  others  are  waiting  for  us.  They  in- 
vite our  ministrations.  We  are  ofif  to  greet  other  faces,  hearts, 
and  hands.  True,  they  are  strangers;  but  they  have  human  sym- 
pathies and  wants.  They  will  make  us  welcome.  We  are  con- 
tent." 

My  first  quarterly-meeting  of  the  new  year  was  held,  Septem- 
ber 8,  1872,  in  Longmont.  The  Quarterly  Conference  unani- 
mously passed  the  following  resolution : 

'That  we,  the  members  of  the  Quarterly  Conference,  grant  our  pastor 
permission  to  travel  in  foreign  countries  as  he  desires. 

"(Signed,)         E.  J.  Coffman,  Secretary. 
"G.   H.  Adams,  P.  E." 


CONFERENCES  OF  l8'/I-2,  355 

For  years  I  had  contemplated  a  foreign  tour.  For  this  I  had 
studied  books  on  travel,  and  dreamed  of  the  things  to  be  seen. 
When  Conference  was  over,  I  was  astonished,  on  going  to  the 
bank,  to  find  myself  in  possession  of  the  means  for  such  a  tour. 
How  some  of  it  came  there  I  never  knew.  Had  I  known  this 
before  the  adjournment,  I  should  not  have  accepted  an  appoint- 
ment. The  next  best  thing  was  to  ask  my  Quarterly  Confer- 
ence for  a  leave  of  absence,  which  was  granted  in  the  above 
resolution. 


XII. 
IVIKXHODISNI    IN    DKKVKR. 

Among  those  who  arrived  here  early  in  1859  'vvas  a  local  elder 
by  the  name  of  G.  W.  Fisher,  a  carpenter  by  trade.  Formerly 
his  home  was  in  Illinois ;  but  he  had  moved  his  family  to  Missouri, 
where  he  left  them,  and  to  which  he  returned  late  in  1863,  or 
early  in  1864.  He  was  in  feeble  health,  suffering  much  from 
rheumatism  when  in  the  mountains,  and  was  only  able  to  work 
a  part  of  the  time.  He  died  soon  after  returning  East.  In  front 
of  the  residence  of  John  A.  Smith,  near  the  corner  of  Twelfth 
and  Wewatta  Streets,  in  February,  1859,  Fisher  preached  the  first 
sermon  in  what  is  now  the  city  of  Denver,  to  about  seventy-five 
men,  who  were  camped  there  under  the  cottonwood-trees.  On 
April  14th  after,  he  preached  again  in  an  unfinished  building 
near  the  corner  of  Fifteenth  and  Larimer  Streets,  which  was  on 
the  site  of  the  present  ''Railroad  Building."  This  house  had  no 
floor  at  the  time.  The  joists  were  in  position,  and  a  few  boards 
were  placed  on  these  in  one  corner,  which  formed  the  platform  on 
which  the  preacher  stood  to  proclaim  the  gospel  to  the  people, 
who  were  sitting  on  the  joists  or  standing  as  they  could.  To  this 
Brother  Fisher  belongs  the  honor  of  proclaiming  the  Urst  gospel 
message  in  what  is  now  known  as  Denver. 

The  next  services  were  held  by  the  Revs.  W.  H.  Goode  and 
Jacob  Adriance,  missionaries  sent  out  by  the  Church  from  Ne- 
braska, in  the  months  of  July  and  August  following.  In  the 
former  month  a  society  was  organized,  and  on  August  2,  1859, 
a  Quarterly  Conference  was  held  for  the  "Auraria  and  Denver 
City  Mission"  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Alexander 
Carter,  Henry  Reitze,  and  H.  J.  Graham  were  elected  stewards. 
The  latter  soon  after  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives at  Washington,  D.  C. 

Jacob  Adriance,  the  pastor,  was  made  secretary  of  the  Quar- 
terly-meeting Conference.     This  was  the  first  Church  organiza- 

356 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER. 


357 


tion  formed  in  the  city  of  Denver.  The  society  at  that  time  had 
twenty-two  names  enrolled.  August  7,  1859,  Rev.  W.  H.  Goode 
administered  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  for  the  first  time 
in  Denver. 

The  second  Quarterly  Conference  was  held  in  "Auraria,"  now 
West  Denver,  October  29,  1859,  by  Revs.  Adriance  and  Fisher. 
The  latter  preached  to  half  a  dozen  persons  in  the  Adriance  cabin 
at  2.30  P.  M.    At  the  Quarterly  Conference  it  was  resolved  "to 


Cabin  occupied  by  kev  jacon  Aanance  in  1R59,  where  he  oltc-ii  prcacned.  and  in  'vrhich 
the  first  Sunday-school  in  Denver  was  organixed,  November  6,  1859. 


hold  the  next  quarterly-meeting  in  Denver  City,  if  a  suitable 
place  could  be  found." 

As  the  next  session  was  not  held  in  Denver,  it  is  inferred  that 
a  ''suitable  place"  could  not  "be  obtained." 

The  first  love-feast  was  held  in  Adriance's  cabin  at  9.30  A.  M., 
October  30,  1859.  At  eleven  o'clock  on  the  same  day.  Rev.  Adri- 
ance preached  in  the  "Masonic  Hall,"  which  was  the  first  brick 
building  erected  in  either  of  the  two  to\\Tis,  and  stood  at  240  and 


358  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

2/^2  Eleventh  Street.  It  was  then  occupied  by  John  Ming.  After 
the  sermon,  Rev.  G.  W.  Fisher  administered  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper,  he  being  the  only  ordained  minister  present. 
That  evening  twenty-two  persons  were  at  the  prayer-meeting  in 
the  Adriance  cabin,  nearly  all  taking  some  part  in  the  exercises. 
From  this  time  a  weekly  prayer-meeting  was  held  regularly. 

During  the  week  following,  the  two  preachers  canvassed  both 
towns — Auraria  and  Denver  City — to  secure  subscriptions  for 
a  church-building.  Each  town  wanted  the  church;  neither  could 
build  alone,  they  would  not  unite;  therefore,  after  a  week's  effort, 
the  enterprise  was  abandoned.  Lots  had  been  previously  selected 
in  Auraria,  and  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Arapahoe  and  Seven- 
teenth Streets;  but  reverted  to  the  original  owners,  because  they 
did  not  build  upon  them. 

Revs.  Jacob  Adriance  and  G.  W.  Fisher  organized  a  "Union 
Sunday-school"  November  6,  1859,  i^  "^^^  Adriance  cabin  on 
Twelfth  Street,  between  Larimer  and  Lawrence  Streets.  Eigh- 
teen persons — six  adults  and  twelve  children — were  present  at  the 
first  session.  The  adults  were  Lewis  N.  Tappin,  D.  W.  Collier, 
O.  F.  Goldrich,  "Aunt  Clara  Brown,"  and  the  two  pastors.  Mr. 
Goldrich  is  said  to  have  come  across  the  Plains,  wearing  a  plug 
hat  and  driving  a  yoke  of  oxen. 

The  third  quarterly-meeting  was  held  January  29  and  30,  i860, 
in  Auraria,  in  Adriance's  log  cabin.  A  local  preacher  by  the 
name  of  Huett,  from  Southern  Illinois,  preached  at  2.30  P.  M. 
of  the  first  day.  The  Quarterly  Conference  was  presided  over 
by  Rev.  Adriance.  A  prayer-meeting  was  held  that  evening. 
After  the  love-feast  on  Sabbath  morning.  Rev.  Huett  preached, 
and  Rev.  Fisher  administered  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per. Rev.  Adriance  preached  at  the  "Missouri  House"  at  night. 
This  quarterly-meeting  was  protracted  for  two  weeks,  and  was 
the  first  rneeting  of  the  kind  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  regions. 
The  result  was  two  conversions  and  five  additions  to  the  Church. 
"Aunt  Clara"  Brown,  a  colored  lady,  was  the  only  female  who 
took  part  in  these  meetings.  She  was  not  afraid  to  talk  of  Jesus 
and  his  love  anywhere  or  to  anybody.  She  afterward  moved  to 
Central  City.  One  morning  about  five  o'clock  she  was  walking 
up  Eureka  Gulch,  just  above  where  the   Methodist   Episcopal 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER. 


359 


church  now  stands,  with  a  basket  of  clothes  on  her  head,  singing 
as  she  strode  along  under  her  heavy  burden.  Taking  her  load 
down  for  a  moment,  and  seating  herself  to  rest,  she  began  clap- 
ping her  hands  and  shouting,  "Bless  the  Lord!  Bless  the  Lord! 
I  am  so  happy  this  morning."  A  prominent  lawyer,  passing 
just  then,  hearing  her  songs  of  praise  and  expressions  of  joy, 
said  to  himself,  as  he  walked  on,  "What  is  it  that  makes  that 
colored  woman  so  happy?     She  certainly  must  have  something 


The  Second  Building  used  for  Church  Purposes  by  the  Methodists  in  Denver. 


that  I  have  not."    That  reflection,  after  a  little,  became  the  means 

of  his  conversion. 

*'Aunt  Clara"  returned  to  Denver,  where  she  was  favorably 

known  for  many  years,  and  triumphantly  closed  her  earthly  career 

in  September,  1885,  greatly  beloved  by  all. 

Rev.  Adriance,  writing  of  his  experience  at  this  time,  says: 
"Until  cold  weather,  it  was  my  custom  to  canvass  both  sides 

of  the  creek,  once  in  three  weeks,  for  a  place  to  hold  services 

on  the  following  Sabbath,  in  Auraria  in  the  morning,  and  in 


360  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Denver  for  the  afternoon.  Usually  a  store-building  in  process 
of  erection,  or  one  not  yet  occupied,  could  be  found,  but  seldom 
twice  in  the  same  place.  I  would  then  post  up  notices  at  the 
post-office  and  in  different  parts  of  the  town,  naming  place  and 
time  of  services,  inviting  the  people  there.  At  the  given  time 
I  would  be  on  hand,  fix  up  some  seats,  and  begin  to  sing.  In  a 
few  minutes  the  room  would  be  full  of  men,  many  standing  about 
the  doors  and  windows,  orderly  and  quiet,  as  I  pointed  them  to 
the  Xamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world,'  and 
to  the  true  riches  that  fadeth  not  away.  In  the  winter  we  were 
compelled  to  have  services  a  part  of  the  time  in  my  cabin,  as  it 
was  the  best  place  that  could  be  had  on  that  side  of  the  creek. 
A  family  from  Missouri,  keeping  a  boarding-house  in  Denver, 
opened  their  dining-room  for  services.  Later,  a  family  by  the 
name  of  Coleman  did  the  same  in  Auraria.  So  we  had  a  perma- 
nent place  for  worship  for  three  months  in  Denver,  and  two  in 
Auraria,  during  the  Conference  year." 

During  the  summer  of  i860  many  of  the  official  meetings 
were  held  in  the  carpenter-shop  of  Brother  J.  C.  Anderson,  now 
of  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  In  1862  a  carpenter-shop,  built  by  Mr. 
Henry  C.  Brown  the  year  previous,  was  purchased  and  fitted  up 
for  Church  purposes  by  the  Methodists  of  Denver.  In  this  one- 
story  frame  building  the  "Rocky  Mountain,"  now  ''Colorado 
Conference,"  was  organized,  July  10,  1863.  This  structure  stood' 
on  the  present  site  of  the  Circle  Railroad  Depot,  near  the  west 
end  of  the  Larimer  Street  bridge,  and  was  swept  away  by  the 
Cherry  Creek  flood  in  the  early  morning  of  May  20,  1864. 

On  July  22,  1863,  the  "First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Denver"  was  incorporated.  The  following  is  an  exact  copy  of 
the  document:  "Know  all  men  by  these  presents,  that  Mr.  John 
Evans,  Hiram  Burton,  Andrew  J.  Gill,  and  John  Cree,  citizens  of 
Denver  City,  in  the  Territory  of  Colorado,  have  this  day  organ- 
ized a  religious  society  in  said  Denver  City  under  the  name  of 
'The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Denver,'  and  that  John 
Evans,  Hiram  Burton,  John  C.  Anderson,  John  Cree,  and  John 
M.  Chivington  are  the  trustees  duly  appointed  for  said  society. 
(Signed,)  John  Evans,  A.  J.  Gill,  John  Cree,  and  Hiram  Burton." 

This  paper  was  duly  acknowledged  before  Andrew  Sagendorf, 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER. 


361 


Notary  Public,  and  properly  recorded  in  Book  4,  page  (^y,  Arapa- 
hoe County  Records. 

Bishop  Ames,  in  his  farsightedness,  saw  the  need  of  a  better 
church  edifice,  and,  as  an  encouragement  to  others,  offered  to 
give  $1,000,  provided  they  would  build  a  brick  church,  50x80 
feet,  centrally  located,  and  have  it  completed  by  January  i,  1865. 


Lawrence  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Corner  of  Fourteenth 
AND  I,awrence  Streets. 

Several  of  the  brethren  questioned  the  advisability  of  attempting 
it  now,  as  they  had  commenced  the  construction  of  the  Colorado 
Seminary,  and  most  of  them  were  men  of  moderate  means.  Gov- 
ernor John  Evans  more  than  duplicated  the  bishop's  offer.  Will- 
iam Slaughter,  presiding  elder,  aided  by  others,  circulated  a 
subscription  paper  for  this  purpose,  and  the  work  of  building  went 


3b2  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

forward.  On  Saturday  evening,  February  ii,  1865,  Rev.  George 
Richardson,  now  of  Argo,  preached  the  first  sermon  in  the 
newly-erected  church,  at  the  corner  of  Lawrence  and  Fourteenth 
Streets,  to  a  large  and  appreciative  audience.  Afterward  the 
Quarterly  Conference  was  held.  Rev.  O.  A.  Willard,  presiding 
elder,  in  the  chair.  Among  those  present  were  Rev.  George 
Richardson,  the  pastor;  Rev.  B.  T.  Vincent,  Colonel  John  M. 
Chivington,  and  John  Cree.  A  love-feast  opened  the  services 
on  Sabbath  morning.  At  eleven  o'clock.  Rev.  O.  A.  Willard 
preached  the  dedicatory  sermon,  on  "Temples  and  Temple  Wor- 
ship." Then  came  the  dedicatory  exercises.  No  collection  for 
church  erection  was  solicited,  as  the  entire  cost  had  been  provided 
for.  A  quarterly-meeting  basket  collection  of  $400  for  the  pre- 
siding elder  was  received.  Then  Colonel  Chivington,  on  behalf 
of  himself  and  a  few  others,  presented  Rev.  O.  A.  Willard  with 
a  valuable  gold  watch,  as  a  token  of  their  appreciation  of  what 
he  had  done  in  connection  with  the  building  of  this  church;  after 
which  the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered. 

At  three  P.  M.  a  grand  Sunday-school  rally  was  held.  Revs. 
Day,  Richardson,  Vincent,  Chivington,  Alexander  Major,  Esq., 
and  others  gave  interesting  talks.  In  the  evening  the  Rev.  B.  T. 
Vincent,  pastor  at  Central  City,  preached;  subject,  ''Worship." 
"Beautiful  of  expression,  bold  in  originality;  charmed  the  audi- 
ence for  a  full  hour."    (Denver  News,  February  14,  1865.) 

A  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Bell  attended  the  dedicatory 
services,  expecting  to  give  two  hundred  dollars  to  the  building 
fund.  No  money  for  that  purpose  being  asked  for,  he  called  the 
next  evening  while  the  rental  of  the  pews  was  in  progress,  and 
paid  his  two  hundred  dollars  for  two  pews,  saying,  *'I  was  bound 
the  Church  should  have  that  monev." 

When  we  consider  that  the  church  cost  $21,000,  and  the  semi- 
nary $14,000,  the  building  and  paying  for  both  within  eighteen 
months  sounds  more  like  fiction  than  truth. 

The  pastors  before  Lawrence  Street  Church  was  built  were: 
Jacob  Adriance,  A.  P.  Allen,  W.  A.  Kenney,  O.  A.  Willard; 
since  its  erection,  George  Richardson,  George  C.  Betts,  William 
M.  Smith,  B.  T.  Vincent  two  terms,  J.  R.  Eads,  Earl  Cranston, 
D.  D.,  David  H.  Moore,  D.  D.,  R.  W.  Manly,  D.  D.,  Gilbert 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER, 


363 


De  LaMatyr,  D.  D.,  Henry  A.  Buchtel,  D.  D.,  Robert  Mclntyre, 
D.  D.;  Camden  M.  Coburn,  D.  D.,  1896. 

It  was  during  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  Buchtel  that  Lawrence 
Street  Church  ceased  to  exist  in  name,  and  ''Trinity,"  on  the 
corner  of  Broadway  and  Eighteenth  Avenue,  came  into  being. 
The  corner-stone  of  this  new 
church  was  laid  September  5, 
1887.    The  name  of  the  Church 
had    been    changed    the    July 
previous.     The  inscription  on 
the      corner-stone      reads  : 
''Erected  A.  D.  1887.     Society 
organized     August     2,     1859. 
Formerly    Lawrence    Street 
Church." 

The  first  plan  was  to  erect 
a  building  at  a  cost  of  not 
over  $50,000;  but  when  the 
needs  of  the  growing  congre- 
gation were  fully  considered, 
the  plans  grew  in  size,  until 
it  was  found  that  the  church 
would  cost  about  $173,000, 
including  the  organ,  which 
was  the  gift  of  Isaac  E.  Blake, 
Esq.,   and   cost  $30,000.     The 

Trinity  property  is  now  valued  at  $200,000.  The  church  has 
1,600  fixed  seats,  and  an  additional  seating  capacity  of  about  150. 
Ofttimes  from  2,000  to  2,500  have  been  crowded  into  it. 

From  August  7,  1887,  to  April  i,  1888,  the  Sunday-school 
held  its  sessions  in  the  basement  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church.  The  prayer-meetings  were  held  in  the  same  from  Sep- 
tember 4th,  until  the  basement  of  the  new  church  was  opened. 
This  took  place  April  i,  1888,  with  appropriate  ceremonies, 
Bishop  H.  W.  Warren  preaching  the  opening  sermon.  The  sub- 
scriptions taken  at  this  service  amounted  to  $63,000.  The  Sun- 
day-school moved  in  that  afternoon. 

While  this  church  was  being  built,  the  preaching  services 


TRINITY  CHURCH. 


364  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

were  held  in  Tabor  Grand  Opera-house,  for  which  a  rental  of 
fifty  dollars  a  Sabbath  was  paid.  The  great  auditorium  was 
opened  December  20  and  21,  1888.  The  building  is  a  massive 
stone  structure,  beautiful  in  design  and  perfect  in  construction; 
admirably  adapted  to  the  wants  of  a  great  congregation.  From 
the  sidewalk  to  the  top  of  the  copper  cross  surmounting  the  stone 
spire  is  one  hundred  and  eighty-one  feet  seven  and  one-half 
inches. 

H.  B.  Chamberlain,  recently  deceased,  presented  the  elegant 
parsonage  on  Sherman  Avenue  to  the  Church,  having  had  it 
built  as  a  memorial  to  his  mother.  The  furnishings  cost  the 
Church  about  two  thousand  dollars  more. 

The  presiding  elders  from  i860  to  1896  have  been:  John  M. 
Chivington,  B.  C.  Dennis,  Oliver  A.  Willard,  William  M.  Smith; 
B.  T.  Vincent,  now  on  his  second  term;  B.  F.  Crary;  J.  H.  Mer- 
ritt,  two  terms;  Earl  Cranston,  N.  A.  Chamberlin. 

While  Dr.  Cranston  was  pastor  at  Lawrence  Street,  he  in- 
vited T.  C.  Iliff,  D.  D.,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  to  preach  for  him  one 
Sabbath  morning.  At  the  close  of  the  sermon  a  member  was 
heard  to  say:  ''I  do  not  think  Brother  Ilif¥  is  as  good  an  orator 
as  Brother  Cranston;  but  I  tell  you  he  has  got  religion." 

At  another  time.  Dr.  Cranston  invited  an  Eastern  brother  to 
fill  his  pulpit.  The  brother  preached,  and  preached,  until  many 
began  to  wonder  if  he  ever  would  get  through!  The  congrega- 
tion was  tired  out  and  disgusted.  One  gentleman  was  heard  to 
remark,  when  leaving:  ''I  enjoyed  the  first  hour  and  a  half  of  that 
sermon  very  well ;  but  the  last  four  hours  and  a  half  were  a  little 
tedious." 

No  history  of  this  Church  or  of  Denver  Methodism,  or  in  fact 
of  Colorado,  would  be  complete  without  some  reference  to  the 
life  of  Ex-Governor  Evans. 

John  Evans,  M.  D.,  was  born,  March  9,  1814,  of  Quaker 
parentage,  near  Waynesville,  Warren  County,  Ohio.  Between 
that  hearthstone  and  the  crest  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  lies  the 
field  of  operation  of  this  remarkable  man.  His  parents  were  of 
Welsh  extraction.    The  name  signifies,  ''The  fighting  man,"  and- 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER. 


365 


his  active  life  forcibly  illustrates  its  meaning.  He  graduated  from 
the  Medical  Department  of  the  Cincinnati  College  in  1838.  That 
summer  and  autumn  he  spent  practicing  his  profession  with  the 
vanguard  of  civilization  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  then  the  wilds 
of  farthest  Illinois.  Early  in  the  winter  following  he  returned 
to  his  Ohio  home,  was  married,  and  soon  after  settled  in  Attica, 
Indiana.  In  the  winter  of  1841  he  began  advocating  the  erection 
of  a  ''State  Insane  Asylum,"  which  he  saw  completed  in  due  time. 
In  1843  he  became  a  resident  of  Indianapolis.  In  1845  ^^  was 
called  to  a  professor's  chair  in  the  Rush  Medical  College  of  Chi- 
cago, where  he  remained 
eleven  years.  During  this 
time  he  projected  the  Fort 
Wayne  &  Chicago  Railroad, 
and  secured  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Northwestern 
University  at  Evanston,  a 
new  suburb  named  for  him. 
He  endowed  two  chairs  in 
this  university  with  $50,000 
each,  and  has  been  president 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
from  the  beginning. 

He  was  appointed,  by 
President  Lincoln,  Governor 
of  the  Colorado  Territory 
in  1861.  At  once  he  identi- 
fied himself  fully  with  all  its 
material,  educational,  eccle- 
siastical, benevolent,  and  reformatory  interests.  He  projected 
the  Lawrence  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  the  Colorado 
Seminary,  the  Denver  Pacific  Railroad  in  1869,  the  Denver  & 
South  Park  ten  years  later,  then  the  Denver  &  Gulf  Road,  and 
many  other  enterprises.  From  1865-7  ^^  represented  the  Colo- 
rado Territory  in  the  United  States  Congress.  The  governor 
has  not  confined  his  sympathies  and  material  help  to  the  Church 
and  educational  enterprises  of  his  own  denomination,  but  has 


EX  GOVERNOR  JOHN  EVANS. 


366  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

included  in  these  all  denominations.  It  was  his  custom  for  years 
to  give  at  least  one  hundred  dollars  to  any  church  built  by  any 
denomination  in  Colorado. 

He  has  also  given  liberally  to  "The  University  of  Denver," 
the  legitimate  successor  of  the  Colorado  Seminary,  and  has  taken 
active  interest  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  development  and  suc- 
cess of  the  institution.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Denver,  in  great 
peace  and  comfort,  July  3,  1897,  mourned  by  hosts  of  friends. 

The  first  denominational  Sunday-school  was  organized  by 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  citizens  of  Den- 
ver, June  10,  i860,  in  the  Masonic  Hall,  on  Ferry,  now  Eleventh 
Street,  J.  M.  Chivington,  presiding  elder,  in  the  chair.  Samuel 
F.  Cort  was  chosen  secretary  pro  tern.  A  constitution  was 
adopted,  and  officers  elected.    From  this  constitution  I  quote: 

"x\rticle  2D.  Male  persons  annually  paying  into  the  treasury  of  the 
school  the  sum  of  fifty  cents,  and  females  twenty-  five  cents,  constitute  a 
Board  of  Managers. 

"Article  5Th.  This  Board  shall  elect  officers  for  the  school;  namely, 
on  the  fourth  Tuesday  evening  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Annual  Con- 
ference,  in  which  the  school   is  located." 

The  next  Sabbath,  June  17,  i860,  at  two  P.  M.,  which  was  the 
eighty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  the  Urst 
session  of  this  first  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday-school  was  held 
in  the  Masonic  Hall,  on  Ferry  Street.  Fifty-six  persons  were 
present.  After  the  school  adjourned,  arrangements  were  made 
to  take  some  part  in  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration.  It  was  decided 
to  invite  the  "Union  School,"  which  had  been  organized  seven 
months  before,  to  join  with  them.  The  following  Sabbath  the 
superintendent  announced  that  the  other  school  would  unite  with 
them  in  the  Fourth  of  July  celebration.  Shortly  after  this,  the 
"Union  School"  was  absorbed  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Sun- 
day-school, which  had  for  sixteen  months  no  perm.anent  place  of 
meeting.  They  were  accustomed  to  meet  in  unfinished  buildings, 
or  in  halls  of  various  kinds. 

February  10,  1861,  a  new  superintendent  was  elected,  who 
held  the  position  for  seven  months,  when  A.  J.  Gill  was  elected 
with  W.  D.  Pease,  since  of  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  secretary  and 
treasurer. 


MBTHODrSM  IN  DENVER. 


467 


September  21,  186 1,  a  new  constitution,  prepared  by  Rev. 
W.  A.  Kenney,  W.  D.  Pease,  and  Rev.  John  Gilliland,  was 
adopted. 

The  school  was  now  christened,  "The  First  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Sunday-school  of  Denver  City,  Colorado  Territory."  Oc- 
tober 6,  1861,  the  little  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  on 
the  corner  of  Fourteenth  and  Arapahoe  Streets,  the  present  site 
of  the  ''Haish  Manual  Training-school  building,"  was  rented  for 
one  year. 

"Article  2d.  The  teachers,  pastor,  and  Bible  class  shall  be  consti- 
tuted a  Board  of  Managers,  to  meet  semi-annually,  the  first  Saturday 
evening  in  September  and  the  first  Tuesday  evening  in  March,  at  the 
calKof  the  superintendent.     Five  shall  constitute  a  quorum. 

"Article  3d.  The  Board  shall  elect  all  officers." 


The  attendance  of  the  school  for  over  two  years  was  from 
sixty  to  one  hundred  and  seven.  The  reciting  of  Scripture  verses 
was  a  practice  of  the  school, 
which  amounted  sometimes  to 
nearly  four  hundred  verses  at  one 
session. 

The  superintendents  have 
been:  G.  Anderson,  Rev.  J.  Gill- 
son,  A.  J.  Gill,  Rev.  George  Rich- 
ardson, Rev.  B.  T.  Vincent,  Rev. 
George  Skene,  Edward  Nichol- 
son, George  F.  Wanless,  B.  A. 
Wheeler,  M.  D.,  Frank  Church, 
J.  S.  Hays,  A.  J.  Sampson;  Peter 
Winne,  who  held  the  position 
thirteen  years;  A.  L.  Doud, 
George  S.  Van  Law,  H.  L.  Shat- 
tuck. 

(The   early   facts   here   stated 
are  taken  from  the  secretary's  book,  discovered  by  J.  H.  Martin, 
Esq.,  in  April,  1895,  among  a  lot  of  old  papers  which  he  had  or- 
dered to  be  burned.    This  book  records  the  doings  of  the  school 
and  where  it  met  for  over  two  years.) 
24 


PETKR  WINNE,  KSQ. 


368  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Methodism  has  always  been  an  aggressive  force.  The  Meth- 
odist people  of  Denver  have  been  no  exception  to  this  rule. 
When  a  new  section  of  the  city  began  to  build  up,  a  mission  Sun- 
day-school was  usually  started,  out  of  which  has  frequently  grown 
a  self-supporting  Church.  So  each  Church  has  widened  its  bor- 
ders, and  strengthened  its  stakes  to  meet  the  spiritual  needs  of 
each  locality. 

As  early  as  1863  there  was  a  ''Denver  Circuit,"  which  em- 
braced the  valleys  of  the  Platte  and  its  tributaries  outside  of  the 
mountains,  excepting  Denver  City,  Golden  City,  and  Boulder. 

It  next  appears  in  the  Conference  Minutes  of  1871,  when  H.  J. 
Shaffner  was  appointed  thereto.  His  appointments  were  Arvada, 
West  Denver,  and  Bennett  Schoolhouse,  which  stood  on  the 
Littleton  Road,  just  south  of'Rufus  Clark's  residence,  now  the 
southwest  corner  of  Broadway  and  Evans  Avenue. 

The  pastor  had  his  home  at  the  former  place  most  of  the  year, 
where  he  lived  in  a  small  house  of  three  rooms.  In  the  spring 
of  1872  he  built  for  himself  a  brick  residence  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  Twenty-fifth  and  California  Streets,  in  Denver.  Before 
it  was  finished  he  moved  in,  and  began  to  preach  and  hold  prayer 
and  class  meetings  in  the  same.  The  writer  speaks  from  personal 
knowledge,  having  attended  one  or  more  of  these  services.  Meet- 
ings were  continued  in  this  house  'until  the  California  Street 
church  was  ready  for  occupancy. 

The  ''California  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church"  was  or- 
ganized December  23,  1871,  with  Henry  Reitze,  J.  W.  Linder- 
man,  H.  J.  Shaffner,  Freeman  Merriman,  and  W.  D.  Cornwell, 
as  trustees.  The  society  was  incorporated  July  30,  1872,  with  the 
above-named  trustees,  Peter  Peterson  and  James  J.  Hall  incor- 
porators. On  August  I2th  following,  these  trustees  bought  of 
Conrad  Frick  and  Henry  Reitze  four  lots  on  the  northeast  corner 
of  California  and  Twenty-fourth  Streets,  paying  for  them  $763. 
The  deed  was  given  by  Baxter  Stiles,  from  whom  they  had  pur- 
chased a  half  a  block  of  lots. 

The  first  prayer-meeting  was  held  June  16,  1872,  at  eight 
P.  M.,  which  was  led  by  Rev.  Peter  Peterson,  when  four  joined 
the  Church.    Here  the  first  class-meeting  was  also  held. 

The  California  Street  Sunday-school  was  organized  June  16, 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER.  369 

1872,  in  a  little  shanty,  used  as  a  schoolhouse,  owned  by  Judge 
Miller,  which  stood  on  the  corner  of  Curtis  and  Twenty-third 
Streets.  The  officers,  elected  by  Sunday-school  Committee, 
were:  W.  D.  Cornwell,  superintendent;  Henry  Reitze,  assistant; 
James  J.  Hall,  secretary  and  librarian;  Peter  Peterson,  treasurer. 
The  first  monthly  Sunday-school  meeting  was  held  in  the  pastor's 
home,  June  22,  1872. 

At  the  Conference  session,  held  August,  1872,  Brother  Shaff- 
ner  reported  54  members,  4  Sunday-schools,  with  53  officers  and 
teachers,  and  275  volumes  in  library. 

The  first  quarterly-meeting  for  this  charge  was  held  in  the 
pastor's  unfinished  residence,  October  14,  1872,  by  Dr.  Crary, 
presiding  elder,  who  preached  and  held  the  Quarterly  Conference. 
At  this  meeting  there  were  present:  H.  J.  Shafifner,  pastor;  Henry 
Reitze;  W.  D.  Cornwell,  local  preacher;  D.  Soggs,  J.  J.  Hall, 
W.  T.  Carter,  and  Peter  Peterson,  local  preacher. 

The  "California  Street  Church"  was  a  small  frame  building 
erected  on  the  rear  of  the  lots  next  to  the  alley,  on  Twenty-fourth 
Street.  It  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  B.  F.  Crary,  presiding  elder, 
with  usual  services,  who  also  raised  $600  to  clear  the  building  of 
debt. 

The  seats  used  at  the  opening  were  borrowed  from  the  Law- 
rence Street  Church.  Some  time  during  the  month  of  November 
following,  permanent  seats  were  put  in  place,  but  were  not 
painted  until  later.  At  this  time  there  were  only  twenty-seven 
members  in  the  society. 

The  pastors  have  been:  Henry  J.  Shaffner,  from  July,  1871, 
to  August,  1874;  J.  R.  Eads,  to  August,  1875;  R.  L.  Harford,  to 
March,  1876;  H.  Sinsabaugh,  from  April,  1876,  to  March,  1878; 
J.  K.  Miller,  the  next  three  months;  and  F.  C.  Millington,  from 
August,  1878,  to  August,  1881.  On  September  10,  1879,  the 
pastor  started  a  subscription  paper  for  the  purpose  of  building 
a  parsonage,  which  was  completed  without  debt,  and  occupied 
by  him  on  December  9th  following.  During  the  early  winter  of 
1 88 1,  a  good  revival  was  enjoyed  by  the  Church.  About  twenty 
souls  were  converted  as  the  result  of  this  efifort. 

The  next  pastor  was  O.  L.  Fisher,  who  remained  three  years 
from  August,  1881.     During  his  administration  the  church  and 


370 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


parsonage  were  both  enlarged.  John  Wilson  was  then  pastor, 
from  August,  1884,  to  March  3,  1885,  when  he  was  called  to  his 
heavenly  reward.  J.  Whisler  succeeded  until  July,  1886;  then 
G.  N.  Eldridge  until  August  5,  1889,  when  the  "California  Street 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church"  ceased  to  exist,  and  became  the 
^'Christ  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,"  with  a  church  home  at 
the  corner  of  Ogden  and  Twenty-second  Avenue. 

On  the  30th  of  July,  1889  (j"st  seventeen 
years  to  a  day  from  the  incorporation  of  the 
California  Street  Church),  the  corner-stone  of 
Christ  Church  was  laid.  The  inscription  on 
the  stone  is: 


ERECTED  A.  D.  1889. 

SOCIETY  ORGANIZED   IN    1 87 1, 

Formerly  California  Street  Church. 


The  services  were  con- 
ducted by  Bishop  Henry  W. 
Warren  and  Rev.  G.  N.  Eld- 
ridge, pastor,  assisted  by 
others. 

This  is  one  of  the  hand- 
somest churches  in  Denver. 
It  is  74  X  90  feet,  is  a  two- 
story,  Gothic  structure,  and 
is  built  of  gray  lava-stone, 
tastefully  ornamented  with 
red  sandstone  trimmings. 
Its  spire,  the  tallest  in  the 
city,  is  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet  high. 

Bishop  Warren  preached  the  opening  sermon,  in  the  basement 
at  three  P.  M.,  December  29,  1889.  During  Dr.  Barnes's  pastor- 
ate the  services  were  held  in  this  room.  He  became  the  pastor  in 
1890,  and  Claudius  B.  Spencer  in  1892.  The  fine  auditorium 
was  opened  for  services  July  2,  1892,  the  pastor  preaching  the 
sermon.  H.  E.  Warner  was  their  pastor  in  1895-6,  during  which 
time  the  debt  on  the  church  was  provided  for. 


CHRIST  METHODIST  KmSCOPAL  CHURCH. 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER. 


371 


The  "West  Denver  Mission  Sunday-school"  was  started  by 
Peter  Winne,  O.  C.  Milleson,  and  several  others,  June  6,  1869. 
They  met  in  the  old  arsenal,  on  the  corner  of  Eleventh  and  Law- 
rence Streets,  the  present  site  of  the  Washington  school-building. 
June  I,  1872,  the  school  was  changed  to  a  Methodist  Episcopal 
Sunday-school  by  Rev.  H.J.  Shaf^ner,  the  pastor.  The  following 
ofhcers  were  elected:  W.  T.  Carter,  superintendent;  T.  W.  Par- 
ker, assistant;  Lyman  Brooker,  treasurer.  At  its  first  monthly 
meeting,  September  25,  1872,  the  following  were  elected  teachers: 
P.  Peterson,  W.  T.  Carter,  Oliver  C. 
Milleson,  Lyman  Brooker,  Joseph  Mead, 
J.  M.  Acker,  and  T.  M.  Parker.  Rev. 
H.  J.  ShafiFner  preached  regu- 
larly in  the  West  Denv^er 
Schoolhouse,  beginning  Oc- 
tober 22,  1 87 1.  July,  1873, 
James  P.  Dew  was  appointed 
to  North  and  West  Denver  and 
Littleton.  The  last  named  was 
soon  after  placed  with  the 
Plumb  Creek  work.  The  next 
year  the  pastor  reported  at  the 
Conference  session  2  Sunday- 
schools,  with  24  officers  and 
teachers  and  200  scholars;  no 
members  and  40  probationers; 
2  local  preachers  and  one-fourth 

of  a  church,  St.  James  in  West  Denver,  valued  at  $1,400.  The 
next  year,  1875,  a  full  church,  valued  at  $4,000,  was  returned  from 
this  charge.  The  pastors  have  been:  H.  J.  Shaffner,  1871-2; 
James  P.  Dew,  1873-4;  F.  C.  Millington,  1875-7,  who  built  and 
paid  for  a  brick  parsonage  of  four  rooms,  which  was  afterward 
enlarged  by  adding  two  rooms:  H.  S.  Plilton,  1878-80;  B.  W. 
Baker,  1881-2;  Isaac  H.  Beardsley,  1883-4;  J.  F.  Harris,  1885-6; 
C.  W.  Brewer,  1887-8;  G.  W.  Ray,  1889  to  1893.  During  this 
last  pastorate  the  first  church-building  was  taken  down,  and  a 
beautiful  two-story  edifice  was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  $20,000.  The 
later  pastors  have  been:  F.  S.  Beggs,  1893;  C.  B.  Allen,  1894-6, 


St  Ja^es  >^.E.C«urch,  Denver. 


372  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

under  whose  pastorate  the  debt  contracted  in  the  erection  of  the 
new  church  is  being  gradually  discharged.  Prosperity  character- 
izes all  lines  of  work,  and  is  especially  manifest  in  the  social  means 
of  grace.  He  has  had,  under  God's  benedictions,  an  almost  con- 
tinuous revival.  This  is  largely  due  to  the  elevated  gospel  stand- 
ard kept  before  the  people  all  the  time.  Where  this  is  done,  the 
work  of  the  Lord  always  prospers. 

About  the  time  the  West  Denver  Mission  was  started,  Peter 
Winne,  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Jones,  Edward  Nicholson,  Dyner  N.  Gard- 
ner, and  Fred  O.  Persons  started  an  African  Mission  Sunday- 
school,  on  Holliday  (now  Market)  Street,  between  Seventeenth 
and  Eighteenth  Streets.  This  was  a  summer  school,  and  was 
kept  up  for  two  seasons.  It  was  usually  held  in  a  vacant  build- 
ing at  four  P.  M.  Out  of  this  has  grown  the  "Zion's  Baptist 
Church,"  and  possibly  also  the  "St.  John's  African  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,"  having  its  church  home  at  the  corner  of 
Twenty-third  Street  and  Washington  Avenue. 

The  "First  German  Methodist  Episcopal  Church"  was  organ- 
ized, October  20,  1872,  at  351  Holliday  (now  Market)  Street, 
by  Rev.  Philip  Kuhl,  who  was  the  first  German  Methodist  min- 
ister appointed  to  work  in  Colorado.  This  society  consisted  of 
eleven  members.  The  services  during  the  first  year  were  held 
in  the  then  City  Hall,  at  the  place  above-mentioned,  morning  and 
evening. 

The  first  Quarterly  Conference  was  held  November  8,  1872, 
when  it  was  unanimously  resolved  to  buy  two  lots  on  the  corner 
of  Arapahoe  and  Eighteenth  Streets,  where  a  church,  36  x  60 
feet,  of  Gothic  architecture,  was  erected  the  following  summer, 
and  was  dedicated  by  Bishop  Bowman,  October  21,  1873.  The 
building  and  parsonage  connected  therewith  cost  $14,000. 

The  first  Board  of  Trustees  was:  Hon.  John  Evans,  John  P. 
Fink,  Henry  Reitze,  S.  H.  Elbert,  Conrad  Frick,  F.  L.  Hahn, 
and  C.  A.  Kuhl. 

The  first  German  Sunday-school  was  organized  in  January, 
1873,  with  F.  L.  Hahn  as  superintendent,  followed  by  Philip 
Feldhauser,  Henry  Reitze,  Charles  Ecker,  Conrad  Frick,  and 
Fred  Krueger. 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER.  373 

The  pastors  have  been:  PhiHp  Kuhl,  J.  J.  Leist,  M.  Klaiber, 
D.  D.,  C.  H.  Kriege,  J.  J.  Schultz,  each  three  years;  Jacob  Tanner, 
one  year;  Fred  Hausser,  five  years;  Henry  Bruns,  in  1892;  J. 
Koehler,  1896. 

In  December,  1886,  the  "First  German  Church"  and  lots  were 
sold  for  $25,000,  and  a  new  church  was  built  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  Twenty-fifth  and  California  Streets,  with  a  Sunday- 
school  room,  class-room,  parsonage,  and  two  brick  houses  of 'five 
rooms  each  for  rental  purposes. 

The  Swedish  Mission  building,  on  South  Eleventh  Street, 
was  purchased  by  the  First  German  Society,  and  given  to  the 
''West  Denver  German  Mission,"  which  had  been  started  in  1884. 
The  pastors  here  have  been:  E.  H.  Kinge,  Joseph  Feidler,  H. 
Krueger,  L.  H.  Hessel,  A.  D.  Stueckeman. 

The  Third  German  Mission,  also  assisted  by  the  First  Ger- 
man society,  was  started  in  North  Denver  in  1886,  and  a  church 
built  in  1888.  This  charge  has  been  served  by  the  following 
brethren:  Joseph  Feidler,  Paul  Wuefel,  F.  Reichard,  H.  Krueger, 
L.  J.  Hessel,  A.  D.  Stueckeman. 

A  German  Methodist  Mission  was  commenced  at  Pueblo  in 
1890  by  Rev.  Fred  Hausser,  of  the  First  German  Church,  Denver, 
whose  traveling  expenses  were  paid  by  the  Denver  Church.  He 
visited  Pueblo,  and  preached  there  every  four  weeks  for  two 
years.  Through  the  assistance  of  Conrad  Frick,  of  Denver,  lots . 
were  bought  for  a  church  and  a  parsonage,  costing  $750.  In 
1892  Rev.  W.  L.  Myer  was  appointed  pastor,  with  a  society  of 
nine  members.  Incorporation  papers  were  made  out,  and  steps 
taken  to  secure  a  permanent  church  home.  In  1893  a  parsonage 
was  built  and  paid  for,  aided  by  the  German  Churches  of  Denver. 
A  church  edifice  was  bought  in  1894,  and  moved  to  the  lot.  The 
work  prospers  under  the  blessing  of  God. 

Among  those  prominent  in  bringing  about  this  success  in 
the  German  work  is  Conrad  Frick,  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany, 
May  4,  1836.  He  landed  in  New  York,  April,  1853.  Spent  one 
year  in  New  Jersey,  and  then  came  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  where 
he  remained  six  years.  He  was  converted  in  1857,  and  identified 
himself  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church ;  came  to  the  moun- 
tains in  March,   186 1,  spent  a  year  in  Central  City,  and  then 


374  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Opened  a  shoestore  in  Denver,  April,  1862,  where  he  has  resided 
ever  since.  During  all  these  years  he  has  been  a  leading  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  here,  identified  with  the  old 
Lawrence  Street  Church,  and  later  with  the  German  Methodist 
work. 

B.  T.  ViNCBNT,  while  pastor  of  Lawrence  Street  Church,  as- 
sisted by  H.  H.  Mund,  Mrs.  Mund,  Robert  Davis,  and  Mrs. 
C.  H.  Deane,  organized  a  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday-school 
in  a  two-story  frame  building,  which  had  formerly  been  used  as 
a  barn  and  ice-house,  at  49  Antelope  Street,  near  South  Thir- 
teenth. The  persons  above-named  were  elected  officers  and 
teachers.  About  twenty-five  scholars  were  present.  The  school 
continued  its  meetings  here  until  the  Evans  Memorial  Chapel 
was  completed,  in  the  summer  of  1878.  One  year  after  its  organ- 
ization, the  Quarterly  Conference  of  Lawrence  Street  Church 
confirmed  H.  H.  Mund  as  superintendent  of  the  ''Evans  Mission 
Sunday-school,"  by  which  name  the  school  was  known  until  it 
was  moved  into  the  new  "Chapel;"  since  then,  "The  Evans  Chapel 
Sunday-school." 

Realizing  the  importance  of  the  work  begun.  Rev.  B.  T.  Vin- 
cent and  Peter  Winne  called  on  Ex-Governor  Evans  to  secure 
the  best  possible  arrangement  for  a  building  site  for  a  new 
church,  and  for  the  erection  of  a  temporary  frame  building  for 
the  use  of  the  Sunday-school.  Suggestions  were  made,  and  the 
matter  was  taken  under  advisement  by  the  Governor. 

After  some  delay,  the  neat  and  tasty  church  edifice,  known  as 
the  "Evans  Memorial  Church"  was  erected.  The  building  at  that 
time  cost  $13,000,  and  the  Conference,  at  its  session  in  Golden 
in  1878,  was  asked  by  Ex-Governor  Evans  to  supply  its  pulpit. 
It  was  dedicated  by  Bishop  Simpson,  October  10,  1878,  in  mem- 
ory of  Ex-Governor  Evans's  daughter,  Josephine,  deceased  wife 
of  Judge  S.  H.  Elbert. 

The  first  pastor  of  this  Church  was  Horatio  S.  Hilton,  who 
served  in  this  capacity,  in  connection  with  the  St.  James  pastorate, 
for  two  years.  The  next  was  J.  F.  McClelland,  1880-81.  At  that 
time  there  were  only  five  names  on  the  roll  of  membership.  One 
of  these  could  not  be  found,  another  did  not  know  that  he  be- 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER.  375 

longed!  Ex-Governor  Evans's  pew  that  year  cost  him  $1,400. 
The  pastor's  health  failed  in  the  middle  of  the  last  year,  and  Dr. 
D.  H.  Moore,  chancellor  of  the  University  of  Denver,  filled  out 
the  vacancy.  The  third  pastor  was  C.  W.  Buoy,  who,  after  a 
year  and  a  half  of  faithful  service,  returned  to  Philadelphia.  Dr. 
Moore  was  again  called  to  act  as  pastor  pro  tern.  E.  T.  Curnick 
and  Henry  A.  Buchtel,  D.  D.,  followed,  each  for  one  year,  and 
Gilbert  De  La  A^atyr,  D.  D.,  for  three  years;  During  this  lasi 
pastorate,  ''Grace,"  the  Queen  of  the  connection,  was  erected 
beside  the  Evans  Memorial  Chapel,  on  the  corner  of  South  Four- 
teenth and  Olive  Streets.  It  is  built  of  red  sandstone,  in  purest 
Gothic  architecture,  surmounted  by  a  beautiful  spire,  and  cost 
$85,000.  Including  the  adjoining  chapels  and  lots,  it  is  valued 
at  $1 18,000.  The  organ  cost  $10,000.  The  parsonage  is  valued  at 
$12,000.  It  is  only  justice  to  all  concerned  to  say  that  Ex-Gov- 
ernor Evans  has  been  by  far  the  largest  contributor  in  all  these 
enterprises. 

A.  H.  Lucas  was  pastor  from  1889  to  1891.  Following  him 
came  J.  R.  Shannon,  D.  D.,  for  five  years,  and  A.  H.  Briggs, 
D.  D.,  1896. 

On  March  22,  1873,  Rev.  H.  J.  Shafifner  preached  the  first  ser- 
mon in  North  Denver,  in  a  vacant  store-building,  and  organized 
a  Sunday-school  and  a  society  with  twenty-one  members.  Dex- 
ter Soggs  was  appointed  class-leader,  and  the  following  trustees: 
Dexter  Soggs,  Thomas  Manchester,  J.  R.  Preston,  James  Wild, 
Richard  Sheriff,  Eldridge  Rider,  and  A.  Wood. 

Rev.  Shafifner,  writing  from  his  California  home,  says:  "I 
bought  the  first  grounds  for  the  church.  Ex-Governor  Evans 
gave  me  $500  to  pay  for  the  lots.  These  were  afterwards  sold, 
and  a  church  built." 

Rev.  James  P.  Dew  preached  regularly  in  the  Ashland  school- 
building  for  two  years,  residing  in  a  frame  house  on  the  corner 
of  Central  and  Sixteenth  Streets,  which  he  had  built  for  himself. 

For  some  cause  the  appointment  of  North  Denver  was 
dropped  from  1875  to  1878,  when  Rev.  F.  C.  Millington,  pastor 
of  California  Street,  took  it  up  again,  conducting  a  Sunday-school 
and  preached  occasionally;  but  his  duties  elsewhere  were  such 


376  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

he  could  not  give  it  much  attention.  Once  more  it  was  lost  to 
view  until  September  5,  1880,  when  Rev.  H.  C.  King,  a  super- 
numerary member  of  the  Conference,  and  a  realty  agent  on  the 
North  Side,  reorganized  the  Sunday-school,  and  on  the  26th  of 
the  same  month  reorganized  the  society  with  eleven  members, 
meeting  in  the  Ashland  School-building,  where  he  preached  regu- 
larly once  a  Sabbath. 

In  October,  steps  were  taken  to  consider  the  advisability  of 
selling  their  lots  on  Eighteenth  Street,  and  reinvesting  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Sixteenth  and  Boulder  Streets,  and  of  building  a  house  of 
worship.  This  was  accordingly  done,  and  the  corner-stone  of  the 
first  church  edifice  was  laid  July  3,  1881.  November  20th  follow- 
ing, it  was  occupied  for  worship,  and  was  dedicated  by  Bishop 
Foster,  July  30,  1882.  The  pews  were  not  put  in  until  the  winter 
and  spring  of  1886-7,  when  it  was  finished  and  the  floors  carpeted. 
The  parsonage  was  built  by  Rev.  O.  L.  Fisher  in  the  autumn  of 
1885,  his  family  moving  in  on  December  7th  of  that  year. 

T.  A.  Uzzell  was  pastor  in  1882;  S.  W.  Thornton  in  1883; 
O.  L.  Fisher,  1884-6;  J.  F.  Harris,  1887-90.  While  Brother 
Harris  was  pastor,  the  North  Denver  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  ceased  to  exist  as  a  corporation,  and  the  "Asbury  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church"  came  into  being,  with  a  church  home 
on  the  corner  of  Bert  and  Fay  Streets,  the  most  commanding 
Methodist  Church  site  in  the  city. 

The  building  is  two  stories,  83  x  92  feet,  built  of  lava-stone, 
with  Manitou  red-stone  trimmings.  The  style  of  architecture  is 
Romanesque.  The  building  is  massive  in  appearance,  with  heavy 
arches  and  solid  stone  tower  rising  to  the  height  of  one  hundred 
feet.  The  corner-stone  of  this  handsome  edifice  was  laid  April 
2,  1890,  by  Bishop  H.  W.  Warren,  with  appropriate  ceremonies. 
U.  Z.  Gilmer  was  the  pastor  in  1891-2.  M.  W.  Hissey  followed 
him  in  1893,  having  a  good  revival  the  following  winter,  his  ven- 
erable father  doing  most  of  the  preaching.  During  the  summer 
of  1894  he  secured  the  donation  of  material  from  an  unknown 
friend  (Bishop  H.  W.  Warren  delivering  twenty  lectures  in  the 
East  in  June,  1894,  devoting  the  net  proceeds,  $750,  to  this  pur- 
pose),- and  voluntary  labor  from  his  people,  and  proceeded  to 
finish  the  beautiful  audience-room,  which  was  thrown  open  to  the 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER. 


377 


public  for  the  first  time  on  Sabbath  morning,  September  9,  1894, 
Chancellor  McDowell  preaching  the  sermon.  A  plan  is  on  foot 
now  to  remove  the  indebtedness. 

Through  the  influence  of  Drs.  Moore  and  Cranston  and  B.  W. 
Baker,  pastor  of  the  St.  James  Church,  a  plot  of  ground,  87  x  125 
feet  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Beckwourth  and  South  Water 
Streets,  was  given  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  E.  Sumner  for  a  new 
church  site.  On  the  evenings  of  March  3  and  4,  1882,  a  taber- 
nacle, to  be  used  as  a  place 
of  worship,  was  erected 
thereon  by  George  McClel- 
land and  seven  others.  Here 
the  Beckwourth  Street  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  was 
organized  on  March  5,  1882, 
by  the  pastor  of  the  St.  James 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
with  eight  members,  William 
J.  Graves  class-leader.  Soon 
after  this  John  Brownson, 
wife,  and  five  others  united 
with  the  new  society.  At 
the  same  time  and  place  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Sun- 
day-school was  organized, 
the  pastor,  B.  W.  Baker,  act- 
ing as  superintendent,  and 
Henry  Woodbury  secretary, 
which  position  he  held  for 
two  or  three  years.  The  school  numbered  forty  on  the  first  Sab- 
bath it  met.  In  April  following,  George  McClelland  was  elected 
superintendent.  The  first  subscription  paper  for  the  church- 
building  was  dated  February  24,  1882.  The  church  was  erected 
the  following  summer,  and  cost  $1,537.40. 

From  1882  to  1884  this  Mission  was  connected  with  the  St. 
James  Church.  From  1884  to  1886  it  was  associated  with  the 
Simpson  Church  Mission.  At  the  Conference  of  1886  it  was  set 
apart  as  a  station. 


378  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

The  pastors  have  been:  B.  W.  Baker,  1882;  I.  H.  Beardsley, 
1883-4;  J.  W.  Linn,  1884-6;  H.  L.  Beardsley,  1887.  During  his 
pastorship  the  church  name  was  changed  to  ''Fifth  Avenue,"  to 
correspond  with  the  changed  name  of  the  street.  Then  S.  W. 
Thornton  in  1888-89;  while,  he  was  pastor  the  city  was  having 
a  rapid  growth,  and  it  became  necessary  to  enlarge  the  church 
twice  to  accommodate  the  ever-increasing  congregations  which 
waited  on  his  popular  ministry.  He  also  secured  the  erection  of 
a  two- story  brick  parsonage  beside  the  church.  The  subsequent 
pastors  have  been:  N.  A.  Chamberlain,  1890-91;  J.  H.  Merritt, 
1892;  E.  J.  Wilcox,.  1893-5 ;  Robert  Sanderson,  1896. 

Thk  "Simpson  Mission"  was  started  by  Rev.  O.  L.  Fisher, 
then  pastor  of  California  Street  Church,  in  April,  1882,  in  a  pri- 
vate house,  1 133  HolHday,  now  Market,  Street.  A  class  was  or- 
ganized with  the  following  members:  W.  R.  Hester  and  wife, 
Rose  Osborn,  George  Crigler,  wife,  and  Lucinda  Krake.  The 
chapel  on  McClellan  Street  was  built  that  autumn,  and  enlarged 
in  1883. 

In  August,  1884,  this  Mission  was  connected  with  the  Beck- 
wourth  Street  Mission,  with  John  W.  Linn  pastor.  This  relation 
continued  for  two  years,  when  it  became  a  station,  with  H.  D. 
Seckner  pastor.  During  his  pastorate  of  four  years  the  old 
church  property  was  sold,  and  lots  were  bought  on  the  corner 
of  Lafayette  Street  and  Thirty-seventh  Avenue,  where  the  present 
church-building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $5,100.  For  the  next 
year  and  a  half  J.  T.  Musgrove  was  the  pastor.  He  was  followed 
by  J.  T.  Pender  to  1894;  then  R.  M.  Barnes,  D.  D.,  1894-5;  H.  L. 
Beardsley,  1896. 

In  1888  the  Rev.  John  Collins  was  appointed  to  a  newly- 
formed  charge,  called  ''Rocky  Ford."  Upon  his  arrival  there, 
he  found  that  a  sister  denomination  had  occupied  the  field  so  fully 
that  there  was  hardly  room  for  another.  His  mother  being  in 
poor  health  and  the  field  of  labor  not  at  all  promising,  he  thought 
it  best  to  ask  for  a  change,  and  came  at  once  to  Denver.  Here 
he  consulted  his  presiding  elder  and  others,  with  the  result  that 
he  concluded  to  open  a  new  work  in  South  Denver.    The  result 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER.  379 

has  been  several  new  churches  and  nine  years  of  successful  work 
in  this  part  of  the  city. 

He  held  his  first  service  in  the  schoolhouse  at  Valverde,  on 
September  30,  1888,  using  for  his  text  i  Timothy  iv,  8.  There 
had  been  services  held  at  this  place  by  city  pastors  in  former 
years.  The  writer  preached  there  on  November  2,  1884,  and, 
through  the  different  city  pastors,  services  were  held  regularly 
till  the  Conference  session  of  1885.  In  1887  the  Rev.  H.  L. 
Beardsley,  then  pastor  at  Beckwourth  Street  Mission,  began, 
preaching  there  again,  and  continued  this  every  two  weeks  regu- 
larly, until  the  Conference  met  in  1888.  Brother  Collins  coming 
into  this  field  soon  after,  took  up  and  continued  the  work  with 
remarkable  results. 

On  October  14th  a  Board  of  Trustees  was  elected,  and  soon 
after  incorporated.  The  society  was  duly  organized  December 
30,  1888,  with  six  members,  John  Furry  being  the  class-leader. 
July  5,  1889,  the  corporate  name  of  the  Church  was  changed  to 
''The  Wright  Memorial  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Val- 
verde." A  church-building  was  erected  and  opened  September 
22,  1889,  by  N.  A.  Chamberlain,  presiding  elder,  and  others.  A 
Methodist  Sunday-school  was  organized  on  the  next  Sabbath, 
September  29,  1889.  Bishop  Warren  dedicated  the  church  Feb- 
ruary 16,  1890.  The  pastors  have  been:  John  Collins,  G.  H. 
Smith,  Thomas  Bithel,  J.  F.  Irwin,  W.  D.  Phifer,  W.  H.  Haupt, 
F.  L.  L.  HiUer. 

The  first  service  was  held  at  the  Flemings  Grove  School- 
house,  October  14,  1888.  A  society  was  organized  here  Decem- 
ber 30th,  with  five  members,  Webster  Daniels  being  the  class- 
leader.  Incorporation  was  secured  soon  after  the  election  of  trus- 
tees, February  4,  1889.  February  loth  the  ''Union  Sunday- 
school"  became  a  "Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday-school,"  with 
the  consent  of  all  concerned.  On  February  9,  1890,  Bishop  War- 
ren opened  the  church  with  appropriate  services,  and  the  next 
Sabbath  the  Sunday-school  moved  in  and  was  reorganized.  The 
church  was  named  "The  Cameron  Memorial  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church."  Its  pastor^  have  been:  John  Collins,  A.  K.  Stab- 
ler, W.  I.  Taylor,  Robert  Sanderson;  J.  F.  Cofifman,  1896. 

Regular  services  were  resumed  at  Littleton,  after  a  long  sus- 


380  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

pension,  in  November,  1890.  The  society  and  Sunday-school 
were  organized  by  Brother  ColHns  on  December  7th  following. 
February  10,  1891,  Bishop  Warren  formally  opened  the  tent  for 
religious  worship.  John  Collins,  F.  C.  Schofield,  F.  L.  L.  Hiller, 
and  O.  L.  Orton  have  been  the  pastors. 

Brother  Collins  also  held  the  first  religious  services  at  Fort 
Logan  July  10,  1892.  During  this  Conference  year  subscriptions 
were  started  for  new  churches  at  Rosedale  and  at  Myrtle  Hill. 
The  first  service  was  held  at  the  latter  place  February  5,  1893,  and 
the  Sunday-school  was  organized  at  a  private  residence.  The 
society  was  started  on  July  30th  following.  The  church  was 
opened  for  worship  by  Chancellor  McDowell,  September  3,  1893, 
and  dedicated  by  Dr.  Vincent,  presiding  elder,  September  8,  1895. 
The  pastors  here  have  been:  John  Collins,  G.  F.  Mead,  W.  D. 
Phifer,  R.  E.  Meyers. 

On  July  2,  1893,  Brother  Collins  began  preaching  at  the 
Broadway  Heights.  Mrs.  John  Collins  organized  the  Sunday- 
school  in  Rosedale,  August  20,  1893,  and  preaching  services  were 
begun  there  on  the  next  Sabbath.  The  society  was  organized 
January  7,  1894,  and  the  Church  incorporated  February  14,  1893, 
as  the  ''Warren  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  Church."  The 
building  was  dedicated  by  Bishop  Warren,  December  17,  1893. 
The  corporate  name  of  the  Church  was  changed,  March  5,  1895, 
to  ''The  Collins  Chapel."  At  this  writing  (1896)  John  Collins 
has  been  the  only  pastor. 

An  earnest  conviction  prevailed  that  more  should  be  done 
for  the  Master  in  the  rapidly-growing  city  of  Denver,  so  at  the 
Conference  session  in  July,  1890,  O.  L.  Fisher  was  appointed 
"Superintendent  of  City  Missions."  The  larger  Churches  pledged 
the  greater  portion  of  his  salary.  This,  with  his  Conference  rela- 
tion and  authority,  meant  business  from  the  very  beginning.  In 
the  spring  just  previous  a  Sunday-school  had  been  started  in  the 
hall  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  This  school  Brother  Fisher 
soon  moved  across  the  street  to  the  old  "Lawrence  Street 
Church,"  and  there  organized  "The  Church  of  the  Strangers," 
in  connection  with  its  services,  with- appropriate  opening  cere- 
monies. 

Of  the  organization  of  the  "Grant  Avenue  Methodist  Epis- 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER.  38 1 

copal  Church"  and  its  Sunday-school,  Brother  Fisher  writes: 
"Three  laymen  came  to  my  office  in  the  city,  and  said,  'There 
ought  to  be  a  mission  near  Broadway,  south  of  Cherry  Creek/ 
I  called  a  meeting  at  my  house  in  the  early  part  of  November, 
1890.  Five  came.  A  few  days  later  I  held  another  meeting,  with 
seven.  Then  I  leased  a  lot  on  Sherman  Avenue,  and  commenced 
to  erect  a  tabernacle.  Nine  mechanics  came  with  lanterns,  and 
worked  for  two  or  three  hours  each  night  for  eleven  nights,  when 
it  was  done.  On  the  first  Sabbath  of  December,  1890,  the  taber- 
nacle was  opened,  a  Church  and  Sunday-school  organized.  In 
six  months  we  had  almost  one  hundred  members,  and  over  one 
hundred  in  the  Sunday-school.  Just  six  months  from  its  organ- 
ization, June  9th,  at  a  morning  service  the  congregation  sub- 
scribed over  $1,400  for  the  support  of  a  pastor  the  coming  Con- 
ference year." 

A  church  was  erected  in  the  fall  of  1891.  The  pastors  here 
have  been:  R.  A.  Chase,  M.  A.  Casey,  J.  T.  Pender,  and  W.  F. 
Conner,  1896. 

The  Greenwood  society,  in  Globeville,  was  started  in  the  fall 
of  1890,  with  eleven  members.  The  ''Union  Sunday-school"  was 
changed  to  a  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday-school.  In  the  spring 
of  1 89 1  the  society  began  the  erection  of  a  church,  which  was 
completed  during  the  pastorate  of  the  incoming  pastor,  H.  D. 
Seckner.  He  was  succeeded  in  this  charge  by  C.  W.  Huett  for 
three  years,  and  C.  C.  P.  Hiller,  1895-6. 

Brother  Fisher  also  started  Sunday-schools  and  societies  at 
Highland  Place,  Ellsworth,  South  Eleventh,  and  Millison's,  in 
January,  1891.  He  held  services  in  all  of  these  places.  A  Church 
enterprise  was  begun  at  Berkley,  in  February,  1891,  by  organ- 
izing a  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  and  setting  out  to  build  a  church. 
Two  months  after,  the  walls  were  up.  Mrs.  McDonald,  Mrs. 
Clayton,  and  S.  E.  Bishop  started  a  Sunday-school  on  the  floor 
of  the  church,  before  the  roof  was  on.  A  class  of  twelve  mem- 
bers was  organized  June  21,  189 1.  H.  D.  Seckner,  the  succeed- 
ing pastor,  completed  the  church,  and  in  1892  built  a  six-room 
brick  parsonage,  costing  $1,100.  H.  W.  H.  Butler  became  the 
pastor  in  1895-6.    - 

Brother  Fisher,  as  superintendent,  reported  at  the  Conference 


382  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

session  in  1891,  28  probationers,  105  members,  6  Sunday-schools, 
62  officers  and  teachers,  750  scholars,  and  Church  property  valued 
at  $3,500. 

Thk  Rev.  John  R.  Wood  was  appointed  in  1891  to  "City 
Missions,"  Denver.  All  but  the  ''Grant  Avenue,"  ''Greenwood," 
and  "Berkley"  Missions  were  turned  over  to  him.  The  "Church 
of  the  Strangers"  was  moved  by  him  to  Eleventh  Street,  between 
Larimer  and  Lawrence  Streets. 

In  1892  it  was  moved  to  the  corner  of  Larimer  and  Eighth 
Streets,  where  good  work  has  been  done  for  three  years.  It  has 
now  moved  into  a  chapel  of  its  own,  at  the  corner  of  Blake  and 
Eighth  Streets,  and  is  known  as  the  "Eighth  Street  Mission." 

The  Millison  Mission,  reorganized  this  year,  has  grown  con- 
tinuously. At  first  it  occupied  a  tent,  then  a  hall,  where  Sunday- 
school,  Epworth  League,  and  regular  preaching  services  are  held. 

The  South  Eleventh  Street  Mission  has  had  a  varied  history. 
Its  tabernacle  was  blown  down  twice;  then  it  met  in  a  hall  for 
some  months;  now  it  has  a  cozy  church,  which  is  called  "Wesley 
Chapel,"  and  stands  near  the  corner  of  Ellsworth  and  South 
Eleventh  Streets. 

Highland  Place,  like  its  Master,  had  its  birth  in  a  stable, 
which  it  continued  to  use  up  to  November,  1896.  The  present 
pastor  has  erected  and  is  using  a  small  brick  church.  The  pas- 
tors have  been:  C.  W.  Harned,  1892;  J.  W.  Flesher,  1893-4; 
A.  B.  Glockner,  1895;  C.  H.  Koyl,  1896.  These  brethren  have 
done  and  are  doing  the  Master's  work  manfully. 

Brother  Wood  erected  a  tabernacle,  and  established  a  mission 
also  at  Edgewater,  Ruby  Avenue,  now  called  "Lake  Park,"  and 
on  Market,  near  Thirtieth  Streets.  This  is  now  called  "The 
Briggs  Mission,"  and  is  located  on  Market,  near  Thirty-second 
Street.  This  tent  and  furnishings  were  from  the  St.  James 
Church,  West  Denver. 

In  several  of  these  missions  the  writer  held  revival  services  for 
a  period  of  twelve  weeks,  during  the  winter  and  spring  of  1892. 

The  report  of  the  superintendent  at  the  Conference  session  of 
1892  says:  City  Missions — 7  Sunday-schools,  125  officers  and 
teachers,  600  scholars,  25  probationers,  and  67  members. 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER.  383 

In  1892,  by  the  request  of  the  Annual  Conference,  the  new 
Denver  District  was  formed,  embracing  the  city  of  Denver  and 
a  portion  of  the  vicinity.  The  "City  Missions"  were  placed  under 
the  supervision  of  the  presiding  elder,  who  usually  employs 
university  students  to  conduct  the  several  missions. 

''The  Epworth  Mission,"  on  Columbine  Street,  near  Thirty- 
third,  was  started  by  the  Epworth  League  of  Simpson  Church, 
in  the  fall  of  1892.  Their  pastor,  J.  T.  Pender,  raised  the  money 
by  lecturing,  and  paid  for  the  ''Tent  of  Meeting."  A  neat  brick 
church  has  just  been  completed  for  the  use  of  this  missioiv 

A  Sunday-school  and  society  were  organized  at  the  Overland 
Cotton-mills,  March  25,  1895,  by  the  Rev.  W.  D.  Phifer.  Just 
sixty  days  from  that  date  a  heat  church  was  dedicated,  free  of 
debt,  costing  $1,630.  The  society  had  twenty-one  members,  and 
the  Sunday-school  fifty. 

Missions  have  recently  been  started  at  "Oakes"  and  "Coro- 
nado,"  in  the  vicinity  of  the  University  Park,  and  are  also  sup- 
plied by  students. 

Most  of  these  missions  will  soon,  under  the  blessing  of  God, 
develop  into  self-supporting  Churches,  with  their  Sunday-schools, 
Epworth  Leagues,  and  other  agencies  for  helping  society.  Thus 
the  work  is  being  pushed  in  Denver  and  in  this  whole  region. 
God  be  praised  for  his  goodness  to  the  children  of  men! 

The  L'niversity  Park  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organ- 
ized September  10,  1894,  with  fifty-six  members,  when  Presiding 
Elder  Vincent  appointed  A.  B.  Hyde,  D.  D.,  pastor.  A  Sunday- 
school  had  been  in  existence  for  over  two  years  previous.  In 
1896,  N.  S.  Albright,  D.  D.,  a  recent  addition  to  the  teaching 
force  of  the  Iliflf  School  of  Theology,  was  given  the  pastorate 
of  this  society. 

EPISCOPAL  RESIDENCE. 

The:  General  Conference  of  1884  established  an  Episcopal 
Residence  in  Denver,  which  was  selected  by  Bishop  H.  W.  War- 
ren, D.  D.,  as  his  home. 

Bishop  Warren  was  elected  to  the  episcopacy  from  the  pas- 
torate in  1880.  He  came  directly  from  the  seat  of  the  General 
Conference  to  begin  his  episcopal  work  in  Colorado,  by  presiding 
25 


384 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


over  this  body  that  year.    His  episcopal  home  had  been  assigned 
him  for  the  quadrennium  in  Atlanta,  Ga. 

His  first  presiding  was  characterized  by  that  far-reaching 
comprehension  of  the  needs  of  the  work  and  kindly  sympathy 
with  the  workers  that  has  been  shown  through  his  years  of  de- 
votion to  the  Master's  cause.  The  attachments  have  been  mu- 
tual and  permanent — in  one  instance  at  least! 


BISHOP    H.  W.  WARREN,  D.  D.,  I.I..  D. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ilifif,  Decem- 
ber 2y,  1883,  at  the  Evans  Memorial  Church,  by  Bishop  Simpson. 
This  event  brought  into  Colorado  Methodism  a  new,  important, 
and  forceful  factor.  In  the  following  year  his  episcopal  home 
was  established  in  Denver,  and  when  not  engaged  in  his  official 


METHODISM  IN  DENVER.  385 

duties,  he  has  been  at  or  near  his  home,  overseeing  and  caring 
for  the  Churches;  identifying  himself  fully  with  the  frontier  pas- 
tors in  all  their  interests.  In  all  these  years  he  has  been  a  man 
of  one  work,  and  has  shown  marked  ability  in  building  up  the 
educational,  spiritual,  and  material  interests  of  the  Church  in 
Colorado.  The  Churches  of  all  this  greater  West,  as  well  as 
those  of  Denver,  have  felt  the  throb  of  his  pulse  and  the  genius 
of  his  individuality.  His  money  and  that  of  his  excellent  wife 
has  been  distributed  with  a  liberal  hand  to  many  of  these  enter- 
prises. Long  may  they  live  to  serve  and  bless  humanity!  is  the 
prayer  of  many  hearts  in  this  Rocky  Mountain  region. 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  SOUTH. 

Rev.  M.  Bradford,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  organized  a  small  society  in  Denver,  in  i860.  He  secured 
lots  for  a  permanent  Church  home,  on  the  corner  of  Fourteenth 
and  Arapahoe  Streets,  which  is  now  the  site  of  the  Haish  Manual 
Training-school  of  the  University  of  Denver.  Here  he  began 
erecting  a  plain  house  of  worship,  which  effort  was  interrupted 
by  the  outbreaking  of  the  war.  He  returned  to  the  South.  This 
property  was  afterwards  sold  to  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  the 
"St.  John's  Church  in  the  Wilderness"  was  established  there. 
Dean  Hart's  Cathedral  is  its  legitimate  successor. 

In  1871,  Rev.  A.  A.  Morrison  started  the  Church  again,  se- 
cured lots  on  Arapahoe  Street,  between  Eighteenth  and  Nine- 
teenth Streets,  on  which  a  small  house  of  worship  was  erected. 
This  building  was  afterwards  traded  for  a  larger  one,  on  the 
corner  of  Twentieth  and  Curtis  Streets,  in  which  this  congrega- 
tion worshiped  for  several  years.  In  1888  they  sold  this  property, 
and  erected  the  "St.  Paul's"  on  the  corner  of  Twenty-first  and 
Welton  Streets. 

The  names  of  the  pastors  serving  this  society,  with  the  dates 
of  their  appointment,  have  been:  A.  A.  Morrison,  D.  D.,  July 
16,  1871 ;  E.  A.  Mann,  from  July  to  October  8,  1873,  when  W.  H. 
Warren  took  his  place;  W.  C.  Hearn,  September,  1874;  W.  G. 
Miller,  1876;  W.  Harris,  1877;  W.  J.  Phillip,  1878;  C.  B.  Riddick, 
1880;  J.  D.  Bush,  1882;  J.  M.  Major,  July  20,  1883,  to  October, 
when  J.  C.  Morris  was  appointed;  F.  B.  Carroll,  D.  D.,  1885; 


386  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

W.  F.  Packard,  1886;  W.  T.  Boiling,  1888;  J.  M.  Crowe,  1890; 
J.  A.  Duncan,  1891;  J.  H.  Ledbetter,  1894-5. 

In  1880,  the  ''Morrison  Memorial"  Chapel  was  begun  on  the 
corner  of  Thirty-second  Avenue  and  Lafayette  Street.  This 
building  and  its  adjoining  parsonage  have  been  enlarged  and 
improved  several  times,  so  that  they  now  assume  handsome  pro- 
portions, and  constitute  a  valuable  property.  This  society  has 
had  a  varied  experience.  While  it  has  done  a  good  work  on  the 
whole,  it  has  not  made  much  numerical  progress. 

FREE  METHODIST  CHURCH. 

The  Free  Methodist  Church  was  organized,  August  19,  1883, 
in  the  St.  James  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Denver,  by  Rev. 
Hiram  A.  Crouch. 

John  P.  Eckel,  a  godly  man,  of  blessed  memory,  was  the 
class-leader  for  several  years.  Their  pastors  have  been:  H.  A. 
Crouch,  J.  H.  Oney,  C.  W.  Stamp,  J.  F.  Garrett,  J.  W.  Glazier, 
J.  B.  Roberts,  W.  T.  Warren,  and  J.  A.  DeFoe. 

About  a  year  after  their  organization,  they  bought  the  West- 
minster Tabernacle,  then  standing  on  the  corner  of  Tenth  and 
Champa  Streets.  This  building  was  subsequently  moved  out  on 
South  Water,  between  Third  and  Fourth  Avenues,  where  the 
society  has  greatly  prospered. 


XIII. 

KDUCATTIONAIv  INSTlTrUTTIONS. 

Methodism  was  born  in  Oxford  University.  Its  founder  was 
a  man  of  broad  scholarship,  as  well  as  of  deep  piety.  His  follow- 
ers everywhere  have  ever  encouraged  the  highest  degree  of  men- 
tal and  moral  culture.  True  to  Methodistic  antecedents,  *'The 
Rocky  Mountain  Conference,"  at  its  organization,  considered 
the  question  of  education,  and  adopted  the  following,  on  July  12, 
1863,  namely: 

"Your  Committee  on  Education  would  report  as  follows: 

"Whereas,  The  future  of  the  Church  depends  in  a  great  degree  upon 
the  action  of  the  present;  and 

"Whereas,  The  training  of  the  3'outh  of  our  country  forms  a  most 
important  part  of  that  action;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  we  will  foster  and  incite,  by  our  influence,  both 
official  and  individual,  efforts  to  secure  a  proper  mental  training  to  the 
youth  of  Colorado. 

Denver  Seminary. 

^'Resolved,  That  we  view  with  satisfaction  the  progress  already  made 
by  the  trustees  of  Denver  Seminary;  that  we  heartily  approve  the  offi- 
cers selected  for  its  management,  and  the  steps  already  taken  for  the 
erection  of  its  buildings,  and  the  liberality  of  the  people  who  contributed 
to  its  financial  stability. 

Golden  City. 

''Resolved,  That  we  also  look  with  pleasure  upon  the  efforts  recently 
made  in  Golden  City  towards  erecting  a  college  building,  to  be  placed 
under  the  control  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  would  recommend  it  to  the  •  patronage  of  the 
Conference  and  to  the  liberality  of  the  Church  throughout  its  bounds. 

"(Signed,)         O.  A.  Willard." 

This  was  t'he  incipient  step  of  all  higher  educational  move- 
ments in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region.  Some  of  the  features  of 
this  report  will  provoke  a  smile,  especially  when  the  condition 
of  society  at  that  date  in  the  Territory  is  taken  into  account,  most 
expecting  to  remain  only  for  a  short  time,  and  then  return  to 
the  ''States,"  to  enjoy  their  fortunes. 

The  "Golden  City  College"  scheme  appears  never  to  have 

387 


388  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

reached  maturity,  as  we  hear  nothing  more  of  it  in  the  later  his- 
tory of  the  work. 

The  next  educational  reference  of  importance  appears  in  the 
following  official  document: 

"AN   ACT   TO    INCORPORATE    THE    COLORADO 
SEMINARY. 

"Be  it  enacted  by  the  Council  and  House  of  Representatives  of 
Colorado  Territory: 

"Section  i.  That  John  Evans,  Samuel  H.  Elbert,  W.  N.  Byers,  H. 
Burton,  A.  B.  Case,  J.  G.  Vawter,  A.  J.  Gill,  W.  D.  Pease,  Edwin  Scud- 
der,  J.  H.  Morrison,  Warren  Hussey,  J.  W.  Smith,  D.  H.  Moffatt,  Jr., 
R.  E.  Whitsitt,  C.  A.  Cook,  John  Cree,  Amos  Steck,  J.  M.  Chivington, 
J.  B.  Doyle,  Henry  Henson,  Amos  Widner,  John  T.  Lynch,  Milo  Lee, 
J.  B.  Chaffee,  Lewis  Jones,  O.  A.  Willard,  W.  A.  H.  Loveland,  Robert 
Berry,  be,  and  they  are  hereby,  constituted  a  body  politic  and  corporate 
for  the  purpose  of  founding,  directing,  and  maintaining  an  institution  of 
learning,  to  be  styled  the  Colorado  Seminary,"  etc. 

"Approved,  March  5,  1864,  by  John  Evans,  Governor." 

In  October,  1864,  the  "Colorado  Conference"  (now  called) 
took  the  following  action: 

"Your  Committee  is  glad  to  report  the  progress  of  the  educational 
interests  of  the  Church  in  the  Territory,  as  especially  shown  in  the  favor- 
able view  of,  and  the  successful  labor  in,  connection  with  the 

Colorado  Seminary. 

"This  institution,  incorporated  by  the  Territorial  Legislature  of  last 
winter,  has  a  regularly-constituted  Board  of  Trustees,  and  a  fine  build- 
ing, located  at  Denver.  The  building  has  cost  about  $14,000,  and  no 
debt  remains  upon  it.  A  corps  of  teachers  is  daily  expected,  to  open  the 
seminary  for  the  reception  of  pupils.  Your  Committee  recommend  the 
appointment  of  a  Committee  of  Visitors,  consisting  of  two  members 
of  the  Conference.    We  offer  for  your  adoption  the  following  resolutions: 

"i.  That  the  portion  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  seminary  whose 
term  expires  with  this  Conference  session  be  reappointed. 

"2.  That  the  members  and  friends  of  our  Church  be  especially  re- 
quested to  patronize  the  seminary  by  sending  their  own,  and  encourag- 
ing the  attendance  of  the  children  of  others. 

"3.  That  we  will  preach  at  least  one  sermon  on  education  during  the 
year,  particularly  presenting  the  interests  of  the  Colorado  Seminary  to 
our  congregations.  (Signed,)         B.  T.  Vincent, 

"C.  W.  Johnson." 


EDUCATIONAL   INSTITUTIONS.  389 

Page  15  of  the  Colorado  Conference  Minutes  of  1864  has  the 
following  advertisement,  in  large  letters : 

"Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Colorado  Semi- 
nary for  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  Denver,  Colorado.  Executive  Board: 
Hon.  John  Evans,  Chairman;  Colonel  J.  M.  Chivington,  Hon.  Edwin 
Scudder,  J.  G.  Vawter,  Esq.,  William  N.  Byers,  Esq.,  Rev.  G.  S.  Phillips, 
A.  M.,  president,  assisted  by  competent  teachers.  The  scholastic  year 
is  divided  into  three  terms,  of  fall,  winter,  and  spring.  A  short  vacation 
will  follow  the  fall  and  winter  terms.  The  spring  term  will  be  followed 
with  a  vacation  during  the  months  of  July  and  August.  Tuition  per 
term:  Primary  Department,  $15;  Preparatory  Department,  $20;  Academic 
Department,  $30. 

"Ancient  and  Modern  Languages,  Music  and  various  Ornamental 
Branches  charged  extra.  Gymnastic  and  Callisthenic  Instruction  free 
of  charge.     All  payments  required  strictly  in  advance. 

"Young  ladies  in  the  Boarding  Department  will  be  under  the  care 
of  the  matron  of  the  institution.  They  will  furnish  their  own  rooms,  fuel, 
and  lights.  Boarding  and  washing  will  be  furnished  at  rates  as  low  as 
the  times  will  possibly  admit.  Those  wishing  to  place  young  ladies, 
misses,  or  boys  in  the  Boarding  Department,  will  inform  the  president 
immediately.    Young  gentlemen  can  procure  boarding  in  private  families." 

The  Conference  of  June,  1865,  adopted  the  following: 

"Your  committee,  to  whom  was  referred  the  subject  of  Education, 
would  report  as  follows: 

"Whereas,  The  education  of  the  people  is  justly  regarded  by  thought- 
ful men  as  the  only  guarantee  of  liberal  institutions  and  basis  of  religious 
faith;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  i.  That  we  regard  with  great  interest,  and  will  encourage 
all  efforts,  either  secular  or  religious,  which  tend  to  the  mental  culture 
of  the  young  people  of  Colorado. 

"2.  That  we  scorn  to  imitate  the  bigotry  of  those  who  regard  with 
aversion  educational  movements  which  dare  to  exist  and  succeed  inde- 
pendent of  themselves  or  their  sect. 

Colorado  Seminary. 
"Your  committee  is  grateful  at  the  prosperity  of  this  institution. 
The  first  term  began  November  14,  1864.  President  Phillips,  its  first 
president,  was  soon  taken  from  the  post  of  labor,  first  by  sickness,  and 
finally  by  death.  Embarrassed  to  some  extent  by  the  necessity  of  fre- 
quent change  of  teachers,  it  has  still  averaged  from  the  beginning  until 
Conference  about  seventy  students.  Its  facilities  have  been  greatly  en- 
larged, and  its  future  grows  daily  more  encouraging.  At  present  the 
Faculty  consists  of  the  following  teachers: 


390  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

"Rev.  George  Richardson,  president;  Miss  S.  E.  Morgan,  preceptress; 
Mrs.  M.  B.  Willard,  teacher  of  music;  Mrs.  J.  B.  Richardson,  matron. 
The  facilities  for  boarding  and  rooms  render  the  institution  worthy  the 
examination  and  patronage  of  those  whose  home  educational  facilities 
are  inadequate.  We  recommend  the  appointment  of  Rev.  George  Rich- 
ardson by  the  bishop  to  the  post  to  which  he  has  been  duly  elected  by 
the  Executive  Board  of  the  seminary.  We  also  urge  our  preachers  to  do 
all  in  their  power  to  advance  the  influence  and  patronage  of  this  school. 
"(Signed,)         O.  A.  WiIvI^ard,  Chairman." 

The  Conference  Minutes  of  1865  contains  a  similar  advertise- 
ment to  the  one  of  the  year  previous,  with  the  addition  of  vocal 
and  instrumental  music,  also  drawing  and  painting. 

The  Conference  of  1866,  said  in  its  report  on  the  Colorado 
Seminary : 

"This  institution  has  greatly  prospered  during  the  past  year,  under 
the  presidency  of  Rev.  George  Richardson,  assisted  by  four  valuable 
teachers  for  the  several  departments.  The  average  attendance  of  pupils 
for  the  year  has  been  one  hundred,  and  the  most  perfect  satisfaction  has 
been  given  in  their  instructions.  The  trustees  have  with  regret  been 
compelled  to  accept  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Richardson.  .  .  .  We  rec- 
ommend the  appointment  of  a  Conference  Visiting  Committee,  consist- 
ing of  W.  M.  Smith,  W.  W.  Baldwin,  and  the  Pastor  of  Denver  Church. 

"(Signed,)         B.  T.  Vincent. 
"O.  P.  McMains." 

Another  "ad"  is  found  in  the  Minutes  of  this  year,  of  the 
Colorado  Seminary,  similar  to  that  of  the  preceding  years : 

At  the  Conference  of  1867,  Ex-Governor  John  Evans,  chair- 
man of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Colorado  Seminary,  reported 
as  follows,  but  the  report  was  not  printed  in  the  Conference 
Minutes,  namely: 

"To  the  Colorado  Annual  Conference  of  tlie  Methodist  Episcopal  Church: 

"In  behalf  of  the  trustees  of  the  Colorado  Seminary,  I  submit  the 
following  report  of  the  condition  and  operation  of  the  institution: 

"It  has  an  eligible  site,  centrally  located,  in  the  city  of  Denver,  com- 
prising nearly  half  a  block.  Upon  this  has  been  erected  a  fine  brick 
building,  65  x  36  feet,  two  stories  high,  with  large  and  pleasant  rooms  in 
the  attic,  and  finished  in  a  substantial  manner.  It  is  conveniently  ar- 
ranged for  the  purposes  of  the  institution,  and  is  furnished. 

"The  entire  property  at  present  prices  is  estimated  to  be  worth  over 


EDUCATIONAL   INSTITUTIONS.  39 1 

twenty  thousand  dollars.  There  is  an  indebtedness  of  about  three  thou- 
sand dollars  against  the  institution. 

*'It  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  students  in  the  winter  of  1864-5, 
under  the  presidency  of  Rev.  George  S.  Phillips,  whose  failing  health 
prevented  him  from  continuing  in  charge  of  the  institution.  He  retired 
early  the  following  spring,  to  return  to  his  family  and  friends  in  Ohio, 
where  a  few  days  after  his  arrival  he  died. 

"Rev.  George  Richardson  succeeded  him  in  charge  of  the  institution 
the  remainder  of  that  and  the  succeeding  year.  Since  he  left  the  institu- 
tion to  engage  in  the  pastoral  work,  it  has,  during  the  past  year  just 
closed,  been  under  the  care  and  management  of  Rev.  B.  T.  Vincent. 
However,  having  pastoral  charge  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
Denver  City,  he  has  been  able  to  dev;ote  but  a  portion  of  his  time  to  the 
institution;  Miss  Sarah  Morgan,  for  the  last  two  years  a  faithful  and 
able  member  of  its  board  of  teachers,  having  taken  the  principal  manage- 
ment of  its  afTairs  during  the  year. 

"During  the  first  year  one  hundred  and  three  students  were  admitted 
to  the  institution;  the  second  year  one  hundred  and  eighty-six;  the  past 
year  one  hundred  and  thirty-six. 

"If  the  means  can  be  secured  to  liquidate  the  present  indebtedness, 
it  is  the  design  of  the  Executive  Committee,  if  possible,  to  secure  a  com- 
petent president,  who  will  devote  his  whole  time  and  energies  to  the  work 
of  teaching  and  building  up  the  institution. 

"In  opening  an  institution  of  this  character,  in  a  new  and  sparsely- 
settled  country,  where  the  means  of  subsistence  have  been  very  high,  the 
Executive  Committee  and  those  in  charge  of  the  institution  have  met  with 
many  serious  embarrassments,  which,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  a  less  formi- 
dable character  hereafter. 

"In  closing  this  brief  statement,  it  would  not  be  proper  to  omit  to 
mention  that  in  the  conception  of  the  enterprise;  in  the  prosecution  of 
the  work  of  erecting  buildings  and  procuring  the  ground  on  which  to 
locate  them;  in  obtaining  from  the  public  the  contributions  by  which  it 
was  founded;  also  in  the  organization  and  management  of  the  enterprise 
generally,  the  public  and  the  Church  are  greatly  indebted  to  the  able, 
zealous,  and  efficient  labors  of  Rev.  O.  A.  Willard,  who  acted  as  agent 
for  the  institution. 

"The  charter  of  the  seminary  is  one  of  the  most  liberal  of  its  kind, 
comprising  all  the  necessary  powers  for  building  up  a  permanent  and 
extensive  educational  institution.  It  names  twenty-eight  persons  as  the 
first  Board  of  Trustees,  and  provides  that  their  successors  shall  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  Annual  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
within  whose  bounds  Denver  City  may  be  included.  Seven  of  these  were 
to  go  out  of  of^ce  annually  on  the  ist  day  of  July  of  each  year  after  1864; 
the  terms  of  those  named  in  the  charter  to  be  fixed  by  lot,  and  their  suc- 
cessors to  remain  in  office  four  years. 

"At  the  first  and  only  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  as  authorized 


392  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

by  the  charter,  the  management  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  an  Executive 
Committee,  and  the  trustees  were  determined  by  lot. 

"But  in  the  flood  of  May  20,  1864,  the  records  of  the  meeting  were 
carried  away,  with  all  the  papers  of  the  secretary  (Mr.  William  N.  Byers), 
in  Cherry  Creek.  It  being  impossible  to  tell  whose  terms  have  expired, 
it  has  been  thought  best  to  have  the  entire  Board  stand,  as  designated 
in  the  charter,  until  the  Annual  Conference  of  1868,  when  their  terms 
will  all  have  expired.  They  continue  in  office  until  their  successors  are 
appointed. 

The  attention  of  the  Conference  is,  however,  directed  to  the  propriety 
of  filling,  by  appointment,  at  this  time  the  places  of  such  trustees  as  have 
died  or  permanently  removed  from  the  Territory. 

"Believing  that  a  good  work  has  already  been  accomplished  by  the 
institution,  and  that  it  is  capable  of  being  made  more  abundantly  useful, 
it  is  commended  to  the  fostering  care  of  the  Conference,  and  to  the  pat- 
ronage and  support  of  the  people  of  Colorado. 

"Respectfully  submitted. 
"(Signed),        John  Evans,  C/i'w  Ex.  Com.  Colorado  Seminary.*' 

Rev.  B.  T.  Vincent,  L.  M.  Veasy,  Daniel  Witter,  Fred  Z. 
Solomon,  and  Rev.  William  M.  Smith  v^ere  elected  to  fill  the 
known  vacancies. 

The  Conference  adopted  the  following  as  its  report  for  that 
year: 

"Resolved,  That  the  preachers  on  Denver  District  be  instructed  to 
collect  as  fast  as  possible  the  Centenary  money,  and  pay  as  much  of  it  as 
was  devoted  to  the  Colorado  Seminary  Endowment  Fund  into  the  hands 
of  Hon.  John  Evans,  who  is  hereby  constituted  trustee  of  this  fund. 

"Resolved,  That  we  regard  the  design  of  the  trustees,  as  stated  in 
their  report,  of  the  first  importance,  and  our  judgment  is  that  they  ought 
immediately  to  provide  for  the  payment  of  the  debt  on  the  seminary,  and 
secure  the  services  of  a  competent  president." 

The  "embarrassments"  continuing,  the  school  was  not  opened 
for  the  following  school  year,  as  is  evident  from  the  fact  that 
when  the  Capital  was  changed  from  ''Golden  City"  to  Denver, 
in  December,  1867,  the  Executive  and  House  of  Representatives 
found  a  home  in  the  Colorado  Seminary  building. 

Ex-Governor  Evans  said  in  a  speech  (June  27,  1883):  "The 
Colorado  Seminary,  chartered,  by  special  Act  of  the  Legislature, 
March  5,  1864,  prospered  for  a  time,  but  ran  in  debt  for  current 


EDUCATIONAL   INSTITUTIONS. 


393 


expenses.    The  Board  borrowed  three  thousand  dollars  at  three 
per  cent  per  month.    It  was  finally  sold  for  the  debt." 

The  Conference  of  1868  elected  a  full  Board  of  Trustees,  as 
is  here  given,  namely:  For  four  years,  John  Evans,  W.  H.  H. 
Loveland,  C.  M.  Tyler,  Rev.  G.  H.  Adams,  John  W.  Smith, 
H.  M.  Teller;  for  three  years,  R.  E.  Whitsitt,  J.  M.  Veasy, 
S.  H.  Elbert,  W.  N.  Byers,  Rev.  William  M.  Smith,  J.  M.  Chafifee, 


Colorado  Seminary,  and  Governor  Evans's  Residence  in  the  Distance. 


William  M.  Roworth;  for  two  years,  H.  Burton,  D.  H.  MoflFatt, 
Jr.,  Hiram  Witter,  Robert  Berry,  Edwin  Scudder,  Rev.  W.  W. 
Baldwin,  Henry  Henson;  for  one  year,  W.  D.  Pease,  S.  M.  Rich- 
ardson, J.  H.  Morrison,  G.  M.  Chilcott,  John  Cree,  John  T. 
Lynch,  Rev.  George  Murray. 

The  above  is  the  first  full  list  of  the  trustees  of  which  we  have 
any  record,  except  that  given  in  the  charter. 

The  future  of  the  Colorado  Seminary  appeared  so  dark  in 
1869,  that  some  friends  of  education  inaugurated  a  plan  for  a 
''Fountain  College"  at  Colorado  City,  and  published  a  large  cir- 
cular setting  forth  the  plans  of  the  new  enterprise,  with  Wray 
Beattie,  A.  M.,  as  president,  and  John  M.  Mansfield,  A.  M.,  as 
professor  of  Languages,  etc.  Rev.  George  Murray,  agent.  This 
was  the  first  and  last  heard  of  this  laudable  undertaking. 


394  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

The  Committee  on  Education  offered  the  following  resolu- 
tions, which  were  adopted  at  the  Conference  session  in  Central 
City,  June,  1869: 

"Resolved,  That  we  respectfully  but  earnestly  urge  the  trustees  of  the 
Colorado  Seminary,  located  in  Denver,  to  active  effort  for  its  relief  from 
pecuniary  embarrassment;  also  to  put  it,  as  early  as  possible,  into  active 
operation  under  their  more  immediate  control. 

"Resolved,  That  Peter  Winne,  J.  M.  Driggs,  J.  H.  Morrison,  George 
M.  Chilcott,  John  Cree,  J.  L.  Peck,  and  George  Murray,  be,  and  are 
hereby,  reappointed  as  trustees  of  said  seminary." 

Rev.  J.  L.  Peck  presented  the  following  resolution,  which 
was  adopted  at  the  Conference  session  of  1870: 

"Resolved,  That  we  learn  with  regret  of  the  financial  embarrassment 
of  the  Colorado  Seminary,  located  at  Denver,  and  whatever  may  be  the 
action  of  the  trustees  thereof,  we  most  respectfully  urge  them  to  guard 
well  our  educational  interests." 

In  the  Conference  Minutes  of  1871,  a  more  hopeful  outlook 
appears  in  the  following  words: 

"Resolved,  That  we  learn  with  pleasure  that  the  financial  embarrass- 
ments, which  have  so  long  retarded  the  prosperity  of  the  Colorado  Semi- 
nary, are,  under  the  providence  of  God  and  the  kindness  of  friends,  likely 
soon  to  be  removed." 

At  the  session  of  1872,  the  following  statement  was  made  by 
the  Educational  Committee: 

"We  are  glad  to  note  that  the  building  known  as  the  Colorado  Semi- 
nary is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  excellent  brethren  who  have  saved 
it  from  falling  into  unmethodistic  hands,  and  these  brethren  are  rapidly 
reducing  the  debt,  with  a  view  to  the  restoration  of  the  property  to  the 
use  and  the  possession  of  the  Conference." 

In  1873  there  was  no  immediate  prospect  of  the  liquidation 
of  the  debt.  The  situation  remained  unchanged  in  1874.  Hon. 
John  Evans  presented  to  the  Conference  a  plan  for  a  "Union 
Evangelical  University,"  under  the  control  of  the  leading  de- 
nominations. A  committee  of  three  was  appointed  by  the  Con- 
ference to  consider  the  feasibility  of  the  plan,  which  was  declared, 
"Not  likely  soon  to  be  put  into  operation." 


EDUCATIONAL   INSTITUTIONS.  395 

The  report  stated  that  the  Conference,  through  the  HberaUty 
of  Hon.  John  Evans,  still  has  the  power  to  redeem  the  seminary 
property  in  Denver.  At  the  Conference  of  1876,  Hon.  John  Evans 
offered  to  liquidate  the  debt,  of  nearly  $5,000,  against  the  semi- 
nary building  in  Denver,  on  the  condition  that  the  Conference 
raise  $10,000  to  add  a  wing  to  it  for  dormitories  and  such  other 
purposes  as  will  fit  it  for  a  first-class  school. 

In  1877  the  educational  collection  from  the  entire  Conference 
was  only  $27.20.  The  seminary  property  this  year  had  been  re- 
deemed, and  was  reported  as,  "Now  in  the  hands  of  our  highly 
esteemed  Brother  Evans." 

In  1878,  "The  subject  of  education  was  committed  to  the 
Trustees  of  the  Preachers'  Aid  Society,"  with  power  to  act  in 
the  name  of  the  Conference. 

Rev.  F.  C.  Millington,  president  of  the  Society,  had  made  the 
question  of  education  in  Colorado  a  subject  of  special  prayer,  and 
as  he  came  from  an  hour's  private  audience  with  Deity,  his  eyes 
moistened  with  tears,  he  was  heard  to  say,  "I  have  prayed  it 
through ;  we  will  have  a  university  in  Denver  yet." 

God  had  spoken  to  him,  "According  to  your  faith  be  it  unto 
you;"  and  so  it  was.  In  the  spring  of  1879  he  called  a  meeting 
of  the  members  of  the  Society — others  were  present  by  special 
invitation — at  Ex-Governor  Evans's  office  in  Denver,  to  consider 
what  plans,  if  any,  could  be  adopted  to  secure  the  re-establish- 
ment of  the  Colorado  Seminary.  He  had  carefully  prepared  a 
series  of  resolutions  looking  to  this  end,  to  offer  for  their  con- 
sideration. Before  he  had  an  opportunity  to  present  them,  Ex- 
Governor  Evans  arose,  and  made  an  admirable  address  on  the 
need,  possibility,  and  importance  of  at  once  reopening  the  Colo- 
rado Seminary,  and  closed  with  this  remark:  "If  you  gentlemen 
will  now  undertake  to  reorganize  this  institution,  all  there  is  of 
the  old  Colorado  Seminary  is  placed  at  your  disposal." 

All  thought  now  centered  in  this  proposition,  and  arrange- 
ments were  made  to  call  a  Conference  Educational  Convention, 
to  consider  all  questions  relating  thereto.  On  leaving  the  office. 
Brother  Millington  remarked:  "I  had  a  plan  thought  out  as  to 
how  to  remove  the  indebtedness  and  reorganize  the  school,  but 
the  Governor's  offer  was  good  enough  for  me!" 


396  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

The  following  item  is  the  record  made  at  the  ensuing  session 
of  the  Annual  Conference,  held  in  Pueblo: 

"The  Board,  after  due  deliberation,  called  an  Educational  Conven- 
tion, which  assembled  in  Denver,  the  loth  of  June  last.  It  was  com- 
posed of  delegates,  ministerial  and  lay,  who,  after  careful  deliberation 
concerning  the  condition  of  our  work  in  practical  education,  were  en- 
couraged by  the  generous  propositions  of  Hon.  John  Evans,  to  regard 
as  possible  the  early  reopening  of  the  Colorado  Seminary,"  which  had 
been  practically  closed  for  twelve  long  years. 

At  that  session  the  Board  of  Trustees  was  filled  to  the  legal 
number,  several  of  the  old  members,  holding  over  under  the 
charter,  being  re-elected.  Upon  the  organization  of  this  new 
Board,  John  Evans  was  chosen  president,  J.  W.  Bailey,  vice-presi- 
dent, Earl  Cranston,  secretary,  and  John  A.  Clough,  treasurer. 
Earl  Cranston  was  made  chairman  of  the  Finance  and  Building 
Committees.  F,  C.  Millington,  Jesse  Durbin,  and  others  were 
also  members  of  these  committees. 

The  clouds  were  dispelled  and  the  light  dawned,  largely 
through  the  efficient  labors  of  Rev.  Earl  Cranston,  D.  D.,  who 
was,  under  God,  the  inspiration  in  putting  the  seminary  on  its 
feet  again.  Ex-Governor  Evans  and  others  came  manfully  to 
his  aid.  The  governor  promptly  donated  the  old  seminary  prop- 
erty on  Fourteenth  and  Arapahoe  Streets,  valued  at  $20,000,  and 
$3,000  cash  additional,  for  the  purchase  of  the  chemical  and 
physical  apparatus. 

Mr.  John  W.  Bailey  gave  $10,000  cash,  and  subsequently  lots 
that  sold  for  $3,000  more.  Other  friends  added  to  the  above 
about  $20,000  more. 

The  old  building  was  remodeled,  with  a  front  of  115  feet  and 
a  depth  of  100  feet,  and  an  average  height  of  four  stories.  The 
Conference  report,  from  which  the  above  is  largely  condensed, 
said :  "Six  thousand  dollars  more  is  needed  to  finish  the  building, 
and  an  additional  hall  for  male  students,  which  will  cost  $8,000." 

Rev.  David  H.  Moore,  D.  D.,  was  elected  president  in  1880, 
with  eight  assistant  teachers.  On  October  4th  the  ''Colorado 
Seminary  and  University  of  Denver"  was  thrown  open  for  stu- 
dents, with  thirty  enrolled.    Bishop  Simpson  made  an  admirable 


EDUCATIONAL   INSTITUTIONS.  397 

opening  address.    Ere  the  year  closed,  one  hundred  and  fifty  were 
in  attendance. 

Constitution  op  the  University  of  Denver. 

"Article  i.  The  name  of  this  society  shall  be,  The  University  of 
Denver. 

"Article  2.  The  object  of  this  society  shall  be  the  advancement  of 
the  educational  interests  of  Colorado;  the  promotion  of  liberal  culture  in 
all  the  sciences,  arts,  and  learned  professions;  and  to  form  a  university 
which  shall  have  power  to  establish  a  system  of  instruction  in  any  or  all 
of  the  departments  of  learning;  to  create  fellowships;  to  appoint  a  Board 
of  Examiners,  and,  upon  examination  or  satisfactory  recommendation, 
to  confer  marks  of  distinction  and  all  degrees,  honorary  or  otherwise, 
usual  to  a  university,  upon  all  such  candidates  as  shall  be  found  worthy 
thereof. 

"Article  3.  The  members  of  this  society  shall  be  the  secretary,  for 
the  time  being,  of  the  Colorado  Annual  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church;  and  the  secretaries  (while  in  office)  of  such  Annual 
Conferences  as  shall  hereafter  be  organized  within  the  territory  now  oc- 
cupied by  the  said  Colorado  Annual  Conference;  the  presiding  elders, 
for  the  time  being,  of  the  aforesaid  Annual  Conference,  or  Conferences; 
the  president,  for  time  being,  of  the  Colorado  Seminary;  and  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Executive  Committee,  for  the  time  being,  of  the  Board  of 
Trustes  of  said  Colorado  Seminary,  together  with  such  honorary  members 
as  they  may  from  time  to  time  elect. 

"Article  4.  The  officers  of  this  society  shall  consist  of  a  Board  of 
seven  trustees,  who  shall  be  elected  by  ballot  annually  on  the  first  Tues- 
day in  September,  and  shall  hold  their  office  until  their  successors  shall 
have  been  chosen;  and  the  following  named  persons,  viz.,  John  Evans, 
O.  L.  Fisher,  J.  Durbin,  John  W.  Baile3%  John  A.  Clough,  Earl  Cranston, 
and  J.  H.  Merritt,  shall  constitute  such  Board  of  Trustees  until  the  first 
regular  election,  and  until  their  successors  are  elected.  There  shall  be  a 
president,  vice-president,  treasurer,  and  secretary,  and  such  other  offi- 
cers as  shall  be  provided  for  by  the  by-laws  of  the  society,  all  of  whom 
shall  be  elected  by  the  Board  of  Trustees. 

"Article  5.  The  trustees  of  this  society  shall  have  power  to  make 
all  such  necessary  and  prudential  by-laws,  not  inconsistent  with  the  con- 
stitution and  laws  of  the  State,  as  they  may  deem  proper  for  the  man- 
agement of  the  affairs  of  the  society. 

"Article  6.  This  Constitution  may  be  altered  or  amended  by  a  vote 
of  two-thirds  of  all  members  of  this  society." 

"Adopted  June  24,  1880." 

The  above  document  was  prepared  by  Judge  Mills,  now  de- 
ceased. 


398 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


In  1881  a  large  wing,  45  x  65  feet,  four  stories  high,  for  the 
accommodation  of  male  students,  was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  about 
$16,000.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  the  College  of  Medicine  was 
opened,  and  in  1882  the  Business  College.  The  second  year  of 
the  new  regime  found  320  students  enrolled,  and  the  third  year 
405.  In  1883,  an  additional  structure,  practically  adapted  to  the 
work  of  the  ''^yxmor  Preparatory"  Department,  was  erected,  at  a 
cost  of  something  more  than  $7,000. 

Dr.  Cranston  was  the  leader  in  all  these  building  enterprises, 
holding  his  quarterly-meetings  here  and  there  over  a  large  dis- 
trict, and  then  hastening  home  by  the  first  conveyance,  in  order 
to  solicit  contributions  from  the  citizens  of  Denver  and  other 
places  to  pay  the  workmen  from  week  to  week  as  the  work  of 
improvement  went  forward.     It  is  to  the  credit  of  the  financial 

managers  of  this  enter- 
prise that  during  this 
period  of  rehabilitation 
no  contractor  was  ever 
embarrassed  by  delay  in 
receiving  payments  due. 
His  money  was  ready 
for  him  when  due.  This 
sometimes  required  tem- 

University  of  Denver  and  Colorado  Seminary.  , 

porary  loans  from  the 
bank,  and  these  were  made  on  the  individual  credit  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Finance  Committee.  At  the  completion  of  the  first 
building,  and.  the  wing  which  was  soon  after  added,  there  was 
due  on  building  account  only  about  $2,000.  In  all  these  years 
of  unpaid  labors.  Dr.  Cranston  was  constantly  and  ably  seconded 
by  Rev.  F.  C.  Millington,  who  never  faltered  in  his  devotion  to 
the  enterprise,  and  who  succeeded  Dr.  Cranston  as  the  secretary 
of  the  Board. 

In  1885,  Brother  Millington  was  elected  financial  agent  of  the 
university,  and  after  that  gave  his  whole  time  to  the  advancement 
of  its  interests,  visiting  nearly  every  town  in  the  State,  and  sev- 
eral in  Wyoming  and  Utah,  to  raise  money  for  the  endowment 
of  the  university,  or  to  procure  gifts  of  land  and  money  for  Uni- 
versity Park.     No  instituion  ever  had  a  more  devoted  friend. 


ED UCA  TIONAL   INSTITUTIONS. 


399 


He  at  once  ceased  to  work  and  live.  The  report  in  the  Confer- 
ence memoir  in  1888,  said  of  him:  "University  Park  spread  out  in 
immortal  green,  and  lettered  with  the  beautiful  residences  of  the 
future,  is  a  scroll  to  his  fame,  as  imperishable  as  the  mountains 
which  stand  guard  over  it." 

November  14,  1884,  was  a  glad  day  in  the  history  of  the 
institution,  for  on  that  day  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ilife  Warren 
offered  to  endow  a  School  of  Theology  with  $100,000,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  University  of  Denver,  on  the  condition  that  $50,000 
additional  be  added  to  the  En- 
dowment Fund  of  that  institu- 
tion. At  once  the  trustees 
resolved  to  raise  that  amount 
by  the  sale  of  five  hundred  and 
fifty  scholarships  at  one  hun- 
dred dollars  each.  The  effort 
was  partly  successful,  and  on 
Mrs.  Warren's  side  was  fully 
complied  with.  The  cut  ac- 
companying this,  an  excellent 
one,  is  inserted  without  her 
knowledge. 

From  the  Conference  re- 
port of  1885  I  select  the  fol- 
lowing just  tribute  to  its  chan- 
cellor: ''Too  much  praise  can 
not  be  bestowed  upon  the  wise,  persistent,  and  successful  man- 
agement of  Dr.  Moore,  who  has  so  grandly  carried  the  institution 
through  the  first  and  critical  stage  of  its  existence,  and  planted 
it  so  firmly  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  We  owe  to  him  a  debt  of 
gratitude  we  shall  never  be  able  to  pay.  He  has  done  a  work 
for  which  he  can  never  be  rewarded  until  he  hears  the  'Well  done' 
of  the  Master." 

It  should  be  recorded  that  Dr.  Moore  was,  during  the  first 
five  years,  personally  and  solely  responsible  for  the  financial  obli- 
gations of  the  institution.     He  bought   every   bedstead,   chair, 
table,  desk,  piano,  and  other  article  of  furnishing  that  went  into 
26 


MRS.  ELIZABETH  II,IFF  WARREN. 


400  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

the  buildings.  He  paid  the  teachers,  coal,  light,  and  other 
bills,  and  entertained  with  unstinted  hospitality.  He  also  gave 
free  tuition  to  the  sons  and  daughters  of  preachers.  It  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  he  was,  in  his  own  person,  the  endowment  and 
soul  of  the  institution,  from  the  day  of  his  inauguration  to  the 
day  of  his  departure.  The  inability  of  the  Board  to  provide  ex- 
pected endowment  only  inspired  in  him  sublimer  courage  and 
more  self-sacrificing  effort.  It  is  no  marvel  that  he  was  beloved 
by  the  students,  and  held  in  highest  regard  by  the  people  of 
Colorado.  Everywhere  he  created  enthusiasm  for  the  university. 
The  power  of  his  magnetic  personality  was  an  inspiration  to 
students,  teachers,  and  the  entire  Church. 

In  1885,  the  School  of  Manual  Training  became  an  estab- 
lished fact.  Through  the  influence  of  Bishop  H.  W.  Warren, 
Jacob  Haish,  of  DeKalb,  Illinois,  gave  $25,000  to  procure  the  site, 
and  erect  the  building  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Fourteenth  and 
Arapahoe  Streets,  known  as  "The  Haish  Manual  Training- 
school"  of  ''The  University  of  Denver,"  the  corner-stone  of 
which  was  laid,  July  13,  1887,  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Colorado, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  assisted  by  Bishops  Walden  and 
Warren,  who  made  addresses.  During  the  following  year  the 
donor  added  $15,000  for  the  enlargement  of  the  building. 

The  site  of  University  Park,  a  suburb  to  the  city  of  Denver, 
was  secured,  through  the  untiring  efforts  of  the  financial  agent, 
donated  by  Rufus  Clark  in  1887,  and  in  1888  was  commended  to 
our  people,  as  a  suitable  place  of  residence,  by  the  Conference. 

This  year  H.  B.  Chamberlin,  Esq.,  gave  notice  of  his  inten- 
tion to  erect  therein,  and  equip  at  his  own  expense,  a  first-class 
Astronomical  Observatory,  costing  not  less  than  $50,000. 

In  order  to  meet  the  growing  needs  of  the  school,  E.  T. 
Ailing,  Esq.,  introduced  a  resolution  in  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
that  a  hundred  persons  be  found  who  would  guarantee  to  make 
up  all  deficiencies  in  the  running  expenses  of  the  institution  up 
to  a  given  amount,  w^hich  was  adopted. 

At  this  meeting  of  the  Board,  in  1889,  Dr.  D.  H.  Moore  ten- 
dered his  resignation  as  chancellor  of  the  university. 

On  July  3,  1889,  at  a  called  meeting  of  the  trustees  and  other 
friends  of  the  university,  at  her  then  residence,  corner  of  Eighteenth 


ED  UCA  TIONA  L   INSTITUTIONS. 


401 


and  Curtis  Streets,  Denver,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Iliff  Warren,  who  had 
promised,  on  November  14,  1884,  an  endowment  to  the  Univer- 
sity of  Denver,  on  certain  conditions,  which  had  not  been  fully 
met,  announced  with  a  spirit  of  noble  generosity  that  she  was 
ready  to  give  her  individual  note  for  the  $100,000,  at  six  per  cent 
per  annum,  payable  in  five  years,  for  the  endowment  of  the 
School  of  Theology  of  the  University  of  Denver.  This  propo- 
sition was  gladly  accepted 
by  the  trustees,  with 
hearty  approval  of  all  who 
were  present. 

ThKn  came  a  welcome 
surprise,  in  a  proposition 
from  Mr.  William  S. 
Iliff,  a  young  man 
twenty-three  years  of  age, 
to  give,  as  a  memorial  of 
his  father,  John  Wesley 
Iliff,  Esq.,  $50,000  for  the 
erection  of  a  building,  to 
be  used  as  the  home  of 
"The  Iliff  School  of  The- 
ology," closing  with  this 
prayer:  "By  means  of  this 
gift  may  the  coming  gen- 
erations of  men  be  blessed 
and  God  be  glorified!" 

August  28,  1889, 
Bishop  H.  W.  Warren  and 
family  gave  up  their  beautiful  home  in  the  city,  and  became  the 
only  residents  of  University  Park.  At  that  time  there  were 
neither  streets,  sidewalks,  nor  water  for  domestic  uses  nearer 
than  half  a  mile — a  worthy  social  sacrifice  in  the  interest  of 
Christian  education! 

In  view  of  the  many  things  which  the  good  bishop  had  done 
for  the  Church  and  for  education  in  Colorado,  the  Conference 


WILLIAM  S.  ILIFF. 


402 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


at  its  session  in  1889,  stated  the  following  in  its  report:  ''Our 
resident  bishop,  who  so  magnificently  overarches  Colorado 
Methodism,  fostering  and  ennobling  it,  has  been  felt  at  every 
step  of  the  university  progress,  since  he  came  among  us.  To 
him  it  owes  the  calling  out  of  munificence  to  at  least  the  amount 
of  a  quarter  of  a  million;  to  him  it  owes  suggestions,  aid,  and 
inspiration,  and  to  him  is  largely  due  its  growing  prosperity  and 
its  expansion  into  true  university  life." 


UNIVERSITY  HAIvIv. 


At  this  session,  Ex-Governor  Evans  made  the  generous  prop- 
osition to  duplicate  every  dollar  given  to  the  university  Endow- 
ment Fund,  in  cash  or  its  equivalent  in  good  bankable  paper,  for 
the  endowment  of  the  President's  Chair  and  a  Woman's  Chair. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  new  University  Hall  at  University 
Park  was  laid  by  Bishop  H.  W.  Warren,  in  the  presence  of  a 
large  number  of  people.  On  this  the  following  words  are  in- 
scribed: ''The  University  of  Denver.  This  University  Stone  was 
laid,  April  3,  1890.    Pro  Scientia  et  Religione."    The  site  is  said  to 


EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS.  403 

be,  by  those  best  competent  to  judge,  the  most  magnificent  of  any 
school  of  learning  in  the  world. 

University  Hall  stands  on  a  plateau  overlooking  northwest- 
ward the  beautiful  city  of  Denver,  and  westward  the  broad  valley 
of  the  South  Platte  River,  and  facing  the  mountains,  which,  like 
an  immense,  irregular  wall,  stretching  from  north  to  south,  are 
sundered  here  and  there  along  the  slopes  with  deep  furrows  or 
cafions,  and  marked  by  sharp  angles.  The  distance  from  foot 
to  crest  has  an  average  of  about  sixty  miles.  These  lofty  heights 
in  many  places  are  capped  with  eternal  snow. 

The  student  standing  in  the  university  campus,  with  one 
sweep  of  vision  takes  in  over  two  hundred  miles  of  lofty  peaks, 
which  pierce  the  vaulted  heavens  in  cruel  jagged  lines,  from 
Pike's  hoary  head  on  the  south,  to  points  in  the  State  of  Wy- 
oming on  the  north.  That  view  includes  'Tike's,"  ''Warren's," 
"Evans's,"  Gray's,"  "Torry's,"  "James's,"  "Long's,"  and  many 
other  peaks  not  named.  Several  of  these  tower  over  fourteen 
thousand  feet  above  sea-level.  The  view  of  the  cragged  tips 
of  mountain  pinnacles  set  against  the  blue  ethereal  can  scarcely 
be  surpassed  in  the  wide  world.  University  Park,  from  which 
one  has  this  grand  panorama,  is  over  one  mile  above  the  ocean 
level. 

During  the  scholastic  year,  after  the  resignation  of  Chancellor 
Moore,  the  institution  was  ably  and  efficiently  presided  over  by 
Vice-Chancellor  A.  B.  Hyde,  D.  D.,  in  which  time  over  five  hun- 
dred students  were  in  regular  attendance. 

In  June,  1890,  William  F.  McDowell,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D.,  pastor 
of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Tiffin,  Ohio,  was 
elected  chancellor  of  the  university.  He  has  filled  the  position 
with  marked  ability,  and  has  won  golden  opinions  on  every  side 
for  breadth  of  scholarship,  depth  of  spirituality,  catholicity  of 
spirit,  and  efficient  services  along  all  lines  of  educational  work. 

On  July  21,  1890,  Ex-Governor  John  Evans  gave  lots  and 
buildings,  valued  at  $100,000,  on  Market  Street,  Denver,  for  the 
endowment  of  the  Chancellor's  and  Woman's  Chairs,  thus  com- 
pleting the  precedent  condition  for  Mrs.  Warren's  endowment 
of  the  Iliff  School  of  Theology. 

The  Conference  Educational   Report  of  1891   says:  "Assets 


404  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

of  the  university,  one  and  one-half  milUons.  Gifts  amount  to 
$112,000;  wills,  $7,000.  Eight  hundred  and  ten  different  students 
in  attendance.  The  chair  for  the  teaching  of  the  English  Bible 
established,  Bishop  H.  W.  Warren  giving  $6,300,  and  Mrs.  P.  S. 
Bennett,  $522."  This  money  made  possible  the  building  of  the 
"Girls'  Cottage/'  and  twenty-two  lots  -in  University  Park  were 


GIRLS'  cottage;. 

selected,  to  be  held  by  the  trustees  for  the  endowment  of  the  chair 
for  teaching  the  English  Bible.  "The  bishop  also  gave  *The 
Bethel  Cottage,'  which  cost  $5,091."  The  rent  of  this  building 
is  sacredly  set  apart  as  a  fund,  to  be  used  for  no  other  purpose 
only  as  loans  to  students  financially  unable  to  pay  tuition.  All 
sums  repaid  are  to  be  devoted  to  the  same  purpose  as  long  as  the 
institution  exists. 


EDUCATIONAL   INSTITUTIONS.  405 

In  1892,  the  report  to  the  Conference  said:  "The  College  of 
Liberal  Arts  has  been  moved  to  University  Park,  with  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  regular  and  special  students.  Wycliffe  Cottage 
Home  for  Girls  has  been  finished,  at  a  cost  of  $8,462.  Univer- 
sity Hall  has  cost  $86,809.  Improvements  in  the  School  of 
Medicine  by  its  Faculty,  $2,500.  Sidewalks,  $5,000.  Total, 
$102,771.  The  current  expense  of  the  school  is  about  $5,000  in 
excess  of  its  receipts;  but  friends  are  being  obtained,  who  agree 
to  make  up  this  deficit  for  five  years.  By  this  time  it  is  believed 
a  permanent  endowment  will  have  been  secured."  The  Confer- 
ence, then,  after  careful  deliberation,  resolved  to  endow  a  chair, 
to  be  named,  "The  David  H.  Moore  Chair."  Several  thousand 
dollars  for  that  purpose  was  then  pledged. 

Rev.  Earl  Cranston,  D.  D.,  offered  the  following  resolutions 
relating  to  the  university,  which  were  adopted  with  a  vim: 

"As  ever}"-  stone  in  its  foundations,  consecrated  by  the  toil  and  sacri- 
fices and  prayers  of  its  earliest  friends  and  promoters,  is  dear  to  us,  so 
shall  the  superstructure  reared  thereon  by  other  hands,  as  willing  as  theirs 
and  no  less  generous,  be  our  dehght  and  our  glory. 

"That  we  extend  to  Bishop  H.  W.  Warren  our  hearty  recognition 
of  his  untiring  devotion  to  our  educational  interests. 

"That  we  have  entire  confidence  in  the  ability,  learning,  singleness 
of  aim,  and  doctrinal  soundness  of  the  Faculty  of  the  university,  and 
hereby  assure  Chancellor  McDowell  of  our  determination  to  crowd  the 
classes  of  the  several  departments,  as  far  as  our  influence  may  contribute 
to  that  end." 

The  Iliff  School  of  Theology  was  opened  September  21,  1892, 
and  the  Law  School  on  October  3d.  The  corner-stone  of  the 
former  building  was  laid  by  Bishop  H.  W.  Warren.  On  this  are 
inscribed  these  precious  words:  ''J^^us  Christ  himself  being  the 
Chief  Corner-stone,   1892." 

At  the  Conference  session  of  1893  it  was  stated:  "That  the 
College  of  Liberal  Arts,  of  Medicine,  of  Dentistry  and  Pharmacy, 
of  Fine  Arts  and  Music,  and  School  of  Law,  have  all  been  patron- 
ized above  any  previous  year.  The  latter  closed  this,  its  first 
year,  with  fifty-three  students  and  six  graduates.  The  Iliflf  School 
of  Theology  also  closes  its  first  year,  with  six  regular  and  five 
partial  students  enrolled.    Rev.  W.  F.  Steele,  D.  D.,  is  professor 


4o6 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND   PLAIN. 


of  Exegetical  Theology,  and  Rev.  John  R.  Van  Pelt,  Ph.  D., 
professor  of  Systematic  and  Historical  Theology." 

The  magnificent  building  erected  for  this  school  is  of  red 
sandstone,  chaste  in  style  and  massive  in  appearance.  The  in- 
terior is  finished  in  solid  oak,  has  spacious  apartments,  equipped 
with  library,  gymnasium,  baths,  dressing-rooms,  and  other  mod- 
ern conveniences  for  the  comfort  and  efficiency  of  all.  It  is 
lighted  by  electricity,   and  heated   by  a   radiating  system  that 


THE  IWFF  SCHOOIv  OF  TH^OIvOGY. 

changes  the  air  in  the  entire  building  every  twelve  minutes.  The 
recitation-rooms  are  adorned  with  pictures  of  the  Holy  Land, 
and  engravings  of  the  most  noted  pieces  of  sacred  art,  presented 
by  Mrs.  Warren.  "The  chapel  is  quiet  in  decoration,  with  Gothic 
roof." 

This  building  was  thrown  open  for  the  students  of  the  Iliff 
School  of  Theology  in  September,  1893.    Soon  after,  when  cold 


EDUCATIONAL   INSTITUTIONS.  407 

weather  set  in,  on  account  of  the  failure  in  the  heating  apparatus 
at  University  Hall,  it  extended  its  hospitality  to  the  School  of 
Liberal  Arts,  which  occupied  it  until  the  Commencement,  in 
June,  1894. 

During  the  present  administration,  the  Schools  of  Law  and 
Theology  have  been  organized,  and  post-graduate  courses  of 
study,  leading  to  the  degrees  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  and  Doc- 
tor of  Divinity,  have  been  added. 

The  organization  of  the  different  schools  is  now  complete, 
this  being  the  first  institution  west  of  the  Mississippi  to  embrace 
the  full  number  of  schools  requisite  to  constitute  a  university. 

THE  CHAMBERLIN  ASTRONOMICAL  OBSERVATORY. 

"The  observatory  is  the  gift  of  H.  B.  Chamberlin,  Esq.,  of 
Denver.  It  is  situated  on  a  plat  of  fourteen  acres,  four  blocks 
from  the  college  campus,  at  University  Park.  There  are  two 
stone     buildings.       The  _— _^u.^^-^-":_  ^^ 

smaller   one   of  these, 
called  the  Students'   Ob-  ,,.-_. 

servatory,   shelters  a  six-        p'^f/ '^\.jii| 
inch  equatorial  and  a  two-        ..;  I  ^^^ 


inch  transit  instrument. 
G.  N.  SaegmuUer,  of 
Washington,  D.  C,  is  the 
maker  of  these  instru- 
ments ;  Brashear  furnished  chamberlin  observatory. 

the  six-inch  objective.  The  equatorial  is  provided  with  divided 
circles,  driving  clock,  filar  position  micrometer,  and  helioscope. 

"The  main  building  is  65  feet  long,  and  50  feet  deep.  It  is 
crowned  by  an  iron  dome,  the  apex  of  which  is  more  than  50  feet 
from  the  ground.  It  is  built  of  red  sandstone.  The  principal 
rooms  in  the  building  are  the  dome-room,  transit-room,  library, 
computing-room,  director's  ofHce,  clock-room,  janitor's  quarters, 
sleeping  room,  photographic-room,  and  store-room. 

"A  twenty-inch  equatorial  refractor,  nearly  twenty-six  feet  in 
focal  length,  is  the  principal  instrument.  Its  objective  was  figured 
by  Clark,  and  is  reversible  for  photography.    The  subsidiary  in- 


TEI^ESCOPE  AT  CHAMBER  UN  OBSERVATORY. 

408 


EDUCATIONAL   INSTITUTIONS.  409 

struments  are  a  four-inch  meridian  circle,  two  standard  clocks, 
a  chronometer,  a  chronograph,  a  sextant,  a  solar  transit,  etc." 

The  observatory  building  was  constructed  under  the  personal 
supervision  of  Dr.  H.  A.  Howe,  the  astronomer  of  the  institu- 
tion, and  is  one  of  the  very  best  of  its  class.  The  dome  is  34  feet 
in  diameter  on  the  inside,  and  is  the  same  in  height  from  the  floor 
to  the  apex. 

The  tdescope  is  one  of  the  most  complete  instruments  in 
existence,  though  not  the  largest.  The  tube  was  made  of  steel 
one-twelfth  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  Its  lenses  cost  $11,000,  and 
its  mountings  $10,000  more.  The  total  cost  of  observatory  and 
telescope,  including  its  equipments,  was  $55,000.  About  four 
years  was  occupied  on  its  construction.  The  instrument  was 
placed  in  position  in  the  summer  of  1894  by  Professor  Howe  and 
his  assistants,  and  has  since  been  revealing  the  glories  of  the 
heavens,  as  these  can  only  be  revealed  in  the  clear  atmosphere 
of  Colorado. 

This  telescope  ranks  -No.  12  in  the  whole  world,  and  No.  6 
in  the  United  States.  But  already,  by  reason  of  the  superior 
location  of  the  observatory  and  the  superior  quality  of  the  tele- 
scope, unusual  distinction  has  been  won,  both  in  Europe  and 
America,  by  the  work  done  in  the  Chamberlin  Observatory. 

The  possession  of  this  observatory  adds  greatly  to  the  educa- 
tional advantages  of  the  University  of  Denver,  and  should  con- 
stitute an  attractive  force  for  the  school  through  all  the  future. 

Of  the  aims  and  purposes  of  the  school,  as  a  whole,  its  man- 
agers say: 

"The  university  is  thoroughly  Christian,  but  in  no  wise  sec- 
tarian, no  denominational  tests  ever  having  been  made  as  a  con- 
dition of  membership,  either  on  its  Board  of  Trustees  or  Faculty, 
or  for  a  place  in  its  ranks  as  a  student.  The  aim  is  to  produce 
a  character  at  once  rich  in  culture  and  strong  in  moral  tone." 


XIV. 

XHK   SKCOND    DKCADK   OK   COKKKR- 
KNCK    HISTTORY. 

1873. — This  session  begins  the  second  ten  years'  period  of 
Conference  history.  There  was  marked  advancement  reported 
in  all  lines  of  work.  The  Conference  assembled  in  Greeley, 
Colorado,  at  nine  A.  M.,  July  24,  1873,  Bishop  E.  G.  Andrews 
presiding.  The  Scripture  lesson  was  read  by  the  bishop,  when 
B.  F.  Crary  and  John  L.  Dyer  led  in  prayer. 

There  were  nine  transfers  into  the  Conference,  and  four  out 
of  it.  Six  were  admitted  on  trial;  only  two  remain  to  this  day. 
Several  have  died;  most  of  the  others  have  gone  to  other  fields  of 
labor.  William  M.  Smith  was  announced  withdrawn  from  the 
connection.  The  usual  Conference  business  was  finished  on  the 
fourth  day,  when  the  appointments  were  announced.  Thirty-six 
workmen,  including  three  "supplies,"'  were  sent  forth  as  toilers 
in  the  Master's  vineyard  for  the  year.  George  Skene  was  or- 
dained as  a  deacon;  Henry  C.  Waltz  and  Charles  W.  Blodgett 
as  elders. 

A  brother  who  had  just  returned  from  the  tour  of  Europe 
and  the  Holy  Land  was,  by  resolution,  required  to  stand  before 
the  Conference,  and  receive  a  reprimand  from  the  bishop  for 
leaving  his  work,  though  he  held  in  his  pocket  at  the  same 
moment  the  resolution  of  his  Quarterly  Conference  granting  him 
a  leave  of  absence.  He  was  so  thunderstruck  by  this  unexpected 
move,  that  he  never  thought  of  defending  himself;  but  stood,  at 
the  request  of  the  chairman,  with  bowed  head,  awaiting  his 
pleasure.  The  reproof  of  the  bishop  was  in  these  words: 
''Brother,  I  am  glad  you  have  made  the  tour  of  Europe  and  of 
Palestine.  I  would  do  the  same  had  I  the  time  and  means.  I 
hope  you  will  make  good  use  of  the  knowledge  you  have  gained!" 

Rev.  L.  N.  Wheeler,  of  the  China  Mission,  a  brother  of  Dr. 
B.  A.  Wheeler,  of  Denver,  was  a  visitor  at  this  session,  and  con- 
ducted the  devotional  exercises  on  the  morning  of  the  second 
day. 

410 


SECOND   DECADE   OF  CONFERENCE   HISTORY.  4II 

Dr.  Crary,  presiding  elder,  in  his  report,  said:  "California 
Street  began  with  sixteen  members.  They  have  an  increase  of  a 
hundred.  A  church  has  been  built  here,  and  paid  for.  Henry 
Skewes  has  built  a  church  at  Frankstown.  A  parsonage  has 
been  built  at  Fairplay.  The  church  at  Trinidad  is  about  com- 
pleted.    John  E.  Rickards  has  explored  the  San  Luis  Valley." 

Among  many  other  good  things,  the  Doctor  said:  "My  breth- 
ren have  seconded  and  stood  by  me.  Not  one  has  deserted  or 
flinched,  notwithstanding  some  have  had  to  work  at  daily  labor 
for  their  daily  bread.  In  the  time  of  the  French  Revolution  the 
Girondists  gave  to  the  party  of  the  masses  the  name,  'Sans  Cu- 
lotte,'  which,  translated,  simply  means,  'without  breeches!'  Some 
of  my  men  have  been  almost  ready  to  join  that  party,  but  have 
not  faltered.  On  Thanksgiving-day  I  ate  my  dinner  alone,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Huerfano,  and  was  thankful  that  I  had  any 
dinner.  Once  I  slept  under  a  wagon,  twice  in  one,  once  in  a 
granary,  and  once  in  a  stable,  many  times  on  the  ground,  and 
many  times  on  the  floors  of  cabins.  I  have  been  hungry  a  few 
times,  and  have  camped  out  alone  in  the  valleys  and  on  the  moun- 
tains. I  and  my  brethren  have  been  together  in  perilous  snow- 
storms on  the  mountains,  but  generally  we  had  more  good  things 
than  evil.  For  all  we  have  all  suffered,  it  is  but  fair  to  say  we 
have  had  compensating  joys,  and  many  of  our  trials  are  the 
merest  trifles.  Altogether,  we  hungered  some,  thirsted  a  little, 
been  cold,  wet,  weary,  homesick,  ragged,  and  a  little  demoral- 
ized; but  an  itinerant  preacher  eighteen  hundred  years  ago  gave 
an  experience  that  makes  ours  almost  ridiculous,  which  he  puts 
down  as  'light  afidictions,  which  are  but  for  a  moment.'  Our 
greatest  need  is  'to  be  cleansed  from  all  sin,'  and  'to  be  filled  with 
the  Spirit,'  so  as  to  reach  all  the  people  with  the  gospel.  Breth- 
ren who  want  parsonages  can  build  them;  those  who  like  good 
churches  will  find  nothing  to  hinder  them  as  to  style.  The  field 
is  clear.  If  brethren  desire  places  where  everything  is  finished, 
we  advise  them  to  travel  eastward,  at  least  a  thousand  miles,  be- 
fore they  stop  to  look  around  them.  The  more  space  they  can 
put  between  them  and  Colorado  the  better  for  both  parties.  The 
greatest  power  of  the  Church  is  in  her  piety.  The  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  would  help  us  more  than  anything  else.     We  need 


412 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


men  and  money;  but  we  need,  more  than  all,  power  from  on  high 
in  our  souls  and  in  our  lives.  We  must  be  entirely  consecrated 
to  Christ  in  all  things,  and  then  we  will  reach  our  highest  state 
of  efficiency." 

G.  H.  Adams,  presiding  elder,  reported  that,  *'G.  W.  Swift 
remained  at  Cheyenne  only  six  months,  when  the  year  was  filled 
out  by  G.  A.  England.  James  P.  Dew,  who  supplied  Big  Thomp- 
son and  Cache  la  Poudre,  had  a  new  chapel  in  process  of  erec- 
tion at  Fort  Collins.  C.  E.  Cline  supplied  Longmont  in  the  ab- 
sence of  its  pastor.  A  brick 
church  has  been  erected  at  Boul- 
der. During  the  last  three 
months  W.  L.  Slutz  has  been  on 
the  ground  at  Caribou  and 
Middle  Boulder.  The  parsonage 
at  Golden  has  been  enlarged. 
T.  C.  Watkins  supplied  Black 
Hawk,  after  P.  McNutt  left  for 
the  Asbury  University.  W.  D. 
Chase  vacated  Central,  which 
has  been  filled  by  C.  W.  Blod- 
gett.  Nevada  was  supplied  by 
S.  W.  Sears,  of  Pennsylvania, 
six  months,  when  he  left.  J.  A. 
Smith,  of  the  Southern  lUinois 
I,.  J.  HAiviv.  Conference,    took  .  his    place. 

A  month  after  his  wife  died,  and  we  laid  her  to  rest  on  the 
mountain  side.  They  have  built  a  small  church,  and  have  it 
nearly  paid  for.  Georgetown  was  left  vacant  by  T.  R.  Sheer, 
who  went  East,  when  R.  L.  Harford  filled  the  pulpit.  Four 
churches  have  been  dedicated,  one  each  at  Greeley,  Boulder, 
Nevada,  and  Longmont." 

Those  who  came  in  by  transfer  were: 


Linville:  J.  Hall,  from  the  New  England  Conference.  His 
record,  briefly  given,  is  as  follows:  He  was  born  July  8,  1822,  in 
Springfield,  Massachusetts;  converted  at  seventeen  and  twenty- 
seven;  attended  district,  select,  and  high  schools;  also  theological 


SECOND  DECADE    OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY.  413 

school  under  Dr.  Dempster,  at  Concord,  N.  H.;  spent  several 
years  in  different  printing-offices  and  in  traveling  through  South 
and  Central  Americas,  and  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans; 
was  a  *'Forty-niner"  in  California;  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1853; 
received  into  the  New  Hampshire  Conference  in  1858,  and  was 
stationed  subsequently  in  Brookline,  Petersborough,  Lebanon, 
Nashua,  Dover,  Lawrence;  was  transferred  to  the  New  England 
Conference  in  1867,  and  stationed  at  Saratoga  Street,  Boston, 
three  years;  Waltham,  two  years;  was  supernumerary  one  year, 
when  (1873)  h^  came  to  Colorado.  His  appointments  here  have 
been:  Colorado  City  Circuit,  two  years;  Central  City,  two  years; 
Cheyenne,  one  year;  Longmont,  two  years;  Laramie  City,  three 
years;  Cafion  City,  three  years;  Trinidad,  one  year.  Was  ap- 
pointed chaplain  of  the  Colorado  Penitentiary  in  1887,  which  he 
filled  until  July,  1896,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  chaplaincy 
of  the  Connecticut  State  Prison,  at  Hartford.  Brother  Hall  has 
made  a  successful  record  during  his  twenty-three  years  in  Colo- 
rado. 

Charles  W.  Blodgktt,  from  the  Des  Moines  Conference. 
He  was  born  in  Evansville,  Wisconsin,  November  8,  1846;  edu- 
cated at  Fulton,  Illinois,  and  at  Evanston;  converted  and  licensed 
to  preach  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  was  afterward  pastor  of  the 
same  people.  He  entered  the  Union  army  when  a  mere  boy,  and 
was  in  some  of  the  fiercest  conflicts  in  Tennessee  and  Arkansas; 
entered  the  ministry  in  1869,  in  the  Des  Moines  Conference, 
Iowa;  was  transferred  to  Colorado  in  1873,  and  stationed  at  Cen- 
tral City,  Georgetown,  each  two  years;  then  at  Colorado  Springs 
for  nearly  the  same  length  of  time.  He  was  transferred  back  to 
his  former  Conference  in  1878,  where  he  has  filled  important 
stations;  was  also  presiding  elder  one  term.  Transferred  to  the 
Illinois  Conference,  and  stationed  at  First  Church,  Galesburg, 
one  term  of  five  years;  then  transferred  to  the  Detroit  Confer- 
ence, and  appointed  to  Simpson  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
Detroit,  Michigan.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Lou  Rector,  of 
Hamburg,  Iowa,  September  19,  1872.  Brother  Blodgett  is  a 
faithful  dispenser  of  the  word  of  life,  and  has  been  remarkably 
successful  in  revival  work  and  in  raising  money  for  missions. 


414 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


Gkorge  a.  England,  from  the  Wisconsin  Conference.  He 
served  the  Church  in  Cheyenne  and  Boulder,  each  two  years; 
was  then  appointed  chaplain  in  the  United  States  army,  in  1876; 
withdrew  from  the  Church  of  his  early  choice  in  1880,  and  joined 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  with  which  he  is  still  identified. 

Jami^s  p.  Dkw,  from  the  Southern  Illinois  Conference.  He 
was  first  at  Fort  Collins,  where  he  built  a  frame  church;  then  at 


C.  W.  BI.ODGETT. 

North  and  West  Denver,  and  Littleton,  in  1873.  In  the  second 
year  this  charge  was  called  North  and  West  Denver.  While  here 
he  built  the  "St.  James"  Methodist  Episcopal  Church ;  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Southern  Illinois  Conference  in  1875,  and  subse- 
quently to  the  St.  Louis  Conference.  For  several  years  he  has 
filled  appointments  in  and  near  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri. 

John  R.  Eads,  from  the  Illinois  Conference.     He  was  sta- 
tioned at  Pueblo;  California  Street,  Denver,  each  one  year;  Law- 


SECOiYD  DECADE    OF   CONFERENCE   HISTORY. 


415 


rence  Street,  Denver,  three  years;  Golden,  two  years;  was  made 
a  supernumerary  in  1880,  and  was  transferred  to  the  Kentucky 
Conference  in  1881.  He  died  at  Ashland,  Ky.,  December  25, 
1891.  His  remains  were  interred  at  Paris,  111.  He  was  a  devout 
Christian,  and  an  able  minister  of  the  New  Testament,  and  his 
name  is  as  ''ointment  poured  forth"  in  all  the  Churches  where 
he  served.  He  was  one  of  the  original  eighteen  who  came  out 
from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  in  the  summer  of 
1865,  and  identified  themselves 
with  the  mother  Church  in  Ken- 
tucky. It  took  no  small  amount 
of  courage  to  do  this  in  the  face 
of  the  difficulties  that  then  existed. 
It  was  done,  and  God  blessed  them 
and  the  work  they  were  called 
to  do. 

Wm.  C.  Roby,  from  the  Des 
Moines  Conference.  He  was  sent 
to  Frankstown,  Plumb  Creek,  and 
Bijou,  one  year;  South  Park,  two 
years;  and  Morrison,  one  year; 
located  in  1877,  and  took  a  course 
of  medicine  in  the  University  of 
Denver,  when  he  entered  upon  its 
practice.  He  has  since  entered 
the    missionary    field    as    medical 

missionary  in  Mexico,  where  he  will,  no  doubt,  do  his  part  in  the 
evangelization  of  that  land. 

C.  G.  MiLNES,  from  the  Iowa  Conference.  Stationed  at  Long- 
mont,  two  years;  made  a  supernumerary  in  1875,  and  transferred 
to  the  California  Conference  in  1876. 

Thomas  M.  Dart,  from  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference.  At 
Laramie  City,  one  year;  located  in  1874. 


W.  I,.  SI.UTZ. 


William  L.  Slutz,  from  the  Pittsburg  Conference.     Had 
supplied  Caribou  and  Middle  Boulder  for  three  months,  organ- 
izing that  work.    Then  was  at  Black  Hawk  two  years,  where  the 
church  was  repaired,  and  a  five-room  parsonage  bought  and  paid 
27 


41 6  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

for;  Golden,  three  years;  Boulder,  one  year;  and  Colorado 
Springs,  three  years.  Here  he  built  a  new  church,  costing 
$15,000,  on  a  central  site.  He  was  transferred  to  the  East  Ohio 
Conference  in  1882,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Confer- 
ence; has  just  completed  a  $40,000  church  at  London,  Ohio.  He 
has  been  a  very  useful  and  successful  minister  of  the  gospel. 

ThK  following  brethren  were  admitted  on  trial: 

George  Skene.  Supplied  Idaho  Springs  the  year  previous; 
then  at  Greeley  one  year;  was  transferred  to  the  Troy  Confer- 
ence in  1874. 

Henry  Skewes  supplied  Cherry  Creek  in  1872;  then  South 
Pueblo,  two  years,  where  he  start^ed  a  premature  Church  enter- 
prise, which  came  to  naught;  was  transferred,  in  1875,  to  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Conference,  now  the  Utah  Mission. 

John  E.  Rickards.  His  appointments  were:  Del  Norte  and 
Loma,  Trinidad,  Cafion  City,  each  two  years;  withdrew  from  the 
Conference  in  1879;  ^^^  since  been  a  lay  member  of  the  General 
Conference.    He  is  now  (1876)  governor  of  Montana. 

Hiram  Hall  was  sent  to  Granite,  one  year;  discontinued  in 
1874. 

John  Stocks  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  February 
5,  1829,  and  "ceased  at  once  to  work  and  live"  in  Black  Hawk, 
Colorado,  September  19,  1886;  was  converted  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen; consciously  called  to  the  ministry  four  years  after;  came 
to  this  country  in  1872,  and  found  his  way  to  the  seat  of  the 
Conference  in  Georgetown  July  25th  of  the  same  year.  He  was 
sent  to  the  Arkansas  River  Circuit.  This  was  a  new  field,  without 
a  society,  Sunday-school,  or  church  of  any  kind.  The  settlers 
were  widely  scattered.  He  preached  as  opportunity  offered  from 
the  Kramer  Settlement,  below  Pueblo,  eastward  for  seventy-five 
miles,  then  southward  on  the  Purgatory,  and  up  that  stream  for 
forty-five  miles.  His  horseback  rides  were  long  and  lonely.  The 
distance  between  the  river  and  the  creek  was  about  thirty  miles, 
without  an  inhabitant.  On  one  occasion  he  was  benighted,  and 
had  to  lariat  his  pony  out  on  the. prairie.  He  then  lay  down  in 
as  safe  a  place  as  possible,  and  slept  some.     His  morning  slum- 


SECOND   DECADE    OF  CONFERENCE   HISTORY,  417 

bers  were  slightly  disturbed  by  the  howling  of  wolves  near  by. 
At  another  time  he  was  bewildered  on  the  banks  of  this  same 
creek,  and  night  came  on  before  he  could  put  himself  right.  He 
was  compelled  to  tarry  for  the  morning  light.  The  air  was  chilly. 
He  had  only  one  match.  Fortunately,  on  trial  it  ignited.  The 
fire  was  started  near  the  roots  of  a  huge  tree,  the  trunk  of  which 
was  hollow.  After  a  short  time  it  caught  fire,  and  burned  bril- 
liantly until  morning.  He  had  an  abundance  of  light  and  heat 
within  a  certain  radius,  but  outside  of  that  was  utter  darkness, 
and  in  that  darkness  were  wild  beasts.  He  deemed  it  wise  not 
to  sleep  too  near  the  flaming  torch,  lest  it  should  come  crashing 
down  upon  him,  and  equally  so  not  to  occupy  the  space  covered 
by  the  darkness.  In  the  morning  he  found  his  way  to  some 
Mexican  cabins,  where  he  was  hospitably  received.  Among 
other  things  they  gave  him  "chilly"  for  breakfast.  This  was  the 
warmest  chilly  he  had  ever  tasted!  Ofttimes  he  found  his  bed 
already  occupied,  and  his  right  to  sleep  therein  challenged,  which 
produced  a  most  thorough  disgust,  outraging  all  thoughts  of 
cleanliness  and  decency.  The  stolid  indifference  of  the  settlers 
to  religious  things  was  a  source  of  great  trouble  to  him;  but  he 
held  on  with  unwavering  fidelity. 

His  preaching-places  were  small  log  schoolhouses,  or  the 
dwellings  of  the  people.  His  congregations  were  small,  often 
not  more  than  half  a  dozen.  A  few  only  loved  the  Lord,  and 
encouraged  the  preacher.  These  were  always  glad  to  see  him 
come,  which  could  not  be  said  of  others.  One  Sunday  morning 
he  preached  at  Las  Animas  City  to  just  one  young  man,  from 
John  iii,  3,  ''Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  can  not  see  the 
kingdom  of  God."  That  certainly  was  appropriate!  Sometimes 
he  rode  ninety  miles  without  an  opportunity  to  preach. 

In  1873,  h^  was  sent  to  the  Wet  Mountain  Valley.  There 
were  small  settlements  at  Ula,  Colfax,  and  on  Texas  Creek. 
There  were  ranches,  a  short  distance  from  each  other,  for  many 
miles  along  the  center  of  the  valley.  Rosita,  as  a  mining-camp, 
was  just  then  attracting  some  attention.  He  preached  the  first 
sermon  in  that  town.  In  this  valley  the  wife  of  his  youth  and 
their  babe  died.  After  two  years  of  labor  and  seventeen  months 
of  sorrow,  he  left  the  valley  and  the  graves  of  his  loved  ones. 


41 8  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

He  was  appointed,  in  1875,  to  Florence  and  Hardscrabble. 
He  had  here  six  different  places  of  preaching.  There  were  three 
Sunday-schools;  one  each  at  Hardscrabble,  Coal  Creek,  and 
Florence.  Money  for  the  support  of  the  ministry  was  not  abun- 
dant. His  home  was  at  *'Uncle"  Jesse  Frazier's,  and  his  board- 
bill  was  not  heavy. 

At  the  Conference  session  in  1876  he  was  sent  to  Arvada  and 
Wheat  Ridge  Circuit.  ''This,"  he  says,  ''was  a  misfit,  as  some 
did  not  want  a  preacher  at  all." 

In  1877  he  was  ordained  elder,  and  sent  to  Caribou.  Its  alti- 
tude is  great;  frequently  higher  than  the  clouds, — and  its  winters 
are  a  terror.  During  the  two  years  of  his  sojourn  on  this  moun- 
tain height,  he  secured  a  site  for  a  church,  laid  the  foundation, 
procured  some  timber,  and  paid  for  it  all.  His  successor,  by 
trade  a  carpenter,  completed  the  work.  The  result  was  a  little 
gem  of  a  church.  One  Sabbath  morning  a  gentleman,  here, 
handed  him  $53.05  for  missions.  He  was  not  a  wealthy  man; 
only  a  common  laborer. 

At  the  Conference  session  of  1879  he  was  sent  to  vSilver 
Plume.  Here  he  found  a  church  edifice,  society,  and  Sunday- 
school.  This  was  a  new  experience  to  him.  For  two  years  he 
enjoyed  it. 

In  1881  he  was  removed  to  Bald  Mountain  (Nevada),  where 
he  found  a  church,  parsonage,  and  a  flourishing  Sunday-school. 

His  next  charge  was  Evans  and  Big  Thompson,  and  then 
Black  Hawk.  In  1886  he  was  returned,  and  soon  after  changed 
worlds. 

When  his  case  was  brought  up  for  admission  to  the  Confer- 
ence, some  one  inquired  of  his  presiding  elder,  "Can  he  preach?" 
Dr.  Crary  quickly  responded:  "You  ought  to  hear  him,  bishop. 
If  any  of  our  colleges  should  establish  a  professorship  of  Re- 
ligion, Brother  Stocks  is  the  man  that  I  would  recommend  for  the 
position."  This  settled  it.  He  was  received.  His  history,  here 
given,  fitly  illustrates  much  of  the  pioneer  work  done  in  the 
Territory. 

James  F.  Coffman  was  born  January  26,  1842,  in  Mount 
Morris,  Ogle  County,  Illinois.    He  was  converted  in  1858.    Im- 


SECOND  DECADE    OF   CONFERENCE  HISTORY. 


419 


mediately  after,  felt  called  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  but  did 
not  yield  until  1867,  when  he  entered  the  high  school  at  Eaton, 
Ohio,  two  years.  Then  taught  one  year,  and  entered  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University  in  the  fall  of  1870,  remaining  three  years, 
that  he  might  the  better  prepare  himself  for  the  ministry.  Li- 
censed to  preach  in  187 1,  He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Maggie,  daughter  of  Rev.  D.  Summers,  of  Shelby,  Ohio,  in  June, 
1873.  He  first  came  to  Colorado  in  1863,  and  worked  in  the 
mines  at  Central  City  for  a 
while,  then  on  a  farm  near 
where  Longmont  now 
stands,  until  he  reurned  East 
to  attend  school. 

His  appointments  have 
been:  Idaho  Springs  and 
Empire,  1873;  Idaho 
Springs  and  Nevada,  the 
next  year;  Longmont,  two 
years;  Laramie  City;  Breck- 
enridge,  where  he  built  the 
parsonage  and  finished  the 
church,  and  Gunnison,  each 
three   years;    Durango,    five 

During  the  third  year 

a    fire    swept    over    a 

portion   of   the   town, 
consumed    the    church 


J.  F.  COFFMAN. 


years, 
there 
large 
and 

and  parsonage.  The  most  of 
his  furniture,  bedding,  cloth- 
ing, and  library  were  also  swept  away.  He  and  his  family  lost 
nearly  everything  they  had  in  the  world.  Through  his  almost 
herculean  efforts,  and  the  liberal  contributions  of  people  from 
far  and  near,  a  new  parsonage  and  church  were  built  before  he 
left,  in  1891.  Drs.  Cranston  and  Moore,  with  their  brotherly 
sympathy,  aided  materially  to  help  the  enterprise  through. 
Thence  he  was  sent  to  Fort  Collins  in  1891-5,  where  he  planned 
and  began  a  new  church-building  during  the  closing  year  of  his 
pastorate.     In   1896  he  was  appointed  to   Cameron   Memorial, 


420  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Denver.    Brother  Coffman  is  an  instructive  preacher,  and  a  very 
useful  minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

1874. — The  twelfth  session  of  the  Conference  was  held  in 
Colorado  Springs,  commencing  July  30,  1874,  with  Bishop 
Thomas  Bowman  in  the  chair.  The  usual  routine  of  Conference 
business  was  gone  through  with  in  four  days.  Six  brethren  were 
transferred  into,  and  four  out  of  the  Conference ;  one  was  admitted 
on  trial,  and  one  located;  thirty-seven  received  appointments, 
four  of  whom  were  supplies. 

The  transfers  were: 

B.  F.  Taylor,  from  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference;  sent  to 
Golden  that  year,  and  made  supernumerary  in  1875;  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  California  Conference  in  1876. 

B.  A.  Washburn,  from  the  Missouri  Conference.  At  Trinidad 
one  year;  held  a  supernumerary  relation  four  years,  and  then  was 
transferred  to  the  Southern  California  Conference  in  1879. 

William  Full,  from  the  Rock  River  Conference.  Appointed 
to  Fairplay  and  Alma,  Caribou  and  Gold  Hill,  each  one  year;  a 
supernumerary  two  years,  and  located  in  1878. 

R.  L.  Harford,  from  the  Kansas  Conference.  Had  supplied 
Georgetown  for  nearly  two  years;  appointed  to  Central  City  and 
California  Street,  Denver,  each  a  year;  and  then  was  transferred 
to  the  California  Conference  in  1876,  where  he  did  effective  work 
for  a  few  years,  when  he  crossed  to  the  ''evergreen  shore." 

O.  L.  Fisher  was  born  at  Rock  Grove,  Stephenson  County, 
Illinois,  August  12,  1844;  was  raised  on  a  farm,  and  began  teach- 
ing school  at  sixteen.  He  graduated  from  the  Bryant  and 
Stratton's  Commercial  College,  Chicago,  in  1865;  also  from 
the  Rock  River  Seminary  a  year  later.  He  taught  in  the  latter 
school  as  tutor  from  1867  to  1870,  and  graduated  from  the 
Garrett  Biblical  Institute  in  June,  1871.  His  religious  record 
is  as  follows:  Was  converted  October  25,  1867;  licensed  to  preach 
in  January,  1869;  had  charge  of  Crystal  Lake,  Iowa,  while  at  the 
institute;  joined  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  in  September,  1871; 
was  transferred  to  Colorado,  April,  1874,  and  stationed  at 
Greeley,    where    he    remained    three    years    and    four    months; 


SECOND  DECADE   OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY. 


421 


Georgetown,  three  years;  presiding  elder  of  the  Northern  (now 
Greeley)  District,  one  year;  Denver,  California  Street;  North 
Denver,  each  three  years.  While  at  California  Street  he  enlarged 
both  the  church  and  parsonage,  increased  the  membership,  and 
doubled  the  Sunday-school  in  numbers.  During  this  pastorship 
he  organized  Simpson  Mission,  built  and  paid  for  the  first  build- 
ing, which  stood  on  Ames  Street;  was  a  supernumerary  in  1887; 
Evanston,  Wyoming,  in  1888-9;  superintendent  of  City  Missions, 
Denver,  1890.  While  in  this  work  he  established  seven  distinct 
missions,  three  of  which 
erected  church-buildings 
immediately  after;  namely, 
Grant  Avenue,  Greenwood, 
and  Berkley.  He  fre- 
quently held  seven  services 
on  the  Sabbath.  (See  close 
of  Chapter  XII.) 

He  accepted  the  presi- 
dency of  the  Fort  Worth 
University,  Texas,  in  1891, 
and  was  transferred  to  the 
Austin  Conference,  Texas, 
1892.  His  work  in  Colo- 
rado brought  him  promi- 
nently before   the   Church, 

and  favorably  recommended  him  for  his  present  important  po- 
sition, where  he  is  succeeding  admirably  as  teacher  and  manager 
of  valuable  school  interests. 


O.  I..  FISHER. 


Robert  H.  Rhodes  was  born,  October  16,  1830,  at  Mill- 
town,  Crawford  County,  Indiana;  converted,  when  but  a  boy, 
at  a  camp-meeting  in  Harrison  County,  Indiana;  educated  in 
the  district  school,  and  for  a  time  at  Asbury  University;  held 
license  to  exhort  one  vear,  before  receiving  a  license  as  local 
preacher;  was  admitted  into  the  Indiana  Conference  in  1859, 
without  his  knowledge  or  consent.  When  he  went  to  his  first 
charge,  the  Rono  Circuit,  he  had  never  taken  a  text,  or  attempted 
to  preach.     On  this  work  he  remained  two  years,  when  he  was 


422 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


ordained  deacon,  on  September  29,  1861.  He  was  ordained  elder 
by  Bishop  Simpson  nine  years  later,  on  September  4,  1870.  He 
filled  acceptably  various  charges;  resting  three  years  in  the  mean- 
time, until  the  spring  of  1873,  when,  on  account  of  failing  health, 
he  came  to  Colorado,  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Arvada,  where 
he  still  resides.  Has  done  "efifective"  work  here  two  years, 
preaching  at  Caribou,  Middle  Boulder,  Gold  Hill,  Sunshine  and 
Jimtown,  and  at  Silver  Plume.     He  organized  a  class  at  Wheat 

Ridge,    January    ii,    1874,    with 
thirteen   members.     He  and   his 
family  have  been  faithful  attend- 
ants thereof  for  twenty-one  years. 
Brother   Rhodes   also  started 
the    Broomfield    Class    in    1888, 
turning    it    over    to    the    Church 
authorities,    at    the    end    of    two 
years,  with  twenty-five  members 
and    an    average    attendance    in 
the   Sunday-school   of  forty-five. 
He  preached  also  in  Berkley 
for  six  months  previous   to  the 
organization  of  the  Church  there. 
He    assisted    in    organizing    the 
society  at  Edgewater,  in  Febru- 
ary,   1892,    where    he    has    been 
pastor   much   of  the  time   since. 
His  present  relation  to  the  Conference  is  that  of  a  supernumerary. 
His  health  for  years  has  been  frail,  yet  he  preaches  almost  regu- 
larly on  the  Sabbath,  and  with  much  feeling  and  earnestness. 

John  Armstrong  was  admitted  on  trial;  at  Evans  and  Big 
Thompson  one  year,  and  was  then  transferred  to  Nebraska  in 

1875. 

Cyrus  A.  Brooks  was  ordained  deacon,  and  William   Full 
elder,  on  August  2d,  at  this  session. 


R.  H.  RHODES. 


1875. — After  an  absence  of  six  years,  the  Conference  met, 
for  the  third  time,  in  Central  City,  Colorado  Territory,  on  July 


SECOND  DECADE   OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY.  423 

29th,  Bishop  Gilbert  Haven  presiding.  The  opening  exercises 
were  conducted  by  the  bishop,  and  the  usual  committees  ap- 
pointed, when  the  Conference  proceeded  to  business,  following 
the  usual  Disciplinary  order.  The  Conference,  by  resolution, 
expressed  ''Heartfelt  sympathy  with  our  brother,  J.  L.  Dyer,  in 
his  deep  affliction — the  loss  of  his  son,  Judge  Elias  F.  Dyer,  who 
fell  at  the  hands  of  an  assassin." 

On  August  1st,  the  bishop  ordained  the  following  named 
brethren:  To  deacons'  orders,  James  F.  Coffman,  Thomas  P. 
Cook,  John  E.  Rickards,  William  C.  Roby,  and  John  Stocks;  and 
as  elders,  O.  L.  Fisher  and  W.  L.  Slutz. 

The  adjournment  occurred  on  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day. 
The  transfers  were: 

S.  T.  Mcllheran,  from  the  Illinois  Conference.  Appointed  to 
West  Las  Animas;  located  the  next  year. 

W\  A.  Dotson,  from  the  Kentucky  Conference.  Pueblo, 
Georgetown,  each  one  year;  was  then  transferred  to  the  South 
Kansas  Conference,  where  he  died  at  Newton,  Kansas,  March, 
1879. 

H.  C.  Langley,  from  the  Northwest  Indiana  Conference. 
Castle  Rock,  two  years;  Rosita,  one  year;  supernumerary,  two 
years;  was  transferred  to  the  Missouri  Conference  in  1880. 

Albert  Warren,  from  the  St.  Louis  Conference.  Rosita,  two 
years;  supernumerary,  two  years;  Kiowa,  Pagosa  Springs,  Ani- 
mas City,  one  year  each;  and  then  located  in  1881. 

HosDA  L.  BeardslEy,  from  the  Missouri  Conference,  was 
born,  June  11,  1838,  in  North  Harpersfield,  Delaware  County, 
New  York;  attended  the  public  schools  and  the  New  York  Con- 
ference Seminary,  at  Charlotteville,  in  New  York;  next  Baldwin 
University,  at  Berea,  Ohio;  and  finally  the  Iowa  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity, at  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa;  was  converted  at  a  camp- 
meeting,  in  1858,  near  Berea,  Ohio;  called  to  preach  soon  after, 
but  did  not  consent  to  do  so  until  March,  1866. 

In  order  to  secure  an  education,  he  taught  several  terms  in 
different  pubHc  schools.  The  call  for  volunteers  to  defend  the 
Government  was  sent  forth,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army, 
as  private  in  Company  I,   i8th  Iowa  Infantry,  and  was  sworn 


424 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


into  service  on  July  7,  1862.  Soon  after,  was  ordered  to  the 
front  in  the  Department  of  Missouri.  He  was  subsequently  pro- 
moted to  corporal  and  sergeant;  was  discharged  for  promotion, 
and  appointed  first  lieutenant  and  regimental  quartermaster  of 
the  2d  Arkansas  Infantry  on  January  28,  1864,  and  served  as 
such  until  October  19,  1864,  when  he  resigned,  and  was  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  service.  He  engaged  again  as  teacher 
in  the  public  schools  at  Keytesville,  Missouri,  and  taught  one 
term,  when  the  call  to  preach  became  so  imperative  he  yielded; 
was  licensed  to  preach  March  3,  1866,  and  admitted  to  the  Mis- 
souri Conference  the  following 
week,  before  he  had  preached  a 
^jlUHi^  single  sermon. 

^f^^  For  eight  years  he  did  pas- 

■  \  toral   work    in   that    Conference. 

*    ^5^  i0(|  In  October,  1874,  he  was  trans- 

ferred to  the  Colorado  Confer- 
ence, and  stationed  at  Laramie 
City,  Wyoming;  then  at  Idaho 
Springs  and  Nevada,  two  years; 
Longmont,  one  year,  where  he 
secured  lots  on  the  corner  of 
Third  Avenue  and  Coffman 
Street,  for  a  new  church  and  par- 
sonage; Longmont  Circuit,  one 
year;  Platteville,  two  years, 
where,  through  his  efforts,  the 
means  were  raised  to  purchase 
and  fit  up  a  comfortable  parsonage;  Arvada,  three  years — here 
he  built  a  good,  six-room  parsonage  almost  with  his  own  hands, 
he  and  his  family  raising  all  the  funds  therefor;  Buenta  Vista, 
one  year;  Castle  Rock,  one  year  and  a  half,  when  he  was  changed 
by  his  presiding  elder,  with  the  consent  of  Bishop  Warren,  to 
the  new  town  of  Lamar,  where  he  organized  a  society,  and  built 
a  neat  church;  in  1887,  Beckwourth  Street,  Denver,  which  name 
was  changed  by  him  to  ''Fifth  Avenue,"  to  correspond  with  the 
new  name  of  the  street;  Morrison,  in  1888,  which  he  resigned 


H.  L.  beardsley. 


SECOND  DECADE   OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY.  425 

near  the  middle  of  the  year,  to  accept  a  place  with  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Christian  Advocate.  In  1889,  he  was  appointed  financial 
agent  of  the  ''Methodist  Publishing  Company,"  of  Denver;  the 
next  year  was  made  a  supernumerary,  and  accepted  the  position 
of  bookkeeper  in  the  St.  Louis  Depository  of  the  Western  Book 
Concern.  Feeling  that  his  work  was  in  the  pastorate,  he  re- 
turned, and  was  appointed  to  Erie  and  Louisville,  1891-2.  Here 
he  finished  and  paid  for  the  church  at  the  latter  place.  Built  a 
neat  church  at  "Pleasant  View,"  which  was  dedicated  by  Dr. 
Hyde,  in  February,  1893,  free  of  debt.  Platteville  in  1893-4-5, 
where  revivals  have  attended  his  labors;  Simpson  Church,  Den- 
ver, in  1896.  Has  been  Conference  secretary  for  eleven  success- 
ive years.    He  is  a  faithful  pastor  and  an  earnest  gospel  preacher. 

Only  two  were  admitted  on  trial:  John  L.  Moffitt,  who  had 
been  junior  preacher  on  the  Erie  and  Platteville  work  the  year 
previous;  appointments.  Granite,  Lake  City,  Morrison,  each  one 
year;  located  in  1878. 

Thomas  P.  Cook  was  born  May  18,  1848,  in  Middletown, 
Washington  County,  Pennsylvania;  converted  in  1870,  at  Mt. 
Vernon,  Iowa;  came  to  Colorado  in  April,  1872;  licensed  to 
preach  in  Greeley,  1874;  served  Cherry  Creek  Circuit,  under  the 
elder,  one  year;  admitted  on  trial  in  1875,  and  sent  to  the  San 
Luis  Valley,  and  in  1876  to  Silverton. 

In  May,  1877,  the  presiding  elder  sent  him  to  the  San  Juan 
Valley,  on  a  reconnoitering  expedition.  At  Parrot  City  he  had 
two  hundred  and  fifty  out  to  hear  the  gospel;  at  Animas  City, 
fifteen;  at  Judge  Pinkerton's  house,  near  the  head  of  the  valley, 
about  twenty;  Monument,  1877;  Fairplay  and  Alma,  1878;  Gothic 
and  Rock  Creek,  1881.  This  was  a  hard  year.  He  spent  the 
winter  at  Alamosa,  preaching  there  for  two  months;  Crested 
Butte  and  Ohio  Creek,  1882;  was  a  supernumerary  in  1883,  and 
then  at  Florence  and  Coal  Creek,  1884-6.  At  both  Rockvale 
and  Florence  he  began  Church  enterprises,  which  were  finished 
by  his  successor;  Bald  Mountain,  two  years;  Windsor,  two  years; 
Colorado  City  and  Roswell,  three  years;  Buena  Vista,  1894; 
Ouray,   1895-6.     He  was  ordained  deacon,  in  1875,  at  Central 


426  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

City,  and  elder  at  Pueblo  in  1879.  He  is  one  of  the  most  faithful 
pastors  of  the  Conference,  and  always  leaves  a  creditable  record 
behind  him. 

A  few  additional  items  from  Presiding  Elder  Adams's  report 
will  appropriately  close  the  year's  record: 

*'The  grasshopper  plague  swept  the  country,  destroying  every- 
thing. The  roof  of  the  church  at  Cheyenne  was  blown  from  the 
building,  and  carried  out  on  the  prairie.  The  disheartened  people 
rallied,  replaced  the  roof,  and  repaired  the  church  generally. 
Boulder  church  renovated  and  reseated.  William  Full  has  sup- 
plied Caribou  and  Gold  Hill.  Organized  a  fine  society  at  Sun- 
shine. W.  L.  Slutz  bought  and  paid  for  a  good  parsonage  at 
Black  Hawk.  Deaths:  Little  Ethel,  daughter  of  Brother  and 
Sister  O.  L.  Fisher,  of  Greeley;  and  Melville  Cox  Beardsley,  in 
the  opening  years  of  his  manhood,  is  cut  off." 

1876. — Thk  Conference  met  in  Boulder,  for  the  first  time, 
July  1 2th,  William  L.  Harris,  bishop.  The  opening  exercises 
were  conducted  by  him.  B.  F.  Crary,  presiding  elder,  gave  an 
interesting  review  of  the  preceding  four  years  on  the  Southern 
District,  from  which  I  quote:  "All  the  preachers  have  been  faith- 
ful and  true.  J.  L.  Mofifitt,  appointed  to  Granite,  was  a  mistake. 
He  resigned,  taught  school,  preached  all  he  could,  and  paid  his 
own  way.  B.  T.  Vincent  started  well  and  hopefully  at  Colorado 
Springs,  and  then  was  transferred  to  the  Philadelphia  Confer- 
ence. C.  A.  Brooks  supplied  his  place.  Society  organized  in 
South  Pueblo.  Church  property  unfinished.  Rosita  has  built 
a  new  church.  Church  partly  built  and  society  organized  at  Del 
Norte.  Pastor  at  West  Las  Animas  has  built  a  church  worth 
$1,800.    J.  E.  Rickards's  health  has  failed." 

Cyrus  A.  Brooks  was  ordained  elder,  and  Samuel  T.  Mcll- 
herin  deacon.  He  located.  Five  were  transferred  from  the  Con- 
ference, and  four  into  it. 

Those  received  by  transfer  were: 

J.  A.  Edmonson,  from  the  Tennessee  Conference.  At  Lara- 
mie City,  Central  City,  Pueblo,  each  two  years;  made  a  super- 
numerary in  1 88 1,  and  transferred  to  the  Central  Tennessee  Con- 
ference in  1887.     Is  now  a  member  of  the  Central  Illinois  Con- 


SECOXD   DECADE    OF   CONFERENCE  HISTORY.  427 

ference,  and  doing  excellent  work  for  the  Master.     While  here, 
he  was  a  faithful  workman. 

B.  A.  P.  Eaton,  from  the  Southern  Illinois  Conference.  At 
Alonument  one  year,  and  made  a  supernumerary  in  1877;  Fort 
Collins  Circuit  in  1887;  located  in  1888. 

Henry  C.  King  was  born  in  McDonough  County,  IlHnois, 
in  1844,  and  graduated  from  Hedding  College  in  1870.  He  at 
once  became  a  pastor  in  the  Central  Illinois  Conference.  To 
recuperate  his  health  he  came  to  Colorado  in  1876,  and  was  ap- 
pointed to  Caiion  City.  The  next  year  was  made  supernumerary. 
His  health  so  recovered  in  1879  that  he  was  made  effective,  and 
sent  to  the  new  town  of 
Cleora.  The  town  failed, 
and  he  returned  to  his  old 
Conference,  supplying  a 
Church  in  Rock  Island  for 
about  six  months.  Again 
his  health  failed,  and  he  re- 
turned to  Colorado,  and 
took  a  supernumerary  rela- 
tion, in  which  he  remained 
until  he  exchanged  worlds. 
After  retiring,  he  opened  a 
realty  office  in  Denver. 
Feeble  as  he  was,  he  could 
not  well  let  go  his  life-work. 
He  began  preaching  in  the 
Ashland  school-building, 
and  soon  after  reorganized 
a  Church  of 'eleven  members 
in  North  Denver.  He  served 
them  faithfully  for  two  years,  attending  the  Sunday-school  and 
preaching  once  each  Sabbath.  In  1882  they  completed  a  neat 
brick  church,  valued  at  $8,000,  on  the  corner  of  Sixteenth  and 
Boulder  Streets.  This  building  was  sold  in  1890,  and  "Beautiful 
Asbury"  erected  on  the  corner  of  Fay  and  Bert  Streets,  largely 
through  his  influence.    He  remained  true  to  God  and  the  Church 


HJb,Mt\   L    KING. 


428  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

to  the  very  last.  Just  before  his  departure  the  writer  visited  him, 
and  found  him  in  great  peace,  enjoying  the  comfort  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  He  died  June  30,  1895,  leaving  a  wife,  two  adopted  chil- 
dren, and  a  host  of  friends  to  mourn  his  loss.  His  body  was  taken 
to  Asbury  Church,  where  several  brethren  bore  testimony  to  his 
worth;  among  them  were  Bishop  H.  W.  Warren  and  Jacob  M. 
Murphy,  who  was  his  room-mate  when  in  college.  Brother  King 
was  a  man  of  fine  ability,  and  sustained  an  irreproachable  char- 
acter to  the  end. 

James  Harvey  Scott  was  born,  July  14,  1844,  in  Guernsey 
County,  Ohio.  Attended  district  schools,  also  the  Muskingum 
and  Mt.  Union  Colleges;  converted  first,  December  25,  i860; 
relapsed;  reclaimed,  December  24,  1865;  licensed  to  preach  in 
February,  1867;  joined  the  Missouri  Conference,  March,  1869, 
where  he  worked  for  six  years,  preaching  at  Novelty,  Sand  Hill, 
Clark  City,  and  Athens;  moved  to  Colorado  in  1875,  ^^^^  sup- 
plied Del  Norte.  Here  he  inclosed  a  stone  church,  40x60;  was 
removed  at  the  end  of  the  second  year.  He  supported  himself 
and  family  largely  while  here  by  keeping  boarders ;  then  at  Castle 
Rock  Circuit  one  year;  Rosita,  two  years,  where  he  began 
with  eight  members,  and  closed  with  eight}^;  remodeled  the 
church,  which  had  been  built  through  the  efforts  of  Rev.  A.  War- 
ren; next  at  Gunnison,  1880.  Here  he  secured  and  moved  into  a 
tent  on  Saturday  night,  and  preached  the  next  day  in  the  un- 
finished land-office  building.  During  the  evening  services  the 
people  had  to  raise  their  umbrellas  and  put  on  their  hats  to  shield 
them  from  the  falling  rain. 

When  Presiding  Elder  Cranston  came  to  hold  his  first  quar- 
terly-meeting, they  used  an  unfinished  store-building  without 
windows.  A  heavy  snow  fell  the  night  before.  The  people  sat 
in  the  windows  to  get  the  sun  and  keep  warm,  changing  off 
occasionally  with  one  another.  He  built  a  house  here  to  shelter 
his  family,  and  also  a  church  to  provide  for  his  congregation. 
Had  a  good  revival.  Here  the  greatest  sorrow  of  his  life  came 
to  him,  in  the  death  of  his  only  daughter,  Jessie.  She  was  a 
devout  Christian,  an  accomplished  organist,  and  a  great  help  to 
her  father  in  his  work,  though  less  than  fourteen  years  of  age. 


SECOND  DECADE   OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY. 


429 


Next  at  Ouray  in  1882.  During  that  year  he  organized  a  class 
at  Telluride.  The  next  year  he  was  sent  to  the  latter  place;  was 
made  a  supernumerary  in  1884,  that  he  might  enter  the  evangel- 
istic field.    He  located  in  1893;  readmitted  in  1895. 


John  Collins  was  born  in  Rouse  Lench,  Worcestershire, 
England,  May  21,  1848;  converted  in  1859  in  a  Primitive  Meth- 
odist cottage  meeting  at  Bradley  Green;  united  with  the  Wes- 
leyans  at  Walsall,  1867;  licensed  to  preach  at  Bradford,  York- 
shire, 1869;  came  to  the  United 
States  in  187 1;  united  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
first  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah;  re- 
moved thence  to  Union  Church, 
St.  Uouis;  then  to  Lawrence 
Street,  Denver,  in  1872;  next  to 
Eongmont,  in  1873,  where  he  was 
licensed  to  exhort  by  Rev.  C.  E. 
Cline,  the  pastor,  and  licensed  as 
a  local  preacher  the  same  year  by 
the  District  Conference. 

For  a  time  he  supplied  Cur- 
rent Creek  Circuit,  near  Caiion 
City;  also  Granite  and  California 
Gulch  the  same  year.  In  1874 
he  supplied  Cafion  City  Circuit; 
1875,  Cucharas;  was  admitted  on  trial,  and  appointed  to  Erie 
and  Valmont  in  1876;  Platteville  and  Fort  Lupton  in  1877.  The 
next  three  years  he  was  at  Morrison;  then  at  Castle  Rock,  three 
years;  Como,  one  year;  Morrison,  second  term  of  three  years; 
was  sent  to  Rocky  Ford  in  1888,  where  he  remained  a  month 
only,  when,  for  good  reasons,  he  moved  to  South  Denver,  where 
he  has  organized  societies  and  built  churches  at  the  following 
points:  Valverde,  Flemings  Grove,  Myrtle  Hill,  and  Rosedale. 
His  mother,  who  had  kept  house  for  him,  died  December  15, 
1889.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  Bennett,  of  St.  Louis,  AIo., 
December  4,  189 1.  She  has  been  a  great  help  to  him  in  his  work. 
Brother  Collins  is  a  close  student,  an  earnest  preacher,  a  careful 


JOHN  COLLINS. 


43©  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

manager  of  the  interests  committed  to  his  care,  and  commands 
the  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 

1877. — Th^  fifteenth  session  of  the  Colorado  Conference  was 
held  in  the  city  of  Denver,  from  August  ist  to  5th.  This  was 
the  fourth  session  held  here.  Bishop  Isaac  W.  Wiley  presided. 
The  Conference  closed  its  business  on  the  evening  of  the  fifth 
day.     The  accessions  were,  by  transfer: 

D.  H.  Snowden,  from  the  South  Kansas  Conference.  Had 
supplied  Georgetown  a  part  of  the  previous  year;  located  at  this 
session. 

J.  Pope  Treloar,  from  the  United  Methodist  Free  Church  of 
England.  Appointments:  Nevada,  Trinidad,  Del  Norte,  one  year 
each;  located  in  1880. 

E.  C.  Dodge,  from  the  Genesee  Conference.  Had  supplied 
Evans  and  Lupton  the  year  before;  appointed  to  Black  Hawk, 
two  years;  Cafion  City,  three  years;  Pueblo,  one  year;  then  was 
transferred  back  to  his  old  Conference  in  1883;  was  a  member 
of  the  General  Conference  in  1896.  He  was  a  promising  young 
man,  and  rendered  very  efficient  service  while  he  remained 
with  us. 

Brabazon  B.  Dundass,  from  the  Methodist  Church  of  Canada, 
was  born,  October  20,  1843,  i^  Druin,  Ireland;  came  with  his 
parents  to  Canada  when  four  years  of  age,  and  to  Colorado  in 
1876;  was  married  to  Mary  Emma  Dann,  August  7,  1877,  in 
Denver,  Colorado;  filled  Lake  City,  Bald  Mountain,  Castle  Rock, 
each  one  year;  Platteville,  two  years.  By  great  personal  effort, 
with  the  help  of  a  loan  from  the  Church  Extension  Society,  he 
succeeded  in  building  a  neat  frame  church  there.  He  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Kansas  Conference  in  1883,  where  he  remained  until 
his  health  failed,  when  he  returned  to  Colorado.  He  died  in 
Denver,  February  14,  1885,  rejoicing  in  the  Savior  of  sinners. 
Brother  Dundass  was  a  conscientious  preacher  of  the  gospel,  a 
faithful  pastor,  and  left  his  family  the  heritage  of  an  untarnished 
Christian  character. 

Joseph  A.  Smith  and  five  Mexican  brethren  were  admitted  on 
trial.  The  latter  were  engaged  in  the  Spanish  work  in  New 
Mexico,  under  Superintendent  Harwood. 


SECOND  DECADE    OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY.  43 1 

Brother  Smith  was  born  in  Hazel  Green,  Wisconsin,  January* 
25,  1850;  was  converted  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Illinois,  in  1859;  ^^^^ 
called  to  preach  at  once;  licensed  to  preach,  July  30,  1870,  on  his 
home  charge. 

He  graduated  from  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University,  June 
17,  1875;  joined  the  Illint)is  Conference  in  September  following,- 
end  was  sent  to  Alexandria;  took  a  located  relation  at  the  next 
cession  on  account  of  his  failing  health. 

He  served  the  following  charges  in  Colorado:  West  Las  Ani- 
mas, Castle  Rock,  Rosita,  Black  Hawk;  Aspen,  1885-6,  where 
he  organized  a  class  with  fifteen  members,  and  a  Sunday-school 
with  thirty-nine,  and  built  a  church,  valued  at  $4,500;  then  he  was 
at  Trinidad,  1887-8;  Florence  Circuit,  1889;  La  Junta,  1890-91- 
92;  was  made  a  supernumerary  in  1893;  went  East  soon  after 
and  rested  for  a  while,  when  he  again  entered  the  pastorate;  was 
transferred  to  the  Central  Illinois  Conference  in  1896.  He  did 
a  good  work  in  Colorado,  and  helped  to  lay  substantial  founda- 
tions upon  which  to  rear  the  living  Church. 

The  society  at  Aspen  has  had  the  following  pastors:  J.  A. 
Smith,  J.  R.  Rader,  A.  B.  Bruner,  R.  A.  Carnine,  R.  M.  Barns, 
G.  P.  Avery,  for  a  short  time  in  1893;  then  C.  Bradford,  who 
remained  the  next  year;  J.  H.  Gill,  1895-96. 

A  class  was  organized  in  Ouray  by  C.  L.  Libby,  June  10, 

1877,  with  E.  T.  Ailing,  Henry  Ripley,  and  four  others  as  mem- 
bers. He  began  building  a  church,  which  was  completed  by  his 
successor,  who  also  built  a  small  parsonage,  almost  with  his  own 
hands  and  money.  The  church  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  Cranston, 
presiding  elder,  in  1878.     The  Sunday-school  was  organized  in 

1878.  The  pastors  to  date  have  been:  C.  L.  Libby,  W.  H.  Greene, 
L.  Wright,  J.  H.  Scott,  A.  D.  Fairbanks,  L.  C.  Aley,  J.  Shawber, 
E.  G.  Harbert,  J.  G.  Eberhart,  J.  B.  Long,  N.  Bascom,  E.  G. 
Alderman,  H.  A.  Carpenter,  J.  Moore;  T.  P.  Cook,  1895-6.  Thus 
closes  another  year  of  successful  work  in  this  portion  of  the 
Master's  vineyard. 

1878. — Thk    Conference   convened   in    Golden    City    for   the 
second  time  in   its   history,   on   August   7th;    Bishop    Matthew 
Simpson   presided.     The   appointments   were   read   on   Sabbath 
28 


432  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

evening,  closing  a  very  enjoyable  session.  On  Monday  the  mem- 
bers and  visitors  of  the  Conference,  with  many  of  their  hosts, 
were  honored  with  a  free  excursion  to  Georgetown,  through  the 
courtesy  of  the  Hon.  W.  A.  H.  Loveland,  president  of  the  Colo- 
rado Central  Railroad.  This  added  greatly  to  the  interest  in  the 
Conference  associations,  and  marked  the  session  as  one  memo- 
rable in  the  history  of  all. 

Dr.  Crary,  in  his  report  as  presiding  elder,  addressing  the 
chair,  said:  "You,  bishop,  presided  at  this  Conference  ten  years 
ago  in  Golden.  Then  you  sent  out  ten  men  to  work.  This  past 
year  forty-five  men  have  been  in  the  field.  Of  the  ten  you  ap- 
pointed then,  only  three  remain  on  the  ground  to-day.  We  are 
in  the  regular  accession  and  succession  and  procession.  There 
is  only  one  appointment  in  the  Conference  that  is  really  able  to 
be  self-sustaining,  and  hence  only  one  comfortable  spot,  and 
none  of  us  expect  to  revel  in  that! 

''Church  built  and  paid  for  at  Evans;  parsonage  built  and 
paid  for  in  Laramie  City;  church  lot  bought  in  Rawlins,  and 
$200  raised  toward  a  church-building;  church  at  Fort  Collins 
moved  from  a  wet,  sv/ampy  location  to  an  eligible  site,  ceiled, 
painted,  and  paid  for;  the  churches  of  Silver  Plume  and  George- 
town enlarged  and  improved." 

From  Presiding  Elder  J.  H.  Merritt's  report  I  make  some 
selections:  ''I  have  traveled  6,801  miles;  preached  156  times; 
dedicated  two  churches;  baptized  two  adults  and  ten  children. 
Lawrence  Street  has  improved  her  church  property;  J.  K.  Miller 
filled  out  the  year  at  California  Street,  after  H.  Sinsabaugh  re- 
signed; St.  James  has  a  new  parsonage,  paid  for.  The  pastor, 
F.  C.  Millington,  in  conjunction  with  Ex-Governor  Evans,  has 
arranged  for  the  completion  of  Evans  Memorial  Church.  When 
done,  it  will  be  deeded  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  J.  A. 
Stayt  filled  out  the  year  at  Colorado  Springs,  after  C.  W.  Blod- 
gett's  transfer;  chapel  sold,  and  proceeds  put  into  a  parsonage 
property;  a  good  revival  at  Pueblo;  church-building  improved; 
debt  removed  from  the  church  at  Cafion  City;  T.  A.  Uzzell  had 
a  revival  at  Alma,  and  organized  a  society  of  twenty  members; 
purchased  and  fitted  up  a  church  property,  which  was  dedicated, 
April  14,  1878,  free  of  debt.    The  town  o-f  Leadville  has  developed 


SECOND  DECADE    OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY.  433 

suddenly  and  wonderfully.  Thomas  and  his  brother,  Charles  S. 
Uzzell,  went  early  to  the  place,  organized  a  society,  and  took 
steps  to  build  a  church.  Thomas  returned  to  his  charge,  while 
Charles  remained  in  Leadville.  The  church  was  built,  and  dedi- 
cated July  7,  1878,  without  debt;  parsonage  built  in  Lake  City, 
and  a  church  in  Ouray.  A  temperance  revival  has  swept  over 
the  State,  and  done  great  good." 

Those  received  by  transfer  were: 

J.  H.  Stayt,  from  the  Des  Moines  Conference,  who  filled 
Colorado  Springs  for  nearly  two  years;  was  made  a  supernu- 
merary in  1879,  and  transferred  to  the  Kansas  Conference  in  1880. 

H.  S.  Hilton,  from  the  Minnesota  Conference,  supplied  Trini- 
dad in  1877;  St.  James  and  Evans  Memorial,  Denver,  two  years; 
Georgetown  and  Cheyenne,  each  one  year;  was  transferred  to  the 
Baltimore  Conference  in  1883.  Brother  Hilton  made  a  creditable 
record  as  a  studious,  able  minister,  and  a  faithful  pastor. 

W.  H.  Gillam,  from  the  Arkansas  Conference;  had  supplied 
Arvada  the  previous  year;  at  Cheyenne,  two  years;  Boulder, 
three  years;  Golden,  one  year;  was  transferred  to  the  Southwest 
Kansas  Conference  in  1884. 

Brother  Gillam  was  one  among  the  brethren  in  the  South 
who  felt  called  to  leave  his  Southern  associations  for  conscience* 
sake..  He  did  so,  and  did  valiant  service  in  Arkansas  helping  to 
organize  and  build  up  the  old  mother  Church.  In  this  work  he 
traversed  every  part  of  the  State,  and  was  known  there  as  the 
"Arkansas  Traveler."  He  was  a  good  preacher,  and  left  a 
precious  record  behind. 

Thomas  A.  Uzze:IvIv,  from  the  Southeast  Indiana  Conference, 
was  born,  March  12,  1848,  at  Lebanon,  Illinois;  converted  in 
February,  1869;  entered  Asbury  University  two  years  after,  grad- 
uating therefrom  in  1877,  with  the  degree  of  A.  M.  A  portion 
of  the  time  while  in  school  he  worked  at  a  barber's  chair  to  help 
meet  his  expenses;  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1872,  and  ordained 
Deacon  by  Bishop  Simpson  in  1876. 

He  came  to  Colorado  in  October,  1877,  and  was  sent  to  Fair- 
play  and  Alma.  In  January,  1878,  he  organized  the  society  in 
Leadville,  which  was  the  first  of  any  denomination  in  that  town. 


434 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


He,  assisted  by  his  brother  Charles,  raised  the  money  and  let  the 
contract  for  a  house  of  worship.  Thomas  returned  to  his  work  in 
Fairplay,  and  Charles  remained  in  Leadville  to  look  after  the 
society  and  superintend  building  the  church,  which  was  dedi- 
cated, July  4,  1878,  by  J.  H.  Merritt,  presiding  elder.  At  the 
next  session  of  the  Conference  Thomas  was  sent  to  Leadville. 


THOMAS  A.  UZZEI.I.. 


Before  his  pastorate  of  three  years  closed,  the  church  had  been 
enlarged  three  times  to  accommodate  the  congregation  which 
thronged  his  ministry. 

He  began  by  standing  on  the  sidewalk, — before  they  had 
any, — and  inviting  every  passer-by  to  step  in  and  hear  him  preach. 
December  9,  1879,  ^^  ^^"^  married  to  Miss  Henrietta  Vincent,  of 


SECOND  DECADE    OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY.  435 

Des  Moines,  Iowa.  His  appointments  have  since  been:  First 
Church,  Pueblo,  1881;  North  Denver,  1882;  Georgetown,  1883-4. 
On  account  of  the  railroad,  which  had  just  been  extended  to 
Silver  Plume,  crossing  the  lots  in  the  rear  of  the  church,  the 
building  was  moved  to  a  more  central  location,  and  refitted.  He 
took  a  located  relation  in  1885,  and  became  the  pastor  of  the 
''People's  Tabernacle,"  Denver.  He  has  since  united  with  the 
Congregational  Church,  and  has  given  himself  wholly  to  this 
work,  where  he  yet  remains.  Since  entering  on  this  very  im- 
portant work,  he  has  removed  all  indebtedness  from  the  property, 
and  enlarged  it  frequently  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  congre- 
gjation.  His  main  business  here  is  to  preach  the  gospel  and  to 
save  souls.  An  average  of  about  five  hundred  a  year  are  led  to 
the  Savior.  His  membership  stands  at  nearly  three  hundred, 
and  the  Sunday-school  at  six  hundred  all  the  time.  Among  the 
auxiliary  helps  employed  in  this  charge  are  the  Christian  En- 
deavor, which  is  the  largest  in  the  State ;  a  free  dispensary,  where 
five  thousand  poor  people  are  treated  gratuitously  each  year;  a 
Helping  Hand  Institute,  finding  employment  for  an  average  of 
two  thousand  per  year,  and  several  other  auxiliaries  not  necessary 
to  mention.  His  zeal  in  the  ministry  knows  no  abatement.  At 
a  recent  election  he  was  made  one  of  the  Board  of  City  Super- 
visors. 

William  H.  GreeIne:,  from  the  Nebraska  Conference,  was 
born  in  Montville,  Geauga  County,  Ohio,  November  2'j,  1845. 
Enlisted  in  the  Union  army,  July  23,  1863,  and  was  mustered 
out  in  April,  1866.  Spent  one  year  at  Baldwin  University,  at 
Berea,  Ohio,  and  graduated  from  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University 
in  1873.  He  then  supplied  Fowler  and  Earl  Park  Circuit  in  the 
Northwest  Indiana  Conference  one  year.  His  appointments  here 
have  been:  Rawlins,  Wyoming,  one  year;  Ouray,  three  years, 
where  he  completed  the  church,  and  built  a  small  parsonage  also, 
almost  wholly  from  his  own  pocket  and  by  his  own  hands; 
Golden,  two  years, — here  he  enlarged  the  church,  raised  the  roof, 
and  gave  it  more  comely  proportions;  then  at  Platteville,  two 
years.  On  account  of  failing  health  he  was  superannuated  in 
1885,  and  a  superannuate  in  1890.     He  now  resides  in  Texas. 


436 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND   PLAIN. 


When  ''active"  he  was  an  able  defender  of  the  "Wcrd"  of  life, 
and  an  entertaining  pastor  of  the  Church.  He  builded  wisely 
and  well,  and  his  work  abides. 


John  F.  White:  was  admitted  on  trial.  He  was  born  in  Corn- 
wall,. England,  December  19,  1849,  ^^^  born  again  February  8, 
1863,  when  he  joined  the  Wesleyan  Church.  He  came  to  New 
York  City,  and  joined  the  Thirtieth  Street  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  where  he  was  licensed  to  exhort.  Reached  Colorado  in 
1876,  and  handed  his  letter  into  the  Church  at  Colorado  Springs. 

They  renewed  his  exhorter's 
license.  Thence  he  went  to  Sil- 
ver Plume,  where  he  preached  for 
J  one    year,    under    the    presiding 

elder;   was   returned   the   second 
^'  year;  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop 

|,  '  Simpson    at    this    session.      The 

S  following   is   a  list   of  his   other 

WL.  appointments:      Idaho      Springs, 

^H^^  three  years,   where,   in   1880,  he 

B^^''  .      built  the  church;  Longmont,  two 

-—     -^^  '       years,    where    he    built    another 

beautiful  church  edifice;  then  at 
Golden,  three  years;  Loveland, 
one  year,  in  which  place  he  built 
another  model  church  and  started 
joiix  F.  WHITE.  a  parsonage;   Black   Hawk,  two 

years;  and  Arvada,  three  years,  where  he  completed  the  church, 
begun  by  the  writer.  He  was  made  a  supernumerary  in  1893, 
and  continues  to  reside  at  Arvada.  Brother  White  has  done  ex- 
cellent work  for  the  Master,  as  the  foregoing  brief  record  shows. 
He  has  been  an  active  and  very  able  advocate  of  prohibition. 


On  the  third  day  of  this  Conference  session  a  very  modest- 
appearing  brother  was  introduced.  A  good  lady  was  heard  to 
remark,  ''He  is  decidedly  handsome!"  The  Rev.  Earl  Cranston, 
D.  D.,  has  not  changed  much  since!     It  was  he  who  took  Dr. 


SECONI?  DECADE    OF   CONFERENCE  HISTORY.  437 

Crary's  *'plum" — the  Lawrence  Street  Chtirch— at  the  close  of 
the  session. 

William  Full,  George  Wallace,  and  John  L.  Moffitt  were 
given  certificates  of  location. 

1879. — 'I'he  Conference  met,  for  the  second  time,  in  Pueblo, 
August  7th,  Bishop  Stephen  M.  Merrill  presiding.  He  conducted 
the  opening  devotional  exercises.  Twenty-seven  answered  to 
their  names  at  the  roll-call.  The  usual  routine  of  Conference 
business  was  finished  at  noon  on  Monday  following,  when  the 
appointments  were  announced,  and  this  little  band  of  conse- 
crated workers  separated  to  do  the  work  for  the  Master  assigned 
them. 

Nine  were  transferred  into  the  Conference  at  this  session,  and 
one  out  of  it.    Four  were  received  on  trial. 

I  quote  from  the  reports  of  the  presiding  elders,  as  follows: 
Dr.  B.  F,  Crary,  of  the  Northern  District,  said: 
"O.  L.  Fisher  has  added  to  the  church-building  in  George- 
town; N.  W.  Chase  supplied  the  place  of  E.  C.  Dodge,  who  left 
Black  Hawk  at  the  end  of  the  third  quarter;  at  Salina,  on  the 
Gold  Hill  Circuit,  a  house,  formerly  a  saloon,  has  been  bought 
for  a  church ;  L.  J.  Hall  has  built  an  excellent  parsonage  in  Long- 
mont;  A.  N.  Field  has  built  a  brick  church  at  Fort  Lupton;  John 
Stocks,  at  Caribou,  has  built  and  paid  for  the  foundation  of  a 
church — material  is  on  the  ground  for  inclosing  it,  and  $35  in 
the  treasury;  W.  H.  Gillam  has  built  a  brick  parsonage  in  Chey- 
enne, costing  $1,200;  J.  F.  Cofifman  has  improved  church  and 
parsonage  in  Laramie  City;  A.  W.  Cof^man,  at  Rawlins,  has 
built  and  paid  for  a  neat  parsonage.  An  Educational  Conven- 
tion was  held  in  Denver,  June  loth,  for  the  inauguration  of  a 
practical  scheme  for  the  resuscitation  of  our  Colorado  Seminary. 
"A  Church  that  has  no  revivals  is  a  purely  human  organiza- 
tion, and  not  God's  Church.  The  only  infallible  test  of  a  true 
Church  is  her  power  of  saving  souls.  The  true  ApostoHc,  Holy 
Catholic  Church,  in  which  we  believe  and  to  which  we  belong, 
is  a  soul-saving  Church,  a  revival  Church,  a  Church  that  believes 
in  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  receives  it.    The  Church  can 


438  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND   PLAIN. 

not  be  built  up  without  the  pentecostal  enduement  of  power. 
Artificial  vines  do  not  produce  fruit.  Said  Jesus:  'Abide  in  me, 
and  I  in  you.'  'He  that  abideth  in  me  and  I  in  him,  the  same 
bringeth  forth  much  fruit.'  " 

J.  H.  Merritt,  of  the  Southern  District,  reported: 

"J.  E.  Rickards  resigned.  He  wrote  me  from  St.  Louis,  Janu- 
ary 2 1  St.  E.  L.  Allen,  from  the  New  Jersey  Conference,  has 
filled  the  vacancy,  and  completed  a  Gothic  brick  church,  costing 
$3,500,  at  Caiion  City.  The  church  at  Leadville  has  been  en- 
larged, so  as  to  accommodate  six  hundred  people.  W.  H.  Greene 
has  removed  the  church  indebtedness  at  Ouray,  which  was  dedi- 
cated July  13,  1879.  He  has  built  and  paid  for  a  neat  parsonage. 
West  Las  Animas  church  is  plastered,  and  the  grounds  fenced. 
J.  H.  Scott  has  organized  a  class  of  fifteen  members  at  Silver 
City." 

E.  E.  Edwards,  a  transfer  from  the  St.  Louis  Conference, 
appointed  president  of  the  Colorado  Agricultural  Cqllege  at  Fort 
Collins,  was  present,  and  received  a  hearty  welcome  from  his  Con- 
ference colleagues.  He  was  made  a  supernumerary  in  1883,  and 
afterward  transferred  to  the  Minnesota  Conference  in  1887.  He 
was  a  scholarly  and  able  minister  of  Christ,  and  made  an  excel- 
lent record  as  president  of  the  school  in  Fort  Collins.  Since 
leaving  us,  for  reasons  satisfactory  to  himself,  he  has  united  with 
the  Episcopal  Church. 

C.  L.  Libby,  from  the  Minnesota  Conference,  supplied  Ouray 
in  1877;  subsequently  Arvada,  Wheat  Ridge  and  Argo,  Rosita, 
Georgetown,  Laramie  City,  each  one  year.  He  was  transferred 
to  the  Maine  Conference  in  1884;  retransferred  to  Colorado  five 
years  later,  and  sent  to  work  in  the  Utah  Mission ;  made  a  super- 
numerary in  1890,  and  transferred  to  the  Southern  California 
Conference,  1893.  He  is  a  clear  thinker,  and  expresses  himself 
understandingly.     He  has  left  a  good  record. 

Matthew  Evans,  from  the  Wisconsin  Conference;  at  Central 
City,  three  years,  when  he  was  transferred  back  to  his  former 
Conference,  in  1882.  Fie  was  a  thoroughly  consecrated  man  of 
God,  of  one  work,  and  in  ability  above  the  average.  The  Confer- 
ence expressed  in  flattering  words  its  appreciation  of  his  work 
and  its  reluctance  in  parting  with  him. 


SECOND  DECADE    OF  CONFERENCE   HISTORY.  439 

Edward  L.  Allen,  from  the  New  Jersey  Conference,  supplied 
Caflon  City  six  months  ift  1878;  Fort  Collins,  two  years;  mission- 
ary in  1881;  was  transferred  to  the  Missouri  Conference  in  1883. 
He  was  an  impressive  speaker,  and  an  untiring  minister  of  the 
gospel. 

William  C.  B.  Lewis,  from  the  Troy  Conference,  served  Silver 
Cliff  two  years;  withdrew  from  the  connection  in  1880. 

A.  N.  Field,  from  the  St.  Louis  Conference;  his  appointments 
here  were:  Erie  and  Valmont;  Platteville  and  Fort  Lupton;  Love- 
land,  Bald  Mountain,  each  one  year;  was  transferred  to  the 
Southern  California  Conference  in  1881.  He  did  a  good  work, 
and  among  other  aggressive  achievements  was  the  erection  of  a 
small  brick  church  at  Fort  Lupton. 

Earl  Cranston,  D.  D.,  another  transfer,  was  born  at  Athens, 
Ohio,  June  2y,  1840,  and  is  an  alumnus  of  the  Ohio  University. 
He  received  also  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  both  the 
Allegheny  and  Cornell  Colleges  in  1883.  When  the  war  broke 
out  in  1861,  he  was  a  senior  at  the  head  of  his  class.  Leaving 
the  honors  of  a  formal  graduation,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  among 
the  very  first,  under  the  call  for  ninety-day  troops.  He  responded 
also  promptly  to  the  President's  call  for  three  years,  and  was 
appointed  first  lieutenant  of  his  company.  When  the  2d  West 
Virginia  Cavalry  was  organized,  he  accepted  the  appointment  of 
adjutant  of  the  first  battalion.  During  the  following  year  the 
battalion  organization  of  cavalry  regiments  was  abandoned  by 
the  Government,  and  as  the  death  of  his  father-in-law  at  this  time 
left  an  entangled  estate,  which  demanded  his  attention  for  the 
ensuing  two  years,  he  left  the  service.  In  1864,  he  recruited  a 
new  company,  and  was  assigned  to  the  6oth  Ohio.  He  shared  in 
General  Grant's  first  campaign  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
until  the  investment  of  Petersburg,  when  he  was  sent  home  al- 
most a  physical  wreck,  but  under  excellent  medical  treatment 
and  the  best  nursing  he  was  finally  restored  to  strength  and  use- 
fulness. 

His  career  in  the  ministry  began  when  he  was  twenty-seven 
years  of  age.  From  early  college  days  he  had  felt  the  imperative 
call  of  God  to  this  work,  but  he  had  resisted,  until  for  vears. 


440  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

indeed,  he  had  not  accounted  himself  as  in  Church  relationship. 
In  1866,  he  was  led  through  a  remarkable  experience  to  finally 
and  full}-  surrender  himself  to  God  and  the  ministry,  and  re- 
united with  the  Church  on  probation,  not  being  willing  to  build 
upon  the  abandoned  foundation  of  the  years  gone  by;  and  was, 


EARL  CRANSTON. 


at  the  expiration  of  six  months,  licensed  to  preach.  He  continued 
in  business,  and  preached  whenever  opportunity  offered  until  in 
May  following,  when  Presiding  Elder  (now  Bishop)  Merrill  em- 
ployed him  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  Whitney  Chapel,  Marietta,  Ohio. 
At  the  ensuing  session  of  the  Ohio  Conference  he  was  admitted 
on  trial,  and  appointed  to  Bigelow  Chapel,  Portsmouth.    A  great 


SECOND   DECADE    OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY.  44 1 

revival  blessed  his  ministry  there,  and  two  years  later  he  was 
sent  to  Town  Street  Charge,  Columbus. 

In  October,  1861,  he  married,  at  Middleport,  Ohio,  Miss 
Martha  Behan,  a  graduate  of  the  Western  Female  Seminary. 
The  failure  of  her  health,  while  stationed  at  Columbus  in  1870, 
was  the  premonition  of  her  death,  which  occurred  eighteen 
months  later,  during  which  time  her  husband,  hoping  to  lengthen 
her  life,  made,  under  medical  counsel,  two  transfers — first  from 
Ohio  to  Minnesota,  and  then  from  the  Minnesota  to  the  Illinois 
Conference.  He  built  the  Grace  Church,  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois, 
and  subsequently  served  Trinity  Church,  Evansville,  and  Trinity, 
Cincinnati.  He  was  married  again,  in  1874,  to  Miss  Laura  Mar- 
tin, on  account  of  wht>se  severe  illness,  four  years  later,  he  was 
compelled  to  seek  the  tonic  air  of  Colorado.  Bishop  Simpson 
appointed  him  to  the  Lawrence  Street  Charge,  where  his  pas- 
torate was  signally  successful. 

He  at  once  interested  himself  in  the  educational  work  of  the 
Conference,  and  to  no  one  is  due  more  than  to  Dr.  Cranston  the 
credit  of  the  foundation  work  of  the  University  of  Denver.  He 
solicited  the  funds  that  paid  for  the  first  buildings,  and  supervised 
and  financiered  the  enterprise  until  it  was  thoroughly  established. 
He  accepted  the  presiding  eldership  at  a  sacrifice  of  a  thousand 
dollars  a  year  to  himself,  after  two  years  in  Lawrence  Street,  in 
order  that  Dr.  IMoore,  the  president  of  the  new  and  struggling 
institution,  might  have  the  aid  of  the  Lawrence  Street  pulpit  and 
salary,  in  carrying  the  burden  he  had  assumed  as  president, 
without  salary  or  endowment.  In  addition  to  this,  Dr.  Cranston 
managed  to  get  more  than  two  thousand  dollars  of  his  own  slen- 
der means  into  the  institution. 

At  the  General  Conference  of  1884  he  was  elected  Publishing 
Agent  of  the  Western  Book  Concern,  in  which  capacity  he  has 
seen  a  debt  of  $400,000  disappear,  and  the  dividends  to  the  An- 
nual Conferences  for  disabled  preachers  increased  from  $15,000 
to  $120,000.  The  General  Conference  of  1892  honored  him  with 
an  almost  unanimous  re-election.  His  own  Annual  Conference 
has  four  times  elected  him  to  represent  it  in  the  General  Con- 
ference.    In  the  pastorate  he  neglected  no  feature  or  detail  of 


442  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 

the  work.  Debts  were  paid,  new  buildings  projected  and  com- 
pleted, benevolences  largely  increased,  Advocate  lists  doubled  or 
trebled,  pastoral  visiting  faithfully  attended  to,  especially  among 
the  poor,  and  in  every  charge,  save  one,  he  had  revivals — some 
of  which  were  long  continued  and  of  great  power.  He  was 
elected  bishop  by  the  General  Conference  of  1896.  The  Colorado 
Conference  feels  highly  honored  in  the  associations  had  with  this 
servant  of  God,  as  well  as  in  the  record  he  has  made.  "Dens 
vobiscum." 

Thk   following   brethren    were    admitted    on   trial,    namely: 

George  B.  Armstrong.  At  Monument,  two  years;  Pitkin, 
Alpine,  and  St.  Elmo,  each  one  year;  discontinued  in  1882. 

Nelson  W.  Chase.  Rawlins,  Wyoming,  two  years;  discon- 
tinued in  1 881;  readmitted  on  trial  in  1884,  and  into  full  connec- 
tion, 1886;  missionary  in  New  Mexico;  located  in  1895. 

On  the  second  da}^  of  the  Conference  session,  David  H. 
Moore,  D.  D.,  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  was  introduced,  and  was 
cordially  welcomed  as  the  prospective  president  of  the  reorgan- 
ized Colorado  Seminary,  as  a  true  soldier  of  Christ.  He  captured 
all  hearts  by  his  captivating  manners  and  eloquent  addresses, 
and  created  high  ideals  as  to  his  future  in  the  Conference.  No 
man  has  more  fully  met  these  expectations. 

Thk  picture  on  the  opposite  page,  taken  at  Pueblo  in  1879, 
has  several  faces  in  the  group,  which  do  not  appear  elsewhere  in 
this  book.    These  I  will  name,  so  the  reader  can  know  them. 

In  the  front  row,  at  the  left,  sits  John  Stocks;  3d,  W.  F.  War- 
ren; 5th,  J.  A.  Edmondson;  7th,  Bishop  Merrill;  loth,  A.  Warren; 
nth,  A.N.  Field. 

In  the  middle  row,  at  the  left,  stands  J.  H.  Scott;  2d,  G.  B. 
Armstrong;  3d,  T.  P.  Cook;  6th,  PI.  S.  Hilton;  12th,  J.  A.  Smith; 
13th,  W.  H.  Gillam;  17th,  E.  L.  Allen;  i8th,  M.  Evans;  19th, 
C.  L.  Libby. 

In  the  back  row,  on  the  left,  stands  E.  E.  Edwards,  D.  D.; 
2d,  J.  R.  Eads;  3d,  B.  B.  Dundass;  4th,  W.  H.  Greene;  6th,  J.  A. 
Stayt;  7th,  J.  P.  Traloar. 

Six  of  the  above  have  crossed  over  to  the  other  shore,  and 


444  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

are  enjoying  the  fruits  of  their  labors  here  below.  Several  others 
are  nearing  the  dead-line  of  sixty,  or  have  passed  it,  and  will  soon 
join  those  who  have  been  redeemed  through  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb. 

1880. — Afti:r  an  absence  of  eight  years,  the  Conference  as- 
sembled, for  the  second  time,  in  Georgetown,  on  August  12th, 
Bishop  Henry  W.  Warren  presiding.  At  this,  his  first,  Confer- 
ence he  gave  eminent  satisfaction. 

Four  brethren  came  to  us  by  transfer,  seven  were  received  on 
trial,  and  seven  went  out  from  us  into  other  Churches  and  Con- 
ferences. 

John  H.  Merritt's  report  of  the  Southern  District  was  as 
follows : 

*'The  efforts  of  Lawrence  Street  members  are  largely  devoted 
to  the  re-establishment  of  the  Colorado  Seminary;  F.  C.  Milling- 
ton  has  built  a  neat  parsonage  at  California  Street,  fenced  the 
lots,  and  painted  the  church;  a  Sabbath-school  and  society  or- 
ganized in  North  Denver;  St.  James  Church  has  been  repainted 
and  kalsomined;  parsonage  improved  at  Castle  Rock;  church 
sold  at  Frankstown — the  trustes  have  $250  clear;  Albert  Warren 
started  encouragingly  at  Kiowa  and  Bijou  Basin;  season  dry; 
his  congregations  scattered  for  the  mountains.  I  gave  the  pas- 
tor a  roving  commission  to  follow,  and  he  has  been  in  pursuit 
of  them  ever  since;  the  wife  of  the  Monument  pastor,  G.  B.  Arm- 
strong, died  happily;  the  church  sold  to  satisfy  claims  of  outside 
parties;  parsonage  secured  at  Pueblo  by  J.^  A.  Edmondson; 
church  dedicated  by  Chaplain  McCabe  soon  after  Conference; 
church  enlarged  at  Rosita,  J.  H.  Scott  pastor.  William  C.  B. 
Lewis  left  Silver  Clifif  after  the  death  of  his  wife;  S.  D.  Longhead 
supplied  the  vacancy;  a  church,  30x40,  is  ready  for  dedication. 
H.  C.  King  was  appointed  to  Cleora;  staid  a  short  time,  when  he 
went  East  on  account  of  his  health  for  a  rest;  C.  H.  Koyl  was 
sent  to  supply  his  place;  he  organized  a  class  at  Buena  Vista, 
and  inclosed  a  church  24x40;  will  take  $150  to  complete  it. 
Church  improved  at  Alma  by  T.  P.  Cook.  T.  A.  Uzzell  has 
again  enlarged  the  church  at  Leadville;  seats  now  750;  the  pastor 
has  taken  to  himself  a  wife  from  his  own  flock.    Trinidad,  L  H. 


SECOND  DECADE   OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY. 


445 


Beardsley  pastor,  'the  adobe  church  was  beautifully  remodeled 
by  a  frame  inclosure ;  steeple  and  bell  added ;  repainted  inside  and 
carpeted,  and  painted  outside;  a  neat  five-room  brick  parsonage 
built,  and  all  paid  for.'  John  L.  Dyer  is  building  a  church  at 
Breckenridge,  to  cost  about  $i,8oo.  New  points:  Rico,  on  Do- 
lores River,  is  opening  up  for  a  small  society  there;  Gunnison, 
Brother  Koyl  visited  it,  organized  a  society,  and  the  people  are 
erecting  a  church,  32  x  50.  An  organization  formed  at  Irwin. 
Pitkin,  Alpine,  Maysville,  Pagosa  Springs,  Animas  City,  Silver- 
ton,  Lake  City,  Kokomo,  Red  Cliff,  are  promising  points,  and 
invite  attention." 

The  following  well-known  men  are  on  the  list  of  transfers : 


Thomas  C.  Iliff  was  born,  October  26,  1846,  in  McLuney, 
Perry  County,  Ohio,  and  converted  at  Iliff  Chapel  when  fourteen 
years  of  age.  He  enlisted  in  the  ninety  days'  service,  in  the  88th 
Ohio,  when  but  fifteen,  and  carried  a 
musket.  He  was  ''going  on  nineteen," 
and  that 's  the  way  he  passed  muster! 
He  was  "a  broth  of  a  boy,"  sure  enough, 
with  a  brave  heart  and  a  man's  strength. 
In  the  fall  of  1862,  he  re-enlisted  in  the 
9th  Ohio  Cavalry,  and  served  to  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  was  in  the  siege 
of  Knoxville,  in  the  battles  around  At- 
lanta, and  marched  with  Sherman  to 
the  sea.  He  was  mustered  out  at 
Chapel  Hill,  North  Carolina,  in  July, 
1865. 

That  fall  he  entered  the  Ohio  State 
University,  and  was  graduated  a  "B.  A." 
in  1870.  He  at  once  joined  the  Ohio  Conference,  and  was  ap- 
pointed junior  preacher  on  Coolville  Circuit,  with  fourteen  ap- 
pointments along  the  Ohio  River. 

In  March,  1871,  Bishop  Clark  appointed  him  a  missionary 
to  Montana.  Before  starting,  on  the  20th,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  Robinson,  of  Belpre,  Ohio,  a  cousin  of  Chaplain 
McCabc.     The  newly-married  couple  started  the  same  day  for 


THOS.  C.  ILIKF. 


446  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

the  far  West,  which  then  required  two  thousand  miles  travel  by 
rail,  and  one  thousand  by  coach.  For  five  years  he  remained 
in  Montana  doing  pioneer  work,  when  he  was  put  in  charge  of 
our  work  in  Utah,  where  for  twenty  years  he  has  been  super- 
intendent, holding  his  Conference  relation  with  the  Colorado 
Conference  since  1880.  He  represented  the  Utah  Conference 
in  the  General  Conference,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1880,  after 
which  he  accompanied  Bishop  Merrill  through  Europe,  Pales- 
tine, and  Egypt.  He  was  elected  Chaplain-in-Chief  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  September,  1895. 

He  is  a  good,  ''all-around"  Methodist  preacher,  and  has  had 
marked  success  as  an  aggressive  organizer  in  the  difficult  field 
where  he  has  so  long  labored. 

SamueIv  W.  Thornton  was  the  son  of  a  Protestant  Meth- 
odist preacher,  and  was  born  in  Van  Buren,  Hancock  County, 
Ohio,  June  18,  1841.  He  was  left  an  orphan  when  only  five 
years  old.  At  the'  age  of  seventeen  he  began  teaching  in  the 
public  schools.  In  i860, 'he  moved  to  Howard  County,  Indiana, 
and  at  the  first  call  for  volunteers,  in  1861,  he  enlisted,  and  was 
appointed  sergeant  in  Company  E,  13th  Indiana  Volunteers, 
from  which  he  was  discharged,  because  of  sickness,  in  the  fall 
of  the  same  year,  having  served  with  his  regiment  through  the 
campaign  in  West  Virginia.  In  1864  he  again  enlisted,  and  was 
commissioned  a  lieutenant  in  the  137th  Indiana  Infantry. 

In  1862  he  was  converted  at  Cassville,  Indiana;  appointed 
class-leader,  and  in  due  time  received  license  to  exhort.  In  1866 
he  moved  to  Oregon,  Missouri,  and  in  March,  1869,  was  ad- 
mitted on  trial  in  the  Missouri  Conference. 

He  was  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  Ames  in  1871,  and  elder 
by  Bishop  Bowman  two  years  later.  He  served  the  following 
charges  in  that  Conference:  Rockport  Circuit,  Oregon  Circuit, 
Maryville,  and  First  Church,  St.  Joseph.  In  the  fall  of  1877  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Utah  Conference,  and  placed  in  charge 
of  Evanston  Mission,  which  he  served  for  three  years.  The  Gen- 
eral Conference  in  1880  attached  that  Mission  to  the  Colorado 
Conference,  and  thus  transferred  him  to  the  same  by  that  action. 

His  appointments  here  have  been:  Greeley,  North  Denver, 


SECOND   DECADE    OF   CONFERENCE  HISTORY. 


447 


Central  City.  While  pastor  at  the  latter  place,  on  December  i6, 
1884,  he  was  appointed  to  the  superintendency  of  the  New  Mex- 
ico English  Mission,  which  service  he  performed  for  four  years, 
when  he  resigned  on  account  of  the  illness  of  his  wife.  Return- 
ing, he  was  stationed 
at  Fifth  Avenue,  Den- 
ver, where,  on  Janu- 
ary 8,  1890,  his  wife 
died  in  holy  triumph. 
He  was  appointed  in 
1890  to  North  Denver 
(afterward  Greeley) 
District.  In  1893 
he  was  returned  to  the 
pastoral  work,  and 
stationed  at  Golden. 
One  year  later  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Illi- 
nois Conference,  and 
stationed  at  First 
Church,  Danville,  Illi- 
nois. On  December 
22,  1 89 1,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Ella  M. 
N  i  c  o  1 ,  of  Newark, 
Ohio.  He  was  one  of 
the  delegates  sent  by  the  Conference  to  the  General  Conference 
of  1892.  Brother  Thornton  is  an  able  gospel  preacher,  a  faithful 
pastor,  and  an  aggressive  leader  on  all  lines  of  moral  reform. 


S.  W.  THORNTON. 


John  Wilson,  from  the  Montreal  Conference  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church  of  Canada,  was  born  in  Erguesing,  Ontario,  Can- 
ada, May  6,  1843,  ^^d  died  at  Denver,  Colorado,  March  3,  1885; 
was  converted  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and  felt  called  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry  soon  after.  He  worked  his  way  through  college, 
and  entered  the  ministry  of  the  above-named  Church.  In  1880 
he  came  to  Colorado,  and  was  sent  to  fill  a  vacancy  at  George- 
town. 
29 


448  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

He  was  returned  there  the  next  year;  then  to  Leadville,  three 
years;  and  to  CaHfornia  Street,  Denver,  in  1884,  where  he  Uter- 
ally  "ceased  at  once  to  labor  and  hve."  Among  his  last  utter- 
ances were:  **Conie,  Lord  Jesus;  come  quickly.  I  am  sinking, 
but  into  the  arms  of  Jesus.  It  is  better  to  be  resting,  than  to  be 
preparing.  Tell  my  brethren  in  Canada  that  Jesus  is  my  all.  I 
see  him  right  by  my  bed."  Brother  Wilson  was  a  thoroughly 
consecrated  Christian,  an  able  minister  of  Christ, — spiritual, 
earnest,  and  a  man  of  one  work, — and  left  a  record  that  will 
brighten  as  the  years  roll  on. 

David  H.  Moore  was  born  near  Athens,  Ohio,  September 
4,  1838.  Converted  in  1855,  ^^<^  soon  after  felt  himself  called 
to  the  Christian  ministry.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Ohio  State 
University,  near  which  his  parents  resided. 

He  was  set  to  work,  first  as  an  exhorter,  then  as  a  local 
preacher,  and  finally  as  a  traveling  minister,  entering  the  Ohio 
Conference  in  i860.  He  served  one  year  as  junior  preacher  on 
Bainbridge  Circuit,  w^th  nine  appointments;  next  he  was  sta- 
tioned at  Whitney  Chapel,  Marietta.  In  May,  1862,  he  volun- 
teered as  a  private,  but  was  elected  to  serve  as  captain  of  Com- 
pany A,  87th  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  subse- 
quently became  major  and  heutenant-colonel  of  the  125th 
Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  returning  after  the  fall  of 
Atlanta. 

He  soon  re-entered  the  ministry,  and  served  Bigelow  Chapel, 
and  then  Twentieth  Street,  Columbus;  St.  Paul,  Delaware;  Wes- 
ley Chapel,  Columbus;  Trinity,  Cincinnati;  then  Cincinnati  Wes- 
leyan  Female  College  as  president  for  five  years,  during  which 
time  he  supplied  the  pulpit  of  "Walnut  Hills  Church"  for  several 
months  while  its  pastor  was  ill,  and  St.  Paul's  for  one  year. 

He  made  two  trips  to  Denver  in  1879,  to  arrange  for  the 
opening  of  "The  Colorado  Seminary  and  University  of  Denver," 
to  the  leadership  of  which  he  had  been  called.  He  filled  this 
position  with  great  acceptability  and  marked  success  for  ten 
successive  years,  when  he  resigned  and  accepted  a  professorship 
in  the  Colorado  State  University  and  the  pastorate  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  in  Boulder.     Very  soon  after  he  was 


SECOND  DECADE   OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY.  449 

elected,  by  the  General  Book  Committee,  to  the  editorship  of 
the  Western  Christian  Advocate,  pubUshed  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to 
fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  the  lamented  Dr.  Bayliss. 
In  1892  and  in  1896  the  General  Conference  has  re-elected  him  to 
the  same  position,  which  he  continues  to  fill  with  distinguished 
ability,  making  a  live  paper  through  and  through. 


DAVID  H.  MOORE. 

While  president  of  "The  University  of  Denver"  he  served 
Lawrence  Street  Church  and  Evans  Memorial  Church,  Denver, 
each  one  year  as  pastor.  Dr.  Moore  was  popular  in  and  out  of 
the  Church.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  person  living  in  this 
Rocky  Mountain  region,  during  the  time  of  his  connection  with 
our  great  school,  who  did  not  know  him,  and  look  to  him  as  a 


450  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

personal  friend.  Several  years'  absence  has  not  lessened  their 
interest  in,  or  love  for  the  man.  Every  position  to  which  he  has 
been  called  has  been  filled  with  such  marked  ability  that  words 
of  appreciation  here  will  be  useless.  His  memory  is  enshrined  in 
the  hearts  of  admiring  pupils  and  grateful  friends.  His  "works" 
abide. 

John  Tonquin  was  ordained  a  local  deacon;  Thomas  A. 
Uzzell  and  John  Collins  as  elders.  These  were  the  first  persons 
ordained  by  the  bishop  to  the  office  and  work  of  the  Christian 
ministry. 

Those  who  were  admitted  on  trial  were: 

Charles  S.  Uzzell.  Born  at  Jamestown,  Clinton  County, 
Illinois,  November  6,  1853;  converted  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
and  entered  the  Asbury  University  two  years  later.  His  first 
preaching  was  done  on  the  streets  while  a  student,  in  the  most 
neglected  parts  of  the  city.  In  his  freshman  year  his  health  gave 
way,  which  necessitated  giving  up  school  work.  He  came  to 
Colorado  in  the  spring  of  1877.  The  first  day  in  the  city  of  Den- 
ver, a  stranger  without  recommendation,  found  him  employed 
as  secretary  of  the  Young  ]\Ien's  Christian  Association.  In  Au- 
gust, 1877,  he  was  sent  to  Caribou  and  Sunshine  by  the  presid- 
ing elder,  where  he  worked  until  midwinter,  when  his  health 
again  failed.  He  was  carefully  nursed  through  a  very  serious 
illness  by  that  old  colored  saint,  "Aunt  Clara,"  who  has  since 
passed  away,  "washed  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb." 

When  able  to  travel,  he  joined  his  mother  and  brother  in 
Fairplay.  He  assisted  his  brother  in  organizing  the  Church  at 
Leadville  in  the  later  part  of  that  winter.  In  August,  1878,  he 
was  sent  to  Arvada;  next  to  the  Greeley  Circuit;  then  two  years 
to  Golden,  and  two  to  Trinidad,  where  he  was  married.  In  Au- 
gust, 1883,  he  united  with  the  Congregational  Church,  building 
a  small  frame  church  near  the  Grant  Smelter  in  Denver,  and  then 
the  building  known  as  "The  People's  Tabernacle."  In  August, 
1885,  his  health  again  gave  way,  when  he  went  to  Chicago,  and 
while  there  organized  a  mission  in  Haymarket  Square.  Two 
years  after,  on  account  of  failing  health,  he  fled,  as  the  last  resort, 


SECOND  DECADE   OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY 


451 


to  Los  Angeles,  California,  hoping  thereby  to  prolong  his  life. 
Even  though  frail  at  the  best,  he  could  not  be  idle. 

For  eight  months  he  served  the  First  Church,  then  built  a 
church  on  Pico  Heights,  and  another  on  St.  Catalena  Island, 
which  is  thirty  miles  from  the  mainland.  Every  Church  that 
he  served  had  revivals.  Besides,  he  conducted  many  successful 
revival-meetings  in  different  parts  of  the  country  for  other 
pastors. 

While  pastor  at  Arvada  he  visited  a  holiness  camp-meeting 
at  North  Lawrence,  Kansas,  where  he  entered  the  "Beulah 
land"  of  perfect  love,  and  became 
a  flaming  evangel  for  Christ. 

On  Monday  morning,  at  one 
o'clock,  May  5,  1890,  he  crossed 
over  to  the  other  shore,  leaving 
a  record  of  unselfish  devotion  to 
the  cause  of  the  Master.  A  wife 
and  three  children,  mother  and 
brother,  and  numerous  friends, 
mourn  his  absence.  Brother 
Uzzell  was  an  evangelist  in  the 
best  sense  of  the  term,  and  his 
ministry  was  characterized  by  al- 
most continuous  revivals.  Many 
"stars"  will  adorn  his  crown. 


C.  S.  UZZELIv. 


Arthur  W.  Coffman  was 
born  at  Mount  Morris,  Ogle 
County,  Illinois,  October  22,  1852.  He  came  with  his  parents 
to  Colorado  in  1864,  and  had  his  home  with  them  on  the  present 
site  of  Longmont,  or  near  it,  until  their  decease.  He  was  con- 
verted, 1866,  in  a  protracted-meeting  held  by  O.  P.  McMains, 
in  a  little  log  schoolhouse,  with  a  dirt  roof,  standing  on  the  north 
bank  of  Left  Hand  Creek,  half  a  mile  south  of  the  old  Burlington 
Stage  Station.  He  afterwards  spent  three  years  at  school  in  the 
Ohio  Wesleyan  University.  After  his  return  he  supplied  Golden 
a  part  of  1878,  and  Rawlins,  Wyoming,  in  1879;  then  Loveland, 
one  year;  Evans,  three  years,  where  he  had  78  conversions.    The 


452  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

first  church  here,  built  by  W.  F.  Warren  in  1878,  was  changed 
into  a  parsonage  in  1883,  and  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
was  bought.  He. was  sent  to  Arvada  in  1884;  discontinued  in 
1885.  He  then  worked  for  the  Congregational  Church  in  Den- 
ver and  in  Nebraska  several  years,  but  did  not  feel  at  home.  He 
joined  the  West  Nebraska  Conference  in  1889,  where  he  is  doing 
excellent  work  for  the  Master,  and  is  contented  and  happy. 

In  the  development  of  the  work  in  Colorado,  points  in  the 
adjacent  Territory  of  Wyoming  were  added.  Only  four  of  these 
can  be  noticed. 

The  first  Methodist  sermon  in  Cheyenne^  Wyoming,  was 
preached  in  the  City  Hall,  Sabbath  morning,  September  20,  1867, 
by  Rev.  W.  W.  Baldwin,  of  the  Colorado  Conference.  Previous 
to  this  a  Baptist  minister,  traveling  through,  had  preached  one 
sermon.  After  the  former's  sermon  a  Methodist  society  was 
organized  by  Dr.  D.  W.  Scott,  a  practicing  physician  in  the 
place  and  a  local  preacher,  who  was  authorized  to  do  this  by 
W.  M.  Smith,  presiding  elder  of  the  Denver  District.  K  Meth- 
odist Sunday-school  was  organized  October  6,  1867,  with  Dr. 
D.  W.  Scott,  superintendent;  Frank  B.  Hurlburt,  secretary;  J.  W. 
Hutchinson,  librarian  and  treasurer.  In  January,  1868,  W.  D. 
Pease  became  secretary  of  the  Sunday-school,  and  subsequently, 
on  his  election  to  the  superintendency,  B.  B.  Durbin  was  chosen 
secretary. 

The  first  Quarterly  Conference  was  held  June  9,  1868,  by 
W.  M.  Smith,  presiding  elder;  Dr.  Scott,  pastor;  W.  D.  Pease, 
class-leader;  Theodore  Poole,  steward;  and  G.  S.  Allen,  local 
preacher. 

The  preaching  and  Sunday-school  services  were  held  in  the 
public  schoolhouse.  In  August,  1868,  A.  Cather,  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Conference,  arrived  on  the  scene  as  presiding  elder  of 
the  Dakota  District,  and  pastor  at  Cheyenne.  During  his  pas- 
torate lots  were  secured  on  Eighteenth  Street  for  a  church  edifice. 

In  August,  1869,  L.  Hartsough  was  made  presiding  elder 
of  the  Wyoming  District,  and  pastor  of  Cheyenne  and  Laramie 
City.  At  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  February  21,  1870,  Rev.  J. 
Anderson,  then  the  acting  pastor,  offered  his  services  in  carrying 


SECOND  DECADE    OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY.  453 

forward  the  church-building  enterprise.  The  trustees  accepted 
his  proposition,  and  appointed  him  Building  Committee  and 
financial  agent.  The  lumber  was  purchased  in  Chicago  and 
shipped  here,  and  contract  let  to  R.  H.  Foote  for  erecting  the 
building.  After  Brother  Anderson  had  personally  aided  in  dig- 
ging the  trench  for  the  foundation,  he  and  five  others  went  two 
miles  east  of  town  and  dug  stone  for  the  foundation,  the  hauling 
of  which  was  donated.  When  the  foundation  was  completed  and 
paid  for,  not  a  dollar  had  changed  hands. 

At  the  Conference  session  of  1870,  in  Pueblo,  Brother  Hart- 
sough  reported  21  members  and  7  probationers;  also  65  in  the 
Sunday-school,  and  Church  property  valued  at  $1,500. 

June  25,  1870,  G.  H.  Adams  and  Edward  Brooks  were  ap- 
pointed pastors  of  the  Cheyenne,  Laramie,  and  Greeley  Circuit. 
Brother  Brooks  devoted  his  entire  time  to  Laramie  City,  and 
Brother  Adams  to  the  other  places,  living  at  Greeley. 

September  23,  1870,  Bishop  Ames  dedicated  the  church  free 
of  debt.  .  During  the  winter  of  1874-5  the  roof  was  blown  off, 
and  the  church  otherwise  damaged.  It  was  soon  repaired,  at  a 
total  cost  of  $1,061.  In  1878  the  parsonage  was  commenced  and 
nearly  completed,  at  a  cost  of  $1,200. 

The  pastors  have  been,  up  to  the  time  of  the  organizing  of 
the  "Wyoming  Mission"  in  1888 — its  farther  history  is  a  part  of 
that  ''Mission:"  D.  W.  Scott,  1867;  A.  Gather,  1868;  L.  Hart- 
sough,  1869;  J.  Anderson,  1870;  G.  H.  Adams,  after  June,  1870; 
H.  C.  Waltz,  1871 ;  G.  W.  Swift,  1872,  for  a  short  time;  then  G.  A. 
England,  1872-3;  W.  F.  W^arren,  1874-6;  L.  J.  Hall,  1877;  W.  H. 
Gillam,  1878-9;  H.  J.  Shaffner,  1880,  who  remained  only  a  portion 
of  the  year,  on  account  of  failing  health,  when  N.  A.  Chamberlain, 
from  Indiana,  finished  out  the  year,  and  was  returned  in  1881 ; 
H.  S.  Hilton,  1882,  for  a  few  months;  when  G.  N.  Eldridge  sup- 
plied his  place,  1882-4;  D.  L.  Rader,  1885-7. 

In  March,  1869,  Rev.  G.  F.  Hilton,  M.  D.,  of  the  West  Wis- 
consin Conference,  who  came  to  Laramie  City  to  practice  medi- 
cine and  recuperate  his  health,  organized  a  society,  and  appointed 
J.  Boies  class-leader. 

Rev.  A.  Gather,  the  presiding  elder,  1868,  preached  there 
occasionally.     In  August,  1869,  L.  Hartsough  -was  made  presid- 


454  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

ing  elder  of  the  Wyoming  District,  and  preached  there  every 
two  weeks.  He  moved  his  family  there  in  October,  1869,  where 
he  preached  the  first  Thanksgiving  sermon  November  i8th  of 
that  year,  and  conducted  the  first  quarterly-meeting  service,  De- 
cember 4th  and  5th  following,  ever  held  there.  In  the  summer 
of  1869  lots  were  secured  for  a  church.  June,  1870,  the  Chey- 
enne, Laramie,  and  Greeley  Circuit  was  organized,  and  G.  H. 
Adams  and  E.  C.  Brooks  appointed  pastors.  The  latter  made 
his  home  in  Laramie  City,  and  gave  his  whole  attention  to  the 
church-building,  which  had  been  begun  by  his  predecessor.  This 
enterprise  he  completed  by  the  aid  of  a  donation  of  $500  from 
Oliver  Hoyt,  and  $500  from  Orange  Judd,  through  the  Church 
Extension  Society.  When  Brother  Brooks  reached  there  he 
found  a  class  of  thirteen  members  and  two  probationers.  B.  T. 
Vincent,  presiding  elder,  dedicated  the  church  January  15,  1871, 
and  on  the  same  day  the  Sunday-school  was  organized.  Their 
pastors  have  been:  G.  F.  Hilton,  from  March,  1869,  to  Septem- 
ber, 1869;  L.  Hartsough,  to  June,  1870;  G.  H.  Adams  and  E.  C. 
Brooks,  to  July,  1871;  H.  C.  Waltz,  to  July,  1872;  W.  F.  Mappin, 
to  July,  1873;  '^-  M.  Dart,  to  August,  1874;  H.  L.  Beardsley,  to 
August,  1875;  J-  A.  Edmonson,  to  August,  1876-7;  J.  F.  Coff- 
man,  to  August,  1878-80;  L.  J.  Hall,  to  August,  1881-3;  C.  L. 
Libby,  to  May,  1884;  W.  Hicks,  to  August,  1884;  S.  H.  Huber, 
to  August,  1885-6;  C.  H.  Koyl,  to  July,  1888.  H.  L.  Wriston  was 
appointed  at  the  last  date,  when  the  appointment  became  a  part 
of  the  Wyoming  Mission. 

The  first  Methodist  services  were  held  in  Evanston,  Wy- 
oming, October  19,  1871,  by  Rev.  G.  M.  Pierce,,  in  the  railroad 
section-house.  The  society  was  organized  and  the  church  erected 
by  Brother  Pierce.  The  society  and  property  fell  into  the  terri- 
tory of  our  Conference  by  the  act  of  the  General  Conference 
of  1880,  which  also  brought  S.  W.  Thornton,  who  was  pastor  at 
the  time.  W.  F.  Warren  was  sent  there  at  the  next  session  of 
the  Conference.  He  built  the  parsonage,  which  was  his  last  work 
before  removing  to  California.  Later  pastors  have  been:  C.  W. 
Brewer,  1881-2;  C.  H.  Koyl,  1883-5;  R.  E.  Buckey,  who  re- 
mained only  about  six  months,  when  C.  A.  Brooks  took  his 
place,  1886-7.    In  1888  it  became  a  part  of  the  Wyoming  Mission. 


SECOND  DECADE   OF  CONFERENCE  HISTORY.  455 

The  first  society  organized  in  Rawlins,  Wyoming,  was  by 
Dr.  B.  F.  Crary,  presiding  elder,  December  24,  1876.  It  was 
reorganized  December  26,  1881,  with  thirteen  members,  and 
the  work  of  this  Church  has  been  continuously  prosecuted 
since. 

A  small  parsonage  was  erected  by  Rev.  Arthur  W.  Coffman 
in  1877.  An  addition  was  made  thereto  in  1881-2,  by  H.  M.  Law, 
who  also  built  the  church,  largely  with  his  own  hands. 

Its  pastors  have  been:  W.  H.  Greene,  A.  W.  Coffman,  N.  W. 
Chase,  H.  AI.  Law,  J.  W.  Linn.  In  1888  it  became  a  part  of  the 
Wyoming  Mission. 

Dr.  B.  F.  Crary,  presiding  elder,  preached  the  first  sermon 
in  the  Animas  Valley,  at  Howardsville,  July  5,  1874.  A.  Warren 
was  the  first  pastor  in  that  valley,  in  1880.  William  Osburn  was 
next  sent,  from  Manitou  and  Monument,  by  Dr.  Cranston,  his 
presiding  elder,  to  Durango,  reaching  there  by  stage  April  14, 
1881.  On  the  previous  morning  a  man  had  been  seen  hanging 
to  a  tree  opposite  the  post-office.  Not  long  after.  Brother  Osburn 
was  permitted  to  preach  beneath  the  same  tree.  The  town  was 
but  six  months  old.  The  dens  of  sinful  pleasure  were  abundant. 
Revolvers  were  freely  worn,  and  the  crack  of  the  pistol  was  often 
heard.  Such  were  some  of  the  conditions  under  which  Meth- 
odism began  its  career  in  Durango.  On  the  following  Sabbath, 
April  19th,  he  preached  his  first  sermon  in  the  Episcopal  Church. 
After  the  discourse  he  called  for  members;  only  one,  John  J. 
Farmer,  responded. 

On  May  i,  1881,  he  organized  a  class  of  seventeen  members, 
and  a  Sunday-school  at  the  same  time.  At  the  end  of  that  Con- 
ference year  he  reported  fifty-two  members  and  seventeen  pro- 
bationers. Ours  was  the  third  Church  organized,  and  the  only 
one  obliged  to  purchase  lots  for  its  building  site.  Dr.  Bell  and 
General  Palmer  rendered  very  kind  and  timely  assistance. 

The  pastor  at  once  began  to  raise  funds  to  erect  a  church 
edifice,  which  was  accomplished,  and  the  house  was  dedicated 
by  Dr.  Cranston,  presiding  elder,  January  15,  1882.  The  prop- 
erty was  valued  at  $5,000,  and  was  nearly  paid  for. 

Brother  Osburn's  subsequent  record  is  as  follows:  made  a 


456  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

supernumerary  in  1883,  and  attended  school.  Two  years  after  he 
was  sent  to  Montrose  and  Delta.  At  the  former  place  he  built 
a  neat  church,  valued  at  $6,500.  While  shingling  on  the  roof  he 
met  with  a  serious  accident,  falling  therefrom  and  breaking  his 
leg.  Loveland,  1888-9,  where  he  finished  the  parsonage;  Morri- 
son, 1890,  where  he  built  another  church;  Georgetown,  1891. 
In  1892  he  accepted  the  position  of  professor  of  Natural  Science 
'in  Central  Tennessee  College,  which  he  still  holds.  Brother 
Osburn  is  a  scholarly  Christian  gentleman,  and  very  much  be- 
loved by  all  with  whom  he  has  been  associated.  His  record  here 
is  good,  and  his  work  endures. 

The  parsonage  at  Durango  was  built  by  J.  F.  Coffman  in 
1887.  The  Church  property  was  burned  July  i,  1889,  with  much 
of  the  town.  The  fire  started  in  the  back  room  of  a  shoe-shop, 
which  had  been  unoccupied  for  several  days,  the  proprietor  hav- 
ing been  away.  The  four  pastors  of  the  city  had  been  making, 
together  with  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  a  vig- 
orous fight  against  whisky,  gambling,  and  Sabbath  desecration. 
They  had  succeeded  in  getting  the  town  council  to  consent  to 
pass  an  ordinance  to  close  all  places  of  business  on  Sunday,  and 
the  ordinance  would  have  had  its  final  reading  the  next  evening 
had  not  the  fire  occurred;  but  for  that  reason  its  passage  was 
deferred  till  some  months  later. 

The  pastor's  personal  loss  was  great — at  least  $2,500.  There 
was  $1,500  insurance  on  the  church,  and  $800  on  the  parsonage, 
which  had  alone  cost  $1,800.  They  determined  to  rebuild  at 
once;  aid  came  from  all  over  the  United  States.  Drs.  Cranston 
and  Moore  did  much  to  help,  both  with  money  and  influence. 
At  the  succeeding  Conference,  Dr.  Moore  presented  the  matter 
of  rebuilding  the  church,  when  $1,000  was  pledged.  The  Cham- 
berlin  Brothers  gave  $600  to  this  fund.  For  rebuilding  the  par- 
sonage, J.  E.  Downey,  of  Pueblo,  gave  $1,000,  and  Rev.  A.  C. 
Peck,  of  Denver,  $500.  A  nice  one  with  seven  rooms  was  the 
result.  Bishop  Warren  dedicated  the  new  church,  free  of  debt, 
in  1890;  which  was  valued  at  $9,000,  including  the  lots.  The 
parsonage  was  valued  at  $3,000.  The  pastors  here  have  been: 
William  Osburn,  A.  C.  Peck,  J.  Whisler,  J.  F.  Coffman,  H.  B. 
Cook;  J.  L.  Vallow,  1895-6. 


SECOND  DECADE    OF   CONFERENCE   HISTORY.  457 

1881. — The  Conference  convened  in  the  "Cloud  City,"  Lead- 
ville,  August  3d,  Bishop  Isaac  W.  Wiley  presiding.  Here, 
in  this  young  city,  at  an  altitude  of  over  ten  thousand  feet,  the 
members  and  visitors  of  the  Conference  were  royally  entertained. 
The  bishop  conducted  the  opening  exercises,  asking  J.  H.  Merritt 
to  lead  in  prayer.  Notice  of  the  death  of  Bishop  E.  O.  Haven 
was  received  by  telegram,  and  was  appropriately  noticed  by  ap- 
preciative resolutions. 

Bishop  Wiley  remarked,  when  he  introduced  the  Rev.  Will- 
iam Taylor,  that  *'he  was  the  most  apostolic  bishop  in  the 
Church  to-day,"  little  dreaming  that  he  was  forecasting  a  future 
event. 

Six  came  to  us  by  transfer,  four  were  transferred  from  us, 
and  seven  were  admitted  on  trial,  two  were  discontinued,  which 
left  an  increase  of  seven. 

The  business  being  all  done  in  "due  form,"  at  the  close  of  the 
fifth  day  the  session  closed,  and  the  laborers  scattered  for  an- 
other year  of  toil  and  sacrifice  in  the  cause  of  righteousness. 

Those  who  came  in  by  transfer  were: 

S.  A.  WiNSOR,  from  the  Georgia  Conference.  Has  served 
the  following  charges:  Fort  Collins,  Boulder,  each  two  years; 
Trinidad  and  Georgetown,  each  one  year;  made  a  supernumerary, 
1887;  then  at  Georgetown  another  year;  Fort  Lupton,  1889; 
Montrose,  1890-91 ;  superannuated  in  1892.  He  is  a  man  of 
strong  convictions,  and  is  ready  to  defend  them  on  all  proper 
occasions.  Like  the  true  itinerant,  he  accepted  cheerfully  his 
allotment  from  year  to  year,  and  went  out  to  garner  in  the  Mas- 
ter's vineyard. 

Nathaniel  A.  Chamberlain,  from  the  Northwest  Indiana 
Conference,  was  born  in  Efftngham  County,  Illinois,  May  27, 
1841.  He  was  converted  March  13,  1854,  and  always  felt  the 
"call"  to  the  ministry. " 

He  enlisted  in  the  13th  Regiment  Indiana  Volunteers,  April 
18,  1861,  as  fifer  of  Company  G,  and  was  appointed  hospital 
steward  December  15,  1861;  assistant  surgeon  in  1864;  and  sur- 
geon in  August  of  that  year,  with  the  rank  of  major  of  cavalry. 
He  was  in  the  battles  of  Rich  Mountain,  Alleghany,  Green  River, 


458 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


Winchester,  Siege  of  Suffolk,  Petersburg,  Deep  Bottom,  De- 
senter  House,  Cold  Harbor,  Fort  Fisher,  and  sixteen  other  bat- 
tles; making  a  service  of  four  years  and  five  months.  On  his 
return  to  private  life,  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine, 
which  he  successfully  pursued  until  he  entered  the  ministry. 

He  joined  the  Northwest  Indiana  Conference,  September, 
1870;  was  transferred  from  the  city  of  La  Porte,  Indiana,  to  Chey- 
enne, Wyoming,  April  8,  1881;  served  that  charge  until  August, 
1882;  then  Canon  City,  one  year;  Central  City,  1883,  until  June, 

1884,  when  he  was  made  presiding  elder 
of  the  Southern  District,  which  position 
he  filled  for  six  years;  at  Fifth  Avenue, 
Denver,  two  years,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed superintendent  of  Wyoming 
Missions,  1892-6.  During  this  last 
named  year  he  resigned  his  position  as 
superintendent,  and  is  quietly  resting  in 
Denver. 

In  November,  1889,  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Book  Committee, 
which  position  he  held  to  May,  1896. 

He   represented   the    Conference   in 
the  General  Conference  of  1892,  and  was 
first  alternate  in   1896.     His  tongue  is 
"like  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer."    He  is  a  good  pastor,  an  excel- 
lent preacher,  and  a  very  efficient  leader.    He  ranks  high  among 
those  who  have  filled  Colorado  pulpits. 


N.  A.  CHAMBERI.AIN. 


B.  W.  Baker,  from  the  Central  Illinois  Conference.  At  St. 
James,  Denver,  nearly  two  years,  when  he  was  transferred  back 
to  his  old  Conference,  where  he  has  filled  the  position  of  presi- 
dent of  Chaddock  College,  at  Quincy,  Illinois,  for  several  years. 
The  filling  of  this  position  indicates  his  ability  and  character  very 
clearly. 

Robert  Woole  Manly,  from  the  Ohio  Conference,  was 
born  August  5,  1830,  and  died  July  15,  1883,  at  the  home  of  his 
sister  in  Wenona,  Illinois.     He  served  Lawrence  Street  Church, 


SECOND   DECADE    OF  CONFEREXCE   HISTORY.  459 

Denver,  for  nearly  two  years,  when  his  health  gave  way;  had 
spent  most  of  his  ministerial  life  in  the  Ohio  Conference.  He  was 
a  delegate  therefrom  to  the  General  Conference  of  1876.  He 
left  a  remarkably  good  record  in  Colorado,  having  filled  with 
great  acceptability  the  pastorate  of  Lawrence  Street  Church. 

Those  named  below  came  in  on  trial : 

Edmond  J.  Marsh;  Wheat  Ridge  and  Argo,  where  he  re- 
mained only  about  nine  months,  when  he  returned  East. 

R.  H.  McDade  was  born  in  Ireland;  converted  at  fifteen; 
licensed  to  preach  at  nineteen;  came  to  America,  and  thence  to 
Colorado  in  1880;  at  Buena  Vista,  x\ugust  following;  Alpine  and 
St.  Elmo,  1882;  Salida,  1883,  preaching  the  first  sermon  there 
on  August  14th,  from  Philippians  iv,  6,  7,  and  formed  a  class  of 
eight  members.  On  October  7th,  he  started  the  Sunday-school; 
afterwards  built  a  church,  valued  at  $800;  made  a  supernumerary 
in  1884;  and  transferred  to  the  Iowa  Conference  in  1886. 

James  T.  Musgrove  was  born  at  Alnwick,  Northumberland 
County,  Ontario,  Canada,  March  24,  1853;  felt  from  childhood 
that  if  ever  converted  he  would  preach  the  gospel;  converted  in 
October,  1868,  at  Toronto,  Canada;  attended  school  in  Evans- 
ton,  Illinois,  from  September,  1872,  to  May,  1880,  graduating 
from  the  Northwestern  University  in  1879,  ^^  the  classical  course. 
He  then  spent  one  year  in  the  Garrett  Biblical  Institute. 

He  came  to  Colorado  in  1880,  and  supplied  Longmont  one 
year  before  his  admission,  and  one  year  after;  Idaho  Springs, 
three  years ;  Argo  and  Wheat  Ridge,  five  years, — built  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  valued  at  $3,500,  in  Argo,  in  1886,  being 
ably  assisted  by  the  Rev.  George  Richardson,  who  gave  four  lots 
for  the  same  and  other  large  contributions;  Simpson,  Denver, 
1890.  During  the  third  year  he  resigned  to  accept  the  position 
of  financial  agent  of  the  University  01  Denver.  In  1894,  on  ac- 
count of  the  illness  of  his  wife,  who  had  been  in  delicate  health 
for  some  time,  he  left  for  California's  congenial  clime,  where  she 
died  in  January,  1896.  Brother  Musgrove,  at  the  session  of  1896, 
took  a  certificate  of  location.  He  is  ''a  workman  that  needeth 
not  to  be  ashamed,"  and  his  name  is  held  in  loving  remembrance 
by  all  his  associates. 


460 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND   PLAIN. 


Charles  H.  Koyl  was  born  in  Chatham,  Canada,  March  15, 
1855.  In  1868  or  1869  his  parents  moved  to  Missouri.  He  came 
thence  to  Colorado  in  the  spring  of  1875;  joined  the  Church,  De- 
cember I,  1878,  in  Rosita,  at  a  quarterly-meeting  held  by  Presid- 
ing Elder  Merritt;  January  i,  1879,  he  was  converted  in  the  same 
place.  J.  H.  Scott,  the  pastor,  appointed  him  assistant  class- 
leader,  and  the  society  voted  him  license  to  exhort,  August  4, 
1879.  He  preached  his  first  sermon  in  Rosita  six  days  after.  The 
District  Conference  gave  him  local  preacher's  license  October 

15,    1879.      The   presiding    elder 

sent  him  in  January  following  to 

J^^*^  Buena   Vista.      The   first    Meth- 

W^  fp  odist  service  was  held  by  him  in 

*^  that  town,  February   i,   1880,  in 

the  harness-shop  of  E.  A.  Doud; 

text,  John  xiv,  I.    One  week  later 

he  organized  a  class,   consisting 

of   Mr.    and    Mrs.   Jacob    Rabb, 

Mrs.  M.  A.  Weston,  M.  L.  Jones 

and  wife,  J.  T.  Wadsworth,  Mrs. 

Robinson,  and  Mrs.  Mosser. 

Those  received  on  probation 
were:  Mrs.  Lottie  Mague,  Mrs. 
George  Rounk,  and  Mrs.  Laura 
Wright.  He  and  T.  P.  Cook 
drew  up  a  subscription  paper, 
and  proceeded  to  build  a  church, 
which  was  occupied  by  Presiding  Elder  Merritt,  March  28,  1880, 
at  the  first  quarterly-meeting  service  held  in  the  town.  E.  A. 
Doud  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school,  which  had  been 
organized  previously. 

In  April,  he  w^as  sent  to  Gunnison  City,  where  he  arrived 
May  15,  1880.  Here  he  preached  in  the  West  Gunnison  land- 
office,  Sunday,  May  21st,  from  Deuteronomy  xxxii,  31.  In  the 
evening  at  Gunnison  proper,  from  Deuteronomy  xxx,  19,  which 
were  the  first  public  religious  services  held  in  the  city.  On  June 
6th  he  organized  the  society,  with  five  members,  namely:  Barbara 


C.  H.  KOYIv. 


SECOND   DECADE    OF   CONFERENCE  HISTORY.  46 1 

A.  Mullen,  Henry  Teachout,  received  by  letter;  and  A.  Parker, 
William  Knight,  and  W.  A.  Spencer,  on  probation. 

A  Methodist  Sunday-school  was  organized,  July  4,  1880,  in 
the  West  Gunnison  land-office.  Presiding  Elder  Merritt  held 
the  first  quarterly-meeting  July  8,  1880,  and,  aided  by  the  pastor, 
selected  the  present  site  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
also  laid  the  foundation,  and  received  in  donations  several  thou- 
sand feet  of  lumber,  with  which  to  build  the  church. 

Brother  Koyl  was  sent  to  the  Fort  Collins  Circuit  for  the 
next  three  years;  ordained  deacon  in  1883,  and  sent  to  Evanston, 
Wyoming,  three;  Laramie  City,  two;  Cafion  City,  three  years; 
then  to  Longmont,  five  years.  He  is  now  at  Highlands,  Denver, 
where  he  has  already  completed  and  dedicated  a  house  of  wor- 
ship. Dr.  Vincent  and  Bishop  Warren  conducted  the  services. 
He  is  an  able  minister  of  the  New  Testament,  a  faithful  pastor, 
and  a  judicious  manager  of  the  important  interests  committed 
to  his  care. 

James  T.  Musgrove,  R.  H.  McDade,  F.  D.  Gamewell,  William 
Osburn,  C.  S.  Uzzell,  were  ordained  deacons,  and  Edward  C. 
Dodge  elder,  at  this  session. 

1882. — The  twentieth  session  of  the  Colorado  Annual  Con- 
ference convened  at  Colorado  Springs,  August  3,  1882.  Bishop 
R.  S.  Foster  presided.  Eight  years  before  it  met  here,  and  seven 
years  previous  to  that  at  old  Colorado  City,  before  the  former 
town  was  even  thought  of. 

This  Conference  session  closed  the  second  decade  of  its  his- 
tory. How  does  the  record  stand  now,  as  compared  with  ten 
years  ago?  What  have  been  the  gains  and  losses?  The  increase 
of  the  last  ten  years  are:  39  ministers,  17  local  preachers,  2,544 
lay  members,  150  probationers,  20  church-buildings,  24  parson- 
ages, 23  Sunday-schools,  493  officers  and  teachers,  4,440  scholars 
of  all  ages. 

The  gain  in  salaries,  over  the  corresponding  date,  is  $30,169; 
in  benevolences,  $3,287.  Not  one  is  now  in  the  active  work 
who  was  here  at  the  organization  of  the  Conference  twenty  years 
ago.    John  L.  Dyer,  who  is  now  on  the  superannuated  list,  alone 


462 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


remains  to  join  the  present  with  the  past.     Of  the  twenty-seven 
who  were  enrolled  with  us  ten  years  ago,  seven  are  here  now. 
Those  received  by  transfer  were : 

C.  W.  Buoy,  from  the  Central  Pennsylvania  Conference;  at 
Evans  Memorial  nearly  three  years,  when  he  transferred  back 
to  his  former  Conference  in  1884.  He  is  a  son-in-law  of  Bishop 
Simpson.  He  was  a  scholarly,  capable  preacher,  and  is  still 
''active"  in  his  home  Conference. 

Jesse  C.  Green,  from  the  Alabama  Conference.  Bessemer, 
one  year;  Argo  and  Wheat  Ridge,  two  years.    At  the  Ridge  he 

built  and  paid  for  a  neat  church, 

erected  on  lots  donated  by  Henry 

Lee,  Esq. ;  was  appointed  to  Evans 

J^K/fl^^  in   1885,   but  did  not  accept  this 

^HF^  appointment  for  reasons   satisfac 

fl|H|^^-.«  tory  to  himself;  was  made  a  super 

^^H||^^  numerary  in  1886;  in  1887  he  was 

^I^BB^  appointed  a  professor  in  Baldwin 

^^/^^^^L  Seminary;  and  in  1890  was  trans 

^^^^^^^^^-'^•^^^t^^        ferred  to  the  Florida  Conference. 

^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^Bj^      He       a  fluent  talker  and  a 


man. 


John     Harrington,     from     the 
West  Wisconsin  Conference,  was 


J.  F.  HARRIS. 


born  in  1846  in  England,  and  con- 
verted there  in  the  Church  of  John 
Wesley;  began  preaching  when 
sixteen  years  of  age ;  came  to  Colo- 
rado in  the  spring  of  1882,  and  was  stationed  at  Del  Norte  in  1883; 
Trinidad,  1885;  Georgetown,  1886;  Gunnison,  1887;  Florence  Cir- 
cuit two  years,  and  Colorado  City  two  years.  In  1891  he  with- 
drew from  the  Church,  and  is  now  a  Congregationalist.  He  is 
in  many  respects  a  cogent  preacher,  and  did  valiant  service  while 
he  remained  with  us. 


Jamks  F.  Harris  was  born,  August  28,  185 1,  in  East  Ten- 
nessee; raised  in  East  Virginia;  converted  when  young;  licensed 


SECOND   DECADE   OF   CONFERENCE   HISTORY. 


463 


to  preach  in  Iowa,  1877;  joined  the  Des  Moines  Conference  in 
1879;  transferred  to  the  Colorado  Conference  in  188 1 ;  ordained 
deacon  that  year,  and  elder  two  years  after.  His  appointments 
have  been:  Florence,  where  he  built  a  parsonage,  and  organized 
the  circuit;  Salida,  one  year;  St.  James,  Denver,  two  years; 
North  Denver,  four  years.  During  his  last  year  Asbury  Church 
was  built,  but  not  finished;  Caiion  City,  one  year,  where  he  had 
a  gracious  revival;  was  transferred  to  the  Southern  California 
Conference  in  October,  1892,  and  stationed  at  Coronado  Beach 
nine  months ;  returned  to  Colorado 
in  July,  1893,  and  supplied  Castle 
Rock  eight  months;  was  reap- 
pointed to  Caiion  City  in  June, 
1894;  Broadway,  Pueblo,  1896. 
He  is  a  genial  Christian  brother, 
an  unusually  efficient  pastor,  and 
a  very  acceptable  preacher.  In 
his  work  he  is  ably  seconded  by 
one  of  the  best  of  wives.  Their 
record  is  good. 

Those   received   on   probation 
were: 


J.  A.  LONG. 


John  A.  Long  was  born  ii 
Jefferson,  Schoharie  County,  New 
York,  July  11,  1859;  converted 
at  Eminence,  1887;  attended  school  at  Waltham  Academy  in 
1878.  Appointments:  Alpine  and  St.  Elmo  six  months,  and  Ko- 
komo  six  months;  Del  Norte  and  Saguache,  1883;  ^^^^  ^^^ 
Louisville,  1884;  Silver  Plume,  1885;  Fort  Collins  Circuit,  1886; 
Longmont,  1887;  Castle  Rock,  1888-90;  Windsor,  189 1-2;  Evans, 
1893-4;  Cripple  Creek,  1895;  Holyoke,  1896.  He  is  a  useful 
minister  of  the  gospel.  His  record  is  one  of  the  very  best,  and 
his  life  is  an  example  to  all  believers. 


Christian  C.  Zebold  was  born  January  6,  1856,  in  Hocking 
County,  Ohio;  converted  at  13;  licensed  to  preach  in  1878;  came 
30 


464  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

to  Colorado  in  1881;  at  Loveland,  1882;  Fort  Collins  Circuit, 
1883-4;  Lander,  Wyoming,  1885;  Del  Norte  and  Monte  Vista, 
1886;  the  next  year  was  given  the  latter  place  alone,  where  he 
died  of  brain  fever  May  9,  1888.  He  was  a  young  man  of  prom- 
ise.   A  wife  and  son  mourn  his  loss. 

H.  M.  Law  and  A.  W.  Coflfman  were  ordained  deacons,  and 
John  F.  White  elder. 

I  select  the  following  from  F.  C.  Millington's  report  as  pre- 
siding elder.  "H.  M.  Law  was  sent  to  Rawlins  as  a  supply,  with 
a  commission  to  build  a  church,  which  he  did,  leaving  one  worth 
$3,000.  He  also  enlarged  the  parsonage.  J.  T.  Mosgrove  sold  the 
parsonage,  bought  another,  and  lots  for  a  church  in  Longmont. 
The  Lupton  church  is  finished  at  an  added  cost  of  $200;  W.  H. 
Greene  is  rebuilding  the  church  in  Golden;  C.  H.  St.  John  filled 
out  the  last  half  of  the  year  at  Black  Hawk;  the  Central  City 
church  debt  is  at  last  provided  for;  the  church  is  completed  in 
Idaho  Springs." 

Among  those  who  supplied  charges  were: 

Henry  J.  Huston,  born  November  19,  1832,  in  Canada;  grad- 
uated at  Lawrence  University,  Appleton,  Wis.,  in  1852;  converted 
at  Fairplay,  Wis.,  in  1862;  licensed  to  preach  in  Saline,  Kansas, 
1866;  entered  the  Rock  River  Conference,  111.,  the  same  year, 
where  he  served  eighteen  years;  became  a  supernumerary  in  the 
fall  of  1884. 

He  supplied  work  in  the  Northwest  Iowa  Conference  two 
years,  and  in  Colorado,  at  Fairplay  and  Buena  Vista,  for  the 
same  lengfti  of  time.  At  the  former  place  he  built  and  paid  for 
a  neat  church,  having  qnly  one  member,  and  he  a  woodsawyer. 
At  Buena  Vista  he  built,  furnished,  and  paid  for  a  parsonage  of 
four  rooms.    Since  July,  1888,  he  has  resided  in  Denver,  Colorado. 

Joseph  E.  Collom,  born  January  18,  1863;  converted  at 
Golden  under  the  pastorship  of  Rev.  W.  L.  Slutz,  when  fifteen 
years  of  age;  began  preaching  at  sixteen;  and  was  licensed  to 
preach  at  seventeen.  Entered  into  the  ''Beulah  L^nd"  experience 
of  ''Perfect  I^ove"  at  the  camp-meeting  near  Arvada,  in  1879; 
supplied  Golden  and  Morrison  as  junior  preacher  a  part  of  1881-2. 

He  attended  Garrett  Biblical  Institute  at  Evanston,  Illinois, 
one  year;  then  three  years  at  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Ober- 


SECOND  DECADE   OF  CONFERENCE   HISTORY.  465 

lin,  Ohio.  During  his  school  term  he  supplied  the  following 
charges  in  Ohio:  Collins,  three  months;  Havana  and  Centerton, 
two  years;  organized  a  society  at  Chicago  Junction,  which  has 
grown  into  a  strong  church.  After  his  graduation  he  became 
a  pastor  in  the  Congregational  Church;  one  year  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio;  five  in  Berea;  two  in  Littleton,  Colorado;  and  one  in  mis- 
sionary work  in  Denver,  Colorado.  He  now  seeks  admission 
into  his  mother  Church,  wherein  he  was  born  and  reared,  to  labor 
for  the  Master.  He  has  done  excellent  work  in  the  ministry,  and 
is  worthy  of  all  confidence. 


PKRSOKuA^Iv   MISTORY. 

The  history  of  the  reUgious  work  in  a  mining  communit}^ 
shows  necessarily  many  changes.  The  population  is  often  largely 
''floating,"  and  principally  engaged  in  "prospecting."  Even 
where  mines  have  been  opened  and  worked,  because  of  variation 
in  the  richness  of  the  vein,  the  returns  vary  greatly  at  different 
times.  Sometimes  a  "camp"  may  be  prosperous  and  its  houses 
full  of  busy  people.  Again,  its  mines  yielding  small  returns,  its 
population  will  be  small.  This  causes  certain  changes  to  be, 
relatively,  very  important  at  times,  while  at  other  periods  they 
are  rated  as  only  "nominal."  From  this  fact,  to  say  nothing  of 
others,  pastoral  work  in  these  communities  is  difBcult,  and  pas- 
toral changes  frequent.  The  following  named  charge  is  one 
whose  history  is  of  the  character  described. 

Nevada  from  the  beginning  was  served  by  pastors  from  other 
points.  In  1872  it  stood  in  the  Conference  Minutes  as  a  sepa- 
rate charge.  During  this  year  a  small  church  was  completed. 
S.  M.  Sears,  of  Pennsylvania,  was  the  "supply"  for  the  first  six 
months,  and  J.  A.  Smith,  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Conference, 
the  last  half  of  the  year.  He  came  to  recruit  his  health.  Four 
weeks  afterward  the  body  of  his  companion  was  laid  upon  the 
mountain  side.  She  fell  asleep,  trusting  in  "Jesus  only,"  and 
giving  all  necessary  directions  as  to  her  two  children,  as  if  she 
was  only  going  on  a  short  journey.  Near  her  sleeps  Alexander 
Marshman,  a  local  preacher,  a  former  member  of  this  society,  of 
precious  memory.  He  was  ordained  deacon  on  the  same  day 
that  the  writer  was  as  an  elder,  in  Wooster,  Ohio. 

The  author  was  sent  to  Nevada,  or  Bald  Mountain,  by  the 
request  of  the  society,  in  1873.  A  few  souls  saved  during  the 
year.  The  next  three  years  this  appointment  was  connected  with 
Idaho  Springs,  with  J.  F.  Cofifman  as  pastor  one  year,  and  H.  L. 
Beardsley  two  years.  Then,  for  fourteen  years,  it  was  a  separate 
charge,  and  was  served  by  J.  P.  Trelour,  B.  B.  Dundass,  A.  N. 

466 


PERSONAL   HISTORY.  '  467 

Field,  John  Stocks;  H.  M.  Law,  who  erected  a  new  brick  church; 
O.  F.  McKay,  and  Edwin  Ward.  Then,  for  the  following  three 
years,  it  was  connected  with  Black  Hawk,  and  had  for  pastors: 
J.  H.  Williams,  in  1892,  for  a  short  time;  then  J.  B.  Long;  C.  W. 
Bridwell,  1893-4. 

In  1895-6  it  stands  alone,  with  G.  A.  W.  Cage  pastor. 

My  next  appointment  was  the  Erie  and  Platteville  Circuit, 
with  John  L.  Moffitt  as  a  colleague.  There  were  at  the  time 
only  four  small  societies  within  the  bounds  of  the  charge.  After 
looking  the  ground  over,  we  established  preaching  at  the  follow- 
ing places,  every  two  weeks:  Platteville,  Porter's,  Stone's,  Es- 
ton's,  Bacheldor's,  Allen's,  Erie,  Whitney's,  Lupton,  Thomp- 
son's, Island  Station,  Johnson's  Crossing,  Valmont,  Davidson's, 
Coal  Creek,  Grout,  and  Hughs,  since  known  as  Brighton.  These 
seventeen  appointments,  with  pastoral  and  necessary  special  work, 
kept  us  pretty  busy. 

On  the  Big  Dry,  at  Johnson's  Crossing,  twelve  m.iles  north 
of  Denver,  there  lived  a  family  which  had  just  moved  down  from 
the  mountains,  where  they  had  had  no  religious  privileges  what- 
ever. On  our  way  to  the  schoolhouse,  to  hold  the  first  religious 
service  ever  held  in  that  valley,  I  overheard  the  nearly  grown 
daughter  inquiring  of  her  mother,  ''what  people  did  at  church?" 
She  had  never  been  to  church  or  a  Sunday-school.  The  mother 
replied,  "You  watch  and  see  how  others  do,  and  do  the  same." 
It  was  an  inspiration  to  preach  the  gospel  to  an  intelligent  human 
being  for  the  first  time.  That  young  lady  became  deeply  inter- 
ested, and  has  since  become  a  Christian. 

One  experience  has  been  indelibly  stamped  upon  my  memory, 
and  has  been  a  source  of  inspiration  that  has  grown  with  the 
years  as  they  have  passed.  On  yonder  prairie  plateau  there 
stands  a  lonely  house  of  three  rooms.  On  a  humble  bed  in  one 
of  the  rooms  the  eldest  son,  past  seventeen,  is  dying.  Two 
brothers  and  a  sister  had  in  other  days  gone  on  before.  The  night 
was  cool,  calm,  and  almost  as  light  as  day.  It  was  the  evening 
of  March  11,  1875.  The  dying  one  had  exhorted  all  who  called 
the  day  previous  to  prepare  for  death,  and  to  meet  him  in  heaven. 
He  gave  directions  as  to  the  dressing  of  his  body  and  its  burial 
as  quietly  as  though  he  were  going  away  on  a  visit.    The  follow- 


468  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

ing  are  a  few  of  his  last  utterances:  *1  do  believe,  I  now  believe 
that  Jesus  has  washed  my  sins  away.  O,  happy  day  when  Jesus 
washed  my  sins  away!  I  am  going  home  in  the  good  old  way. 
Glory  to  God!  Hallelujah!"  To  one  who  departed  this  life  only 
a  short  time  ago  (1895),  he  said:  "When  you  come  to  die,  may 
God  be  merciful  to  your  soul!  Prepare  for  death  at  once,  and 
do  not  put  it  off  until  the  last  moment."  The  answer  was:  ''Time 
enough  for  that  when  I  come  to  die."  What  fallacious  reasoning! 
He  replied:  ''You  may  not  be  blessed  with  your  reason,  as  I  have 
been.  My  head  has  been  clear  all  the  time."  He  said  to  his 
mother:  "Formerly  I  had  planned  to  make  money.  Were  I  to 
get  well,  that  might  all  go.  My  only  desire  to  recover  is  that  I 
might  preach  to  save  souls.  I  do  not  wish  to  be  called  smart  or 
eloquent,  but  I  want  to  preach  so  as  to  have  revivals  all  the  time." 
To  his  aunt  Rebecca  he  said:  "Before  this  I  had  such  a  fear  of 
death.  I  have  none  now.  I  am  not  afraid  to  die."  He  requested 
those  present  to  sing  something.    His  mother  began, 

"There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood," 

when  he  exclaimed,  "That's  it;  that  is  what  I  wanted."  The 
twenty-third  Psalm  had  been  the  source  of  great  comfort  to  him 
for  months,  and,  as  he  was  entering  the  valley,  his  mother  asked 
him  if  the  fourth  verse  still  cheered  him.  He  assured  her  that  it 
did.  Then  he  inquired,  "Will  the  little  ones  meet  me  there?" 
Being  told  that  they  would,  he  replied,  "We  four  will  meet  you 
when  you  come."    He  endeavored  to  sing  the  second  verse  of  the 

hymn, — 

"My  Father's  house  is  built  on  high, 
Far,  far  above  the  starry  sky." 

His   voice   failed   him.      He    repeated,    in    broken   accents,    the 

chorus, — 

"I  'm  going  home,  I  'm  going  home, 
I  'm  going  home  to  die  no  more." 

At  the  very  last  moment  his  mother  asked  hirni  if  he  was  still 
happy.  "Yes,  mother;  happy!  happy!  happy!"  The  last  "happy" 
was  scarcely  audible.  Folding  his  hands  across  his  breast,  he 
closed  his  eyes,  and  ceased  to  breathe.    The  freed  spirit  took  its 


PERSONAL   HISTORY.  469 

flight,  "washed  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb."  Previous  to  this, 
while  not  a  breath  of  air  was  stirring  and  the  moon  was  shining 
brightly,  sounds  were  distinctly  heard  like  something  beating  the 
air.  The  watchers  went  oft  to  the  door  or  window  to  find  the 
cause,  but  nothing  was  discernible.  After  the  decease  of  the 
loved  one  the  sounds  were  no  longer  heard. 

They  were  reminded  of  Bishop  McKendree's  dying  words, — 

"Bright  angels  are  from  glory  come, 
They  're  round  my  bed,  they  're  in  my  room, 
They  wait  to  waft  my  spirit  home, — 
All  is  well,  all  is  well." 

That  young  man  was  our  eldest  son,  then  in  his  eighteenth 
year.  This  was  the  severest  blow  of  our  whole  lives.  His  body 
awaits  the  resurrection  in  the  Longmont  cemetery.  God's  grace 
was  abundant.    His  will  was  best. 

I  WAS  willing  to  return,  but  the  work  was  divided,  and  it  was 
thought  best  that  I  should  go  to  Black  Hawk.  In  this  charge 
I  spent  two  pleasant  years,  and  then  asked  to  be  changed  to  a 
lower  altitude.  While  here  we  had  good  congregations,  a  very 
prosperous  Sunday-school  work  under  the  efficient  labors  of 
Joseph  Powel,  superintendent,  and,  through  the  blessing  of  God, 
a  few  souls  were  saved.  The  church  property  was  somewhat  im- 
proved. 

The  first  church  in  Black  Hawk  was  built  while  George  Wal- 
lace was  pastor,  in  1869-70.  The  pastors  serving  here  have  been: 
C.  King,  O.  P.  McMains,  B.  T.  Vincent,  W.  W.  Baldwin,  G.  W. 
Swift,  George  Wallace,  P.  McNutt,  W.  L.  Slutz,  I.  H.  Beardsley, 
E.  C.  Dodge,  C.  A.  Brooks,  J.  C.  Green,  J.  A.  Smith,  John  Stocks, 
T.  A.  Story;  J.  F.  White,  who  erected  a  new  church;  A.  L.  Chase, 
J.  H.  Williams,  C.  W.  Bridwell;  F.  T.  Krueger,  1895-6. 

When  the  session  of  1877  closed,  I  found  myself  placed  at 
Del  Norte,  in  the  San  Luis  Valley,  of  which  I  had  not  even  a 
hint.  This  was  to  me  like  a  thunderclap  in  a  clear  sky,  and  was 
a  severe  shock  to  my  nervous  system.  No  sleep  came  to  my 
eyes  that  night,  nor  rest  to  my  tired  body.     The  first  impulse 


470  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

was,  "I  will  not  go."  After  several  days  of  prayer  and  deliber- 
ation, I  decided  to  go  and  do  my  very  best.  I  have  always  been 
glad  that  I  so  decided. 

This  so-called  valley  is  an  elevated  plain,  in  dimensions  sixty 
by  one  hundred  miles,  and  surrounded  by  towering  mountains, 
capped  with  eternal  snow.  On  the  east  side  stands  the  "Sierra 
Blanca,"  the  loftiest  "peak"  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Near  its 
southern  base  stood  Fort  Garland,  which  the  railroad  had  just 
reached.  The  balance  of  the  distance,  to  the  west  side  of  the 
valley,  was  traversed  by  coach.  On  the  south  bank  of  the  Rio 
Grande  River  the  town  of  Del  Norte  was  situated.  I  went  down 
by  rail  and  coach,  looked  the  ground  over,  preached  twice,  and 
returned  for  my  wife  and  goods.  We  drove  through  with  our 
own  conveyance,  by  the  way  of  Pueblo  and  the  Le  Veta  Pass,  a 
distance  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  miles,  spending  one  Sabbath 
at  Pueblo,  preaching  twice  in  the  First  Church,  and  another  at 
Fort  Garland,  preaching  to  the  soldiers  in  the  morning,  and  lec- 
turing on  temperance  at  night. 

At  Del  Norte  I  found  a  stone  church,  40  x  60,  inclosed,  but 
not  finished.  Upon  this  there  was  quite  a  debt.  In  the  society 
there  were  but  ten  members  left.  All  the  rest  had  moved  away. 
None  of  them  were  in  easy  circumstances.  There  was  no  par- 
sonage, and  no  money  to  build  one.  A  vacant  house  could 
not  be  found.  There  was  no  alternative,  only  to  build;  but 
where  was  the  material  to  come  from?  Work  would  be  donated. 
The  people  had  no  money,  and  I  had  none;  yet  I  determined  to 
build  one,  of  two  rooms.  How  could  it  be  done?  I  solicited 
donations  of  material,  and  soon  we  had  the  house  inclosed,  but 
our  humble  abode  was  unfinished,  and  our  resources  were  ex- 
hausted. What  was  to  be  done?  We  could  not  live  in  it  as  it 
was;  winter  was  approaching,  and  not  a  cent  in  sight.  Some- 
thing had  to  be  done  quickly. 

Four  years  before,  when  in  London,  England,  I  had  bought 
a  black  silk  dress  for  my  better  half,  which  had  not  been  made 
up.  This  she  sold  (unknown  to  me)  for  $43.  With  that  money 
the  parsonage  was  completed,  and  we  moved  in.  Though  small, 
it  made  us  quite  comfortable  for  nearly  two  years.     Afterward 


PERSONAL  HISTORY.  47 1 

it  was  enlarged  by  Brother  Parm^nius  Smith,  and  is  yet  occu- 
pied for  parsonage  purposes. 

Rev.  A.  M.  Darley,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
San  Luis  Valley,  and  the  writer  alternated  some  of  the  time  in 
preaching  in  Del  Norte.  During  the  winter  months  we  occa- 
sionally would  come  together  there  on  the  Sabbath,  when  one 
would  take  the  morning  service,  and  the  other  the  evening. 
Every  two  weeks  I  went  to  the  country,  either  to  Saguache,  the 
"Piadra" — near  the  present  site  of  Monte  Vista — or  ''Shocks," 
which  was  just  above  where  Alamosa  now  stands.    In  this  town 

1  preached  the  first  Methodist  sermon,  October  6,  1878,  in  the 
dining-room  of  a  boarding-house,  from  John  iv,  7. 

Much  of  the  country  was  then  open,  and  where  now  are  beau- 
tiful farms  and  flourishing  towns,  I  often  killed  rabbits  and  other 
game.  For  a  time  the  services  in  Del  Norte  were  held  in  the 
court-house,   which   was   a  two-story   frame   structure   built   of 

2  X  4's,  spiked  together  flatwise.  The  upper  floor  was  of  the 
same  material,  set  on  the  edges,  making  the  floor  four  inches  in 
thickness.  In  this  there  were  not  a  few  small  cracks,  owing  to 
the  difference  in  the  width  of  the  scantling.  The  down-stairs  part 
was  used  for  a  jail;  the  up-stairs  for  court  purposes.  In  this 
"upper  room"  the  Sunday-school  and  church  were  held.  Oft- 
times  the  occupants  below  would  disturb  the  congregation  above 
by  stamping  of  feet,  loud  talking,  singing,  or  shouting,  as  the 
notion  took  them.  Sometimes  they  would  put  red  pepper  on 
their  stove,  which  caused  no  little  coughing  and  sneezing  in  the 
congregation  above. 

The  Sunday-school  convened  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M.,  and  the 
preaching  service  was  at  eleven. 

One  cold,  wintry  morning  the  stove  would  not  draw,  except 
the  wrong  way.  What  was  to  be  done?  The  children  were 
gathering  for  the  Sunday-school.  The  room  was  cold.  The 
soot  from  the  burning  of  'Tinon"  wood  had  stopped  up  the 
chimney.  Rev.  A.  M.  Darley,  who  was  familiar  with  such  con- 
ditions, sent  a  boy  home  to  get  some  powder,  with  which  to  blow 
out  the  soot.  A  handful  of  the  powder  was  wrapped  in  paper, 
set  on  fire,  and  then  thrust  into  the  chimney,  from  which  the 


472  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Stovepipe  had  been  removed.  The  pipe  was  quickly  replaced, 
the  stove-door  and  lid  held  tightly  in  place,  when,  in  a  few  mo- 
ments, the  explosion  did  its  work  well,  and  the  draught  was  all 
right.  During  the  services  that  followed  less  noise  was  heard 
from  below  than  usual..  None  of  us  knew  that  the  chimney 
started  from  the  room  below,  and  that  there  was  a  cook-stove 
connected  with  it  there.  Afterward  we  learned  that  the  explo- 
sion blew  the  covers  off  their  stove,  and  scattered  the  fire  about 
the  room,  which  took  fire.  But  for  a  pail  of  water,  in  all  proba- 
bility the  building  would  have  been  burned,  with  considerable 
loss  of  life.  The  prisoners  thought  we  did  it  to  punish  them  for 
their  previous  misbehavior.  This,  however,  was  the  farthest 
from  our  thought.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  after  that  we  were  never 
disturbed  by  noisy  prisoners  in  the  lower  room. 

Saguache,  one  of  my  appointments  on  this  charge,  was  thirty- 
five  miles  north  of  Del  Norte.  The  road  traveled  kept  close  to 
the  foot-hills  on  the  west  side  of  the  valley,  while  the  almost  level 
plain  stretched  away  eastward  for  sixty  miles  to  the  ''Sangre  de 
Christo"  range  of  mountains,  which  tower  into  the  region  of 
perpetual  snow,  not  unlike  the  Alps  about  Jungfrau.  There  were 
no  settlements  between  the  towns,  except  in  two  places  where 
streams  put  out  from  the  western  mountains,  and  there  even 
were  only  one  or  two  houses  on  each.  The  road  crossed  the 
"Lagarita"  Creek,  nine  miles  north  of  Del  Norte,  and  the  *'Ca- 
naro,"  seven  miles  farther  on. 

In  my  travels  I  drove  a  pair  of  ponies  to  an  open  buggy. 
On  my  last  trip  northward,  a  large  buck,  of  the  deer  species, 
stood  in  the  road,  and  defied  me  until  I  was  almost  upon  him. 
This  time'  I  had  gone  prepared  for  any  emergency  (or  I  would 
not  be  writing  these  lines)  with  a  musket  and  an  old-style  Colt's 
navy  revolver.  The  former  was  loaded  with  buckshot,  and  the 
latter  with  ball.  My  wife  accompanied  me  on  the  trip.  It  was 
an  Indian  summer  day,  though  late  in  the  fall.  Soon  after  cross- 
ing the  Lagarita,  we  noticed  two  rough-looking  Mexicans  riding 
on  horseback,  a  little  to  our  right  on  the  open  prairie.  At  first 
we  thought  nothing  of  this,  as  that  was  no  unusual  thing.  They 
wore  blankets  over  their  shoulders,  and  had  camp  equipages 
attached  to  their  saddles;  such  as  rolls  of  bedding,  frying-pan, 


PERSONAL  HISTORY.  473 

coffee-pot,  and  tin  cups.  What  seemed  out  of  the  usual  order  of 
things  was  this,  when  We  drove  fast  they  rode  fast,  and  when  we 
drove  slow  they  rode  slow;  but  even  then  we  thought  of  this 
only  as  a  coincidence. 

At  a  small  brooklet  taking  out  from  the  "Canaro"  was  the 
*'half-way  house,"  a  stage  station  between  Del  Norte  and  Sagu- 
ache, where  the  horses  were  exchanged.  Here  I  watered  my 
ponies  and  prepared  to  go  forward,  when  I  noticed  the  two 
horsemen  riding  slowly  along,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  our  rear. 
From  here  to  Saguache  was  seventeen  miles,  without  a  house, 
and  with  only  two  slight  swells  in  an  almost  level  plain.  Mid- 
way there  was,  perhaps,  four  miles  of  ''Chico,"  a  small,  thorny 
shrub  somewhat  like  a  currant-bush.  In  damp  ground  this  grew 
eight  or  ten  feet  high.  Half  a  mile  from  the  north  edge  of  the 
''Chico"  was  a  marshy  piece  of  ground,  where  the  bush  had  a 
tall  growth.  Here  the  road  made  a  crook  to  the  west  like  an 
ox-bow.  At  the  extreme  point  of  the  bend  the  stage  company 
had  sunk  a  well,  from  which  to  water  their  horses.  A  bridle-path 
led  straight  across  the  marshy  space,  which  was  much  shorter 
than  the  traveled  road,  but  was  not  passable  for  wagons,  except 
when  the  ground  was  frozen,  and  even  then  it  was  quite  rough 
and  imdesirable  to  travel. 

No  sooner  had  we  passed  over  the  ridge  out  of  sight  of  the 
stage  station  than  those  horsemen  were  up  to  us,  with  their 
horses'  heads  at  our  backs.  I  looked  them  over,  and  concluded 
that  they  were  hard  characters,  and  that  their  presence  meant  no 
good  to  us.  Stopping  my  team,  I  picked  up  the  revolver,  and 
said,  "Gentlemen,  go  ahead,  or  you  are  dead  men,"  and  I  meant 
just  what  I  said.  They  were  nonplused.  Each  looked  at  the 
other  for  a  moment  or  two,  then  rode  around  in  front  of  my  team, 
and  halted.  Still  holding  the  revolver  in  my  hand,  pointing  it  at 
them,  I  said,  ''Gentlemen,  move  on  quickly,  or  you  are  dead 
men."  They  then  rode  on  in  a  gallop  for  about  two  or  more 
miles,  and  we  close  behind  them.  It  was  past  the  noon  hour,  and 
we  wanted  to  camp  for  lunch.  Just  before  coming  to  the  *'Chico," 
I  slowed  up  until  they  had  passed  over  a  ridge  out  of  sight,  when 
we  halted  by  the  roadside,  turned  out  the  ponies  to  graze,  and 
sat  down  on  the  ground  to  eat  our  lunch,  hoping  that  we  were 


474  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

rid  of  them;  but  we  were  mistaken,  for  soon  they  came  riding 
slowly  back.  I  seized  the  old  army  musket  (for  such  it  was), 
dropped  on  one  knee,  and  took  a  good  aim,  intending  to  shoot 
as  soon  as  they  were  close  enough.  Observing  this,  they  wheeled 
and  were  soon  out  of  sight.  Surely,  we  thought,  now  we  are  clear 
of  them.  We  ate  our  lunch,  rested  forty  minutes,  and  then  hur- 
ried on  our  way,  as  we  had  several  miles  of  that  thick  Chico  to 
pass  through.  When  we  reached  the  top  of  that  ridge  we  saw 
the  men,  one  on  each  side  of  the  road,  waiting  for  us.  There 
was  no  reasonable  excuse  for  their  delay,  as  there  was  neither 
water  nor  grass  in  that  locality.  Over  this  track  we  must  pass, 
because  there  was  no  other,  and  through  the  Chico  we  could  not 
drive  where  there  was  no  road.  I  said:  ''Those  men  intend  to 
kill  me,  hide  my  body  in  the  Chico  for  the  coyotes  to  devour, 
then  murder  you,  take  the  ponies,  buggy,  robes,  and  skip.  I  will 
kill  one  of  them.  The  other  may  kill  me.  Here  is  the  revolver. 
Sell  your  life  as  dear  as  you  can."  Placing  the  lines  in  her  hands, 
and  the  gun  to  my  shoulder,  we  drove  forward,  determined  to 
shoot  as  soon  as  near  enough. 

When  they  saw  us  approaching  in  this  manner,  they  vaulted 
into  their  saddles  and  were  off  at  a  lively  gallop.  Coming  to  the 
bend  in  the  road,  they  kept  straight  across,  while  we  had  to  take 
the  curve.  As  we  drove  slowly  up  to  the  well,  I  chided  myself 
for  thinking  that  they  meant  any  mischief.  I  said  to  my  com- 
panion, ''You  watch  while  I  water  the  ponies."  One  had  drunk; 
a  pail  of  water  was  drawn  for  the  other,  when  she  said,  "Here  they 
come."  I  looked,  and  there,  only  a  stone's-throw  away,  they 
were  just  emerging  single  file  from  the  tall  Chico.  I  then  saw 
that  each  was  lying  down  on  the  opposite  side  of  his  horse,  In- 
dian style,  right  foot  on  the  saddle,  and  right  hand  hold  of  the 
horse-mane.  I  could  only  see  the  toe  of  one  boot,  and  the  head 
of  the  man  under  the  horse's  neck.  If  I  was  ever  religiously 
angry,  it  was  then.  God  says,  "Be  angry,  and  sin  not."  Grab- 
bing the  gun,  I  took  aim  for  the  head  man,  and  just  as  I  touched 
the  trigger  with  my  finger,  something  seemed  to  say  to  me, 
"Motion  for  them  to  retreat."  I  did  so,  just  as  the  rear  man  came 
into  view.  He  saw  the  motion,  sprang  into  his  saddle,  and  took 
down  the  cow-path,  up  which  they  had  come,  at  a  terrific  rate. 


PERSONAL   HISTORY.  475 

The  other,  finding  himself  forsaken,  quickly  followed  suit.  I 
jumped  into  the  buggy,  and  ran  the  ponies  around  to  the  north 
edge  of  the  Chico,  where  their  path  came  out  into  our  road.  Here 
I  awaited  their  approach,  with  the  gun  to  my  shoulder  and  my 
back  to  the  horses.  When  they  saw  that  I  had  beat  them  in 
reaching  this  strategic  point,  and  that  there  was  no  show  to  get 
the  drop  on  me,  they  ''about  faced,"  and  rode  away.  Though  we 
traveled  that  road  for  nearly  two  years  after,  we  never  saw  them 
again. 

Another  incident  will  be  of  interest  in  showing  the  character 
of  many  who  were  roaming  over  the  country : 

A  party  of  six  went  fifteen  miles  up  the  Rio  Grande  to  Hall's 
ranch  for  fishing.  We  hooked  only  one  trout,  and  he  was  so 
large  that  he  got  away  while  landing  him.  This  was  my  first 
and  last  fishing  excursion  since  entering  the  ministry,  but  it  was 
a  paying  one.  Three  weeks  before  this  a  brother  of  mine,  who 
was  prospecting  a  little  west  of  Fairplay,  wrote  me  that  his  horses 
had  either  strayed  or  were  stolen,  and  requested  me  to  look  out 
for  them.  Mentioning  this  fact  to  Mr.  Hall,  with  whom  we  were 
stopping,  and  describing  the  horses  to  him,  he  exclaimed,  "Those 
horses  are  now  just  over  that  ridge  beyond  my  field,  in  an  ob- 
scure park,  and  that  fellow  sitting  yonder  brought  them  here. 
He  has  stolen  them,  and  we  will  hang  him."  To  that  quiet  re- 
treat the  writer  and  Captain  William  Light  hastened  with  all 
possible  speed.  Sure  enough  we  found  the  lost  horses.  One 
was  nearly  dead  from  injuries  received  while  crossing  the  moun- 
tains, but  the  other  was  all  right.  This  one  belonged  to  him  who 
pens  these  lines.  The  next  day  the  thief  was  to  have  gone  on 
south  with  the  well  horse,  leaving  the  injured  one  to  die,  which 
it  did  a  few  days  later.  This  discovery  changed  his  program, 
and  came  near  costing  him  his  life,  as  those  hardy  frontiersmen 
sometimes  meted  out  speedy  punishment  in  this  manner.  He  was 
arrested,  placed  in  jail;  but  just  before  his  trial  he  escaped  there- 
from, and  skipped  the  country. 

One  member,  who  had  plenty  of  hay  to  sell  when  it  brought 
him  three  dollars  per  ton,  paid  his  pastor  seven  dollars  for  a 
year's  preaching;  but  when,  on  account  of  new  mining  discov- 
eries, it  brought  him  sixty  and  seventy  dollars  per  ton,  he  gave 


476  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

two  dollars,  and  not  one  cent  to  his  presiding  elder.  Comment 
is  unnecessary. 

Before  the  close  of  the  second  year,  through  a  liberal  dona- 
tion from  the  good  people  of  the  First  Church,  of  Lawrence, 
Kansas,  and  by  means  of  help  from  other  sources,  the  church 
debt  in  Del  Norte  was  paid  off.  The  inside  was  covered  with 
white  muslin,  and  fitted  up  for  church  uses.  The  membership 
was  trebled,  and  a  flourishing  Sunday-school  established.  The 
receipts  from  the  charge  the  first  year  were,  counting  everything, 
two  hundred  dollars.  The  second  year  a  trifle  more  was  re- 
ceived.   God  gave  us  rich  blessings  and  much  comfort. 

J.  E.  Rickard,  while  on  this  charge,  inclosed  a  frame  church 
at  Milton,  before  the  adjoining  town  of  Saguache,  one  mile  dis- 
tant, was  thought  of.  This  was  in  1873-4.  By  the  building  up 
of  the  opposition  town,  this  was  left  in  the  country,  and  became 
of  little  use. 

T.  P.  Cook  laid  the  foundation,  and  J.  H.  Scott  inclosed  the 
church  at  Del  Norte.  The  building  was  of  stone,  plain  and  com- 
modious. The  pastors  here  have  been:  J.  E.  Rickards,  T.  P. 
Cook,  J.  H.  Scott,  I.  H.  Beardsley,  J.  P.  TreloUr,  Parmenius 
Smith,  John  Plarrington,  J.  K.  Long,  P.  McNutt,  E.  C,  Brooks, 
C.  C.  Zebold,  J.  P.  Bishop,  Tilmon  Jenkins,  G.  M.  Click,  J.  D. 
Bratton,  H.  M.  Law,  John  Moore,  and  W.  E.  Perry. 

Trinidad. — The  Church  here  began  under  very  discouraging 
conditions,  but  has  developed  into  a  strong,  prosperous  society. 

Rev.  E.  J.  Rice  reached  Trinidad,  Colorado  Territory,  October 
13,  1869.  Here  he  found  a  little  Sunday-school,  under  the  super- 
intendence of  E.  J.  Hubbard,  with  Frank  Bloom,  librarian;  Joseph 
Davis,  Bible  class  teacher;  a  Mr.  Barraclough,  chorister.  On  the 
following  Sabbath,  October  17th,  Brother  Rice  preached  from 
Hebrews  x,  7,  to  about  thirty  persons,  mostly  women  and  chil- 
dren. The  services  were  held  in  a  low,  small  room,  without  floor, 
which  was  cheerless  in  the  extreme. 

He  thanked  God  for  the  privilege.  The  Sunday-school  that 
day  had  fourteen  scholars.  Outside  of  this  little  circle  there  was 
no   Sabbath.     Business  houses   were  all   open.     Horse-racing, 


PERSONAL  HISTORY.  477 

gambling,  and  drinking  were  generally  approved,  if  not  practiced, 
and  Sabbath  was  a  day  of  revelry  and  sinful  indulgences. 

October  30th  he  organized  a  class  of  eight  members,  some 
of  which  remain  to  this  day.  He  gave  the  lots  on  which  the 
church  and  parsonage  now  stand.  He  died  here,  April  7,  1872, 
"in  full  assurance  of  faith,"  leaving  a  wife,  son,  and  daughter  to 
mourn  his  loss.  The  seed  sown  by  this  true  servant  of  Christ 
has  had  a  wonderful  growth.  The  church-building  was  begun 
by  Brother  Rice,  but  finished  by  Rev.  J.  R.  Moore,  1873.  At 
the  close  of  the  Conference  session,  1879,  the  writer  was  sent 
to  Trinidad,  at  the  request  of  that  society.  Here  we  found  a 
small  membership,  composed  entirely  of  *'elect"  women.  The 
olifices  of  the  Church  were  filled  by  them,  and  they  did  their  work 
nobly.  There  was  no  loitering  by  the  way.  Everything  was 
done  on  time. 

We  could  not  find  a  house  or  room  in  which  to  set  up  house- 
keeping. At  our  boarding-place  we  were  obliged  to  sleep  on  the 
floor  for  three  months.  The  church  needed  repairs  badly,  hence 
the  society  did  not  feel  able  to  build  a  parsonage.  After  much 
prayer  I  resolved  to  make  the  effort,  and  so  stated  to  Thomas 
Stevens,  Esq.,  a  business  man,  who  was  not  a  member  of  the 
Church,  though  his  wife  was  one  of  the  stewards.  His  reply  was: 
*'Go  ahead  and  build  a  good,  comfortable  parsonage;  one  that  we 
will  not  be  ashamed  of.  Collect  all  you  can.  Draw  on  me  for 
the  balance."  I  started  out  with  my  subscription-book.  One 
man  gave  me  the  shingles,  in  memory  of  his  godly  father ;  another 
gave  four  thousand  bricks,  and  still  another  two  hundred.  The 
next  man  would  put  in  a  two-foot  foundation  of  stone;  others 
gave  lumber,  lath,  hardware,  and  others  still  agreed  to  donate 
work.  A  few  gave  money.  In  a  week's  time  the  structure  began 
to  rise.  A  neat  brick  parsonage  of  five  rooms  was  erected  and 
paid  for,  of  which  Mr.  Stevens  paid  the  last  bill,  amounting  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

The  adobe  church  was  in  need  of  repairs.  One  corner  was 
nearly  ready  to  tumble  down,  and  the  steeple  was  unfinished. 
October  19,  1879,  I  was  led  to  preach  from  Malachi  iii,  10.  Just 
before  the  text  was  announced,  a  short,  heavy-set  man  dropped 


478  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND   PLAIN. 

quietly  into  a  seat.  Some  way  I  felt  that  I  was  preaching  to  him 
alone.  God  gave  me  a  wonderful  blessing  that  morning  as  I 
dwelt  upon  the  theme  suggested  by  the  text,  especially  the  last 
part  of  it.  The  next  day  the  gentleman  above  alluded  to  called 
me  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  street.  We  met  in  the  middle 
of  Main  Street,  on  the  bridge  over  the  arroyo.  He  grasped  my 
hand,  saying:  '1  was  at  church  yesterday,  and  heard  your  ser- 
mon. My  mother  was  a  Methodist.  I  was  rocked  in  a  Methodist 
cradle,  God  has  prospered  me  financially.  I  want  to  do  some- 
thing for  him.  With  your  permission,  I  will  fix  up  your  church, 
finish  the  steeple,  and  pay  all  the  expense  myself."  I  said,  the 
tears  coursing  down  both  our  cheeks:  ''God  bless  you.  You  are 
the  very  man  I  have  been  looking  for.  Go  ahead."  The  ugly- 
looking  adobes  were  encircled  by  a  frame  inclosure,  the  steeple 
completed,  and  a  good  bell  put  therein.  The  whole  painted  inside 
and  out.  A  carpet  was  then  placed  on  the  church  floor  by  the 
ladies.  The  improvements  cost  the  gentleman  about  $i,ooo.  His 
name  is  Daniel  Taylor,  Esq.  At  that  time  he  was  not  a  Church 
member.    The  bell  was  mostly  paid  for  by  other  parties. 

Two  years  of  hard  but  blessed  work  here  found  our  nervous 
systems  giving  way.  Dr.  Cranston,  our  popular  presiding  elder, 
gave  me  for  the  following  year  a  nominal  appointment,  that  we 
might  have  a  year  of  much  needed  rest.  The  year  was  spent  in 
the  East  visiting  relatives,  and  enjoying  a  course  of  lectures  in 
the  Baltimore  Medical  College.  Our  Sabbaths  were  spent  preach- 
ing the  gospel  in  some  one  of  the  many  Methodist  churches  in 
the  Monumental  City,  or  in  those  of  the  adjacent  country.  At  its 
close  we  reported  to  headquarters  for  duty. 

During  the  four  years  spent  in  Southern  Colorado,  we  had 
driven  to  the  Conference  session  and  back  again  each  year,  camp- 
ing out  and  sleeping  on  the  ground  generally  along  the  way. 
These  trips  amounted  to  about  six  hundred  miles  a  year,  with 
our  own  conveyance.  They  were  years  of  toil,  much  anxiety, 
not  a  few  sacrifices,  great  spiritual  profit,  and  some  success  along 
all  lines  of  Church  work.  We  would  not  recall  them.  God  was 
with  us.    Praise  his  name ! 

The  pastors  at  Trinidad  have  been:  E.  J.  Rice,  supplied  from 
1869  to  1872;  J.  R.  Moore,  1872  to  1874;  B.  A.  Washburn,  1874; 


PERSONAL  HISTORY.  479 

J.  E.  Rickards,  1875-6;  H.  S.  Hilton,  1877;  J.  P.  Tralour,  1878; 
I.  H.  Beardsley,  1879-80;  C.  S.  Uzzell,  188 1-2,  who  had  quite 
a  revival;  John  Harrington,  1883-4;  S.  A.  Winsor,  1885;  L.  J. 
Hall,  1886,  J.  A.  Smith,  1887-8;  G.  S.  Oliver,  1889,  who  remained 
only  a  short  time,  when  M.  A.  Casey,  from  the  Central  Ohio  Con- 
ference, supplied  the  vacancy.  He  remained  nearly  four  years. 
During  his  pastorate  the  church-building  was  greatly  enlarged 
and  beautified.  During  the  last  year  the  parsonage,  which  made 
a  comfortable  home  for  the  preachers  for  thirteen  years,  was  torn 
down,  and  a  larger  and  much  better  one  built  on  the  same  site, 
the  gift  of  Rev.  William  Plested  and  his  wife.  Brother  Casey 
had  many  additions  to  the  Church.  N.  H.  Lee,  1893-6.  This 
last  pastorate  has  been  one  of  marked  success  and  of  constant 
advance. 

Th^  year  1882  the  Conference  was  held  in  Colorado  Springs, 
by  Bishop  R.  S.  Foster.  The  session  was  unusually  interesting, 
and  highly  enjoyable.  At  its  close  I  was  sent  to  Wheat  Ridge 
and  Argo.  My  health  was  not  sufiticiently  recovered  for  me  to 
do  extra  work.  I  was  able  to  preach  twice  on  the  Sabbath. 
There  were  some  additions  to  the  Church  during  the  term.  A 
barn  was  built  on  the  parsonage  grounds.  A  church  site  was 
secured,  the  gift  of  Henry  Lee,  Esq.  A  church-building  was 
erected  on  this  less  than  two  years  after,  by  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Greene, 
1884-5,  costing  about  $2,500. 

The  class  and  Sunday-school  here  were  organized  by  Rev. 
R.  H.  Rhodes,  January  11,  1874.  He  and  family  have  been  loyal 
supporters  ever  since.  The  parsonage  was  built  during  the  pas- 
torate of  C.  L.  Libby,  in  1880,  on  an  acre  of  ground  donated  by 
David  Brothers,  Esq.,  who  has  never  swerved  from  the  line  of 
duty  in  Church  or  Sunday-school  since  the  society  was  organ- 
ized. This  Church  could  not  have  existed  or  prospered  as  it  has 
but  for  his  influence  and  liberality.  The  pastors  have  been,  in 
connection  with  Arvada:  G.  S.  Allen,  N.  S.  Buckner,  R.  H. 
Rhodes,  John  Stocks,  W.  H.  Gillam,  C.  S.  Uzzell,  C.  L.  Libby. 
While  he  was  pastor,  it  was  separated  from  Arvada,  and  joined 
with  Argo,  remaining  thus  for  twelve  years.  Since  this  change, 
L.  Wright;  E.  J.  Marsh,  for  seven  months;  and  R.  H.  Rhodes, 
31 


480  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

for  the  balance  of  the  year;  I.  H.  Beardsley,  J.  C.  Greene,  J.  T. 
Musgrove;  J.  W.  Linn,  for  two  years,  when  it  became  a  separate 
charge;  A.  L.  Chase,  1895-6. 

The  first  rehgious  service  was  held  in  Argo  by  F.  C.  Milling- 
ton,  presiding  elder,  in  February,  1880,  using  this  text,  "The 
Master  is  come  and  calleth  for  thee."  The  next  seven  months 
W.  C.  Roby  was  the  preacher.  In  September,  1880,  C.  L.  Libby 
became  the  pastor,  and  organized  the  Argo  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  April  11,  1881,  he  resigned,  when  L.  Wright  took  the 
charge  the  balance  of  the  Conference  year.  E.  J.  Marsh  to  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1882,  when  he  left;  R.  H.  Rhodes  filled  the  vacancy; 
I.  H.  Beardsley,  1882;  J.  C.  Greene,  1883-4;  J.  T.  Musgrove  for 
five  years.  During  his  pastorate  the  church  was  built,  in  1885-6, 
on  lots  donated  by  Rev.  George  Richardson,  who  also  gave  very 
liberally  in  cash,  and  but  for  his  generosity  the  building  could  not 
have  been  erected.  The  property  is  valued  at  $3,500.  Then 
J.  W.  Linn  to  July,  1892.  During  these  twelve  years  Argo  was 
united  with  Wheat  Ridge.  In  1892  it  was  connected  with  the 
newly-organized  society  of  Greenwood.  Charles  W.  Huett,  pas- 
tor for  three  years;  C.  C.  P.  Hiller,  1895-6. 

The  second  decade  of  the  Conference  history  closes  with  43 
church  edifices,  valued  at  $182,400;  31  parsonages,  valued  at 
$43,615;  3,971  members  and  probationers;  58  Sunday-schools, 
with  708  officers  and  teachers,  and  6,290  scholars  of  all  ages. 
These  figures  show  constant  and  substantial  progress.  Yet  who 
can  tell  the  work  done  in  preparing  the  stones  for  the  spiritual 
temple  of  the  living  God? 


XVI. 
THK    THIRD    DECADK. 

The  twenty-first  session  of  the  Colorado  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  met  in  Lawrence  Street  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  Denver,  July  25,  1883,  with  Bishop  Isaac  W. 
Wiley  presiding. 

The  bishop  was  in  very  poor  health  at  the  time,  and  was 
scarcely  able  to  attend  to  the  duties  of  the  office  during  the  ses- 
sion. Happily,  Bishop  Simpson  was  in  the  city  resting,  that  he 
might  regain  his  wonted  strength,  and  assisted  the  former  bishop 
in  his  official  work,  preaching  for  him  on  the  Sabbath.  Bishop 
Wiley  pleasantly  alluded  to  the  presence  of  his  colleague  in  his 
opening  address,  saying  both  are  in  poor  health,  but  "between 
us  we  can  make  one  bishop." 

Eleven  were  transferred  out  of  the  Conference,  and  five  came 
into  it  by  transfer.  Eight  were  admitted  on  trial.  One  withdrew, 
and  two  were  located  at  their  own  request.  These  changes  made 
the  working  force  of  the  Conference  one  less  than  at  the  opening 
of  the  session.  The  "supplies"  were  R.  L.  Kenyon,  Gilbert  De 
LaMatyr,  Thomas  Winsor,  F.  F.  Passmore,  A.  D.  Fairbanks, — 
all  efficient  workers  in  the  fields  to  which  they  were  assigned. 

From  Presiding  Elder  Millington's  report  I  select  the  follow- 
ing items:  "Death  claimed  a  little  babe  from  the  home  of  Brother 
Ewert  at  Caribou,  and  her  remains  are  buried  ten  thousand  feet 
above  sea-level.  Brother  Thornton  had  to  move  from  Central, 
because  of  his  wife's  health.  Brother  Hilton  resigned  at  Chey- 
enne, and  went  East  to  save  his  beloved  w^fe.  Brother  Rhodes 
resigned  Silver  Plume,  because  of  his  health.  There  are  reported 
271  conversions  on  the  district.  The  church  has  been  improved 
and  debt  paid  at  Boulder.  Lots  secured  for  a  church  at  Erie. 
A  $6,000  church  built  in  Longmont.  At  Evans  the  United  Pres- 
byterian Church,  worth  $2,000,  has  been  bought,  and  the  old 
church  will  be  changed  into  a  parsonage.  A  society  has  been 
formed  at  Windsor,  and  lots  secured  for  a  church.  G.  N.  El- 
dridge  has  been  transferred  to  fill  the  vacancy  at  Cheyenne.    A 

481 


482  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

church  built  at  RawHns  by  H.  M.  Law.  Parsonage  completed 
at  Arvada.  The  last  dollar  of  the  church  debt  paid  at  Central 
City,  and  the  parsonage  completed.  A  debt  of  $850  on  the 
church  at  Black  Hawk  paid,  the  people  paying  $500,  and  using 
additional  $350  borrowed  from  the  Church  Extension  Society. 
A  church  built  at  Platteville,  and  dedicated  by  Dr.  Moore." 

Dr.  Cranston,  presiding  elder  of  the  Southern  District,  pre- 
sented a  very  interesting  report,  from  which  a  few  facts  are  taken : 
*'].  H.  Scott  has  started  at  Telluride.  William  Hicks  supplied 
Gunnison.  C.  S.  Uzzell  wishes  to  retire.  H.  J.  Huston  built  a 
church  in  Fairplay  last  year.  This  year  he  has  built  and  paid  for 
a  parsonage  in  Buena  Vista.  Fairplay  and  Alma  supplied  by 
J.  R.  Shannon,  of  the  Cincinnati  Conference;  when  spring  came 
he  left.  F.  F.  Passmore  took  his  place.  A  church  was  dedicated 
at  Kokomo  in  April,  i88t  ;  to  this  place  John  A.  Long  was  sent. 
It  became  necessary  for  him  to  teach  a  part  of  the  year.  George 
Armstrong  began  the  work  in  Aspen." 

The  following  incident  is  reported  by  the  secretary:  *'At  this 
point  a  happy  lull  occurred  from  the  business  of  the  Conference, 
as  Earl  Cranston,  D.  D.,  had  been  requested  by  L  H.  Beardsley 
to  present  a  very  valuable  cane  to  the  Conference.  The  staff  was 
made  from  an  east  window  sill  of  the  first  mission  building  in  the 
Northwest,  the  Wyandot  Mission,  at  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio, 
and  crowned  with  an  olive-wood  head,  purchased  by  him  in  Jeru- 
salem, March,  1873.  On  motion,  Bishop  Wiley  was  requested 
to  present  it  to  Dr.  D.  H.  Moore,  chancellor  of  Denver  Univer- 
sity, which  was  done  in  a  pleasant,  instructive,  and  useful  speech, 
which  was  responded  to  in  one  of  Dr.  Moore's  happiest  moods; 
at  the  close  of  which,  by  the  permission  of  the  Conference  and  of 
the  giver,  he  presented  the  cane  to  Bishop  L  W.  Wiley.  The 
bishop  accepted  it,  and  stated  that  when  he  should  fall  in  his 
work,  the  cane  should  be  returned  to  the  chancellor"  (Conference 
Journal,  page  20),  which  was  done  in  accordance  with  this  assur- 
ance. The  Conference  adjourned  on  the  fifth  day  of  its  session, 
having  worked  in  unity  and  with  good  fellowship. 

Those  transferred  into  the  Conference,  and  assigned  to  work 
therein,  were: 

G.  N.  Eldridge,  from  the  East  Maine  Conference.     Filled 


THE    THIRD   DECADE. 


483 


out  the  previous  year  at  Cheyenne,  and  returned,  1883-4;  Colo- 
rado; Springs,  1885;  CaHfornia  Street,  Denver,  1S86-8,  when  the 
location  and  name  were  changed  to  that  now  known  as  ''Christ 
Church,"  to  which  he  was  appointed  in  1889;  was  transferred 
to  the  Northwest  Indiana  Conference  in  1890.  He  left  a  good 
record  as  preacher,  pastor,  and  manager  of  the  interests  of  the 
Church  of  Christ. 

A.  W.  Arundal,  from  the  East  Ohio  Conference.     Served 
Colorado  Springs  faithfully  three  years,  and  then  withdrew  from 
the  Church  in   1885,  to  become 
a  minister  in  a  sister  denomina- 
tion. 

C.  W.  Brewer,  from  the 
Wisconsin  Conference,  was 
born  in  Dauphin  County,  Pa., 
April  8,  1835.  His  father, 
Thomas  Brewer,  was  born  in 
England,  and  his  mother  in 
Wales.  In  1844  his  parents 
moved  to  Albany,  Whiteside 
County,  Illinois.  When  eigh- 
teen years  of  age  he  was  con- 
verted, and  feeling  called  to  the 
ministry,  entered  the  Garrett 
Biblical  Institute  in  1857.  At 
the  end  of  the  seventh  month  he 
was  compelled  to  return  home;  subsequently  was  examined  by 
Rev.  Luke  Hitchcock,  presiding  elder,  and  given  a  license  as  a 
local  preacher.  In  the  fall  of  1858,  he  was  led,  in  a  providential 
way,  into  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  and  appointed  as  junior 
pastor  on  the  Maquoketa  Circuit.  For  nine  months'  service  here 
his  entire  receipts  were  $47.50.  He  was  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop 
Scott,  September  22,  1861,  and  stationed  at  Lansing,  Iowa.  Real- 
izing the  necessity  of  a  more  thorough  preparation  for  the  work 
of  the  ministry,  he  returned  to  the  Garrett  Biblical  Institute.  The 
call  for  men  to  defend  the  Government  was  heard,  and  in  July, 
1863,  he  enlisted  in  Battery  D,  ist  Wisconsin  Heavy  Artillery, 


C.  W.  BREWER. 


484  ECHOED  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

and  was  ordered  to  Fort  Jackson,  Louisiana.  He  was  discharged 
for  disability,  April  22,  1865.  In  the  fall  of  1866,  after  a  severe 
struggle  to  evade  duty,  he  took  work  in  the  Wisconsin  Confer- 
ence. In  July,  1876,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Susan  P.  Shoemaker, 
of  Branchville,  New  Jersey.  On  account  of  pulmonary  troubles 
and  asthma,  contracted  in  the  army,  he  was  transferred,  in  1883, 
to  Colorado,  and  has  served  the  following  charges:  Evanston, 
Wyoming;  Fort  Collins,  Colorado;  Carion  City;  St.  James,  Den- 
ver. At  the  close  of  his  second  year  here,  in  1889,  he  was  made 
a  supernumerary,  which  relation  has  continued,  except  for  one 
year,  when  he  served  as  State  superintendent  of  the  "Children's 
Home  Society"  of  Colorado.  Brother  Brewer  is  a  clear,  logical 
reasoner,  and  a  very  interesting,  forcible  preacher.  He  impresses 
all  with  the  sincerity  of  his  convictions,  the  genuineness  of  his 
own  experience,  and  the  honest  longing  of  his  soul  to  lead  men 
to  Christ. 

I.  N.  MoR^HEAD,  from  the  South  Kansas  Conference,  was 
sent  to  Pueblo,  where  he  remained  three  years,  and  then  was 
transferred  to  the  Central  Pennsylvania  Conference.  His  pas- 
torate was  short,  and  confined  to  one  place.  He  planned  and 
secured  the  erection  of  the  Main  Street  Church  in  Pueblo. 

Those  admitted  on  trial  were: 

Harvey  M.  Law  was  born  in  Ritchie  County,  West  Virginia, 
April  9,  1848.  He  does  not  remember  when  he  did  not  feel  that 
he  was  to  be  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  He  was  given  a  local 
preacher's  license  September  29,  1866;  traveled  a  part  of  two 
years  under  the  presiding  elder  in  the  West  Virginia  Conference; 
then  came  West,  and  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  for  seven 
years.  From  1877  to  1883  he  supplied  works  in  the  Colorado 
Conference,  when  he  was  admitted  on  trial,  having  been  ordained 
a  local  deacon  the  year  previous.  His  appointments  since  enter- 
ing the  Conference  have  been:  Rawlins,  three  years;  Lamar  and 
Montrose,  each  one  year;  Glenwood  Springs,  four  years,  where 
he  built  a  church  valued  at  $3,500;  Del  Norte  and  Gunnison,  each 
one  year;  Basalt,  1896.  Brother  Law  is  faithful  to  the  Church, 
and  loyal  to  God  and  the  great  plan  of  salvation.  His  work 
abides. 


THE    THIRD   DECADE. 


485 


A.  L.  T.  EwART  was  born  in  Prussia,  Jul}^  16,  1853,  ^"<^  came 
with  his  parents  to  Chicago,  Illinois,  in  1857;  was  soundly  con- 
verted in  1872;  came  to  Colorado  in  1880;  has  served  the  follow- 
ing charges:  Loveland,  six  months;  Caribou,  one  year;  Silver 
Plume;  Rawlins,  Wyoming,  each  three  years;  Fort  Collins,  two 
years;  Central  City,  three  years;  was  transferred  to  the  Illinois 
Conference  in  1892.  He  is  a  conscientious  man  of  God,  an  able 
minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


Arthur  C.  Peck  was  born  in  Cardington,  Ohio,  November 
14,  1858.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
town,  East  Greenwich  Acad- 


emy, and  Boston  University; 
received  the  degree  of  Mas- 
ter of  Arts  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  Denver,  1891;  came 
from  the  Peck  family  that 
has  furnished  so  many 
preachers  to  our  Church; 
converted  in  1879;  licensed 
to  exhort,  1880,  and  to 
preach  in  the  following  July ; 
came  to  Colorado  in  1883, 
having  just  been  married  to 
Aliss  Frances  Edna  Potter, 
of  Clinton,  Mass.;  recom- 
mended to  the  Colorado 
Conference  by  the  Quarterly 
Conference  of  Lawrence 

Street  Church,  where  he  preached  his  first  sermon  in  the  State; 
admitted  on  trial,  and  elected  to  deacon's  orders  under  the  mis- 
sionary rule,  July,  1883.  His  first  appointment  was  Durango; 
next,  Longmont,  1884-5;  then  First  Church,  Colorado  Springs, 
1886-91.  He  had  a  most  successful  pastorate  there  of  nearly  five 
years'  duration.  Several  great  revivals  were  blessed  in  the  up- 
lifting of  the  people.  The  membership  was  increased  more  than 
three  hundred  per  cent,  the  side  of  the  church-building  taken  out, 
and  the  seating  capacity  increased  more  than  two  hundred,  the 


A.  C.  PECK. 


486 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


debts  paid,  and  the  Church  became  the  second  in  the  State  in 
point  of  membership  and  general  prosperity. 

In  January,  1891,  he  was  elected  dean  of  the  Colorado  Semi- 
nary, and  given  the  business  management  of  this  institution. 
University  Hall  and  Wycliffe  Cottage  were  erected  during  his 
administration.  The  school  was  also  moved  from  the  city  to 
University  Park.  He  was  the  first  State  president  of  the  Young 
People's  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor  in  Colorado,  and  organ- 
ized the  work  therein. 

In  November,  1892,  having  previously  resigned  his  position 
with  the  university,  he  began  a  work  to  which  he  had  felt  called 

for  several  years;  namely, 
the  founding  of  a  mission  in 
Lower  Denver.  From  that 
time  until  this,  for  more 
than  twelve  hundred  nights, 
during  all  sorts  of  times 
and  weather,  a  gospel 
service  has  been  held  at 
the  Hay  market  Mission 
every  night.  Nearly  five 
thousand  souls  have  pro- 
fessed conversion  at  its  altar. 
A  large  institutional  work 
is  carried  on  in  connection 
with  the  religious  services. 
Many  lodgings  and  meals 
are  given.  A  reading-room, 
medical  dispensary,  employment  bureau,  and  clothes-room  fur- 
nish succor  for  the  unfortunate.  In  one  year  over  thirty-two 
thousand  meals,  and  more  than  ten  thousand  lodgings  were  fur- 
nished. At  the  same  time  more  than  six  thousand  patients  were 
treated  free  in  the  medical  dispensary,  and  employment  was  found 
for  2,632  people.  There  is  a  fine  and  growing  Sunday-school, 
with  an  average  attendance  of  225.  Fifteen  missionaries,  nurses, 
and  workers  are  employed.  Besides,  they  maintain  a  nursery 
for  little  ones,  and  a  Working  Girls'  Home,  a  refuge  for  those 
seeking  employment. 


MRS.  F.  E.  PECK. 


THE    THIRD   DECADE. 


487 


CoNNKCTJtiD  with  the  Mission,  and  under  the  immediate  over- 
sight of  Mrs.  Peck,  is  the  "Haven,"  an  institution  for  girls.  It 
has,  at  the  present  writing,  thirty-eight  inmates.  The  girls  range 
in  age  from  nine  to  fourteen  years.  They  are  usually  parentless 
and  homeless.  They  are  given  three  hours  of  an  English  edu- 
cation per  day,  and  are  taught  to  wash,  iron,  cook,  sweep,  dust, 
sew,  and  other  things  relating  to  good  housekeeping.  When 
the  course  is  finished,  good  homes  are  secured  for  them.  The 
entire  work  of  the  Mission  and  "Haven"  is  carried  on  at  an  ex- 


INTERIOR   OF   HAYMARKET   MISSION. 

pense  of  from  $8,000  to  $10,000  per  year,  all  of  which  comes  from 
voluntary  contributions. 

Brother  Peck  is  a  genial  associate,  a  consecrated  Christian 
man,  and  an  efficient  preacher.  He  is  evangelical  and  aggressive 
in  his  spirit  and  methods,  and  is  blessed  in  his  ministry  in  seeing 
many  souls  saved. 

Charles  H.  Koyl,  A.  J.  Drewry,  Arthur  C.  Peck,  and  A.  L.  T. 
Ewart  were  ordained  deacons  by  Bishop  Wiley  at  this  session. 

William  Hicks,  from  Canada,  supplied  Caribou  in  1881,  and 
Gunnison  in  1882,  where  the  church-building  was  improved  and 
debt  provided  for;  Gold  Hill  and  Jimtown  for  three  months;  and 


488  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

then  Laramie  City,  Wyoming,  the  balance  of  the  year,  in  1883-4. 
He  is  now  preaching  for  the  Presbyterians. 

1884. — The:  morning  cf  August  7th  found  the  Conference  as- 
sembled for  the  opening  of  its  twenty-second  Annual  Session  in 
the  beautiful  town  of  Longmont,  Boulder  County,  Colorado,  with 
Bishop  Cyrus  D.  Foss,  D.  D.,  in  the  chair,,  who  conducted  the 
devotional  exercises,  assisted  by  John  L.  Dyer.  The  business 
was  finished  on  the  fourth  day,  when  the  adjournment  took  place. 
This  was  a  very  harmonious  and  pleasant  session. 

Those  who  came  in  by  transfer,  and  took  work  among  us, 
were : 

Jacob  R.  Rader,  from  the  St.  Louis  Conference;  was  born 
June  19,  1856,  near  New  Philadelphia,  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio. 
He  was  converted  under  his  eldest  brother's  ministry  at  Sum- 
merfield,  Ohio,  March  15,  1875,  ^"<^  says,  "The  good  Lord  has 
kept  me  converted  every  day  since."  From  his  earliest  years  he 
felt  that,  if  ever  converted,  he  would  have  to  preach,  and  aston- 
ished a  little  company  of  worldly  associates  with  such  an  an- 
nouncement before  his  conversion. 

He  preached  his  first  sermon  in  Trenton,  Ohio,  from  Genesis 
xxii,  14,  "Jehovah-jireh.'*  He  was  licensed  to  preach  at  Rich- 
mond, Ohio,  May,  1876,  and  entered  the  St.  Louis  Conference 
in  March,  1880;  was  transferred  to  Colorado,  January  6,  1884. 
His  appointments  here  have  been:  vSilver  Plume,  Idaho  Springs; 
Aspen,  where  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emma  Bour- 
quin.  May  20,  1887;  Arvada,  in  1888;  and  Buena  Vista,  1889-90; 
Sterling  and  Julesburg,  1891 ;  Sterling,  1892;  Julesburg,  1893-4; 
Fort  Lupton,  1895;  Golden,  1896.  He  is  an  enjoyable  compan- 
ion, an  interesting  preacher  of  the  Word,  and  a  useful  minister. 

Lynderman  Wright,  from  the  Minnesota  Conference,  with 
which  he  had  united  in  1870,  supplied  Wheat  Ridge  and  Argo  the 
last  part  of  the  Conference  year  of  1880;  also  Ouray,  1881,  and 
Montrose  in  1882-3.  Pie  was  appointed  to-  Windsor,  1884-5-6, 
where  he  built  a  neat  brick  church  and  parsonage.  On  account 
of  his  health,  he  became  a  supernumerary  in  1887;  two  years 
later  he  was  made  effective,  and  sent  to  Golden  Citv,  where  he 


THE    THIRD   DECADE.  489 

remained  three  years;  superannuated  in  1892,  and  now  resides 
at  Mansfield,  Mo.  He  did  a  good  work  wherever  he  went,  and 
left  behind  him  a  clear  record  as  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Gilbert  De  LaMatyr  was  born  in  Pharsalia,  Chenango 
County,  N.  Y.,  July  8,  1825 ;  was  readmitted  on  certificate  of  loca- 
tion from  the  Southeast  Indiana  Conference,  and  appointed  to 
Lawrence  Street,  Denver.  He  was  converted  at  eighteen,  licensed 
to  preach  at  twenty,  and  served  as  pastor  in  the  Genesee,  New 
York  East,  Nebraska,  St.  Louis,  Southeast  Indiana,  and  Colorado 
Conferences.  He  was  at  Lawrence  Street  and  Evans  Memorial, 
Denver,  each  three  years.  The  new  Grace  Church  was  erected 
while  he  was  pastor  of  that  society.  During  the  War  of  the  Re- 
bellion he  was  a  chaplain  in  the  Union  army  for  three  years. 

At  the  close  of  a  pastorate  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  he  was 
elected  to  Congress  on  the  "Greenback"  ticket,  and  served  one 
term. 

In  1890  he  was  transferred  to  the  East  Ohio  Conference,  and 
w^as  stationed  at  Akron,  Ohio,  where  he  died,  steadfast  in  the 
faith,  April,  1892.  As  a  preacher  and  lecturer  he  had  few  su- 
periors. He  heartily  despised  all  shams,  and  denounced  sin  in  no 
unmeasured  terms.  He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  ability,  a 
preacher  of  almost  national  reputation,  and  a  Christian  without 
guile. 

Of  the  nine  admitted  on  trial,  only  one  took  work  in  Colorado. 
The  others  were  connected  with  the  missions  in  adjacent  Terri- 
tories, and  have  given  their  work  there.  The  one  associated  with 
us  was : 

Edward  J.  Wilcox  was  born  January  17,  1857,  in  Ontario, 
Canada,  and  converted  when  eleven  years  old.  His  early  life  was 
devoted  to  business.  He  reached  Colorado  in  1880,  and  spent 
the  first  four  years  mining  in  the  summer,  and  studying  at  the 
School  of  Alines  in  the  winter.  He  was  given  a  license  to  preach 
in  the  spring  of  1884,  and  in  August  following  entered  the  Con- 
ference on  trial.  His  appointments  have  been:  Telluride,  one 
year;  Mesa,  South  Pueblo,  three  years,  where  he  began  without 
a  church-building,  member,  or  a  Sunday-school.  At  the  end  of 
this  pastorate  the  Broadway  Church  had  been  erected,  a  flourish- 


490 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


ing  Sunday-school  established,  a  self-sustaining  membership  of 
nearly  two  hundred,  and  a  large  congregation  gathered;  then  at 
Longmont,  1888-9.  ^^  ^^^  ^^  ^^^^  ^  supernumerary  relation; 
re-entered  the  work  in  1893,  and  was  appointed  to  Fifth  Avenue, 
Denver,  to  which  he  was  returned  in  1894-5.  In  1896  he  again 
took  a  supernumerary  relation.  He  is  a  very  strong  Prohibition- 
ist, and  takes  every  suitable 
opportunity  to  advocate  those 
principles.  His  work  as  pas- 
tor has  been  characterized  by 
faithfulness,  earnestness,  and 
success. 


The:  Ivongmont  society 
has  the  following  history. 
The  first  quarterly-meeting  in 
the  town  of  Longmont  was 
held  June  21,  1871,  by  B.  T. 
Vincent,  presiding  elder,  who, 
at  that  time,  organized  the 
society,  receiving  a  number  of 
members,  and  appointed 
Judge  Terry  class-leader. 
The  first  church  was  largely' 


EDWARD  J.  W1I.COX. 


built  under  the  pastorate  of  F.  C.  Millington,  and  completed  dur- 
ing the  short  term  of  the  writer,  who  labored  with  his  own  hands 
for  nearly  a  month  thereon,  in  1872.  This  property,  with  the 
parsonage,  built  by  L.  J.  Hall,  was  sold,  under  the  pastorate  of 
J.  T.  Musgrove,  in  1882,  old  debts  paid  ofif,  and  a  small  parsonage 
bought,  with  lots  for  a  new  church,  which  was  built  during  the 
pastorate  of  J.  F.  White.  In  1888-9,  while  E.  J.  Wilcox  was  pas- 
tor, that  parsonage  was  sold,  and  a  new  one  built  beside  the 
church,  which  is  shown  in  cut  on  opposite  page.  Judge  Terry, 
E.  J.  Coffman,  and  perhaps  others,  have  been  staunch  supporters 
of  the  society  since  1871,  and  O.  A.  McFarland,  since  1874. 

The  colony  located  there  in  the  spring  of  1871.  The  pastors 
since  have  been:  R.  J.  Van  Valkenberg,  F.  C.  Millington;  I.  H. 
Beardsley,  for  six  weeks;  then  C.  E.  Cline,  1872;  C.  G.  Milnes, 


THE   THIRD  DECADE. 


491 


1873-4;  J.  F.  Coffman,  1875-6;  H.  L.  Beardsley,  1877;  L.  J.  Hall, 
1878-9;  J.  T.  Musgrove,  1880-1;  J.  F.  White,  1882-3;  A.  C.  Peck, 
1884-5;  C.  A.  Brooks  and  J.  R.  Madison,  1886;  J.  A.  Long,  1887; 
E.  J.  Wilcox,  1888-9;  H.  B.  Cook,  1890;  C.  H.  Koyl,  1891-5; 
D.  B.  Vosseller,  1896. 

From  Presiding  Elder  Millington's  report  I  make  the  follow- 
ing selections:  *'A  church  is  projected  at  Wheat  Ridge.  S.  W. 
Thornton  went  to  Central  City  for  two  months,  after  N.  A. 
Chamberlain  was  appointed  presiding  elder.  A.  W.  Coffman  has 
had  a  good  revival  at  Evans  and  Windsor.    A  new  church  has 


LONGMONT  CHURCH  AND  PARSONAGE. 


been  bought,  paid  for,  and  dedicated  at  Evans.  Gold  Hill  was 
served  by  R.  H.  Rhodes  for  three  months;  William  Hicks  for  the 
next  three;  and  then  it  was  vacant  for  three  months,  when  E.  J. 
Wilcox  closed  out  the  year.  The  Georgetown  church  has  been 
moved  to  a  more  central  location,  on  account  of  the  proximity 
of  the  railroad,  and  fitted  up.  A  new  church  has  been  built  in 
Longmont.  J.  R.  Rader  has  begun  in  Loveland.  A  church  has 
been  dedicated  in  Rawlins,  Wyoming." 

I  select  a  few  items  from  Presiding  Elder  Chamberlain^s  re 
port:  **The  church  at  Bear  Cafion  is  sold.     A  church  has  been 


492  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Started  at  Monte  Vista.  A  brick  parsonage  has  been  built  at 
Florence,  and  another  at  Gunnison.  Dr.  O.  Ellerson  has  a  small 
church  ready  for  dedication  at  Morrison.  At  Pueblo  a  new 
church  is  under  way,  to  cost  about  $12,000.  R.  H.  McDade  has 
organized  at  Salida,  and  erected  a  building  at  a  cost  of  $800. 
E.  T.  Curnick  has  supplied  Evans's  Memorial,  Denver;  and  L.  C. 
Aley,  Ouray." 

Christian  C.  Zebold  and  Florida  F.  Passmore  were  ordained 
as  deacons,  and  James  F.  Harris  as  aYi  elder. 

Lewis  C.  Aley,  who  started  the  Church  in  Delta,  had  spent 
three  years  in  the  State  of  Idaho  teaching  and  preaching,  where 
he  was  instrumental  in  having  souls  converted  and  three  churches 
established.  In  1865  he  located  in  Delta,  where  he  organized  a 
Church  with  seven  members,  and  a  Sunday-school  with  six  chil- 
dren, Mrs.  Stevens  and  himself  being  the  teachers.  They  held 
the  services  in  a  tent,  or  in  a  vacant  building,  as  one  could  be  had, 
changing  about  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath.  From  here  he  was 
sent  to  Ouray,  where  he  had  a  long  siege  of  sickness,  which  re- 
sulted in  his  death,  June  8,  1893,  at  the  age  of  forty  years.  His 
memory  is  precious.  A  wife  and  two  daughters  mourned  his  loss. 
His  widow  has  since  joined  him  on  the  other  side. 

The  pastors  at  Delta  have  been:  L.  C.  Aley,  W.  Osburn, 
J.  Shawber,  G.  E.  Tuttle,  W.  A.  McElphatrick,  1889-90.  During 
the  first  of  the  last  year  named  he  circulated  a  paper  for  sub- 
scriptions with  which  to  build  a  church.  Feeling  the  need  of  a 
better  equipment  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  he  left  his  charge 
to  attend  school,  and  W.  J.  Judd  filled  out  the  year,  laying  a  stone 
foundation  for  the  new  church.  Edgar  White,  the  next  pastor, 
completed  the  structure  in  1891,  which  was  dedicated  January  3, 
1892,  by  R.  M.  Barns,  D.  D.  The  building  cost  $4,500.  Since 
then,  the  pastors  have  been:  J.  H.  Gill,  1893-4;  W.  R.  Weaver, 
1895;  J.  R.Wood,  1896. 

In  this  Conference  group  (on  the  opposite  page),  taken  at 
Pueblo,  in  1885,  there  are  twelve  likenesses  which  do  not  appear 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  On  the  left  in  front  sits  Dr.  G.  De 
LaMatyr.  The  third  person  back  of  him  is  Dr.  A.  H.  Lucas, 
and  at  his  left  is  T.  A.  Story.     The  sixth  from  A.  H.  Lucas  is 


494  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

H.  M.  Law,  and  to  his  left  stands  J.  T.  Musgrove.  The  last  in 
that  row  is  John  Whisler.  Returning  to  the  rear  and  left,  we 
see,  first,  G.  N.  Eldridge;  second,  L.  Wright;  third,  F.  S.  Beggs; 
fourth,  J.  R.  Rader;  seventh,  E.  F.  Miller,  the  singing  evangelist; 
eighth,  A.  L.  T.  Ewart;  ninth,  John  Harrington;  the  second 
beyond  him,  against  the  wall,  is  S.  A,  Winsor. 

1885. — The  Conference  convened  in  the  Main  Street  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  at  Pueblo,  Colorado,  Thursday,  July 
i6th,  at  nine  o'clock  A.  M.,  Bishop  E.  G.  Andrews,  D.  D.,  presid- 
ing. The  opening  exercises  were  conducted  by  the  bishop. 
H.  L.  Beardsley  was  elected  secretary. 

J.  H.  Merritt,  presiding  elder,  reported  for  the  Northern  Dis- 
trict, he  having  been  appointed  in  the  place  of  F.  C.  Millington, 
w^ho  had  accepted  the  position  of  financial  agent  of  the  University 
of  Denver. 

Brother  Merritt  said:  ''S.  W.  Thornton  has  been  ordered  to 
New  Mexico,  and  F.  S.  Beggs  to  fill  his  place  at  Central  City. 
A.  W.  Coffman  met  with  an  accident  at  Arvada,  and  left;  A.  D. 
Hammitt  filled  out  the  year;  J.  A.  Smith  left  Black  Hawk  for 
Aspen.  C.  C.  Zebold,  of  Fort  Collins  Circuit,  was  sent  to  a  new 
field,  at  Lander,  Wyoming;  and  H.  D.  Seckner  was  employed 
to  fill  his  place.  H.  S.  Huber,  of  the  Illinois  Conference,  was 
secured  for  Laramie  City,  Wyoming;  T.  A.  Story,  for  Gold  Hill 
Circuit;  and  R.  L.  Kenyon,  for  Lov eland.  A  new  church  has 
been  built  at  Bald  Mountain,  costing  $5,000,  and  another  at 
Wheat  Ridge,  at  a  cost  of  $2,000." 

There  is  no  report  from  N.  A.  Chamberlain,  the  other  pre- 
siding elder,  on  file.  The  net  gain  in  the  Conference  member- 
ship, over  the  previous  year,  was  thirteen. 

Those  transferred  to  the  Conference  were: 

Joseph  A.  Ferguson  was  born,  February  20,  1838,  in  Somer- 
set, Perry  County,  Ohio;  converted  in  1856;  licensed  to  preach 
in  1858;  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  at  the  Dennison 
University,  at  Granville,  Ohio;  entered  the  Central  Ohio  Confer- 
ence in  1865;  was  ordained  a  local  deacon  at  the  same  time,  and 
elder  four  years  after.     He  served  the  following  charges  in  that 


THE   THIRD  DECADE. 


495 


Conference:  Paulding  Mission,  with  eleven  appointments,  one 
year;  Port  Jefferson  Circuit,  three  years;  Spring  Hill  Circuit, 
two  years;  Quincy  Circuit,  three  years;  Fostoria,  two  years; 
Kenton,  three  years;  Greenville,  three  years;  Delta,  six  months; 
transferred  to  Girard,  South  Kansas  Conference,  in  1883,  where 
he  remained  two  years;  at  Paola,  for  a  short  time,  and  then  was 
transferred  to  the  Colorado  Conference  in  1885;  was  stationed  at 
Boulder,  four  years,  where  he  cleared  up  an  old  church  debt; 
Idaho  Springs,  three  years.  Here  he  removed  a  Church  Exten- 
sion debt,  and  purchased  a  neat  parsonage;  had  revivals  on  his 
circuit  work  and  in  some  of  the 
stations.  At  Quincy,  Ohio,  a 
cyclone  blew  the  church  into 
kindling-wood,  w^hich  was  re- 
placed by  a  brick,  costing  $6,500, 
all  paid  for.  He  was  transferred 
to  Oklahoma,  in  September,  1895. 
Brother  Ferguson  stands  well  as 
a  preacher  and  pastor.  His  pas- 
torates were  all  more  or  less  suc- 
cessful. 

Ammi  Bradford  Hyde,  from 
the  Erie  Conference,  was  born 
at  Oxford,  New  York,  March  13, 
1826.  He  was  fitted  for  college 
at  the  Oxford  Academy,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty  graduated  from 

the  Wesleyan  College  of  Connecticut,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B. 
Two  years  after,  the  degree  of  A.  M.  was  received  from  the  same 
institution.  The  degree  of  D.  D.  was  conferred  by  the  Syracuse 
University  in  1858. 

He  joined  the  Oneida  Conference  in  1848,  and  entered  upon 
the  work  of  a  traveling  minister.  In  1850  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Myra  Smith,  of  Utica,  New  York.  For  sixteen  years  he  was  pro- 
fessor of  Modern  and  Ancient  Languages  at  Cazenovia  Seminary, 
and  for  twenty  years  professor  of  Greek  at  Allegheny  College,  Pa. 
In  1884  he  accepted  the  chair  of  Greek  and  Latin  in  the  Uni- 
32 


J.  A.  FERGUSON. 


496  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

versity  of  Denver,  and  for  one  year  was  the  acting  chancellor  of 
the  same.  For  twenty-five  years  he  has  written  the  notes  on  the 
Sunday-school  lessons  for  the  Pittsburg  Christian  Advocate,  which 
are  now  in  greater  demand  than  ever.  His  "Story  of  Methodism" 
has  had  a  circulation  of  over  one  hundred  thousand  copies.  He 
also  wrote  the  notes  on  the  "Songs  of  Solomon  and  Ecclesiastes," 
and  of  the  last  three  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  for  Whedon's 
Commentaries.  His  last  work  is  called  "Art  Glimpses  of  Meth- 
odism." In  1894,  when  a  Methodist  Church  was  organized  at 
University  Park,  Dr.  Hyde  was  chosen  its  first  pastor,  and  was 
reappointed  in  1895.  He  is  an  honor  to  any  institution  and  to 
any  Conference. 

John  Whisi.er,  born  December  2y,  1835,  in  Richland 
County,  Ohio;  was  converted  at  sixteen,  and  immediately  felt 
called  to  preach  the  gospel.  He  and  Miss  Rebecca  Simon  were 
married,  July  10,  1856,  in  Wood  County,  Ohio.  He  was  given  a 
license  to  exhort  in  1861,  and  another  to  preach  a  year  afterward. 

August  28,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  49th  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry  of  the  Union  army,  and  was  immediately  sent  to  the 
front;  but  did  not  reach  his  regiment,  which  was  at  Murfreesboro, 
Tenn.,  until  after  the  battle  of  Stone  River.  Their  first  engage- 
ment was  near  Resaca.  For  thirty  days  thereafter  they  were 
under  fire  all  the  time  as  they  moved  southward.  He  was 
wounded  at  Kenesaw  Mountain,  May  29,  1864,  losing  his  right 
arm.  For  eighteen  days  he  lay  in  a  field  hospital,  then  was  re- 
moved to  Chattanooga,  and  thence  to  Nashville,  where  he  was 
kept  in  the  hospital  for  nearly  six  months,  when  he  was  mustered 
out  and  sent  home. 

In  April,  1865,  he  began  his  itinerant  career,  under  the  pre- 
siding elder  on  the  Freeport  Circuit,  where  he  labored  for  one 
year  and  a  half,  when  he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference.  On  further  consideration  he  was  released,  that 
he  might  attend  school.  Of  him  Bishop  Clark  remarked,  "That 
it  was  a  laudable  desire  for  a  young  man  to  get  a  better  educa- 
tion." He  at  once  entered  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  and 
"supplied"  charges  during  the  five  years  of  his  college  life. 

He  was  admitted  into  the  North  Ohio  Annual  Conference 


THE    THIRD  DECADE.  497 

in  1870,  and  sent  to  Iberia  Circuit,  1870-1;  Ontario,  1872-3; 
Wooster,  1874-5-6;  Tiffin,  1877-8.  In  the  fall  of  1878  he  was 
transferred  to  Minnesota,  where  he  labored  for  five  years,  when 
he  came  to  California  Street,  Denver,  which  charge  he  served 
for  one  year  and  a  half.  He  was  at  Leadville,  1886-7-8.  During 
his  first  year  here  a  new  church  was  finished,  and  dedicated  by 
Bishop  Warren.  He  also  raised  the  money,  bought  and  almost 
paid  for  a  parsonage  by  the  side  of  the  church.  In  February, 
1889,  he  was  appointed  financial  agent  of  the  University  of  Den- 
ver, which  position  he  held  for  sixteen  months.  He  was  a  super- 
numerary for  the  next  two  years;  then  was  transferred  to  the 
Columbia  River  Conference,  where  he  did  good  work  for  four 
years.  Failing  health  compelled  him  to  resign  his  charge  in  the 
middle  of  the  year,  1896,  and  was  transferred  back  to  the  Colo- 
rado Conference,  and  given  a  supernumerary  relation.  He  has 
a  fine  reputation  as  a  preacher,  and  has  made  a  good  record  in 
the  pastorate,  and  is  now  at  his  pleasant  home  in  Denver. 

Jacob  Kagey,  from  the  Illinois  Conference.  His  pastorates 
were:  Fairplay,  1884  (supply);  Buena  Vista,  1885-6;  Windsor, 
1887,  which  he  resigned  soon  after  the  Conference  session;  Buena 
Vista  Circuit,  1888;  located  in  1889. 

H.  C.  Coats,  from  the  Illinois  Conference.  His  work  was  in 
the  New  Mexico  English  Mission,  1885;  Telluride,  1886;  Vilas 
Circuit,  1887;  withdrew  in  1888. 

R.  L.  Choate,  from  the  Illinois  Conference;  Salida,  1885; 
located  in  1886. 

W^ii^BUR  C.  Madison,  a  probationer,  from  the  Upper  Iowa 
Conference;  born  January  9,  1858,  at  Edgewood,  Iowa;  was 
converted  when  nine  years  of  age,  and  joined  the  Church  six 
months  after;  licensed  to  preach  in  1878;  graduated  from  the 
Upper  Iowa  University,  at  Fayette,  Iowa,  in  1883,  with  the  de- 
gree of  A.  B.  The  same  institution  conferred  on  him  the  degree 
of  A.  M.  in  1885,  and  that  of  D.  D.  in  1894,  and  the  University  of 
Denver  that  of  Ph.  D.,  after  examination. 

August  21,  1883,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Carrie  Adeline 
Holmes,  of  Manchester,  Iowa.  He  joined  the  Upper  Iowa  Con- 
ference the  following  September,  and  was  ordained  a  local  deacon 


498 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


at  the  same  time,  by  Bishop  Simpson.  Two  years  after,  he  came 
to  Colorado,  and  was  appointed  to  Grand  Junction;  then  Fort 
ColHns,  1886;  First  Church,  Pueblo,  1887-8.  During  this  pas- 
torate Bishop  Warren  built  and  gave  to  that  Church  a  beautiful 
parsonage;  Greeley,  1890-1-2;  Greeley  District,  1893-6.  Dr. 
Madison  is  a  thorough  scholar,  a  strong  preacher,  and  conscien- 
tiously faithful  in  meeting  all  his  official  obligations.  He  is  a 
forcible  writer,   and  his  pen   is   frequently  called  into  use  for 

the   periodical   press   of  the 
country. 

He  gives  the  following 
account  of  a  ''Pioneer  Expe- 
rience," in  the  northwestern 
portion  of  his  district  in  1895, 
which  is  a  faithful  illustra- 
tion of  what  is  done  by  all 
our  pioneer  workmen: 

"At  Steamboat  Springs 
we  spent  the  first  Sabbath, 
July  22d,  preaching  twice 
there,  and  once  in  the  after- 
noon at  a  private  house 
seven  miles  distant.  The 
first  Quarterly  Conference 
in  Routt  County  was  held 
the  following  Saturday.  The 
Church  at  Steamboat 
Springs  is  but  a  little  over  a 
year  old,  but  seems  well  organized  and  composed  of  earnest 
people.  The  congregation  which  greets  the  preacher  there  is  as 
good  as  one  needs  to  meet.  Monday  morning  Brother  Boylan 
and  myself  started  with  a  two-horse  wagon  and  a  rifle,  to  cross 
the  Rabbit  Ear  range  into  North  Park.  We  crossed  the  summit 
of  the  great  Continental  Divide,  and  about  sunset  were  hailed  by 
a  man  at  the  front  end  of  a  log  cabin,  who  proved  to  have  come 
thus  far  with  two  others  for  the  purpose  of  meeting  us,  and  guid- 
ing us  for  the  rest  of  our  journey.  We  stopped,  partook  of  a  good 
out-door  supper,  and  that  night  slept  on  the  ground  in  that  much 


W.  C.  MADISON. 


THE   THIRD  DECADE.  499 

ventilated  cabin.  The  next  day  found  us  at  the  home  of  a  Mr. 
Shearer  at  Rand.  That  night  I  preached  in  a  httle  church,  re- 
ceived into  our  Church  a  company  of  fifteen,  held  the  first  Quar- 
terly Conference  ever  held  in  North  Park,  and  the  next  day  rode 
twenty-five  miles  to  Walden.  The  word  sent  had  failed  to  get 
there;  but  though  we  arrived  at  five  in  the  afternoon,  a  goodly 
congregation  was  "rustled"  by  7.30,  and  I  preached  again.  The 
people  there,  as  at  Rand,  urged  me  to  find  them  a  preacher,  say- 
ing they  could  support  him  if  sent. 

"The  next  day  we  started  back  to  Steamboat.  We  were  be- 
lated, and  slept  that  night  under  a  wagon,  on  the  crest  of  the 
continent.  On  Friday  we  arrived  home,  and  the  next  day  went 
to  Hayden,  twenty-five  miles  down  the  Yuma  from  Steamboat, 
where,  in  the  midst  of  a  thriving  agricultural  community  of  fine 
citizens,  we  found  good  reception,  and  Sunday  morning  had  a 
large  congregation.  We  returned  to  Steamboat  that  afternoon, 
and  had  service  there  at  night.  I  am  told  that  no  presiding  elder 
was  ever  in  that  country  before,  officially.  Dr.  Crary  was  there 
years  ago,  and  preached  to  about  six  or  seven  people.''  {Meth- 
odist Helper,  August,  1895.) 

In  1896  he  dedicated  a  church  at  Rand  in  North  Park. 

Henry  A.  Buchtel,  D.  D.,  from  the  Northwest  Indiana  Con- 
ference. Born  September  30,  1847,  near  Akron,  Ohio,  where 
Buchtel  College,  an  institution  founded  and  endowed  by  John 
R.  Buchtel,  a  cousin  of  his  father,  Dr.  J.  B.  Buchtel,  now  stands. 
In  1848  the  family  moved  to  South  Bend,  Indiana,  where  he  grew 
up  to  manhood's  estate.  Here  he  was  converted,  February,  1866, 
in  a  revival-meeting  held  by  the  pastor,  Charles  A.  Brooke,  D.  D., 
who  subsequently  gave  him  a  Bible  because  he  vv^as  the  most  lib- 
eral Sunday-school  scholar  in  contributing  to  the  missionary 
cause.  That  Bible  he  deposited  in  the  corner-stone  of  Trinity 
Church,  Denver,  as  his  most  precious  gift. 

He  was  educated  at  Asbury  (now  DePauw)  University,  Green- 
castle,  Indiana,  graduating  in  the  class  of  1872.  For  three  years 
previous  he  had  been  a  local  preacher.  The  following  September 
he  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Northwest  Indiana  Conference, 
and  appointed  to  Zionsville  and  Northfield  Circuit. 


500 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


In  January,  1873,  he  was  sent  as  a  missionary  to  Bulgaria, 
taking  his  bride  with  him.  Soon  after  reaching  Bulgaria  she  was 
taken  down  with  typhoid-malarial  fever,  with  a  serious  compli- 
cation of  the  lungs.  This  severe  illness  broke  her  health  entirely, 
and  they  were  compelled  to  return  home  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year.  His  Bulgarian  teacher,  Jordan  Ivan  Ekonomofif,  who  was 
converted  in  his  house,  came  with  them  to  this  country.  He 
was  a  B.  A.  graduate  from  Roberts  College,  of  Constantinople. 
He  remained  at  Drew  Seminary  four  years,  and  then  returned 
to  take  his  place  in  the  Bulgarian  Mission. 

In  the  fall  of  1873  Dr.  Buchtel  was  appointed  to  the  South 

Greencastle  Charge,  which 
at  that  time  had  no  prop- 
erty of  its  own.  Services 
were  held  in  the  college 
chapel.  God  gave  him 
three  hundred  converts  in 
ten  weeks  of  protracted 
meetings.  In  the  middle  of 
his  third  year  he  was  trans- 
f  e  r  r  e  d  to  Knightstown, 
North  Indiafia  Conference. 
After  three  years  here  he 
spent  three  more  at  Grace 
Church,  Richmond,  Indi- 
ana. His  next  charge  was 
Trinity  Church,  Lafayette, 
where  he  remained  until 
July,  1885,  when  he  was  transferred  to  Evans  Chapel,  Denver, 
Colorado.  One  year  after  he  began  his  ministry  at  Lawrence 
Street  Church.  At  the  end  of  the  first  year  the  name  of  the 
Church  was  changed  to  ''Trinity."  In  September,  1887,  the  con- 
gregation moved  into  ''Tabor  Grand  Opera-house,"  where  serv- 
ices were  held  for  seven  months.  On  Easter  Sabbath,  1888,  the 
first  Sunday  in  April,  the  first  service  was  held  in  the  Sunday- 
school  room  of  Trinity  Church.  At  Christmas-time,  the  same 
year,  they  moved  into  the  Auditorium.  He  was  pastor  of  Trinity 
for  nearly  five  years.    Joseph  C.  Shattuck,  Ph.  D.,  secretary  of 


H.  A.  BUCHTEIv. 


THE    THIRD   DECADE.  50I 

the  Board  of  Trustees,  published  in  Zion's  Herald,  of  Boston, 
August  9,  1893,  over  two  years  after  his  pastorate  closed,  the  fol- 
lowing estimate  of  his  work  at  Trinity: 

*'Xo  description  of  this  church,  or  history  of  its  erection, 
w^ould  be  complete  or  just  that  did  not  ascribe  to  Dr.  Henry  A. 
Buchtel,  pastor  from  1886  to  1891,  the  honor  for  great  leadership 
in  the  enterprise.  He  came  to  a  building  seating  about  five  hun- 
dred, but  more  than  ample  for  the  congregation.  In  two  months 
he  had  packed  it  to  the  doors,  and  in  one  year  had  lifted  the  soci- 
ety from  the  fourth  in  rank  in  the  city  to  the  first,  and  obliged  it 
to  move  into  the  opera-house,  seating  twelve  hundred.  He 
welded  this  people  into  one  aggressive  unit,  fired  by  his  own  high 
purpose  to  build  a  temple  worthy  the  leading  Church  in  Colorado 
Methodism,  yet  never  forgetting  the  regular  benevolences,  which, 
in  the  year  of  heaviest  giving  to  the  new  enterprise,  reached  a 
larger  total  than  ever  before  reported  by  a  Church  in  this  Con- 
ference. It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that,  but  for  him,  there  would 
be  no  Trinity  Church  in  Denver  to-day." 

In  1891  he  was  transferred  to  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  where 
he  is  preaching  the  gospel  with  all  the  vigor  of  his  mature  man- 
hood. The  success  attending  his  work,  with  the  character  of  the 
appointments  filled,  best  describes  his  ability  as  pastor  and 
preacher.     He  is  greatly  beloved  by  his  former  associates  here. 

Abnkr  H.  Lucas,  from  the  Detroit  Conference,  who  filled 
pastorates  at  Greeley,  four  years,  and  Grace  Church,  Denver, 
two  years,  when  he  was  transferred  East,  and  stationed  in  Spring- 
field, Ohio. 

While  pastor  in  Greeley,  he  and  Rev.  G.  S.  Oliver,  who  was 
the  pastor  at  Evans,  started  a  small  local  Church  paper.  Subse-" 
quently  Brother  Lucas  and  Rev.  A.  C.  Peck,  then  of  Colorado 
Springs,  interested  a  number  of  prominent  laymen  in  a  local 
Church  paper  for  the  Rocky  Mountain  region. 

Previously  a  paper  had  been  started,  with  the  thought  of 
meeting  this  need,  by  Frank  Hard,  Esq.,  of  Denver.  This  was 
bought  and  published  for  some  time  by  George  S.  Welch,  Esq., 
of  whom  it  was  purchased  by  Lucas  and  Peck  for  the  new  com- 
pany.   The  two  papers  were  then  consolidated,  and  became  the 


502  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Rocky  Mountain  Christian  Advocate,  which  for  several  years  vis- 
ited the  homes  of  our  people  within  the  bounds  of  the  Colorado 
Conference.  Dr.  Lucas  was  assisted  in  the  editorship  by  the  Rev. 
A.  C.  Peck,  and  together  they  made  an  excellent  paper.  The 
General  Conference  of  1892  appointed  a  committee  to  publish 
it  as  a  semi-official  paper,  and  the  Rev.  Claudius  B.  Spencer  was 
elected  editor.  The  paper,  however,  having  insufficient  financial 
basis,  was  soon  discontinued,  as  it  could  not  be  published  without 
pecuniary  loss.  While  issued  it  filled  a  very  useful  place  as  a  local 
organ,  interesting  the  people  in  each  other,  and  visiting  hundreds 
of  homes  where  no  other  Advocate  ever  came.  To  us  it  seemed  to 
have  been  a  great  misfortune  that  it  was  discontinued. 

The  General  Conference  of  1896,  however,  authorized  its  pub- 
lication, under  proper  official  supervision,  aided  by  a  generous 
subsidy  from  the  Book  Concern. 

The  commission  to  whom  this  work  was  confided  chose  the 
Rev.  C.  B.  Spencer  as  editor,  and  placed  the  business  manage- 
ment of  the  new  venture  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  D.  L.  Rader. 

These  brethren  are  energetically  pushing  the  enterprise,  and 
are  succeeding  beyond  the  most  sanguine  expectations  in  plac- 
ing it  upon  a  paying  basis.  They  are  also  making  a  very  inter- 
esting, valuable  paper  for  this  mountain  region. 

Daniel  L.  Rader  was  received  from  the  Denver  Conference 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  He  was  born  at  Rose 
Hill,  Johnson  County,  Missouri,  August  27,  1850,  and  was  named 
for  his  father's  presiding  elder,  Daniel  Leaper.  He  was  con- 
verted in  1864,  at  a  protracted-meeting  held  in  Saline  County> 
Missouri,  by  a  Presbyterian  minister,  assisted  by  his  father,  who 
was  a  preacher  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  As 
there  was  no  Methodist  Church  in  that  locality,  he,  by  the  advice 
of  his  father,  joined  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Two  years  later, 
he  took  his  letter  and  connected  himself  with  the  Church  of  his 
parents,  with  which  he  remained  for  nineteen  years. 

He  studied  for  two  years  under  the  tutorship  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Sidney  Paxton,  a  Presbyterian  minister;  then  two  years  more 
in  the  Shelbyville  High  School,  after  which  he  taught  for  a  time. 
In  September,  187 1,  he  joined  the  Southwest  Missouri  Confer- 


THE    THIRD  DECADE. 


503 


ence,  and  was  at  once  transferred  to  the  Western  Conference,  and 
placed  in  charge  of  the  Oskaloosa  Circuit,  Kansas.  In  the  middle 
of  the  year  he  was  changed  to  the  Broadway  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  where  he  remained  until 
September,  1873,  when  he  was  sent  to  Council  Grove.  On  Sep- 
tember 18,  1872,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Eugenia  Shackelford, 
whom  he  had  known  in  his  school-days.  In  1874  he  returned 
to  Missouri,  where  he  remained  until  March,  1879,  when,  on  ac- 
count of  pulmonary  trouble, 
he  came  to  Colorado.  His 
lungs  at  that  time  were  in 
such  a  condition  that  he 
could  not  pray  in  his  family 
without  hemorrhages. 

His  Conference  gave  him 
a  superannuated  relation, 
and,  after  resting  in  this  cli- 
mate for  two  years  and  a 
half,  he  was  so  far  recovered 
that  he  was  transferred  to  the 
"Denver  Conference"  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  October,  1881,  and 
appointed  presiding  elder  of 
the  Denver  District,  which 
position  he  held  for  three 
years,  when  he  asked  to  be 
relieved,  that  he  might  enter 
the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  This  his  Con- 
ference was  unwilling  to  grant,  but  appointed  him  to  Corona 
Chapel,  Pueblo.  At  the  close  of  that  year,  July,  1885,  he  took  a 
certificate  of  location,  and  was  admitted  into  the  membership  of 
the  Colorado  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  was  appointed  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years.  When  the  Wyoming  Mission  was  organized  in 
1888,  he  was  made  its  first  superintendent,  and  held  this  position 
for  four  years.  At  the  session  of  1892,  in  Pueblo,  he  was  ap- 
pointed presiding  elder  of  the  newly-formed  "Pueblo  District," 


D.   L.   KADl^.R. 


504  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

where  he  is  doing  good  work  for  the  Master  and  the  Church. 
The  Conference  in  1895  elected  him  one  of  its  delegates  to  the 
General  Conference,  to  be  held  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  May,  1896. 
He  is  evangelistic  and  interesting  as  a  preacher,  and  a  successful 
organizer.  His  ministry  is  attended  with  blessed  spiritual  results. 
Brother  Rader  is  a  man  thoroughly  consecrated  to  God  and  to 
his  work. 

Those  admitted  on  trial  were: 

H.  L.  Wriston.  Arvada  and  Hugo,  1885-7;  Laramie  City, 
Wyoming,  1888-9.  Left  without  an  appointment  in  1890-2,  "to 
attend  some  one  of  our  schools,"  which  was  at  the  School  of  The- 
ology in  the  Boston  University.  In  1893  he  was  transferred  to 
the  New  England  Conference.  He  is  a  fluent  speaker,  a  good 
sermonizer,  and  an  exceedingly  popular  minister  of  the  gospel. 
He  is  a  very  promising  young  man.  He  graduated  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Denver  in  1889,  A.  B. 

Joshua  Shawber.  Telluride  Circuit,  1885;  Delta,  1886-7; 
Monte  Vista,  1888;  Evans,  1889-91;  supernumerary,  1892-6.  He 
rendered  good  service  while  in  the  active  work,  and  has  left  a 
clean  record  on  the  charges  served. 

Thomas  M.  Harwood,  a  nephew  of  Superintendent  Har- 
wood,  was  appointed  missionary  in  the  Spanish  work  of  New 
Mexico.  He  is  still  connected  with  this  Mission,  and  is  a  man 
of  great  usefulness  to  the  Spanish  people. 

William  C.  Price.  Was  sent  to  Como  and  Breckenridge; 
discontinued  in  1886. 

Theron  a.  Story  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  County,  New 
York,  in  1859;  converted,  and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  the  age  of  twelve,  through  the  influence  of  a  godly 
mother;  called  to  the  ministry  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  entered 
upon  his  first  charge  at  Jamestown,  Colorado,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five,  under  Presiding  Elder  Millington,  his  uncle;  re- 
turned the  second  year;  then  at  Silver  Plume  and  Black  Hawk, 
each  one  year;  Granada  in  1888;  made  a  supernumerary  in  1889, 
and  transferred  to  the  Northern  New  York  Conference  in  1891. 
He  did  good  work  while  here,  and  left  a  good  name  behind  him. 


THE    THIRD   DECADE. 


505 


Herschel  D.  Seckner  was  born  in  Turin,  Lewis  County, 
New  York,  September  6,  1852;  converted  in  April,  1864;  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  in  Lowville  Academy;  also 
for  a  time  at  the  Cazenovia  Seminary.  He  came  to  Colorado  in 
1879,  and  engaged  in  business  at  Fort  Collins.  He  was  licensed 
to  preach  in  1884,  and  sent  to  the  Fort  Collins  Circuit,  where  he 
labored  for  a  year  and  six  months. 
He  has  since  filled  Simpson,  Den- 
ver, 1886-7-8-9.  During  his 
pastorate  here  the  first  church 
was  sold,  and  the  present  one 
erected  on  the  corner  of  Thirty- 
seventh  Avenue  and  Lafayette 
Street;  then  at  Silver  Plume,  1890, 
where  he  secured  a  lot  for  a  new 
church;  Berkeley,  1891.  The 
church-building  here  was  inclosed, 
except  as  to  the  doors  and  win- 
dows. This  was  finished,  and  a 
neat  parsonage  of  six  rooms  built. 
At  Fort  Morgan,  1895-6.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Conference  in 
1885;  ordained  deacon  in  1887, 
elder  in  1889.  He  is  an  earnest  preacher,  a  faithful  pastor,  and 
efficient  minister  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 


H.  D.  SECKNER. 


John  W.  Linn  was  born,  August  13,  1855,  at  Loysville, 
Perry  County,  Pennsylvania;  converted  in  October,  1878,  in  West 
Side,  Iowa;  educated  at  the  high  school  in  Lanark,  Illinois,  and 
at  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1884, 
and  immediately  came  to  Colorado,  taking  charge  of  the  Beck- 
wourth  Street  Church  and  Simpson  Mission,  where  he  remained 
three  years.  The  last  named  Mission  was  taken  ofif  his  charge  at 
the  end  of  the  second  year,  and  the  former  (now  ''Fifth  Avenue") 
constituted  the  charge.  On  September  7,  1886,  he  was  married, 
in  Beckwourth  Street  Church,  to  Miss  Kate  A.  Dobbins,  of  Den- 
His  next  appointment  was  Rawlins,  Wyoming,  which  he 


ver. 


5o6 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 


served  efficiently  eighteen  months,  when  he  was  changed  to  Lead- 
ville,  Colorado,  where  he  remained  the  same  length  of  time.     In 
1890  he  was  appointed  to  Argo  and  Wheat  Ridge  (the  former  was 
taken  off  after  two  years),  and  here,  at  Wheat  Ridge,  he  remained 
five  years.    He  organized  during  his  term  here,  on  Prospect  Ave- 
nue, a  class  of  thirty  members,  with  a  Sunday-school  of  forty- 
five  members;  also  a  Sunday-school  with 
thirty  members  at  Lakewood.     Having 
staid  his  full  time,  he  was  sent  to  Central 
City  in   1895,  and  reappointed  in   1896. 
He  came  to  the  session  at  Leadville,  in 
1896,    in    apparently    good    health,    was 
taken  severely  ill  during  the  night  suc- 
ceeding the  first  day's  session.    xVn  oper- 
^A-'      ^^f^^^        ation    was    soon    decided    as    necessary, 
^l^^m^        i^^^B      which  was  successfully  performed.     To 
^HK     ^QHV'      ^11  human  appearance  an  early  recovery 
^^^%  mf^^^         ^^^^  probable.     When  the  session  closed 
he  was  returned  to  Central  City,  and  his 
associates   left,   expecting  to   hear   soon 
that  he  was  in  his  field  of  labor.    He  him- 
self was  peacefully  trusting  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  leaving  all  in  his 
hands.     On  the  day  after  the  Conference  adjourned  his  disease 
took  an  unfavorable  turn,  and  soon  ''he  was  not,  for  God  had 
taken  him." 

Brother  Linn  was  an  untiring  pastor  and  successful  minister 
of  Jesus  Christ.  He  has  left  a  rich  legacy  to  his  family  in  an  un- 
impeachable Christian  character. 

John  A.  Long  was  ordained  a  deacon,  and  C.  H.  Koyl,  J.  T. 
Musgrove,  J.  R.  Rader,  R.  H.  McDade,  R.  L.  Choate,  as  elders. 

The  supplies  were,  F.  S.  Beggs,  S.  H.  Huber,  R.  L.  Kenyon, 
P.  McNutt,  F.  F.  Passmore,  and  T.  Winsor. 


J.  W.  WNN. 


1886. — From  July  15th  to  20th  the  Conference  was  in  session, 
for  the  second  time,  at  Greeley,  Colorado,  Bishop  Thomas  Bow- 
man presiding.  Forty  members  answered  to  their  names  when 
the  roll  was  called. 


THE   THIRD  DECADE.  507 

N.  A.  Chamberlain,  presiding  elder  of  the  Southern  District, 
reported,  in  substance,  as  follows:  "Dr.  McNutt,  in  charge  at 
Del  Norte  and  Henry,  died  February  ^t,  1886.  A.  Crooks,  of  the 
Des  Moines  Conference,  succeeded  him.  R.  L.  Choate  left  for 
New  Mexico,  and  C  .B.  Allen  followed  him  at  Salida.  I.  N.  More- 
head  resigned  at  Pueblo  in  the  early  winter,  and  went  East,  when 
A.  B.  Bruner  took  his  place.  A  church-building  is  begun  at 
Aspen  by  J.  A.  Smith,  the  pastor.  At  Monte  Vista,  a  brick 
church,  which  will  seat  three  hundred,  and  costing  $3,000,  has 
been  erected.  McNutt  raised  nearly  $1,200  the  week  before  he 
died.  New  church  and  parsonage  started  at  Leadville.  Brother 
William  Osburn  is  pushing  a  church  enterprise  at  Montrose. 
J.  C.  Kemp  has  been  preaching  at  Glenwood  Springs." 

From  the  report  of  J.  H.  Merritt,  presiding  elder,  I  select 
what  follows:  "J.  C.  Green  did  not  go  to  Evans  and  Big  Thomp- 
son; George  S.  Oliver  was  secured  for  this  charge.  A  frame 
church  completed  at  Argo,  valued  at  $4,200,  including  the  lots. 
At  Windsor,  after  the  same  plan,  a  brick  church  has  been  built, 
costing  $3,500.  A  parsonage  purchased  at  Central  City,  and  one 
built  at  North  Denver.  The  church  and  parsonage  properties 
greatly  improved  at  Cheyenne,  Evanston,  Greeley,  and  Idaho 
Springs." 

The  transfers  assigned  to  work  among  us  were: 

A.  B.  Bruner,  from  the  Puget  Sound  Conference.  Returned 
to  First  Church,  Pueblo:  superannuated  in  1887,  on  account  of 
a  sick  wife,  who  died  soon  after;  was  at  Las  Animas  three  months 
of  1888,  and  at  Aspen  the  next  three  years.  In  1891  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Southwest  Kansas  Conference.  Brother  Bruner 
is  an  attractive  preacher  and  excellent  pastor.  He  usually  en- 
joys ''times  of  refreshing"  on  his  charges. 

Okey  J.  Moore,  from  the  West  Virginia  Conference,  was 
born  near  Sistersville,  Tyler  County,  West  Virginia,  April  13. 
i860.  Graduated  from  the  State  Normal  School,  at  Fairmont, 
W.  Va.,  in  1878;  was  at  the  same  school,  teaching  and  reading 
law,  from  1878  to  1880;  converted  at  a  revival-meeting  held  near 
his  old  home,  on  February  i,  1880.  At  this  time  it  was  foreign  to 
his  thought  to  become  a  minister,  but  the  law  soon  lost  its  attrac- 


5o8 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


tions.  He  received  a  clearer  witness  of  his  acceptance,  when  try- 
ing to  lead  another  to  Jesus.  He  says:  ''After  a  short  struggle 
I  surrendered  myself  fully  to  God,  and  soon  received  what  many 
called  'the  second  blessing,  love  enthroned  within.' 

"Soon  after  this,  the  Lord  showed  me  that  the  Methodist 
Church  was,  after  all,  not  such  a  mean  institution.  I  attended 
the  General  Conference,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  with  my  father,  in 

1880,  and  for  the  first  time  saw 
__^^  Methodism  on  her  mount  of  trans- 

JHHB^  figuration." 

f  ^Bl  -^^  entered  the  itinerant  ranks 

^P^   ™  in    the    West    Virginia     Confer- 

ence that  fall,  and  filled,  while 
there,  the  following  appointments: 
namely,  Ceredo,  1880;  Williams- 
town,  1881;  Milton,  1882.  He 
then  went  to  the  Drew  Theological 
Seminary,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1886.  His  appointments 
since  have  been:  Santa  Fe,  New 
Mexico,  May,  1886,  to  July,  1889; 
El  Paso,  Texas,  July,  1889,  to  Oc- 
tober, 1891;  Golden,  Colorado, 
1891-2;  Greeley,  1893-6.  Brother 
Moore  is  scholarly,  spiritual,  and 
attractive  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  builds  wisely  and  well 
in  the  temple  of  the  living  God. 


O.J.  MOORE. 


Twelve  were  admitted  on  trial,  but  only  two  were  assigned 
work  within  Conference  bounds;  namely: 

George  S.  Oliver,  who  had  supplied  Evans,  w^as  returned. 
His  farther  work  was:  Idaho  Springs,  1887-8;  Trinidad,  1889, 
where  he  remained  but  a  short  time,  when  he  withdrew  from  the 
ministry  and  the  Church,  entering  upon  secular  work.  His  head- 
quarters are  now  (1897)  in  Denver,  Colorado,  where  his  family 
resides.  He  had  the  elements  of  a  successful  minister,  and  should 
have  remained  tkerein. 

Joseph  B.  Long  was  born  near  Jefferson,  Schoharie  County, 


THE   THIRD  DECADE.  509 

New  York,  May,  1863.  He  was  left  an  orphan  by  the  death  of 
his  father,  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  in  the  following  Decem- 
ber, and  his  mother  two  years  later.  He  can  not  remember  when 
he  was  not  a  Christian.  He  joined  the  Church  at  sixteen;  was 
educated  at  the  Walton  Union  School,  and  later,  in  more  ad- 
vanced studies,  at  the  "Hudson  River  Institute,"  Claverack,  New 
York;  ''Wesleyan  University,"'  Middletown,  Connecticut;  "Gar- 
rett Biblical  Institute,"  Evanston,  Illinois;  and  the  "Iliff  School 
of  Theology,"  Denver,  Colorado.  He  graduated  from  the  last- 
named  institution  in  June,  1893.  During  his  period  of  school 
study  in  the  West,  he  was  preaching  almost  regularly  as  pastor. 
He  has  filled  here  the  following  appointments:  Lander  and  Sheri- 
dan, Wyoming;  Como,  Ouray,  Black  Hawk,  and  Bald  Mountain, 
in  Colorado;  then  Alma,  Evanston,  and  Rawlins,  in  Wyoming. 
He  was  sent  to  the  latter  place  in  1895-6.  He  was  married, 
June  4,  1890,  to  Miss  Cora  E.  Sheldon,  of  Boulder,  Colorado. 
Brother  Long  is  highly  esteemed  for  his  many  excellent  personal 
qualities,  and  as  well  for  his  worth  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 
At  this  writing  (1897)  it  is  said  he  has  withdrawn  from  the  Meth- 
odist pastorate,  and  entered  that  of  the  Congregational  Church. 

Edward  J.  Wilcox,  George  B.  M.  Rodgers,  Theron  A.  Story, 
Oscar  F.  McKay,  and  Martin  Anderson  were  ordained  deacons. 

M.  C.  Wilcox,  of  the  Foochow  Conference,  China,  was  a  help- 
ful visitor,  and  was  introduced  on  the  second  morning  of  the 
session.  Brother  E.  F.  Miller,  singing  evangelist,  led  the  singing 
with  delightful  effect. 

1887. — For  the  fifth  time  Conference  met  in  Denver,  in  the 
Lawrence  Street  Church,  July  13th,  and  adjourned  on  the  i8th. 
Bishop  John  M.  Walden  presided.  This  was  his  first  visit  to  the 
Colorado  Conference  in  this  capacity.  He  conducted  the  devo- 
tional exercises.  The  sacramental  service  was  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Bishop  H.  W.  Warren,  assisted  by  the  presiding  elders 
and  others. 

After  the  roll-call  and  the  appointment  of  the  committees, 
Bishop  W^arren  addressed  the  Conference  in  a  very  feeling  and 
affectionate  manner,  preparatory  to  his  visit  to  Japan  and  China. 
At  its  close,  Bishop  Walden  suggested  that  all  join  in  singing, 


5IO  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

''God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again,"  when  Dr.  De  LaMatyr,  the 
pastor  of  the  bishop's  family,  led  in  prayer. 

A  pleasing  incident  of  the  morning  service  was  this:  When 
Father  Dyer,  then  the  only  superannuate  in  the  Conference,  had 
reported  for  himself,  Dr.  Moore,  chancellor  of  the  University  of 
Denver,  in  behalf  of,  and  in  the  name  of,  the  trustees  of  the  uni- 
versity, presented  him  with  a  beautiful  gold-headed  cane.  The 
Doctor  in  doing  this  made  one  of  his  happiest  speeches,  to  which 
Father  Dyer  responded  equally  well. 

One  year  before,  the  Conference  appropriated  one  hundred 
dollars  to  Brother  Dyer  out  of  the  fund  for  superannuates,  which 
he  very  generously  donated  to  the  university.  In  appreciation 
of  this  act,  and  of  his  many  years  of  faithful  service  in  this  moun- 
tain region,  the  trustees  made  this  as  a  token  of  their  esteem. 

J.  H.  Merritt,  presiding  elder,  reported,  in  part,  as  follows: 
'Xoveland  Church  is  finished,  and  cost  $2,640.  Caribou  has 
erected  a  comfortable  church.  R.  E.  Buckeye  supplied  Evanston, 
Wyoming,  until  his  health  failed,  when  C.  A.  Brooks  was  taken 
from  Longmont  to  supply  his  place.  F.  S.  Beggs,  who  has  sup- 
plied Central  City  for  two  years,  was  called  to  the  Springfield 
District,  Missouri  Conference;  T.  L.  Wiltsee,  from  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference,  filled  out  the  year.  John  Stocks  died  at  Black 
Hawk,  September  19,  1886;  W.  M.  Bewley  filled  the  year  out 
there.  R.  E.  Rippetoe,  from  Kansas,  has  been  preacliing  at 
Akron,  one  hundred  and  twelve  miles  east  of  Denver,  and  organ- 
ized a  class.  J.  M.  Adair  has  been  organizing  a  work  south  of 
Julesburg,  near  the  Kansas  line.  G.  E.  Trowbridge  took  charge 
of  Buckhorn  Circuit." 

N.  A.  Chamberlain,  presiding  elder,  reported:  "Lamar  has 
developed  quickly.  They  asked  for  a  preacher;  H.  L.  Beardsley 
was  sent,  who  organized  a  society,  and  began  the  erection  of  a 
church,  which  is  nearly  ready  for  dedication,  and  will  cost  about 
$3,000.  La  Junta  petitioned  for  a  Methodist  pastor;  John  R. 
Wood  was  sent;  a  class  has  been  started,  and  plans  laid  for  the 
erection  of  a  house  of  worship.  Brother  Wood  has  also  opened 
in  Rocky  Ford,  organizing  a  class,  and  starting  the  matter  of 
building  a  new  church.  Preaching  has  been  established  in  Gra- 
nada, and  plans  for  a  church  started;  S.   M.  Hopkins  pastor. 


THE   THIRD  DECADE.  5II 

J.  M.  Clark  has  organized  a  work  at  Glenwood  Springs  and  be- 
low, toward  Grand  Junction,  along  the  Grand  River.  F.  F.  Pass- 
more  has  started  a  society  at  Como,  and  established  preaching 
at  the  Lower  Mines  and  at  Hartzell.  The  country  in  South- 
eastern Colorado  is  rapidly  filling  up.  The  railroads  are  pushing 
in  with  new  lines.  Soon  four  or  five  additional  men  will  be 
needed  to  supply  that  region.  Colorado  City  has  put  on  new 
life,  on  account  of  the  railroad  shops  established  there.  The  old 
church  has  been  sold,  and  lots  secured  for  another.  They  ask 
for  a  pastor.  Lawrence  Street  has  changed  its  name  to  ''Trinity," 
and  begun  the  erection  of  a  new  building,  which  will  seat  1,500 
people.  The  organ  will  cost  $25,000,  the  gift  of  Isaac  E.  Blake. 
Evans  Chapel  has  secured  additional  lots,  so  they  can  build  a 
complete  church-home.  B.  F.  Todd  has  inspired  the  people  of 
Castle  Rock  to  build  a  neat  frame  church,  the  first  in  the  town. 
Through  the  united  efforts  of  Pastor  Bruner,  Bishop  Warren, 
Dr.  Cranston,  and  other  brethren  of  the  Conference,  the  church 
debt  at  Pueblo  has  all  been  paid.  The  old  church  at  Florence 
has  been  sold,  and  they  are  erecting  a  new  one.  They  are  also 
arranging  to  build  at  Rockvale.  The  debt  on  the  parsonage  at 
Gunnison  is  paid.  At  Monte  Vista  the  wing  of  the  church  is 
nearly  completed,  and  will  be  dedicated  free  of  debt.  A  new  par- 
sonage has  been  built  at  Durango,  and  the  church  debt  nearly 
removed.  Montrose  has  builded  with  a  debt,  but  the  way  is 
opened  for  them  to  carry  the  load.  Leadville  has  built  a  neat 
church,  seating  nine  hundred;  it  was  begun  by  C.  A.  Brooks,  and 
completed  by  John  Whisler.  The  church  at  Buena  Vista  has 
been  repapered  and  reseated.  Beckwourth  Street  has  discharged 
all  indebtedness,  and  is  in  a  good  working  condition.  L.  J.  Hall 
was  taken  from  Trinidad  to  the  chaplaincy  of  the  penitentiary, 
and  the  year  was  closed  with  Brother  Pleisted  as  pastor." 
Those  received  by  transfer  were: 

Thadddus  L.  WiLTSEE,  from  the  Central  Ohio  Conference; 
filled  Central  City  three  years,  when  he  was  appointed  superin- 
tendent of  the  New  Mexico  English  Missions.  In  1891  he  was 
appointed  missionary  among  the  Navajo  Indians,  and  in  1892 
transferred  back  to  his  old  Conference.  As  a  Christian  pastor 
33 


512 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


and  preacher  of  the  Word  of  life  he  stood  deservedly  high.  His 
record  in  Colorado  was  good,  and  his  name  is  held  in  loving  re- 
membrance. 


Gkorge  W.  Ray  was  born  near  Gallipolis,  Gallia  County, 
Ohio,  December  17,  1855;  born  again  January,  1876,  and  fought 
the  call  to  the  ministry  because  he  thought  he  could  never  preach. 
He  was  first  licensed  to  preach  April  22,  1882,  and  joined  the 
Ohio  Conference  in  October  of  that  year.  After  preaching  two 
years,  he  went  to  the  Drew  Theological  Seminary,  supplying  the 

last  two  years  Livingston 
Charge  in  the  Newark  Con- 
ference. He  arrived  in  Raton, 
New  Mexico,  April  15,  1887, 
where  he  remained  two  years. 
He  was  transferred  to  the 
Colorado  Conference  in  July, 
1887.  In  1889  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  St.  James,  Denver. 
Here  God  blessed  his  labors 
in  the  salvation  of  souls,  and 
the  strengthening  of  his 
Church.  The  old  building, 
which  had  stood  for  twenty 
years,  was  taken  down,  and  a 
much  larger  one,  costing 
$20,000,  erected  on  the  same 
site.  In  1893  he  took  a  super- 
numerary relation  to  the  Conference.  In  1894-5  was  eflfective, 
and  appointed  secretary  of  the  Haymarket  Mission.  In  1896  he 
took  a  certificate  of  location,  and  has  been  acting  since  as  a  pas- 
tor in  the  Congregational  Church.  He  is  a  consecrated  Christian 
man,  an  attractive  preacher,  and  one  that  is  successful  in  leading 
souls  to  Christ. 


G.  W.  RAY. 


D.  W.  Burt,  from  the  Northwest  Kansas  Conference,  was 
born  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  June  6,  1851 ;  educated  at  Greenville,  and 
Wittenberg  College;  converted  February  2(),   1882;  licensed  to 


THE    THIRD   DECADE. 


513 


exhort  May  16,  1882,  on  the  same  day  that  he  joined  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  and  placed  in  charge  of  the  Atwood 
Circuit,  Northwest  Kansas  Conference.  He  was  sent  next  to 
Oberlin  Charge,  two  years;  thence  to  Long  Island,  three  years, 
when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Colorado  Conference,  July,  1887. 
He  was  given  all  of  Eastern  Colorado,  from  the  Burlington  & 
Missouri  Railroad  on  the  north,  to  the  Missouri  Pacific  on  the 
south  for  his  charge.  He  organized  classes  in  Logan  and  King- 
ston, August  14,  1887;  Burlington  and  Carlile.  August  2t,  1887: 
Friend,  September  4,  1887;  Plain 
View,  December  25,  1887.  The 
first  Sunday-school  was  started 
on  this  charge  by  him,  August 
14,  1887.  In  1890  he  was  sent 
to  Rocky  Ford  Circuit,  where  he 
built  a  church  valued  at  $5,000; 
was  made  a  supernumerary  in 
1893.  He  is  a  devoted  Christian, 
and  a  very  useful  minister  of 
the  gospel.  His  record  is  com- 
mendable. 

Augustus  L.  Chask  was 
born,  July  25,  i860,  in  Olean, 
New  York;  converted  in  January, 
1875;  attended  Ep worth  Semi- 
nary, and  graduated  from  Cor- 
nell College,  Iowa,  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.,  in  1885;  received 
from  the  same  institution  the  degree  of  A.  M.  three  years  later. 
He  was  licensed  to  preach  June,  1885,  and  joined  the  Upper  Iowa 
Conference  in  August  following;  was  transferred  to  Colorado, 
July,  1887,  and  appointed  to  Grand  Junction,  where  he  built  a 
parsonage;  Salida,  1888-9 — had  sixty  accessions  to  the  Church 
here;  Black  Hawk,  1890.  At  this  place,  the  church,  which  had 
been  injured  by  a  flood,  was  repaired,  and  here  the  companion  of 
his  youth  died;  was  a  supernumerary  in  1891.  Returning  to  active 
work,  was  at  Silver  Plume,  1892,  where  he  married  Miss  Olive 
Lawyer,  October  18,  1893;  Fort  Lupton,  1893-4,  where  his  labors 


A.  L.  chase;. 


514  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

were  crowned  with  a  gracious  work  of  grace;  Wheat  Ridge, 
1895-6.  He  is  an  interesting  preacher,  and  constantly  pursues 
the  work  given  him  to  do  for  the  Master. 

Joel  M.  Mark,  from  the  Southwest  Kansas  Conference;  was 
sent  to  Carbondale;  located  in  1879. 

Earl  Cranston  and  David  H.  Moore  were  elected  delegates 
to  the  General  Conference,  with  J.  H.  Merritt  and  N.  A.  Cham- 
berlain alternates.  The  Conference,  appreciating  highly  the  resi- 
dent bishop,  instructed  its  representatives  to  use  their  best  en- 
deavors to  retain  the  episcopal  residence  in  Denver. 

Herschel  D.  Seckner,  Henry  L.  Wriston,  Joshua  Shawber, 
Augustus  Iv.  Chase,  and  William  Harris  were  ordained  as  dea- 
cons, and  Harvey  M.  Law,  A.  L.  T.  Ewart,  Arthur  C.  Peck,  John 
A.  Long,  Abner  H.  Lucas,  and  Christian  C.  Zebold,  as  elders. 

Those  admitted  on  trial  were: 

Oscar  F.  McKay,  born,  March  i,  1855,  in  Greene  County, 
Ohio;  joined  the  Church  in  November,  1872;  an  active  member 
and  superintendent  of  Sunday-school  for  ten  years,  yet  uncon- 
verted during  that  time.  Under  the  searchlight  of  holiness 
preaching  he  saw  his  condition,  and  was  truly  converted.  Two 
days  after,  he  was  called  to  the  ministry,  and  was  soon  licensed 
to  preach.  That  fall  he  entered  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University, 
where  he  remained  four  years.  In  1886  he  came  to  Colorado,  and 
supplied  Erie,  where  he  built  a  church,  and  organized  a  class 
at  Pleasant  View.  Remained  here  three  years,  and  had  re- 
vivals; entered  Conference  in  1887;  was  sent  to  Bald  Mountain 
in  1889;  while  here,  built  a  church  at  Russell  Gulch,  and  had 
revivals  at  both  places.  While  on  this  charge  he  entered  into  the 
experience  of  entire  sanctiiication,  which  proved  a  glorious  up- 
lift to  his  soul  and  ministry;  at  Loveland,  1891,  where  he  spent 
three  years,  fighting  the  devil  and  preaching  a  full  salvation; 
had  a  blessed  revival,  and  organized  also  classes  at  Berthoud  and 
Union  Valley;  Sterling,  1894,  where  God  blessed  his  labors; 
located  in  1895,  to  engage  in  evangelistic  work.  Two  months 
after,  his  health  failing,  he  returned  to  Ohio,  and  settled  on  a 
farm,  where  he  is  working  for  the  Master,  as  strength  and  oppor- 
tunity offers.  He  is  a  spiritual  and  very  useful  minister  in  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ. 


THE    THIRD   DECADE. 


515 


Kknt  White;  born,  August  16,  i860,  at  Beverly,  West  Vir- 
ginia; converted  January  28,  1875,  and  entered  into  the  experi- 
ence of  "perfect  love"  about  a  year  later;  spent  some  time  in 
Idaho,  at  the  Fort  Hall  Indian  Reservation,  as  issue  clerk;  then  a 
year  in  Montana.  He  reached  Denver,  Colorado,  September  6, 
1883,  immediately  entering  the  University  of  Denver,  where  he 
remained  five  years,  taking  a  special  course  of  study.  He  united 
with  the  Conference,  July,  1887,  ^^<^  'viras  married  to  Miss  Mollie 
Alma  Bridwell,  December 
21,  1887.  His  appointments 
have  been:  Fort  Lupton, 
1887;  Hugo  and  Kit  Carson. 
1888;  from  here  he  did  the 
first  preaching  at  Cheyenne 
Wells,  and  organized  there 
a  class  and  Sunday-school; 
Lamar,  1889-90.  Sixty- 
five  were  added  to  the 
Church  here,  a  neat  parson- 
age bought,  and  money 
raised  to  build  an  addition 
thereto.  He  also  removed  a 
$225  debt  from  the  church- 
building;  then  at  Morrison, 
two  years,  where  he  finished 
the  church,  begun  by  Will- 
iam Osburn,  at  a  cost  of 
$110,  and  secured  another  at 
Elk  Creek,  which  was  fin- 
ished and  dedicated  by  him;  Erie,  1893,  where  he  had  a  gracious 
revival;  ninety  in  all  were  added  to  the  Church  on  probation, 
many  entering  into  the  experience  of  ''perfect  love."  ,  The  oppo- 
sition to  holiness  was  very  strong  here;  but  with  the  help  of  Mrs. 
Hattie  Livingston  and  others,  he  pressed  the  battle  to  the  gates 
and  won;  Broomfield,  1894;  located  in  1895,  to  become  an  evan- 
gelist. God  has  laid  on  him  and  the  heart  of  his  wife  the  pro- 
motion of  holiness  as  their  special  theme.  To  this  end  they,  with 
others,  held  a  "Holiness  Camp-meeting"  in  Herring's  Grove,  on 


KENT  WHITE. 


5i6 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


Pleasant  View  Ridge,  July,  1894,  with  blessed  results;  then  at 
Fort  Collins,  in  September,  1895-6.  God  honored  these  gather- 
ings with  wonderful  benedictions.  The  influence  for  good  of  these 
meetings  will  go  on  down  the  ages.  Give  God  the  glory!  They 
are  now  conducting  ''mission"  work  in  the  city  of  Denver  on  the 
full  salvation  line. 


John  R.  Wood,  born  February  10,  1856,  at  Tompkinsville, 
Staten  Island,  New  York.  He  entered  Rutgers  College,  New 
Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  in  1870;  came  to  Colorado  in  1872,  and 

was  engaged  in  mining  until 
1886;  he  received  the  baptism 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  "Peo- 
ple's Tabernacle,"  Denver,  Oc- 
tober, 1886;  aided  the  writer  in 
protracted-meetings  in  January 
and  February,  1887,  and  went 
as  pastor  to  La  Junta  in  March 
of  that  year,  building  a  neat 
church  there  during  his  pastor- 
ate of  three  years  and  a  half. 
Many  souls  were  added  to  the 
Church.  While  working  here 
he  also  organized  the  society  at 
Rocky  Ford.  Plis  next  appoint- 
ment was  Leadville,  1890,  where 
he  had  an  almost  continuous  re- 
vival. While  here,  Mr.  Kirby, 
agent  of  the  Midland  Railroad 
at  Aspen  Junction,  invited  him.  to  come  down  there  and  preach 
for  them,  which  he  did  in  May,  1891.  After  the  sermon  he  gave 
an  opportunity  for  any  to  testify,  when  seventeen  persons  spoke 
for  Jesus.  This  was  the  first  service  of  the  kind  in  that  locality, 
and  led  to  the  formation  of  the  Aspen  Junction  (now  Basalt)  Cir- 
cuit. In  1891  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  "City  Missions," 
Denver,  where  he  labored  earnestly  to  help  the  needy  and  to  save 
souls,  starting  new  missions  at  Edgewater  and  what  is  now  known 
as  the  Briggs  Mission,  besides  reinvigorating  several  others. 


J.  R.  WOOD. 


THE    THIRD   DECADE. 


517 


In  1892  was  sent  to  Lusk,  Wyoming,  and  to  New  Castle  and 
Cambria,  same  State,  in  1893-4.  At  the  former  place  he  built  a 
church,  and  had  souls  converted  at  both  places.  Returned  to 
Colorado,  and  was  sent  to  Breckenridge  in  1895.  Success  crowns 
his  labors,  and  a  Christly  influence  attends  him  wherever  he  goes. 
He  is  ''a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed."  In  1896 
he  was  placed  at  Delta. 


Charles  B.  Allen  was  born  of  Quaker  parents,  in  Rich- 
mond, Indiana,  September  29,  1857,  where  he  lived  continuously 
until  April,  1882,  when  ill- 
health  compelled  him  to  seek 
the  help  of  Colorado's  genial 
climate.  After  six  months  in 
the  Rockies,  he  considered 
himself  well  enough  to  return 
East,  which  he  did,  contrary 
to  the  advice  of  medical  ex- 
perts in  Denver.  Two  months 
after  reaching  home  he  was 
stricken  with  a  severe  illness, 
and  was  advised  by  his  phy- 
sican  to  seek  help  in  the 
Southland.  He  left  for  Ashe- 
ville.  North  Carolina,  Febru- 
ary, 1883,  remaining  there  un- 
til November,  1885.  He  was 
converted  at  eighteen  years  of 
age,  under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Henry  A.  Buchtel,  in  Grace 
Church,  Richmond,  Indiana.  From  the  age  of  twenty  he  realized 
that  he  was  called  of  God  to  the  ministry,  which  he  fought  against 
persistently  for  several  years. 

This  battle  against  the  call  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  preach  re- 
sulted in  broken  health,  which  had  several  times  been  restored 
under  the  promise  to  enter  the  active  work  of  the  ministry.  After 
almost  three  years  in  the  Southland,  his  health  began  to  break 
rapidly,  when  he  made  a  final  promise  to  God,  that  if  the  way 
opened  he  would  yield  to  the  Spirit's  call,  and  enter  the  ministry. 


CHAS.  B.  ALLEN. 


5l8  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

He  immediately  wrote  his  spiritual  father,  Dr.  Buchtel,  then  pas- 
tor of  Grace  Church,  Denver,  who  telegraphed  him  that  Salida 
was  open,  and  that  Dr.  Chamberlain,  the  presiding  elder,  would 
hold  it  for  him.  On  his  way  West,  at  Richmond,  Indiana,  he  was 
licensed  to  exhort  by  a  specially-called  Quarterly  Conference. 
He  arrived  in  Salida,  December  13,  1885,  where  he  was  made  a 
local  preacher. 

In  August  of  1886  he  came  into  the  experience  of  entire  sanc- 
tification,  in  the  privacy  of  his  own  study;  but  the  light  never 
fully  flooded  his  soul  until  the  following  January,  when  he  made 
his  first  public  confession  of  the  blessing,  in  a  revival  service  in 
Salida.  He  was  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  Goodsell  in  1889,  and 
elder  by  Bishop  Andrews  in  1891.  His  work  has  been:  Salida, 
1885-88;  Broadway,  Pueblo,  1888-92;  Montrose,  1892-94;  St. 
James,  Denver,  1894-96.  December  19,  1889,  he  was  married,  in 
Pueblo,  to  Miss  Ella  Leyshon.  A  charming  daughter  brightens 
their  home.  He  is  a  man,  like  Stephen,  ''full  of  faith  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,"  and  preaches  with  the  "sword  of  the  Spirit,"  in 
full  expectation  of  the  Divine  benediction.  The  Lord  wonderfully 
blesses  his  ministry. 

Wellington  P.  Rhodes  was  born  January  24,  1857,  in  Mt. 
Pleasant,  Iowa;  "born  again,"  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  in  January, 
1870;  called  to  the  ministry  in  1873;  graduated  from  the  Ne- 
braska State  University  in  the  class  of  1876,  with  the  degree  of 

A.  B.,  and  from  Garrett  Biblical  Institute  in  1878,  with  degree  of 

B.  D.;  attended  Boston  University  School  of  Theology  one  year, 
and  became  a  post-graduate  in  1894.  Having  resided  in  Colorado 
from  June,  1861,  to  September,  1863,  he  returned  to  this  State,  to 
engage  in  ministerial  work,  April  10,  1887.  His  pastorates  have 
been:  Colorado  City,  1887;  Sterling,  1888,  Georgetown,  1889-90; 
Leadville,  1891-92;  the  next  two  years  in  school;  Montrose,  1895. 
In  1896,  feeling  that  he  was  especially  called  to  the  work  of  a 
teacher,  he  took  a  certificate  of  location,  and  has  since  helped  as 
a  substitute  teacher  in  the  Iliflf  School  of  Theology.  Brother 
Rhodes  is  scholarly  and  efficient  in  whatever  he  undertakes.  Has 
made  an  excellent  record  as  a  minister  of  Christ,  and  will  un- 
questionably have  marked  success  as  a  teacher,  should  he  con- 
tinue in  this  line  of  work. 


THE   THIRD  DECADE.  519 

Tke  Frenchman's  Valley  Mission  was  organized  July  10, 
1087,  by  Rev.  J.  M.  Adair,  a  supernumerary  member  of  the  North 
Nebraska  Conference,  at  a  basket-meeting  held  at  B.  Carnahan's, 
section  21,  town  8  north,  range  45  west,  which  was  on  the  town 
site  of  Holyoke,  the  county  seat  of  Phillips  County.  Forty  per- 
sons gave  their  names,  and  became  members  and  probationers  in 
the  Church. 

The  first  Quarterly-meeting  Conference  convened  at  the  same 
time  and  place,  J.  M.  Adair,  the  pastor,  presiding  in  the  absence 
of  the  presiding  elder.  William  Adland  was  the  secretary.  A.  G. 
Payne,  W.  Whipple,  N.  Porter,  A.  H.  Miller,  and  William  Ad- 
land were  appointed  stewards.  A  Sunday-school  was  organized 
at  the  same  time. 

Brother  Adair  started  the  idea  of  building  a  church  at  once, 
and  B.  F.  Todd,  a  succeeding  pastor,  completed  the  enterprise. 
The  property  is  valued  at  $2,200.  The  pastors  since  have  been: 
H.  R.  Antes,  W.  L.  Bailey,  W.  E.  Collett,  C.  W.  Bridwell,  and 
John  A.  Long.  The  work  has  been  attended  with  blessed  revivals 
from  time  to  time,  in  which  sinners  were  converted  and  believers 
sanctified. 

OwKN  L.  Ramsey  was  born,  October  24,  1844,  at  LaSalle, 
Illinois;  converted  in  October,  1866,  at  Gainesville,  Illinois;  edu- 
cated at  Wheaton  College,  Illinois;  came  to  Colorado  in  1882, 
and  engaged  in  ornamental  painting  in  Denver;  joined  the  St. 
James  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  during  the  pastorate  of  the 
writer,  in  1884,  and  became  at  once  active  in  the  Sunday-school 
work  and  other  means  of  grace ;  licensed  to  preach,  March,  1887, 
and  supplied  Buena  Vista  in  1887-8;  Fairplay,  1889;  Alma,  Wy- 
oming, 1890-91;  joined  the  West  Nebraska  Conference,  October, 
1891.  In  November  after,  he  was  sent  to  Valentine,  Nebraska, 
where  he  remained  a  full  five  years'  term.  His  eldest  son  went 
out  as  a  missionary  under  Bishop  Taylor  in  Africa,  May,  1894. 
Brother  Ramsey  is  zealous  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  inspires 
souls  to  work  for  him  wherever  he  goes. 

iggg, — PoR  the  first  time  in  its  history,  the  Conference  met 
outside  of  Colorado, — its  birthplace, — in  Cheyenne,  Wyoming. 
Bishop  Isaac  W.  Joyce  presided,  and  called  the  Conference  to 


520  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

order  at  nine  o'clock  A.  M.,  July  19th.  He  conducted  the  open- 
ing exercises,  consisting  of  Scripture  reading,  prayer,  singing, 
and  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  Forty-six  members 
answered  to  their  names  at  roll-call.     Others  reported  later. 

The  presiding  elders  made  interesting  reports,  from  which  a 
few  extracts  will  be  given: 

J.  H.  Merritt,  presiding  elder,  said:  '*A  church  has  been  built 
at  Loveland,  28  x  48,  costing  $2,700,  and  a  parsonage  of  four 
rooms,  which  cost  $640.  A  frame  church  has  been  built  at  Erie, 
28x45,  which  cost  $1,594;  another  at  Carbon,  Wyoming,  at  a 
cost  of  $1,200.  Golden  has  built  a  parsonage,  24x40,  which 
cost  $1,500.  Platteville  has  a  new  parsonage,  24x26,  free  of- 
debt,  which  cost  $1,100.  The  church  at  Black  Hawk  having 
been  ruined  by  the  floods,  a  new  one  is  started  on  another  site. 
A  church-building  is  being  erected  at  Holyoke;  also  one  each  at 
Yuma,  Kit  Carson,  Burlington,  and  California  Street,  Denver. 
Herman  C.  Scripps,  a  student  at  the  Denver  University,  supplied 
Georgetown,  in  the  place  of  D.  W.  Calfee,  who  was  transferred 
to  the  California  Conference.  E.  G.  Harbert  supplied  Fort  Col- 
lins Circuit.  Jacob  Keagey  did  not  go  to  Windsor.  Howard  B. 
Antes  was  transferred  from  the  Rock  River  Conference,  to  fill 
the  vacancy.  Irving  F.  McKay,  who  was  supplying  Carbon, 
Wyoming,  when  Evans  became  vacant  by  the  death  of  Brother 
Kenyon,  was  removed  there.  Kent  White  was  sent  to  Fort  Lup- 
ton  until  Commencement,  when  W.  A.  McElphatrick  filled  the 
place." 

N.  A.  Chamberlain,  presiding  elder,  reported:  *'The  church  at 
Monte  Vista  is  completed.  Churches  at  Castle  Rock,  Florence, 
Rockvale,  Lamar,  and  First  Church,  in  Pueblo,  were  dedicated 
during  the  year.  J.  W.  Flesher  began  a  church  in  Granada  in 
December  last,  and  dedicated  it  June  8,  1888.  A  church  is  in 
course  of  erection  at  Colorado  City;  another  nearly  completed 
at  Dallas  Park,  and  one  in  the  country  near  Monte  Vista;  La 
Junta,  Mulvane,  Coal  Creek,  Mesa,  Pueblo,  and  Grace,  Denver, 
are  all  building.  Grand  Junction  will  also  build.  The  churches 
at  Buena  Vista,  Salida,  Cafion  City;  St.  James,  Denver;  Gunnison, 
Trinidad,  and  First  Church,  Pueblo,  have  been  repaired,  and  made 
additions.    The  pastor  at  Glenwood  Springs  has  had  more  work 


THE    THIRD  DECADE.  52 1 

than  he  could  do.  A.  D.  Shockley,  a  local  preacher,  in  Chiving- 
ton,  has  formed  a  circuit.  A.  B.  Bruner  went  into  Las  Animas, 
and  organized  a  class." 

One  of  the  memorable  things  of  this  Conference  session  was 
the  discussion  over  the  formation  of  a  "new  district."  The  reso- 
lution asking  for  this  was  introduced  by  David  H.  Moore  and 
Gilbert  De  LaMatyr,  on  the  first  day  of  the  session.  The  dis- 
cussion took  place  on  the  second  day.  Several  brethren  took  part 
therein.  Dr.  Moore  made  one  of  the  strongest  speeches  of  his 
life  in  favor  of  the  resolution,  which  was  carried  by  a  large  major- 
ity. The  result  was,  the  Gunnison  (now  Salida)  District  became 
one  of  the  Conference  divisions,  with  its  own  distinct  leader. 

The  transfers  received  were : 

Joseph  P.  Bishop,  from  the  Cincinnati  Conference.  Appoint- 
ments: Lamar  and  Granada,  each  one  year;  w^as  transferred  to 
the  California  Conference  in  1890. 

L.  W.  Elkixs,  from  the  Erie  Conference.  Attended  school 
at  Evanston,  Illinois,  one  year;  then  transferred  to  the  Austin 
Conference,  in  1889. 

W.  H.  Williams,  from  the  Northwest  Kansas  Conference. 
Pastorates:  Silver  City,  New  Mexico,  two  years;  then  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Arkansas  Conference,  1890. 

E.  G.  Harbert  was  born  in  Virginia,  February  28,  1853;  con- 
verted in  his  fifteenth  year;  entered  the  West  Virginia  Conference 
in  1878;  was  transferred  to  the  Nebraska  Conference,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1885,  and  to  the  Colorado  two  years  after;  pastor  on  Fort 
Collins  Circuit  and  at  Ouray,  each  one  yea'-.  In  1889  was  left 
without  an  appointment,  "to  attend  some  one  of  our  schools;"  was 
transferred  to  the  ^lissouri  Conference  in  1892.  He  was  an 
earnest  Christian  worker,  and  his  influence  for  good  abides. 

Howard  R.  Antes  was  born,  October  20,  1850,  in  MifBin- 
burg,  Pa.;  converted  in  Warren,  Illinois,  in  the  winter  of  1871; 
licensed  to  preach,  and  began  a  college  course  the  same  year, 
graduating  from  the  Northwestern  University  in  1877;  began 
preaching  at  Peru,  Illinois,  in  October  following.  He  traveled 
ten  years  in  the  Rock  River  Conference,  and  then  was  trans- 
ferred to  Colorado  in  1887,  and  stationed  at  New  Windsor;  im- 
proved the  parsonage  here,  and  had  a  good  revival.     In  1889  he 


522 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


was  appointed  missionary  to  the  Navajo  Indians  in  New  Mexico, 
but  did  not  remain  long  owing  to  lack  of  support.  In  1890  he 
was  sent  to  Florence  Circuit,  where  he  remained  three  years; 
built  a  church  at  Coal  Creek ;  paid  off  the  debt,  and  improved  the 
Florence  church ;  left  three  stations  formed  out  of  his  original 
charge;  Rocky  Ford,  1893;  Glenwood  Springs,  1894.  Prohi- 
bition and  entire  sanctification  are  the  specialties  of  his  ministry. 
These  subjects  are  presented  clearly  by  him,  and  in  the  very  best 
of  spirit.  The  result  is,  that  souls  are  usually  saved  where  he 
preaches.  The  burden  of  his  soul  for  the  neglected  Navajoes 
became  so  great  he  left  his  work  during  the  Conference  year,  and 
went  as  a  voluntary  missionary  to  those  Indians.  He  was  located 
at  his  own  request  in  1895,  that  he  might  engage  wholly  in  this 
work.  ''Holiness  unto  the  Lord,"  and  entire  devotion  to  God's 
service,  as  his  motto,  are  fitly  illustrated  in  his  life.  The  Church 
should  contribute  to  the  support  of  himself  and  family  while  en- 
gaged in  this  laudable  undertaking  of 
Christianizing  the  untutored  savage. 
God  bless  and  help  him!  should  be  the 
prayer  of  each.    (Malachi  iii,  10.) 


B.  F.  Todd  was  born  in  Mt.  Vernon, 

\^^-        .|g  I  Knox  County,  Ohio,  October  13,  1833; 

^^'^MHk  converted  in  Waterloo,  Iowa,  December 

1873;  Hcensed  to  exhort  as  soon  as  eli- 

■_^-  gible,  and  to  preach,  August  21,  1875; 

hIh  w.^^^      since  that  time  has  been  engaged  in  min- 

^^^H^  ^HH      isterial  work  in  the  Des  Moines,  Iowa, 

JU||^^____jH[(     and  Missouri  Conferences ;  then,  for  four 

years,   in   the   Free   Methodist   Church 

B.  F.  TODD.  .       x-^    ,  ,  T-r  1-      1    ^        1       T^        1 

m  Colorado.  He  supplied  Castle  Rock, 
1887-8,  where  he  built  the  church;  July,  1888,  was  received  into 
the  Conference  on  his  credentials.  Since  that  time  he  has  served 
the  following  charges:  Holyoke,  one  year;  Platteville,  two  years; 
Castle  Rock,  a  part  of  a  year;  when  he  was  transferred  to  the 
South  Kansas  Conference,  1892;  returned  in  1893,  and  sup- 
plied Saguache.  In  1894  was  retransferred,  and  appointed  to 
Gwillimville ;  then  to  Castle  Rock  Circuit,  in  1895-6.    He  was  in 


THE    THIRD   DECADE.  523 

poor  health  at  the  time,  and  unable  to  attend  the  session  of  1896. 
It  was  hoped  he  would  soon  recover,  so  as  to  continue  his  work 
among  those  with  whom  he  had  long  labored;  but  it  was  not 
thus  to  be.  His  disease  developed  rapidly,  and  in  a  few  weeks  he 
passed  on  to  join  the  bloodwashed  throng  in  the  glory-world. 
Brother  Todd  was  a  thoroughly  consecrated  man  of  God,  and 
an  earnest  preacher  of  a  free  and  full  salvation  from  all  sin,  mak- 
ing "holiness"  a  specialty.  His  name  is  as  "ointment  poured 
forth"  in  the  charges  he  has  served. 
Those  received  on  trial  were: 

William 'A.  McElphatrick  was  born,  September  21,  1851, 
in  Chenango  County,  Pennsylvania;  raised  in  Ohio;  educated 
at  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  and  at  Drew  Theological  Semi- 
nary; licensed  to  preach,  in  1881,  at  Delaware,  Ohio.  Appoint- 
ments: Lupton,  two  years, — built  a  small  church  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Big  Dry,  about  six  miles  southwest  of  Lupton;  Delta,  one 
year  and  a  part  of  the  next,  starting  a  church  enterprise  there; 
Akron,  three  years,  where  he  had  a  good  revival ;  became  a  super- 
numerary in  1895.  He  is  a  brother  beloved,  and  an  acceptable 
pastor  and  preacher;  greatly  esteemed  by  the  people  with  whom 
he  has  labored. 

John  W.  FlESHer  was  born,  July  14,  1863,  in  Iroquois 
County,  Illinois;  educated  at  the  Olney  High  School,  Illinois, 
where  he  was  converted  in  1876;  licensed  to  preach  at  River  Falls, 
Wisconsin,  in  the  spring  of  1886;  he  spent  one  year  on  the  Crit- 
tendon  Circuit,  Kentucky  Conference,  under  the  elder,  and  nine 
months  at  Granada,  Colorado,  in  the  same  relation.  Here  he 
had  a  good  revival,  and  built  a  neat  church.  A  year  at  Colorado 
City,  where  he  built  two  parsonages, — one  was  built  and  sold, 
and  then  another  of  five  rooms  to  take  its  place.  The  following 
year  he  was  at  Silver  Plume ;  then  at  Lupton  three  years,  where 
he  built  a  five-room  brick  parsonage,  and  had  a  good  revival; 
ordained  deacon  in  1889,  and  elder  in  1891 ;  Highlands,  Denver, 
in  1893-4,  where  his  wife  died  near  the  close  of  the  first  year; 
left  without  an  appointment  in  1895  to  attend  school;  appointed 
to  New  Windsor,  1896.    Soon  after  going  there  his  health  failed. 


524 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


and  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  give  up  his  charge.  He  re- 
turned to  Minnesota,  to  the  home  of  his  mother,  that  he  might 
regain  his  health  under  these  more  favorable  conditions.  He  has 
since   taken   work   on   the   Northwest   Pacific   Coast.      Brother 

Flesher  is  scholarly,  spir- 
itual, and  attractive  as  a 
preacher.  His  record  is 
good,  and  his  influence 
will  continue  to  point  men 
Christward. 

Florida  F.  PassmorE 
was  born  in  Union 
County,  Georgia,  August 
12,  1844;  moved  with  his 
father,  when  six  years  of 
age,  to  Polk  County,  East 
Tennessee;  came  to  Colo- 
rado in  April,  1879;  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  1880;  licensed 
to  preach,  in  November,  1880,  at  Alma,  Park  County,  Colorado, 
by  the  Rev.  Earl  Cranston,  presiding  elder;  admitted  to  Confer- 
ence in  1888,  and  ordained  to  local  orders  as  an  elder  at  the  same 
time,  having  been  ordained  deacon  previously.  He  was  pastor 
at  Alma  and  Breckenridge,  each  five  years.  At  the  latter  place 
he  made  a  valiant  fight  against  rum  and  sin  in  high  places,  and 
brought  out  the  opposition  of  the  baser  elements.  August  17, 
1 89 1,  an  attempt  was  made  to  blow  up  the  steeple  of  his  church 
with  dynamite,  and  those  ''of  the  baser  sort"  hung  him  in  effigy, 
March,  1894,  ordering  him  to  leave  town,  threatening  his  life  in 
case  of  non-compliance.  True  to  God,  his  own  conscience,  and 
the  law  of  the  Church  he  remained  at  his  post  until  relieved  by 
the  expiration  of  his  term.  He  became  a  supernumerary  in 
1894-5.  He  is  a  man  of  good  natural  abilities,  firm  in  his  con- 
victions, and  possesses  an  uncompromising  spirit.  In  his  recent 
history  he  has  denounced  unsparingly  some  of  the  prominent 
members  of  the   Conference  and  the  resident  bishop,   without 


J.  W.  F1.ESHER. 


THE    THIRD  DECADE.  525 

cause,  as  most  of  the  brethren  think,  deaUng  in  bitter  person- 
aHties.  His  brethren  bore  with  him  long  and  patiently,  but  to  no 
effect.  \n  1896,  charges  having  been  brought  against  him,  he 
was  expelled  from  the  ministry.  In  all  that,  he  has  done,  he 
claims  to  have  the  Divine  approval. 

TiLMON  JENKINS.  Del  Nqrte  and  Yuma,  each  two  years; 
Hugo,  in  1892;  located  in  1893. 

William  L.  Bailey.  Las  Animas  and  Morrison,  each  one 
year;  Holyoke,  two  years;  Georgetown,  three  years;  Sterling, 
1895-6.  He  is  zealous  as  a  minister,  faithful  as  a  pastor,  with 
great  promise  of  a  useful  career  in  the  pastorate. 

George  S.  Oliver,  Joseph  B.  Long,  W.  A.  McElphatrick,  and 
John  W.  Flesher  were  ordained  as  deacons,  and  Edward  J.  Wil- 
cox, William  Osburn,  William.  C.  Madison,  and  Florida  F.  Pass- 
more  as  elders,  July  22,  1888. 

Wyoming  Mission  was  set  off  by  itself  at  this  session,  with 
D.  L.  Rader  superintendent,  and  O.  L.  Fisher,  Joseph  B.  Long, 
H.  L.  Wriston,  J.  W.  Linn,  H.  A.  James,  and  C.  R.  Laporte,  as 
Colorado  representatives  in  the  pastorate. 

C.  R.  Laporte  was  returned  to  Chugwater  Circuit,  Wyoming, 
as  a  supply.  In  1894-5  was  sent  to  Granada,  Colorado,  where 
he  did  good  work.  He  is  a  conscientious  man,  and  an  earnest 
preacher  of  the  gospel. 

Rifle  Circuit. — At  De  Beque,  Captain  De  LaMatyr's  family 
were  the  ''standbys."  Plans  for  a  church-building  were  begun 
at  Rifle  before  the  Conference  session  of  1889,  and  during  the  fol- 
lowing year,  under  Brother  Hallett's  leading,  it  was  built.  Grand 
River  Circuit,  now  ''Rifle,"  appears  in  the  Conference  Journal 
for  the  first  time  in  1889,  and  left  "to  be  supplied."  Father  Dyer 
preached  there  for  a  time;  then  Naaman  Bascom,  who  was  fol- 
lowed, in  1890-91,  by  J.  C.  Veeder;  L.  E.  Kennedy,  1892;  C.  W. 
Simmons,  1893-4.  At  the  session  of  1895  the  name  was  changed 
to  Rifle  Circuit.    Austin  Crooks  has  been  the  pastor  for  1895-6. 

Irving  F.  McKay  was  born,  March  11,  1866,  in  Ohio;  con- 
verted February   i,   1884,  through  the  influence  of  his  brother 


526 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


Oscar;  joined  the  Reformed  Church,  April  3,  1884;  called  to 
preach  the  same  day;  sanctified,  February  7,  1885;  was  educated 
at  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University;  came  to  Colorado,  October  27, 
1887;  joined  the,  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  November  25, 
1887,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  the  same  day,  by  Dr.  Chamber- 
lain, presiding  elder,  and  then  was  sent  to  Carbon,  Wyoming,  by 
Presiding  Elder  Merritt.  He  was  changed  to  Evans,  Colorado, 
April  22i,  1888,  to  fill  the  place  of  R.  L.  Kenyon,  deceased;  re- 
turned at  the  session  of  1889;  was  married  to  Mattie  Collins,  of 
Evans,  October  i,  1889.     He  soon  after  went  to  Nebraska,  and 

united  with  the  West  Nebraska 
Conference,  September  8,  1890; 
ordained  deacon  by  Bishop 
Goodsell,  October  4,  1 891,  at 
North  Platte,  Neb.;  took  a  cer- 
tificate of  location,  September  29, 
1894,  that  he  might  engage  in 
evangelistic  work.  His  home  is 
now  in  University  Park,  Colo- 
rado. He  was  sent  by  Presiding 
Elder  Madison  to  the  North 
Park,  in  September,  1895.  On 
November  29th  he  organized  a 
society  at  Walden,  of  ten  mem- 
bers. He  had  several  conversions 
while  on  that  work.  The  last  of 
December  he  returned  to  the  vi- 
cinity of  Denver,  to  fill  evangel- 
istic engagements  during  the  winter.  In  1896  he  was  sent  to 
Georgetown  as  a  supply,  filling  the  pulpit  there  and  at  Silver 
Plume.  He  teaches  the  Scriptural  doctrine  of  holiness,  as  taught 
by  John  Wesley,  with  great  clearness  and  distinctness.  The  God 
of  Jacob  is  with  him,  and  blesses  his  labors. 


I.  F.  MCKAY. 


R.  L.  Kenyon  was  born,  August  13,  1832,  in  Broome  County, 
New  York;  converted  in  November,  1850,  and  soon  felt  it  his 
duty  to  preach.  He  entered  the  Oneida  Conference  in  1854;  two 
years  after  he  was  ordained  elder,  and  admitted  into  full  connec- 


THE    THIRD  DECADE.  527 

tion;  was  transferred  to  the  Wyoming  Conference  in  1867;  was 
made  a  superannuate,  on  account  of  his  health,  in  188 1,  and  came 
to  Colorado  the  next  year.  He  supplied  here  the  following 
charges :  Caribou,  a  part  of  a  year ;  Erie  and  Louisville,  one  year ; 
Loveland,  three  years;  Evans,  1887,  during  which  year  he  ceased 
to  work  and  live.  He  was  an  excellent  preacher,  and  a  thor- 
oughly good  man.    His  end  was  peace. 

1889. — Fc)R  the  third  time  Conference  met  in  Colorado 
Springs,  August  ist,  at  nine  o'clock  A.  M.,  Bishop  D.  A.  Good- 
sell  in  the  chair.  The  usual  opening  services  were  conducted  by 
the  bishop,  assisted  by  others. 

Interesting  reports  were  read  from  the  presiding  elders,  as 
given  below  in  part: 

J.  H.  Merritt,  who  had  been  on  the  Northern  District,  said: 

"S.  A.  Winsor  was  compelled  to  resign  Georgetown,  because 
of  a  severe  operation,  followed  by  hemorrhages,  which  nearly 
cost  him  his  life.  T.  A.  Wiltsee  was  appointed  to  superintend 
the  New  Mexico  English  work,  which  left  Central  City  vacant; 
it  has  since  been  supplied  by  J.  G.  Eberhart.  W.  M.  Bewley, 
because  of  sickness  in  his  family,  has  resigned,  and  gone  to  Cali- 
fornia. L.  Wright  filled  out  the  year  at  Golden.  H.  L.  Beardsley 
resigned  Morrison,  and  accepted  work  in  the  office  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Christian  Advocate;  W.  L.  Bailey  followed  him  at  Morri- 
son. Erie  church  is  dedicated,  and  cost  ^2,244.  A  church,  28x55, 
costing  $2,200,  has  been  built  at  Holyoke,  free  of  local  indebted- 
ness. On  the  Big  Dry,  near  Lupton,  a  chapel  has  been  built, 
which  cost  $700,  free  of  debt.  Black  Hawk,  Christ  Church,  and 
Simpson,  of  Denver,  are  engaged  in  new  Church  enterprises. 
Lots  have  been  secured  in  North  Denver  and  Fort  Collins  for  new 
churches.  A  new  parsonage  has  been  built  in  Longmont,  which 
cost  $2,000.  The  parsonage  in  Loveland  has  been  finished.  In 
the  midst  of  the  year  I  was  thrown  from  a  carriage  and  severely 
hurt,  and  was  confined  to  my  room  for  over  seven  weeks.  My 
work  was  supplied  by  the  brethren." 

N.  A.  Chamberlain,  who  was  on  the  Southern  District,  stated: 
"That  a  new  church,  costing  $1,800,  had  been  built,  and  dedicated, 
free  of  debt,  at  Burlington."  This  was  a  new  town  on  the  Plains 
34 


528  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

east  of  Denver,  and  not  the  old  stage  station  on  the  St.  Vram, 
south  of  Ivongmont. 

"A  new  parsonage  has  been  built,  without  debt,  at  Colorado 
City.  The  enlargement  of  the  church  at  Colorado  Springs  has 
cost  $6,000.  At  Valverde  a  church-building  is  in  process  of 
erection.  The  church  at  Fifth  Avenue  has  been  enlarged,  at  a 
cost  of  $800,  and  a  seven-room  parsonage  built,  costing  $2,200; 
there  is  a  debt  of  $800  on  this.  A  beautiful  and  complete  struc- 
ture, known  as  Grace  Church,  has  been  added  to  Evans  Memo- 
rial. Two  class-rooms  have  been  built  on  to  St.  James,  and  a 
furnace  and  gas  put  in,  at  a  cost  of  $1,800.  Trinity  is  complete 
and  in  use,  a  noble  structure.  La  Junta  has  provided  for  the  last 
of  her  indebtedness.  Bishop  Warren  presented  to  First  Church, 
Pueblo,  a  roomy,  beautiful  parsonage,  in  memory  of  his  sainted 
mother.  A  church  has  been  built  and  dedicated  on  the  Mesa,  at 
Pueblo,  with  all  claims  provided  for.  The  pastors  in  Eastern 
Colorado  have  been  greatly  helped  by  the  generous  aid  of  the 
Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society.  Drs.  David  H.  Moore  and 
G.  De  LaMatyr  leave  us,  bearing  the  love  and  highest  regards 
of  every  member  of  this  Conference." 

C.  A.  Brooks,  of  the  Gunnison  District,  made  his  first  report, 
from  which  I  copy  as  follows:  "The  pastors  have  been  faithful 
and  successful.  The  church  debt  has  been  nearly  paid,  and  all  is 
moving  pleasantly  at  Aspen.  A  charge  has  been  formed  of  Ala- 
mosa, La  Jara,  and  Catherine,  and  classes  organized,  with  a  prom- 
ising outlook.  The  town  of  Durango  has  been  largely  burned; 
the  church,  parsonage,  and  pastor's  possessions  have  gone  up  in 
the  flames;  plans  are  made  for  a  new  church,  and  there  is  a  vigor- 
ous prosecution  of  the  work.  A  Howbert  and  Florissant  Cir- 
cuit has  been  formed,  with  good  promise.  John  Whisler  was 
elected  financial  agent  of  the  University  of  Denver,  and  taken 
from  Leadville;  J.  W.  Linn  has  filled  out  the  year  with  success, 
paying  a  few  old  debts  and  having  some  souls  converted.  Sixty 
conversions  are  reported  at  Salida.  A  church  has  been  built  at 
Como.  A  Grand  River  Circuit  is  being  developed.  In  conjunc- 
tion with  the  district,  I  was  appointed  to  the  pastorate  of  Gunni- 
son City.  I  have  preached  as  pastor  every  other  Sabbath,  except 
four,  which  were  'supplied.'     The  duties  of  either  are  suflficient 


THE    THIRD  DECADE. 


529 


to  demand  all  of  one's  energies  and  time.  No  great  success  need 
be  expected  in  either  line  while  this  arrangement  continues. 
These  mountain  men  have  shown  true  heroism,  worthy  successors 
of  the  fathers." 

Those  who  came  into  the  Conference  by  transfer  were: 


J.  L.  ValIvOW,  from  the  Southern  Illinois  Conference,  was 
born  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  May  9,  1855;  converted  when 
thirteen  years  of  age;  wanted  to  be  a  lawyer,  but  felt  all  the  time 
that  he  must  preach  the  gospel.  He  is  an  undergraduate  of 
McKendree  College,  Lebanon, 
Illinois;  was  admitted  on  trial  in 
the  Southern  Illinois  Conference, 
in  September,  1882;  ordained 
deacon  by  Bishop  Foster,  in 
1884,  and  elder  by  Bishop  Wal- 
den,  in  1886.  His  appointments 
in  that  Conference  were:  Farina, 
luka,  Irvington,  Pleasant  Grove, 
and  Farina  a  second  term.  In 
Colorado,  he  has  filled:  Gunni- 
son, 1889;  Salida,  1890-91;  Grand 
Junction,  1892-4 ;  Durango, 
1895-6,  where  over  two  hundred 
souls  have  been  converted.  Mrs. 
Hattie  I^ivingston  assisted  in 
meetings  here.  He  was  married 
to  Miss  Annie  M.  Welborn,  of 
Mt.  Pleasant,  Illinois,  December  25,  1885.  Brother  Vallow  is 
an  interesting  preacher,  a  skillful  pastor,  and  succeeds  in  his 
work.    He  preaches  a  full  gospel. 


J.  I..  VA1.1.0W. 


W11.1.1AM  Pearce,  from  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  was  sent 
to  Monte  Vista;  withdrew  from  the  Church  the  next  year. 


R.  A.  Chase,  from  the  Northewst  Iowa  Conference,  was  born 
March  10,  1859,  in  Cattaraugus  County,  New  York;  converted 
in  the  winter  of  1876,  and  admitted  on  trial  in  the  traveling  min- 


530 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


istry  in  1883;  was  educated  at  the  Epworth  Seminary  and  Cornell 
College,  where  he  took  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1883,  and  A.  M.  in 
1885.    He  is  now  pursuing  a  Ph.  D.  course. 

In  the  Western  Iowa  Conference  he  served  the  following 
charges:  Norway,  Reinbeck,  and  Albion;  in  the  Northwest  Iowa 
Conference,  Forest  City  and  Spencer;  in  the  Colorado  Confer- 
ence, Fort  Collins,  1889-90,  where  he  put  $300  repairs  on  the 
parsonage,  and  purchased  lots  for  a  new  church;  Grant  Avenue, 
Denver,    1891-2;    here    lots    were    purchased,    and    a    building 

erected,  at  an  expense  of 
$4,000,  and  the  membership 
increased  to  two  hundred;  at 
Boulder,  1893-5,  where  God 
abundantly  blessed  his  labors 
in  an  increase  of  membership, 
and  in  removing  of  the 
church  debt.  In  1896  he  was 
placed  at  Cafion  City.  Has 
had  revivals  every  year  except 
one  on  his  pastorates.  He 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Cockran,  of  Oswego,  Illinois, 
November  7,  1883.  Four 
children  have  been  born  to 
them,  two  of  whom  died  at 
Fort  Collins.  He  is  a  genial 
brother,  an  able  preacher  of 
the  Word,  and  efficient  pastor;  in  fact,  may  be  said  to  be  a  good 
''all-around"  minister  of  the  gospel. 


K.  A.  CHASli, 


Henry  J.  Grace,  from  the  Northwest  Iowa  Conference,  was 
born  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  November  29,  1854;  attended 
the  public  schools  until  seventeen,  when  he  entered  the  Scio  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  graduated  in  June,  1879,  with  the  degree  of 
A.  B.  He  was  converted  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  and  licensed  to 
preach  in  June,  1879.  He  was  appointed  to  Clarion,  the  county- 
seat  of  Wright  County,  Iowa,  the  same  fall,  where  he  remained 


THE    THIRD   DECADE.  53I 

three  years,  completing  the  parsonage  and  building  a  new  church. 
In  the  fall  of  1880  he  joined  the  Northwest  Iowa  Conference; 
was  ordained  deacon  two  years  later  by  Bishop  Bowman,  and 
elder  in  1884  by  Bishop  Andrews.  He  filled  also  the  following 
appointments:  Dakota  City  and  Humboldt,  1882-3-4;  Sac  City, 
1885-6-7.  In  the  fall  of  1888  he  came  with  his  family  to  Colo- 
rado, and  was  soon  after  sent  to  Grand  Junction.  Here  he  pur- 
chased the  church  edifice  belonging  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  for  $2,000,  which  afterward  he  sold  for  $2,500, 
and  then  built  a  better  one,  valued  at  $5,000,  which  was  dedicated 
by  Dr.  Cranston,  July  20,  1890.  At  Salida,  1892-3;  Pueblo,  Pine 
Street,  1894-5;  Erie,  1896.  In  all  these  charges  his  labors  have 
resulted  in  building  up  the  Church  of  Christ.  He  is  a  good  pas- 
tor, and  a  very  helpful  minister  of  the  blessed  gospel.     In  March, 

1883,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  N.  Wells,  who  has  proven  a 
worthy  helpmeet  in  his  life-work. 

A.  D.  Fairbanks,  a  supply,  began  work  in  Grand  Junction, 

1884,  reporting  at  the  ensuing  Conference  session  seventeen  mem- 
bers, but  no  Sunday-school.  In  1885  W.  C.  Madison  was  sent 
there,  and  reported  the  next  year  tv/enty-three  members  and  one 
Sunday-school,  with  ten  ofhcers  and  teachers  and  sixty-five  schol- 
ars of  all  ages  in  attendance;  was  left  to  be  supplied  in  1886;  sub- 
sequent pastors  are:  K.  L.  Chase,  1887,  who  built  a  parsonage 
worth  $800:  H.  J.  Grace,  1888-91;  J.  L.  Vallow,  1892-4;  H.  B. 
Cook,  1895;  T.  E.  Sisson,  1896. 

Those  received  on  trial  were: 

Edward  E.  Allison  was  born  in  Spencer,  Owen  County, 
Indiana,  March  3,  1857,  and  departed  this  life  in  Denver,  Colo- 
rado, November  9,  1892;  was  converted  in  early  life;  attended 
school  at  the  University  of  Denver  for  some  time  before  entering 
the  ministry.  August  20,  1890,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Clara  Louise  Sylla,  stepdaughter  of  Dr.  Gilbert  De  La- 
Matyr. 

He  was  sent  to  Hugo,  1889-91,  and  to  East  Pueblo,  1892, 
where  he  closed  his  earthly  labors.    As  a  pastor  he  was  diligent. 


532 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND   PLAIN, 


and  as  a  preacher  expository  in  style.     His  closing  earthly  ex- 
pressions were  those  of  a  conqueror.    He  joined  in  singing  at  the 

very  last: 

"My  latest  sun  is  sinking  fast, 
My  race  is  nearly  run; 
My  strongest  trials  now  are  past, 
My  triumph  is  begun," 


James  C.  Vender  was  born  in  Albany,  New  York,  September 
13,  1855;  came  with  his  family  to  Illinois  when  he  was  a  child, 
thence  to  Colorado  in  1886;  was  married  to  Miss  Eugenie  Brad- 
way,  of  Iowa,  in  July,  1888;  took 
an  academic  course  at  Grand 
Prairie  Seminary,  Illinois,  before 
coming  to  Colorado,  and  has  since 
taken  a  full  theological  course  at 
the  Iliff  School  of  Theology,  grad- 
uating therefrom  in  1895. 

His  appointments  have  been: 
La  Jara,  two  years;  Rifle,  two 
years;  Evans,  one  year;  Morrison, 
two  years;  and  Julesburg,  1895-6. 
At  La  Jara  he  organized  a  society 
and  built  a  church,  and  has  had  a 
good  measure  of  success  on  each 
of  his  charges.  While  pastor  at 
Evans  and  Morrison,  he  pursued 
and  completed  his  course  of  study. 
He  is  an  efficient  laborer  in  the  Master's  vineyard,  and  promises 
well  for  the  future. 


J.  C.  VEEDER. 


Elmer  E.  Marshall  was  assigned  work  in  New  Mexico. 
His  connection  with  this  Conference  ceased  in  1893,  by  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Spanish  Mission  Conference  of  New  Mexico. 

Melvin  Nichols  was  a  missionary  in  Wyoming  for  three 
years,  and  then  was  transferred  to  the  Black  Hills  Mission  Con- 
ference. 

Besides  the  above-mentioned  three,  there  were  thirteen  Mexi- 


THE    THIRD  DECADE.  533 

can  brethren  admitted,  who  were  engaged  in  missionary  work 
with  Brother  T.  Harwood  in  New  Mexico. 

At  this  session,  on  August  4,  1889,  Bishop  Goodsell  ordained 
as  deacons,  Wellington  P.  Rhodes,  Kent  White,  John  R.  Wood, 
Charles  B.  Allen,  Thomas  Andrew;  and  as  elders,  Herschel  D. 
Seckner,  John  W.  Linn,  Joshua  Shawber,  Augustus  L.  Chase. 

1890. — For  five  days  the  Conference  was  in  session  in  Canon 
City,  beginning  July  23d,  with  Bishop  William  X.  Ninde  in  the 
chair.  He  announced  hymn  524,  which  was  sung,  when  J.  L. 
Dyer  and  T.  C.  Iliff  led  in  prayer.  The  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  was  administered*.  Secretary  and  assistants  were  elected 
by  acclamation.  The  business  was  taken  up  in  the  usual  Dis- 
ciplinary form.  The  presiding  elders  presented  reports,  which, 
when  abbreviated,  read  as  follows: 

Presiding  Elder  J.  H.  Merritt  reports:  "H.  R.  Antes  did  not 
go  to  Holyoke,  but  to  the  Navajo  Indians  in  New  Mexico;  H.  B. 
Cook,  of  the  Wyoming  Conference,  served  this  charge.  Richard 
Eason,  of  Canada,  supplied  Julesburg.  Two  local  preachers 
serv^ed  Fleming  Circuit;  first,  A.  B.  Lewis,  and  then  J.  W. 
Antes.  Greeley  was  supplied  for  two  months  by  W.  J.  Judd,  of 
the  Wyoming  Conference,  when  B.  T.  Vincent  was  transferred 
from  the  East  Ohio  Conference.  D.  H.  Moore  was  appointed  to 
Boulder,  but  was  soon  after  elected  editor  of  the  Western  Chris- 
tian Advocate;  M.  W.  Hissey  was  transferred  to  fill  his  place.  A 
new  church,  valued  at  $3,500,  has  been  built  at  Black  Hawk,  and 
was  dedicated  by  Bishop  Warren,  October  13,  1889.  Christ 
Church,  Denver,  70  x  113,  has  been  built  of  lava-stone,  with  red 
sandstone  trimmings,  two  stories  in  height,  and  will  seat  eight 
hundred.  It  is  valued  at  $75,000.  North  Denver  (now  Asbury 
Church)  has  built  of  stone  a  two-story  structure,  79  x  92,  which, 
when  finished,  will  seat  one  thousand  persons.  Simpson  Church 
has  built  a  wing,  39  x  73,  valued  at  $10,500.  A  church,  22  x  36, 
costing  $1,500,  has  been  built  at  Russell  Gulch.  One  has  been 
started  at  Arvada,  28x40,  which  will  cost  about  $3,000;  another 
has  been  begun  at  Louisville,  29  x  40,  which  will  cost  about 
$1,500.  The  church  at  Morrison  was  burned;  it  was  insured  for 
$500." 


534  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

N.  A.  Chamberlain,  presiding  elder,  reported:  ''William 
Grooves,  a  local  preacher,  served  Granada  the  last  half  of  the  year, 
the  pastor's  health  having  failed.  G.  S.  Oliver  resigned,  and 
withdrew  from  the  Church;  M.  A.  Casey  supplied  his  place  at 
Trinidad.  Edward  Ward  was  placed  in  charge  at  Manitou,  in- 
stead of  L.  C.  Smith.  Churches  in  process  of  erection,  or  con- 
templated, at  the  following  points;  namely,  Roswell,  Flem- 
ing's Grove,  and  Valverde.  An  addition  at  Trinidad  has  been 
completed  and  dedicated.  Fifth  Avenue,  Denver,  has  been  en- 
larged." 

C.  A.  Brooks,  presiding  elder,  reported:  ''Dallas  Park  Circuit 
was  supplied  by  Harry  R.  Osborne,  of-  North  Dakota.  Tilmon 
Jenkins  supplied  Del  Norte.  A  new  church  has  been  opened 
since  the  fire  at  Durango,  and  another  at  Grand  Junction,  valued 
at  $5,000,  H.  J.  Grace  pastor.  Edgar  White  began  at  Fruita. 
Naaman  Bascom  has  built  a  small  parsonage  at  Rifle.  J.  G. 
Eberhart,  of  the  Rock  River  Conference,  remained  at  Ouray 
until  May,  when  he  returned  to  his  old  haunts;  J.  B.  Long  filled 
out  the  year.  J.  C.  Veeder  has  built  a  little  church  at  La 
Jara." 

Twelve  members  came  into  the  Conference  this  year  by  trans- 
fer, two  withdrew,  and  eleven  were  transferred  out  of  it.  '  Fifteen 
were  received  on  trial.  These  changes  made  an  increase  of  four- 
teen over  the  report  of  last  year. 

G.  N.  Eldridge,  on  behalf  of  the  preachers  of  the  Northern 
District,  in  a  few  well-chosen  words,  presented  J.  H.  Merritt,  the 
retiring  presiding  elder,  a  beautiful  gold  watch,  in  token  of  their 
friendship  and  good  wishes. 

Those  transferred  who  became  active  members  of  the  Con- 
ference were: 

B.  T.  Vincent,  from  the  East  Ohio  Conference.  (See  Chap- 
ter vn.) 

M,  A.  Casky,  from  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.  At  Trini- 
dad, four  years;  Grant  Avenue,  Denver,  one  year;  supernumerary 
in  1894;  transferred  back  to  his  former  Conference  in  1896.  He 
was  a  faithful  pastor,  an  instructive  preacher,  and  led  his  people 
out  into  a  better  life  and  greater  usefulness. 


THE    THIRD  DECADE. 


535 


William  F.  McDowKLT>  was  born  in  Millersburg,  the 
county-seat  of  Holmes  County,  Ohio,  February  4,  1858.  His 
father  was  a  prominent  merchant  of  the  town,  and  a  leading  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  whose  residence  was  the 
"home"  of  the  weary  itinerant.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  William 
entered  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  and  five  years  later  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  In  1882  he  took  the  degree  of 
S.  T.  B,  from  the  vSchool  of  Theology  of  Boston  University,  and 
M.  A.  from  his  Alma  Mater.  Entering  the  North  Ohio  Confer- 
ence the  same  year,  he  spent  one  year  at  Lodi,  two  in  Oberlin, 
and  five  in  Tiffin.  In  1890  he  was  elected  chancellor  of  **the 
University  of  Denver,"  In  1891  he 
received  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.,  and  in 
1894  that  of  S.  T.  D.  from  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University. 

In  the  fall  of  1882,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Clotilda  Lyon,  of  the  class  of 
1880  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan.  Her 
father.  Rev.  A.  J.  Lyon,  was  a  Con- 
ference classmate  of  the  writer  forty- 
three  years  ago  in  the  North  Ohio 
Conference. 

The  chancellor  was  converted  in 
William   Street   Methodist   Episcopal 
Church,   Delaware,    Ohio,    March   7, 
1875,  during  his  first  year  in  college,  in  a  blessed  revival  that  was 
in  progress  there  at  that  time. 

Since  coming  to  Denver  he  has  acted  as  pastor  of  Trinity 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  six  months,  between  the  pastor- 
ates of  Drs.  Buchtel  and  Mclntyre,  and  was  for  nearly  a  year  the 
acting  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational  Church,  Denver,  be- 
tween the  pastorates  of  the  late  Dr.  Coyle  and  Dr.  Ecob.  He  has 
also  preached  for  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  same 
manner,  and  has  filled  other  leading  Denver  pulpits.  He  inaugu- 
rated "the  University  Extension"  movement  in  Colorado,  by  a 
series  of  lectures  called  "Studies  in  the  French  Revolution;" 
first  given  in  Greeley,  and  afterward  in  Colorado  Springs;  then  in 
Denver  and  at  University  Park.    (See  Chapter  XIV.) 


McDOWEI^L. 


536 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


Rezin  M.  Barns  was  born,  August  29,  1830,  in  Wooster, 
Wayne  County,  Ohio;  born  again,  January  26,  1847,  i^  ^  ^^g 
church,  near  Vevay,  Switzerland  County,  Indiana,  at  a  meeting 
held  by  the  late  Dr.  T.  M.  Eddy. 

His  father,  Dr.  William  Barns,  died  when  he  was  only  four 
years  old,  and  his  mother  nine  years  later,  leaving  him  to  work 
his  way  through  the  world  alone.  After  securing  what  help  he 
could  at  the  public  schools,  he  attended  Asbury  (now  DePauw) 
University  for  one  year;  was  married  October  31,  1852,  and  was 
soon  after  licensed  to  exhort;  supplied  as  assistant  pastor  on 

Moorsfield  Circuit  for  about  eight 
months;  admitted  on  trial  in  the 
Southeast  Indiana  Conference, 
September,  1854,  and  appointed 
to  the  Hartford  Circuit;  subse- 
quently to  Lawrenceburg,  Frank- 
lin, London,  Wilmington,  Madi- 
son, St.  John's,  Indianapolis,  and 
Asbury.  At  this  last  he  remained 
only  three  weeks,  when  he  was 
elected  chaplain  of  the  6th  Regi- 
ment Indiana  Infantry.  His 
health  failing,  he  remained  with 
the  regiment  only  eight  months, 
when  he  resigned,  and  returned 
to  his  pastoral  work.  His  later 
appointments  w^ere  as  follows: 
Moorsfield,  1862 ;  Madison, 
Connersville,  1865-6;  Greensburg, 
1867-9,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Illinois  Conference,  and 
stationed  at  Clinton,  1870-1;  Bloomfield,  1872-4;  First  Church, 
Springfield,  1875;  Grace,  Jacksonville,  1876-9;  Danville,  1880-1, 
where  he  remained  eighteen  months,  when  he  was  transferred 
to  the  St.  Louis  Conference,  and  appointed  to  Grand  Avenue 
Church,  Kansas  City.  In  1885  ^^  was  transferred  to  the  North 
Indiana  Conference,  and  appointed  to  Grace  Church,  Richmond, 
1885-7;  Wayne  Street,  Fort  Wayne,  1888-9;  i^  1^9^  ^^  was  trans- 
ferred to  Colorado,  and  appointed  to  Christ  Church,  Denver, 


K.  M.  BARNS. 


1863-4;    Wesley    Chapel, 


THE    THIRD  DECADE.  537 

1890-1;  Aspen,  1892,  Arvada,  1893;  Simpson,  Denver,  1894-5. 
At  the  session  of  1896,  having  been  selected  by  the  governor  of 
the  State  for  the  position,  he  was  appointed  chaplain  of  the  Colo- 
rado State  Penitentiary.  His  early  ministry  was  attended  with 
several  sweeping  revivals,  in  which  hundreds  were  led  to  Christ. 
He  reports  that  he  has  taken  into  the  Church  over  twenty-eight 
hundred  persons,  of  whom  twenty-five  are  now  preaching  the 
gospel.  At  Bloomington,  Illinois,  he  was  instrumental  in  incit- 
ing a  new  church,  costing  $85,000,  and  at  Jacksonville  a  parson- 
age with  ten  rooms. 

He  received  from  the  Asbury  (now  DePauw)  University  the 
degree  of  A.  M.,  and  from  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  that  of  D.  D. 
Dr.  Barns  is  a  popular  lecturer,  a  very  entertaining  preacher  of 
the  Word,  and  succeeds  equally  well  as  chaplain  in  the  peni- 
tentiary. 

A.  A.  Johnson,  from  the  Austin  Conference,  was  born  in 
Indiana,  near  Lexington,  Scott  County.  His  parents  were  poor 
people,  but  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  and  tillers  of  the  soil.  He 
lived  and  worked  on  the  farm  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age, 
obtaining  the  best  education  to  be  had  in  the  public  schools 
of  Indiana;  was  prepared  for  college  at  Hanover,  Indiana,  in 
a  Presbyterian  institution,  and  entered  the  Sophomore  class 
in  Indiana  Asbury  (now  DePauw)  University  in  the  fall  of  1872. 
He  graduated  from  the  classical  course  in  1875  with  distinction, 
receiving  the  degree  of  B.  A.  In  September,  1874,  he  entered 
the  Southeastern  Indiana  Conference,  and  served  a  charge,  dur- 
ing his  Senior  year,  in  Indianapolis.  Immediately  on  graduation, 
he  entered  upon  the  active  work  of  the  ministry,  serving  charges 
at  Third  Street,  Indianapolis,  and  Wesley  Chapel,  Madison,  In- 
diana. In  1878,  at  the  call  of  Dr.  R.  S.  Rust  and  Bishop  Harris, 
he  became  professor  and  dean  of  the  Gilbert  Haven  School  of 
Theology,  New  Orleans  University.  At  the  end  of  two  years, 
for  climatic  reasons,  he  removed  to  Texas,  and  became  the  pastor 
of  the  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Fort  Worth,  Texas. 
After  eighteen  months,  he  was  appointed  presiding  elder  of  Dallas 
District,  in  the  Austin  Conference.  During  his  ministerial  serv- 
ices in  Texas  he  became  interested  in  the  founding  of  the  Fort 


538 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


Worth  University,  and  from  1884  to  1890  was  its  president; 
erected  all  its  buildings,  raised  all  the  funds,  and  organized  the 
institution,  leaving  it  worth  $100,000,  and  with  two  hundred  and 
fifty  students.  In  the  summer  of  1890  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Colorado  Conference,  and  stationed  at  Cheyenne,  Wyoming. 
Eight  months  thereafter,  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Wyoming,  which  position  he  held  until  1896,  when  he 
resigned  it.    At  that  session  he  was  made  a  supernumerary.    Dr. 

Johnson  has  received  the  follow- 
ing literary  degrees  from  De- 
Pauw  University:  in  1879,  A.  M.; 


and  in  1888,.  D.  D.  He  has  su- 
perior natural  and  acquired  abil- 
ities. The  positions  of  responsi- 
bility held  indicate  his  standing 
as  a  Christian  minister. 


X^^BH.  Herbert  B.  Cook,  from  the 

^^^HBm|^^^^^  Wyoming  Conference,  born  Sep 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^H  tember  20,  1849;  converted  Feb- 

^HHJJ^^^^^mHf  ruary  26,  1866;  was  educated  in 

^^^^^^^'  the  public  schools,   and  then  at 

Cazenovia  and  Wyoming  Semi- 
nary for  three  years;  licensed  to 
preach  in  the  spring  of  1869,  and 
entered  the  Wyoming  Conference 
in  April,  1874,  where  he  spent  fifteen  years  in  the  ministry.  Sup- 
plied Holyoke  a  part  of  one  year,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Colorado  Conference  in  1890.  His  appointments  here  have  been: 
Longmont,  one  year;  Durango,  four  years,  where  he  had  over 
one  hundred  accessions  to  the  Church;  Grand  Junction,  one  year; 
and  Central  City,  1896,  where  he  is  doing  excellent  work. 
Brother  Cook  is  an  attractive  preacher,  and  succeeds  in  building 
up  the  kingdom  of  Christ  in  the  earth. 


A.  A.  JOHNSON. 


The  society  at  Boulder  was  organized  November  2y,  i860, 
with  six  members.  For  several  years  afterward,  the  preaching 
services  were  held  in  the  homes  of  dififerent  persons,  or  in  the 


THE   THIRD   DECADE,  539 

schoolhouse,  and  then  in  the  Congregational  Church,  which  was 
kindly  loaned  them  by  its  officers. 

The  trustees  of  the  Conference  Claimants'  Fund  gave  to  the 
Boulder  society  four  lots,  which  action  was  indorsed  by  the  Con- 
ference in  1873.  On  these  lots  the  church-building  was  erected, 
and  dedicated  November  lo,  1872. 

M.  W.  HissEY,  from  the  Ohio  Conference,  was  transferred, 
late  in  the  fall  of  1889,  ^o  Boulder,  to  fill  the  place  of  Dr.  Moore, 
who  had  been  elected  editor  of  the  Western  Christian  Advocate. 
Brother  Hissey's  labors  were  unusually  successful.  A  much 
larger  church  was  soon  needed,  the  corner-stone  of  which  was 
laid,  on  the  old  site,  December  i,  1891,  by  Chancellor  W.  F. 
McDowell,  of  the  University  of  Denver,  who  conducted  the  cere- 
mony, and  delivered  the  address.  The  dedication  of  the  new 
building  occurred  September  4,  1892.  Bishop  H.  W.  Warren 
and  Dr.  D.  H.  Moore,  editor  of  the  Western  Christian  Advocate y 
had  charge  of  the  services. 

In  1893-4  Brother  Hissey  was  sent  to  Asbury,  Denver,  and 
in  1895  returned  East  to  care  for  his  parents,  who  were  in  feeble 
health.  In  1896  he  withdrew  from  the  ministry  of  the  Church, 
that  he  might  enter  that  of  a  sister  denomination  in  Ohio.  He  is 
now  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  Ashtabula,  Ohio. 
Brother  Hissey  is  an  interesting  and  forceful  speaker. 

At  this  session  fifteen  were  admitted  on  trial,  and  one  was  re- 
admitted on  a  certificate  of  location.  Of  these,  one,  I.  T.  Head- 
land, was  transferred  from  us.  The  following  were  assigned  work 
in  the  Missions  of  the  adjoining  Territories:  G.  A.  W.  Cage,  Jr., 
O.  B.  Chassel,  H.  H.  Austin,  Benjamin  Young,  and  M.  A.  Rader, 
as  missionaries  in  Wyoming;  H.  A.  Jones,  C.  L.  Baxter,  Samuel 
W.  Small,  and  P.  A.  Paulson,  as  missionaries  in  Utah;  and  two 
Mexican  brethren  to  the  New  Mexico  Spanish  Mission. 

The  following  histories  of  those,  then  given  work  in,  or  since 
identified  with,  Colorado,  will  be  interesting: 

Charles  C.  P.  HillER  was  born,  June  28,  1867,  in  Hudson, 
Michigan;  joined  the  Church,  January  i,  1882,  and  was  converted 
soon  after;  attended  the  public  and  high  schools  in  his  native 
town;  came  to  Colorado  in  April,  1888;  was  soon  employed  as  a 
supply,  organizing  the  Grand  River  (now  Rifle)  Circuit,  preaching 


540  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

his  first  sermon  in  Rifle,  December  i6,  1888.  He  preached  occa- 
sionally at  New  Castle,-  regularly  at  Ferguson's,  Rifle,  Coal-banks, 
Parachute,  De  Beque,  and  Upper  Roan  Creek.  In  March  follow- 
ing, he  started  a  society  of  eight  members  in  Parachute,  and  soon 
after  another  of  thirteen  in  Rifle.  Previous  to  this,  Brother  Henry 
W.  Hallett,  an  earnest  lay-worker,  had  organized  Sunday-schools 
at  each  of  these  places,  and  another  at  the  Coal-banks,  eight  miles 
north  of  Rifle.  This  brother  collected  and  raised  most  of  the 
money  for  the  church  in  Rifle,  which  was  built  the  following  year. 

The  subsequent  appointments  of  Brother  Hiller  have  been: 
Florissant  and  Woodland  Park,  1889-90;  Bessemer,  1891-2;  left 
without  an  appointment  to  attend  school  in  1893,  but  supplied 
Louisville,  1893-4;  Argo  and  Greenwood,  1895-6.  He  is  taking 
a  regular  collegiate  course  in  the  University  of  Denver,  and  filling 
pastorates  at  the  same  time.  He  has  shown  himself  to  be  a  young 
man  of  good  abilities,  and  of  much  promise. 

The  following  new  charge  was  developed  this  year:  The  Besse- 
mer (now  Pine  Street),  Pueblo,  was  organized  by  Rev.  C.  B. 
Allen,  pastor  of  Broadway  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Pueblo, 
August  24,  1890,  with  fifteen  members  and  three  probationers. 
Two  weeks  later,  Rev.  C.  C.  P.  Hiller  was  placed  in  charge.  The 
services  were  then  held  in  an  old  meat-market,  on  the  corner  of 
Routt  and  Northern  Avenue.  The  society  began  building  a 
church  in  November,  and  had  it  dedicated,  December  28,  1890, 
by  Bishop  Warren.  The  total  membership  at  this  time  was  forty, 
but  a  revival  soon  brought  the  number  up  to  eighty.  The  pastors 
have  been:  C.  C.  P.  Hiller,  1890- 1-2;  A.  W.  Nicholson,  1893; 
H.  J.  Grace,  1894-5;  Thomas  Andrew,  1896. 

F.  L.  L.  H1L1.ER,  a  brother  of  the  Rev.  C.  C.  P.  Hiller,  began 
work  in  East  Pueblo,  in  1890,  where,  under  his  superintendency,  a 
church  was  built,  and  dedicated,  October  14,  1891,  by  Rev.  B.  T. 
Vincent,  D.  D.  Other  pastors  here:  E.  E.  Allison,  1892,  until  his 
death,  when  M.  J.  Robinson  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy; 
C.  R.  La  Porte  for  a  short  time,  when  D.  Leppert  followed;  S.  L. 
Todd  for  a  while,  who  was  succeeded  by  O.  F.  Merrill,  in  1894; 
Noah  Brandyberry,  1895.  In  1896  it  was  associated  with  another 
charge.    The  society  is  numerically  and  financially  weak,  and  the 


THE    THIRD   DECADE.  54 1 

effort  to  maintain  services  has  required  more  than  it  was  able 
to  do. 

Returning  to  the  list  admitted  on  trial,  we  have : 

Thomas  Andrkvv  was  born  in  Cornwall,  England,  June  24, 
1854;  born  again,  October,  1877;  licensed  to  preach  in  1881 ;  came 
to  the  United  States,  making  his  home  in  Colorado,  in  1884; 
worked  at  mining  three  years,  near  Silver  Plume;  then  supplied 
the  'Tlume"  two  years,  and  Erie  one  year;  admitted  on  trial  at 
this  (1890)  session,  and  returned  to  Erie  for  a  second  year,  hav- 
ing been  ordained  local  deacon  the  year  previous.  While  at  Erie 
he  began  a  church  enterprise  at  Louisville,  which  was  completed 
by  his  successor.  He  was  sent  to  Platteville,  1891-2;  Windsor, 
1893-4-5.  Here  he  witnessed  a  gracious  work  of  grace  under  the 
inspiring  labors  of  Sister  Hattie  Livingston  and  Brother  Kent 
White.  Souls  were  converted,  and  the  Church  greatly  strength- 
ened. He,  with  others,  entered  into  a  more  definite  religious 
experience.  In  1896  he  was  appointed  to  Pine  Street,  Pueblo. 
Brother  Andrew^  is  a  good  financier  in  Church  affairs,  a  careful 
pastor,  and  an  interesting  preacher,  and  gives  promise  of  years 
of  growing  usefulness. 

Edgar  Whitk  was  born  in  Kent,  England,  September  16, 
1861,  and  died  of  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs,  at  the  home  of  Brother 
John  Hodgson,  north  of  Erie,  Colorado,  July  16,  1895.  His  de- 
mise was  very  sudden  and  unexpected.  He  and  his  wife  had 
ridden  out  that  morning,  making  a  pastoral  visit.  The  dinner 
was  over  and  prayers  said,  when  he  went  out  to  his  carriage  to 
leave.  He  soon  began  to  cough,  dropped  on  his  knees,  and  in 
three  minutes  was  dead. 

In  1889  he  was  sent  by  the  presiding  elder  to  Fruita,  a  few 
miles  west  of  Grand  Junction,  where  he  organized  a  class  of 
twenty-five  members,  on  January  9,  1890.  He  also  started  other 
societies  in  the  country  in  schoolhouses,  one  at  Colbran's,  another 
at  Stite's,  and  one  at  Loback's;  at  Delta,  1891-2,  where  he  com- 
pleted the  church,  which  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  Barns,  the  first 
Sabbath  of  1892.  The  next  two  years  he  spent  in  the  Iliff  School 
of  Theology,  and  was  very  much  beloved  by  the  Faculty,  and  re- 
spected by  all  who  knew  him.    In  June,  1895,  he  w^as  sent  to  Erie, 


542  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

where  he  soon  won  all  hearts  by  his  loving  ministrations.  He 
was  a  young  man  of  marked  ability.  In  a  few  short  weeks  his 
work  was  done,  but  his  name  will  be  held  in  everlasting  remem- 
brance. A  wife  and  daughter  mourn  his  loss,  as  well  as  hosts  of 
friends. 

S.  A.  Webber  followed  him  at  Fruita  in  1891,  and  built  a 
parsonage;  then  came  Austin  Crooks,  1892-4,  who  built  a  church, 
which  was  dedicated,  free  of  debt,  by  Bishop  Warren,  January  21, 
1893;  C.  W.  Simmons,  1895-6. 

Marvin  A.  Rader  was  born,  December  26,  1866,  near  Mar- 
shall, Missouri.  His  boyhood  was  spent  on  a  farm.  In  1886  he 
entered  the  Central  College,  at  Fayette,  Mo.  While  attending 
this  school  he  was  converted.  He  matriculated  at  the  University 
of  Denver,  Colorado,  in  the  fall  of  1888,  and  studied  with  the 
medical  profession  in  view.  In  the  summer  of  1889  he  went  into 
Central  Wyoming  to  teach  school.  Here  he  found  the  country 
destitute  of  religious  services  of  all  kinds.  He  soon  after  organized 
two  Sunday-schools,  twelve  miles  apart,  superintending  both  him- 
self, having  as  assistants  only  two  good  sisters.  At  one  place  a 
small  church-building  was  almost  immediately  erected.  At  the 
request  of  the  people  he  began  to  give  Bible  readings.  Without 
his  knowledge,  the  Church  in  Cheyenne  licensed  him  to  preach. 
When  he  was  informed  of  this  action,  he  fought  against  it,  desir- 
ing to  minister  to  those  physically  rather  than  morally  diseased. 
His  soul-struggle  was  so  great  that  he  soon  lost  all  enjoyment 
in  religion.  Finally,  after  much  prayer  and  careful  study  of  the 
Word,  he  promised  God  that  he  would  do  anything  required,  if 
only  he  would  "restore  unto  him  the  joy  of  his  salvation."  Peace 
and  comfort  returned,  and  from  that  after-school  hour  he  has 
never  doubted  his  call  to  the  ministry.  That  fall  he  was  sent 
North.  He  then  started  willingly  on  a  journey  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  miles,  requiring  eight  days  travel,  by  private  conveyance, 
with  the  thermometer  24  degrees  below  zero.  He  writes:  "Dur- 
ing the  next  seven  months  I  slept  on  the  floor  of  a  little  room  five 
feet  by  seven,  and  received  for  my  labor  forty-four  dollars;  but  I 
was  happy."  For  three  years  he  worked  in  the  Wyoming  Mis- 
sion; was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Colorado  Conference  in  1890, 
and  into  full  connection  in  1892.     His  Colorado  appointments 


THE   THIRD   DECADE.  543 

have  been:  Louisville;  Cripple  Creek,  1894;  Morrison,  1895-6, 
where  he  is  now  doing  efficient  work.  So  far  in  his  ministry  he 
has  succeeded  in  the  erection  of  five  churches.  Among  them  was 
the  one  at  Cripple  Creek,  which  was  burned  in  the  great  fire  of 
May,  1896.  Brother  Rader  graduated  from  the  Denver  Univer- 
sity in  1894,  and  from  the  Ilifif  School  of  Theology,  1897.  He  is 
a  very  acceptable  preacher,  and  promises  great  usefulness. 

A.  S.  LiGHTWALTKR  had  supplied  Trinidad  Circuit  for  two 
years;  was  sent  to  La  Jara,  and  discontinued  in  1891. 

GusTAVus  A.  W.  Cage,  Jr.,  readmitted  on  credentials  from 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  was  born,  October  18, 
1857,  in  Lauderdale  County,  Tennessee;  born  again  when  a  boy 
eight  years  old;  came  with  his  parents  to  Greeley,  Colorado,  in 
the  spring  of  1872.  In  1888,  at  Los  Angeles,  California,  his  re- 
ligious experience  was  greatly  revived.  During  the  first  State 
holiness  camp-meeting,  held  in  Herring's  Grove,  on  Pleasant 
View  Ridge,  Colorado,  July,  1894,  he  found  complete  deliverance 
from  sin,  and  was  saved  to  the  "uttermost."  Since  that  blessed 
realization,  ''holiness"  has  been  his  theme,  and  many  souls  have 
been  blessed  under  his  ministry.  He  was  educated  at  the  Colo- 
rado State  University,  at  Boulder,  and  at  Vanderbilt  University, 
Tennessee,  spending  three  years  at  the  former,  and  two  at  the 
latter.  He  joined  the  Wyoming  Mission  in  1889,  and  was  sent 
to  Lander,  Wyoming,  where  he  took  fifteen  persons  into  the 
Church,  and  cleared  the  church  of  a  $700  debt;  then  to  Rawlins, 
W^yoming.  Here  he  improved  the  church  and  parsonage,  and 
organized  the  first  Epworth  and  Junior  League  in  the  Mission. 
In  1894  was  sent  to  Erie,  Colorado,  and  in  1895-6  to  Bald  Moun- 
tain, where  God  is  blessing  his  labors.  He  is  an  instructive 
preacher,  a  careful  pastor,  and  faithfully  looks  after  the  interests 
committed  to  his  care. 

W.  L.  Bailey,  Tilmon  Jenkins,  Samuel  W.  Small,  O.  B.  Chas- 
sell,  Edwin  E.  Allison,  A.  S.  Lightwalter,  and  D.  B.  Vosseller, 
were  ordained  as  deacons,  and  Joseph  B.  Long  as  an  elder,  at  this 
session. 

1891. — Thk  Conference  assembled  in' Grace  Church,  Denver, 
and  was  called  to  order  by  Bishop  E.  G.  Andrews,  June  loth,  at 
35 


544  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

4.45  P.  M.  In  connection  with  opening  services,  the  sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered.  The  former  secretary 
was  re-elected  by  acclamation.  The  Conference  business  was 
transacted  in  five  days.  Only  one  presiding  elder  placed  his  re- 
port on  file.  J.  H.  Merritt  said  in  this,  in  substance,  as  follows: 
*'H.  A.  Buchtel  was  transferred  in  April  to  the  Southeast  Indiana 
Conference;  Chancellor  McDowell  filled  out  the  year.  A.  C.  Peck 
was  called  to  the  financial  agency  of  the  University  of  Denver, 
and  elected  dean;  Ira  S.  Sprague  filled  the  vacancy  at  Colorado 
Springs,  until  H.  E.  Warner,  from  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference, 
was  secured  for  the  place.  A  church  costing  about  $2,000  has 
been  built  at  Bessemer,  through  the  efforts  of  the  pastor,  C.  C.  P. 
Hiller.  A  society  has  been  organized  at  Las  Animas,  by  E.  F.  A. 
Bittner.  The  society  has  prospered  at  Rocky  Ford,  and  is  plan- 
ning to  build  a  church.  The  work  of  City  Missions  has  been 
greatly  blessed;  its  first  superintendent,  O.  L.  Fisher,  goes  from 
us,  carrying  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all.  A  new  church  has 
been  built  at  Coal  Creek,  which  has  cost  about  $2,000.  St.  James, 
Denver,  has  been  torn  down,  and  the  building  of  a  new  and  larger 
church  is  in  progress.  Epworth  Leagues  are  now  organized  in 
most  of  the  charges,  and  the  young  people  are  developing 
grandly.  A  Deaconess  Home  has  been  established  in  Denver, 
and  a  deaconess  visitor  is  employed  in  Colorado  Springs.  A 
Christlike  work  is  being  done,  worthy  and  commendable. 

"The  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society  is  doing  a  grand 
work  in  caring  for  the  needy  members  of  our  Conference,  supple- 
menting the  support  furnished,  so  as  to  enable  many  charges  to 
receive  pastoral  service,  which  otherwise  could  not  be  given. 
Rev.  E.  J.  Wilcox  gave  $300  to  this  work." 

J.  C.  Veeder,  Elmer  E.  Marshall,  and  William  John  were  or- 
dained deacons,  and  John  W.  Flesher,  Daniel  W.  Burt,  Welling- 
ton P.  Rhodes,  Kent  White,  Oscar  F.  McKay,  John  R.  Wood, 
and  Charles  B.  Allen,  elders. 

F.  F.  Thomas,  Samuel  W.  Small,  and  A.  S.  Lightwalter  were 
discontinued  at  their  own  request. 

Austin  Crooks  was  readmitted,  and  returned  to  La  Jara.  His 
next  appointment  was  Fruita,  in  1892-3-4,  where  he  built  a  par- 
sonage; then  Rifle  Circuit,  1895-6,  where  he  is  succeeding. 


THE  THIRD  DECADE, 


545 


Those  admitted  on  trial  were : 

David  S.  Gray,  who  was  returned  to  the  Ridgeway  and  Dallas 
Circuit;  then  to  Amethyst  and  Creede,  in  1892-3;  supernumerary, 
1895-6. 

J.  D.  Bratton;  appointed  to  Gunnison,  1891;  South  Park, 
1892;  Del  Xorte,  1893;  and  discontinued  in  1894. 

Those  transferred  into  the  Conference  were: 


Albert  B.  Glockner,  born,  January  24,  1844,  in  Milton, 
Wayne  County,  Indiana;  was  converted  in  January,  1865 ;  licensed 
to  preach  in  1872;  entered  the 
North  Indiana  Conference  the 
same  year;  educated  at  the  De- 
Pauw  University,  Greencastle,  In- 
diana. He  subsequently  united 
with  the  Rocky  Mountain  Con- 
ference, at  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah, 
in  1875,  and  was  appointed  to 
Bozeman  and  Butte  City,  Mon- 
tana ;  was  transferred  to  the  South- 
east Indiana  Conference  in  1876, 
and  to  the  Southwest  Kansas  Con- 
ference in  1880;  made  supernu- 
merary in  1889;  and  then  trans- 
ferred to  Colorado  in  1890.  He 
spent  one  year  at  Fairplay;  three 
years  at  Buena  Vista;  and  one 
each  at  Fort  Morgan  and  High- 
lands, Denver;  sent  to  Platteville,  1896.  He  is  well-equipped  for 
his  life-work,  earnestly  defends  at  all  times  the  right,  and  zeal- 
ously pushes  the  Lord's  cause. 


A.  B.  GLOCKNER. 


G.  M.  G1.1CK,  from  the  Northwest  Kansas  Conference;  Del 
Norte,  1890-2;  Coal  Creek,  1893;  was  transferred  back  to  his  old 
Conference  in  1894. 

G.  P.  Fry,  from  the  Ohio  Conference;  Raton,  N.  M.,  in  the 
New  Mexico  English  Mission;  returned  to  his  former  Confer- 
ence home  in  1892. 


546 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


C.  W.  Simmons,  from  the  Iowa  Conference;  a  former  mission- 
ary in  India  under  Bishop  Thoburn;  Mosca,  1891-2;  Rifle,  1893-4; 
Fruita,  1895-6.  He  is  doing  well  as  an  ''ambassador"  for  the 
great  '1  am,"  his  former  missionary  experience  proving  a  valu- 
able training  for  service  in  this  frontier  work. 


Horace  E.  Warnejr,  from  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference.  His 
father  was  a  member  of  the  Troy  Conference.  Through  this 
relation  he  enjoyed  exceptionally  good  opportunities  in  obtain- 
ing equipment  for  ministerial 
work.  His  parents  moving  to 
Iowa,  he  attended  school,  first 
at  the  Upper  Iowa  University,  at 
Fayette,  Iowa,  and  then  at  Cor- 
nell College,  where  he  took  a 
regular  classical  course,  gradu- 
ating 1876. 

Resisting  a  sense  of  duty  to 
enter  the  ministry,  he  studied, 
expecting  to  enter  the  medical 
profession.  Having  fallen  into 
skepticism,  in  1873  he  withdrew 
from  the  Church.  His  struggle 
with  doubt  was  intense,  and 
lasted  for  two  years.  In  the 
summer  of  1875  he  surrendered 
himself  unreservedly  to  God,  to 
be  used  as  he  should  lead,  and  a  year  later  was  licensed  to  preach. 
In  September  of  1876  he  entered  the  Drew  Theological  Semi- 
nary, and  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1878,  having  served  the 
Church  at  Maplewood,  N.  J.,  as  pastor  during  the  last  year.  On 
September  10,  1878,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  P., 
daughter  of  Rev.  S.  P.  Williams,  at  Marengo,  Illinois.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1878,  he  was  received  into  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  on 
trial;  was  ordained  deacon  in  1880,  and  elder  in  1882.  He  served 
the  following  charges  in  Iowa:  Reinbeck,  Oilman,  Postville, 
Charles  City,  Cedar  Falls.  About  the  middle  of  his  fifth  year  at 
the  last  place  named,  he  was  forced  to  seek  a  climatic  change,  on 


H.  E.  WARr^ER. 


THE   THIRD  DECADE.  547 

account  of  bronchial  trouble,  and  came  to  Colorado.  In  March, 
1 89 1,  he  took  charge  of  the  Church  at  Colorado  Springs,  remain- 
ing for  over  three  years;  took  a  supernumerary  relation  in  1894, 
in  order  to  rest  and  recuperate;  in  1895  was  made  effective,  and 
appointed  to  Christ  Church,  Denver,  to  which  he  was  also  re- 
turned in  1896.  He  is  making  an  enviable  record  as  a  wise  pas- 
tor, an  able  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  skillful  financier.  He  is 
a  brother  beloved  by  all  his  associates. 

Nathan  H.  Lee,  from  the  Rock  River  Conference,  was  born 
near  Sharpsville,  Tipton  County,  Indiana,  July  8,  1854;  educated 
in  the  public  schools,  and  at  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  from  whicih 
he  graduated  in  1887,  with  degree  of  B.  D.;  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Belle,  daughter  of  B.  R.  Pierce,  D.  D.,  of  the  Southern 
Illinois  Conference,  June  16,  1880. 

He  was  converted  near  lola.  Clay  County,  Illinois,  in  1867; 
soon  after  felt  it  a  duty  to  preach;  joined  the  Southern  Illinois 
Conference  in  1879,  and  was  sent  as  junior  preacher  to  Sumner 
Circuit;  then  two  years  at  Miles,  and  the  same  time  at  Kane, 
when  he  entered  ''Garrett."  While  at  school  he  was  pastor  at 
Wauconda,  Vola  and  Arlington  Heights,  Rock  River  Confer- 
ence, to  which  he  was  transferred  in  the  fall  of  1887,  and  appointed 
to  Grand  Crossing,  Chicago.  On  account  of  his  wife's  health  he 
left  there  for  Laramie  City,  Wyoming,  in  the  autumn  of  1890. 
In  October,  1892,  he  was  changed  to  Cafion  City,  Colorado,  fill- 
ing out  a  vacancy  for  the  remainder  of  the  Conference  year; 
Trinidad,  1893-6.  At  Grand  Crossing,  Illinois,  and  at  Cafion 
City,  Colorado,  he  built  roomy  and  comfortable  parsonages.  His 
work  is  spiritual,  progressive,  and  permanent.  Revivals  usually 
attend  his  labors.  He  is  a  very  acceptable  preacher,  and  a  wise 
manager  of  the  important  interests  of  the  Church. 

Robert  A.  Carnine,  from  the  Southwest  Kansas  Conference, 
was  born  near  Burlington,  Iowa,  July  30,  1849;  converted  at  the 
age  of  seventeen ;  educated  at  the  Iowa  Wesleyan  and  Iowa  State 
Universities;  entered  the  Iowa  Conference  in  1873,  where  he 
labored  for  thirteen  years,  having  several  far-reaching  revivals 
on  different  charges. 


548 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


In  1886  he  was  transferred  to  the  Southwest  Kansas  Confer- 
ence; and  then,  in  1891,  to  the  Colorado.  His  appointments  here 
have  been:  Aspen,  one  year;  Broadway,  Pueblo,  two  years.  In 
1894  he  was  made  presiding  elder  of  the  Salida  District,  where 
he  traveled  nearly  twenty-four  thousand  miles  during  his  first 
year,  raising  the  standard  of  the  cross  on  mountain,  valley,  and 
plain,  to  the  glory  of  God  and  salvation  of  men. 

In  1890  he  spent  three  months  abroad,  and  w^ent  as  far  south 

as  Pompeii.  He  made  a 
journey  through  Ireland,  and 
has  lectured  widely  on  his 
foreign  travels.  He  was 
elected  one  of  the  alternate 
delegates  to  the  General 
Conference  in  1896.  He  is 
making  a  good  record  as  pre- 
siding elder.  Brother  Car- 
nine  stands  high  as  pastor 
and  preacher,  and  is  greatly 
beloved  by  alL 

1892.  — The:  Thirtieth 
Annual  Session  of  the  Colo- 
rado Conference  met  in  the 
Broadway  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  Pueblo, 
Thursday,  June  9th,  at  8.45 
A.  M.,  Bishop  John  F.  Hurst 
in  the  chair,  who  conducted  the  opening  exercises.  The  presid- 
ing elders  presented  interesting  reports,  only  one  of  which  is  on 
file,  that  of  J.  H.  Merritt,  of  the  Southern  District,  who  said: 

"Brother  Rippetoe  left  Akron  after  the  first  quarter,  and 
Brother  W.  J.  Judd,  of  the  Wyoming  Conference,  followed  him 
there.  The  pastor  at  Castle  Rock,  B.  F.  Todd,  asked  to  be  re- 
lieved, and  left  for  South  Kansas,  on  account  of  health.  H.  R. 
Calkins  supplied  his  place.  J.  R.  Shannon  began  at  Grace 
Church,  Denver,  September  10,  1891.  Trinity  was  supplied  by 
Chancellor  McDowell  for  six  months,  before  Robert  Mclntyre 


R.  A.  carnine;. 


THE   THIRD  DECADE.  549 

came.  Lamar  was  served  by  W.  I.  Taylor,  of  the  North  Indiana 
Conference.  Las  Animas  was  suppHed  by  E.  F.  A.  Bittner  for 
nearly  three  months,  when  Fred  T.  Krueger  took  the  charge,  and 
did  good  work.  Frank  L.  L.  Hiller  has  organized  a  Church  in 
East  Pueblo.  Trinidad  Circuit  was  supplied  by  J.  V.  Watson; 
Yuma  and  Wray  by  Tilmon  F.  Jenkins  for  three  months,  when 
his  brother-in-law,  J.  N.  Norviel,  took  his  place.  A  frame  church, 
28x40,  was  dedicated  April  3,  1892,  at  Coal  Creek,  near  Flor- 
ence. St.  James,  Denver,  a  new  building,  60  x  "jd,  with  basement 
and  seating  capacity  for  six  hundred,  was  opened  by  Bishop 
Warren.  The  society  at  Grant  Avenue  has  built  the  wing  of  a 
church.  William  Pleisted,  a  supernumerary  of  the  Des  Moines 
Conference,  has  taken  down  the  former  parsonage  at  Trinidad, 
and  built  a  larger  one,  without  expense  to  the  society,  at  a  cost 
to  himself  of  about  $3,000.  Rocky  Ford  has  built  a  brick  church, 
32  X  60,  costing  $3,000.  The  Church  at  Cafion  City  has  pur- 
chased lots  for  a  new  building.  Sunday-schools  have  been  estab- 
lished at  Fremont  and  Cripple  Creek.  The  university  has  been 
removed  to  the  'Park.'  The  Iliff  School  of  Theology  opened 
last  fall." 

''Father  Dyer"  first  proclaimed  the  gospel  in  Cripple  Creek 
in  1890,  when  the  camp  began  to  attract  attention.  In  February, 
1891,  Rev.  C.  B.  Montfort  erected  a  one-room  house,  for  a  dwell- 
ing and  carpenter-shop  for  himself.  In  this  building  he  soon 
after  organized  a  society  and  Sunday-school.  The  next  year  he 
was  returned  here  by  Conference  appointment.  July  27,  1892, 
D,  L.  Rader,  presiding  elder,  with  J.  M.  Hawkins,  secretary,  held 
the  first  Quarterly  Conference.  In  April,  1893,  Rev.  C.  Brad- 
ford accepted  the  appointment  as  pastor  until  the  following  Con- 
ference session.  The  succeeding  pastors  have  been:  D.  Leppert, 
from  June,  1893,  to  November,  1893;  A.  B.  Conwell,  from  No- 
vember, 1893,  to  June,  1894;  M.  A.  Rader,  from  June,  1894,  to 
June,  1895;  John  A.  Long,  from  June  28,  1895,  to  August,  1896; 
and  J.  C.  Horn,  1896,  who  is  earnestly  pushing  the  Master's  work 
there. 

In  1893  the  society  moved  from  the  hall,  where  the  services* 
had  been  held,  into  a  tent,  on  First  Street,  near  Bennett  Avenue. 
Under  the  pastorate  of  M.  A.  Rader,  a  church  was  erected  on  the 


TRINITY  ME;TH0DIST  EPISCOPAI,  church,  D^NVEIR,  COLORADO. 

550 


THE   THIRD  DECADE.  55 1 

corner  of  First  Street  and  Carr  Avenue.  The  main  auditorium 
was  30  X  50,  with  a  wing,  18  x  30,  and  was  heated  by  furnace 
and  Hghted  by  electricity.  A  single-room  parsonage  was  also 
built  by  the  Church.  This  was  afterward  enlarged  into  a  com- 
fortable home  for  the  pastor.  The  society  numbered,  April  2, 
1896,  113,  including  7  probationers.  They  have  a  flourishing 
Sunday-school  and  a  vigorous  Epworth  League.  This  church 
property  was  burned  in  the  great  fire  of  May,  1896.  The  society 
is  now  planning  to  build  again. 

The  bishop  reported  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the 
Ilifif  School  of  Theology.  A  vote  of  thanks,  by  rising,  was  ex- 
tended to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ilifif  Warren,  for  giving  the  use  of  her 
valuable  home  in  Denver  for  the  Deaconess  work,  for  a  Home 
and  Hospital. 

A  new  society  was  organized  at  Fort  Morgan,  by  Presiding 
Elder  Vincent,  December  18,  1892,  with  twenty-five  members. 
For  the  next  eight  months  Professors  Stroeter,  VanPelt,  and 
Steele,  of  the  University  of  Denver,  preached  for  them  as  acting 
pastors;  the  latter  most  of  the  time  until  August,  1893,  when 
J.  R.  Sasseen,  from  the  Missouri  Conference,  was  appointed  their 
pastor,  and  found  things  all  ready  for  the  erection  of  a  church. 
On  the  14th  of  October  following,  the  corner-stone  was  laid,  and 
in  May,  1894,  the  society  moved  into  the  new  structure,  which 
had  cost  about  $3,000,  with  no  indebtedness,  save  $250  to  the 
Church  Extension  Society.  In  June,  1894,  A.  B.  Glockner  was 
appointed  pastor,  and  in  1895-6,  H.  D.  Seckner.  A  Sunday- 
school  was  organized  on  Christmas-day,  1892.  This  society  is 
in  a  thriving  condition. 

The  following  gains  and  losses  in  Conference  membership 
are  noted: 

Ten  were  transferred  into  the  Conference,  and  nine  out  of  it; 
nine  were  admitted  on  trial. 

The  transfers  in,  were: 

F.  S.  Bkggs,  from  the  St.  Louis  Conference,  who  had  been 
supplying  Central  City,  to  which  he  was  returned;  at  St.  James, 
Denver,  1893;  was  transferred  to  the  St.  Louis  Conference  in 
1894,    but    accepted    work    at    Evanston,    Wyoming    Mission. 


552  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Brother  Beggs  is  above  the  average  as  a  preacher,  and  succeeds 
admirably. 

U.  Z.  Gilmer,  from  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  who  had 
suppHed  Asbury,  Denver,  was  returned;  was  transferred  to  the 
Illinois  Conference  in  1894.  He  preaches  the  gospel  earnestly 
and  efBciently. 

W.  R.  AsHBY,  from  the  Indiana  Conference;  at  Gunnison, 
1892-3;  Aspen  Junction  (now  Basalt)  1894-5 ;  left  without  appoint- 
ment to  attend  school,  1896.  The  people  enjoy  his  preaching, 
and  he  has  left  a  good  record  on  the  charges  served.  The  Church 
has  reason  to  expect  a  useful  future  in  his  history. 

S.  V.  Iv^ACH,  from  the  California  Conference;  First  Church, 
Pueblo,  one  year;  named  as  professor  in  Iliff  School  of  Theology, 
one  year,  and  then  was  transferred  to  the  North  Indiana  Confer- 
ence, 1895.  He  is  considered  a  very  able  man  in  the  pulpit,  or 
out  of  it,  with  tongue  or  pen. 

A.  K.  Stabler,  a  probationer  from  the  Cincinnati  Confer- 
ence; was  sent  to  Cameron  Memorial,  Denver;  returned  in  1893, 
and  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  Warren  in  his  own  church,  he 
not  being  at  the  Conference  session;  at  La  Junta,  1894;  left  with- 
out an  appointment  in  1895-6  to  attend  school.  His  record  here 
as  a  preacher  justifies  the  hope  that  his  future  will  be  successful. 

H.  R.  Calkins,  a  probationer,  from  the  Rock  River  Confer- 
ence, Illinois;  was  returned  to  Castle  Rock,  where  his  devoted 
companion  died,  March  2^,  1893;  assistant  missionary  of  Hay- 
market  Mission,  Denver,  1893;  was  transferred  to  his  former 
Conference  in  1894.     He  is  a  devoted  minister  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Robert  McIntyre  was  born  in  Selkirk,  Scotland,  November 
20,  185 1 ;  came  with  his  parents  to  America  in  1858,  and  settled 
in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  where  he  learned  the  bricklayer's  trade. 
He  helped  to  rebuild  Chicago  after  the  great  fire.  He  was  con- 
victed of  sin  and  converted  under  the  influence  of  a  sermon 
preached  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Bushong  in  a  Southern  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  February,  1876.  What  seems 
strange  about  this  is,  that  it  was  the  only  sermon  preached  by 
Dr.  Bushong  in  that  church,  and  the  first  time  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  had  attended  services  there.    Surely  God  was  superintend- 


7'HE    THIRD   DECADE. 


553 


ing,  unseen,  the  affairs  of  men.  Previously  he  claimed  to  be  an 
unbeliever  in  the  Christian  religion, — a  doubter, — but  when  God 
sent  a  dart  of  truth  through  his  soul,  he  soon  cried  like  Peter, 
when  sinking  in  the  waters  of  Galilee,  "Lord,  save  me,"  and  so 
earnestly  did  he  plead  that  he  was  saved.  With  Job  he  could  say, 
"I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,"  and  blessed  be  God  he  is  saved 
yet!  He  says,  "That  is  one  of  the  things  that  I  do  know."  He 
entered  the  Illinois  Conference  in  1877,  where  he  remained  eleven 
years,  doing  the 
hard  work  of  an 
itinerant  preacher. 
He  was  three 
years  at  Grace 
Church,  Chicago, 
and  five  years  at 
Trinity,  Denver, 
Colorado.  He  was 
transferred  back 
to  the  Rock  River 
Conference  i  n 

1896,  and  assumed 
the  pastorate  of  a 
new  church  in  the 
city  of  Chicago. 
He  is  loyal  to 
the  authorities  of 
the  Church,  going 
where  he  is  sent, 
preaching  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Bible  as  taught  by  the  fathers,  for  the  salvation  of 
men.  The  truths  which  saved  him  he  proclaims  to  others  with- 
out fear  or  favor. 

He  has  traveled  extensively  in  foreign  lands,  and  freely  uses 
the  knowledge  gained,  in  the  pulpit  and  on  the  platform.  He  is 
a  wonderfully  entertaining  preacher  and  captivating  lecturer; 
has  few  equals  in  the  pulpit  or  on  the  platform.  His  pastorate 
of  the  Trinity  Church  was  eminently  successful,  and  he  is  held  in 
loving  remembrance  by  his  former  parishioners  and  Conference 
associates. 


ROBERT  McINTYRE. 


554 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


God  be  with  him  and  all  of  Christ's  ambassadors  until  the  end 
comes,  is  the  prayer  of  the  writer! 

The  University  of  Denver,  in  1894,  gave  him  the  honorary 
degree  of  D.  D. 

John  R.  Shannon,  from  the  Cincinnati  Conference,  was  born 
at  Hillsboro,  Ohio,  June  17,  1857;  converted  when  young;  gradu- 
ated from  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  in  1878,  and  received 
the  degree  of  A.  M.  therefrom  in  1880;  also  the  same  degree  from 

the     Syracuse     University,     New 
York,  in   1889,  and  Ph.  D.  also 
from  the  above-named  institution 
in  1890=     The  University  of  Den- 
ver conferred  on  him  the  degree 
of  D.  D.  in  1894.    He  entered  the 
Cincinnati    Conference    in     1878. 
He  was   married  to   Miss  Jennie 
^^^^^ '**^^^^^^       McCord,  of  Oxford,  Ohio,  April 
^^^^^^^^I^^B^^Bp.      9,  1884.    Was  transferred  and  ap- 
■^^^^^^F^^HHHR '      pointed  to  Trinity  Church,  Louis- 
^^^^^^^^^^  ^^^Kt^        ville,  Ky.,  in  1885;  was  transferred 

back  to  Ohio,  and  appointed  to  a 
pastorate  in  Springfield,  in  1888, 
where  he  remained  until  1891, 
when  he  was  transferred  to  Colo- 
rado, and  appointed  to  Grace 
Church,  Denver.  In  this  field  he 
remained  the  full  five-year  term.  At  the  session  of  1896  he  took 
a  supernumerary  relation.  Pie  is  now  in  Europe,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  pursuing  an  advanced  course  of  study. 

Brother  Shannon  is  an  excellent  scholar,  a  very  instructive 
preacher,  and  fills  acceptably  the  pastorates  to  which  he  is  as- 
signed. 


JOHN  R.  SHANNON. 


Those  received  on  trial  were: 

W.  Arthur  Noblk,  who  was  elected  to  deacon's  and  elder's 
orders,  under  the  missionary  rule,  and  sent  as  missionary  to 
Korea. 


THE   THIRD  DECADE.  555 

Samuel  J.  Rogers,  appointed  to  Poncha  Springs;  then  a 
missionary  in  Wyoming  in  1893-5;  left  without  appointment  to 
attend  school  in  1896.  He  was  ordained  deacon,  under  the  mis- 
sionary rule,  in  1893. 

C.  H.  Stevenson;  Alamosa  and  La  Jara,  1892;  Meeker,  1893; 
was  transferred  to  the  Northwest  Kansas  Conference,  1894. 

Daniel  B.  Vossellor;  returned  to  Julesburg,  which  he  had 
served  as  a  ''supply;"  Sterling,  1893;  Loveland,  1894-5;  Long- 
mont,  1896.  Though  a  giant  in  stature,  he  is  in  feeble  health. 
He  is  an  able,  earnest  preacher  of  the  word  of  life. 

Charles  W.  Harned;  Highlands,  Denver,  1892;  Central 
City,  1893-4;  Idaho  Springs,  1895-6.  He  succeeds  well  as  a  pas- 
tor and  preacher,  and  will  do  more  and  more  good  in  the  blessed 
work  of  the  Master  as  the  years  roll  on. 

Sherwood  A.  Webber  was  born  in  Van  Wert,  Ohio,  but 
grew  to  man's  estate  in  Penfield,  where  he  was  converted  Janu- 
ary 16,  1880;  came  to  Colorado  in  1887,  and  taught  the  Brown- 
ville  school,  above  Silver  Plume,  for  three  years,  making  ten 
years  of  teaching.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Grace  Tregon- 
ning,  of  Silver  Plume,  June  3,  1890.  In  June,  1891,  he  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  the  Grand  Junction  Quarterly  Conference, 
and  placed  in  charge  of  Fruita  Circuit  as  a  supply;  was  placed  at 
Aspen  Junction  Circuit,  1892-3;  Breckenridge,  1894;  Mosca  and 
La  Jara,  1895-6,  where  he  has  had  a  blessed  work  of  grace,  re- 
sulting in  the  conversion  of  sinners  and  upbuilding  of  believers. 
He  is  making  a  good  record  as  an  "ambassador"  for  the  Master, 
and  has  promise  of  a  very  useful  future. 

William  John  was  born  in  South  Wales,  England,  in  1847; 
came  with  his  parents  to  the  United  States  in  1861.  The  voyage 
was  remarkable,  in  that  they  started  in  the  Great  Eastern,  which 
became  disabled,  and  returned  to  East  Liverpool ;  thence  they 
sailed  in  the  Norwegian  to  Quebec,  Canada,  from  which  place 
they  went  direct  to  New  York,  and  then  to  Pennsylvania.  For 
a  short  time  he  supplied  works  in  the  Philadelphia  Conference. 
He  reached  Denver,  Colorado,  November  5,  1888,  and  engaged 
in  business  for  a  time.  He  then  supplied  Sterling  a  part  of  two 
years;  was  admitted  into  full   connection,   1896.     He  has  just 


>56 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


closed  five  years'  time  at  Rockvale,  where  he  did  good  work  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord.  In  1896  he  was  sent  to  South  Park  Cir- 
cuit. Brother  John  is  a  faithful  pastor,  and  so  preaches  the  Word 
as  to  attract  the  people  to  his  services.  He  is  a  good  man,  and 
greatly  beloved. 


The  following  were  ordained  as  elders:  Tilmon  Jenkins,  Mc- 
Kendree  A.  Casey,  William  L.  Bailey;  and  as  deacons,  Charles 
C.  P.  Hiller,  Edgar  White,  Harvey  R.  Calkins,  Charles  W.  Huett, 

Fred  T.  Krueger,  John  Brunton, 
and  David  S.  Gray. 

Fourteen  men  were  employed 
as  ''supplies"  on  the  different 
charges,  many  of  which  were  new, 
and  furnished  only  a  very  meager 
support.  Among  those  thus  en- 
I  gaged,  not  mentioned  elsewhere, 
were: 


Henry  Harpst,  who  began 
preaching  at  Pagosa  Springs, 
1892.  In  September,  1893,  he  vis- 
ited his  son  at  Hotchkiss,  which  is 
located  in  the  Valley  of  the  North 
Fork  of  the  Gunnison,  in  Delta 
County.  Here  he  found  a  region, 
wii^LiAM  JOHN.  sixty  miles  by  twenty,  without  a 

minister,  church,  or  Sunday- 
school,  except  a  small  one  taught  by  a  young  lady  on  Rogers's 
Mesa. 

On  the  first  Sabbath  in  October  he  organized  a  Methodist 
Episcopal  Sunday-school  at  Hotchkiss,  and  soon  after  another  at 
Paonia.  He  began  preaching  at  once  at  several  points,  but 
principally  at  the  above-mentioned  places.  The  first  Sabbath  in 
April  following,  he  organized  the  first  society  in  this  valley,  at 
Hotchkiss,  with  three  members.  Not  long  after,  another  at 
Paonia.  God  blessed  his  labors.  At  the  Conference  session  in 
1895  ^^  reported  yd  members  and  22  probationers;  2  Sunday- 


THE    THIRD   DECADE.  557 

schools,  with  16  officers  and  teachers,  and  150  scholars;  2  par- 
sonages, I  valued  at  $850,  and  the  other  at  $150. 

The  ''North  Fork  Circuit"  was  formed  in  1895,  to  which  Rev. 
J.  W.  Martin  was  sent.  God  crowned  his  labors  with  success  in 
the  conversion  of  sinners  and  sanctification  of  believers. 

Other  places  were  supplied  as  below:  Ri-dgeway  and  Dallas, 
Fred  L.  Davis;  Cripple  Creek,  J.  H.  Montfort;  Pleasant  Prairie, 
A.  H.  Miller;  Jamestown,  H.  B.  Kenny;  Henderson,  F.  A.  Law- 
son;  Burlington  and  Lansing,  J.  W.  Mills;  Yuma  and  Wray,  J.  N. 
Norviel. 

The  Third  Decadk  of  the  Conference  history  closed  with  80 
churches,  valued  at  $999,175;  44  parsonages,  valued  at  $95,625; 
153  ministers,  and  14  supplies;  8,835  members;  1,062  proba- 
tioners; 92  local  preachers;  116  Sunday-schools,  having  1,628 
officers  and  teachers,  and  13,018  scholars  of  all  ages.  Collected 
for  Missions,  $10,233.  This  makes  an  increase,  in  ten  years,  of 
95  ministers  and  7  supplies;  37  church-buildings,  and  13  parson- 
ages; 5,221  members,  687  probationers,  and  51  local  preachers; 
also  of  58  Sunday-schools  and  920  officers  and  teachers,  and 
6,828  scholars  of  all  ages;  $6,552  for  Missions,  which  includes 
all  collected  for  the  Parent  Society,  and  the  Woman's  Home  and 
Foreign  Societies.  Besides,  during  these  ten  years  large  amounts 
were  given  to  the  University  of  Denver. 

Consider  the  facts  here  made  manifest:  Think  of  it!  Thirty- 
six  years  ago  there  was  but  one  preacher  in  all  this  region,  and 
not  a  Church  or  Sunday-school.  Thirty  years  ago  the  Confer- 
ence was  organized,  with  only  four  members,  in  a  carpenter-shop 
on  the  west  bank  of  Cherry  Creek,  at  the  base  of  these  moun- 
tains. The  following  are  the  names  of  this  little  band:  John  L. 
Dyer,  B.  C.  Dennis,  W.  H.  Fisher,  William  Howbert,  and  two 
probationers,  O.  A.  Willard  and  Charles  King.  The  supplies 
had  been:  A.  P.  Allen,  G.  S.  Allen,  William  Antes,  and  T.  R. 
Kendal.  When  that  first  Conference  adjourned,  nine  men  went 
forth  to  cry,  "Behold!  behold  the  Lamb!"  Now,  when  less  than 
one  generation  has  passed,  over  one  hundred  men  stand  in  Colo- 
rado pulpits,  proclaiming  a  free  and  a  full  salvation.  Surely, 
''There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men,  which,  taken  at  the  flood, 
leads  on  to  fortune."    To  God  belongs  all  the  glory.    Amen! 


XVII. 
PKRSONAIv  PIISTrORY.— CONCIvUDKD. 

In  1883  I  was  sent  to  St.  James  and  Beckwourth  Street,  Den- 
ver. This  arrangement  of  the  charge  lasted  only  for  one  year, 
when  Beckwourth  (now  Fifth  Avenue)  was  attached  to  the  Simp- 
son Mission,  and  St.  James  became,  as  formerly,  a  separate 
charge.  Two  years  of  hard  work  were  spent  here,  which  were 
attended  with  a  blessed  revival  near  its  close,  in  which  fifty  souls 
were  saved.  E.  F.  Miller  did  efficient  work,  as  a  singing  evan- 
gelist, in  this  meeting.  We  had  a  very  prosperous  Sunday- 
school,  under  the  able  superintendency  of  Alfred  Wolff,  Esq. 
Many  incidents  of  deep  interest  occurred  in  connection  with  this 
pastorate.    I  will  mention  but  one. 

A  deathbed  scene  will  not  soon  be  forgotten.  It  was  that  of 
a  wife  and  mother.  To  visit  that  suffering  one  was  a  benediction, 
especially  during  the  last  days  of  her  earthly  pilgrimage.  For 
days  she  seemed  to  dwell  in  the  border-land.  The  Divine  "She- 
kinah"  filled  the  room.  She  was  permitted  to  gaze  within  the 
pearly  gates,  and  converse  with  the  loved  ones  who  had  gone 
before,  and  to  hear  the  **unspeakable"  things!  How  she  longed 
to  depart  and  dwell  with  Jesus!  Yet  she  lingered,  to  the  great 
joy  of  all  who  visited  her.  Her  face  beamed  with  a  heavenly  radi- 
ance. Mrs.  Brook,  the  sister  alluded  to,  closed  her  earthly  career 
full  of  joy  and  hope,  February  6,  1884. 

Our  next  appointment  was  Platteville,  which  had  three 
preaching  places — Platteville,  Lupton,  and  Fleming's  School- 
house  on  the  St.  Vrain. 

The  history  of  the  Churches  in  this  vicinity  is  of  thrilling  in- 
terest. O.  P.  McMains  was  sent  to  the  Burlington  Circuit  in 
1865.  This  was  a  small  village,  situated  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
St.  Vrain  Creek,  about  a  half-mile  south  of  the  present  town  of 
Longmont,  and  was  also  a  stage  station,  where  the  horses  were 

558 


PERSONAL   HISTORY. — CONCLUDED.  559 

exchanged  on  the  Une  of  coaches.  While  on  this  charge  he 
preached  regularly  at,  or  near,  Fort  Lupton,  and  in  a  small  log 
schoolhouse  just  back  of  the  present  residence  of  the  Hon.  F.  W, 
Hammitt,  in  Platteville.  The  "Platte  River"  Circuit  had  no 
regular  pastor  from  1866  to  1869,  when  Gay  S.  Allen,  a  local 
preacher  of  ability,  was  appointed  thereto.  He  stirred  things. 
At  Fort  Lupton  he  had  quite  a  revival,  and  organized  a  small 
class.  This  society  was  the  beginning  of  the  present  prosperous 
Church  in  that  place. 

George  Wallace  was  sent  as  the  next  preacher  for  this  valley, 
and  in  1872  the  veteran,  John  L.  Dyer,  followed  him,  and  re- 
mained two  years.  Then  came  the  writer,  with  John  L.  Aloffitt 
as  assistant  pastor,  having  a  charge  that  covered  the  valleys  of 
the  Platte,  St.  Vrain,  Boulder,  Coal  Creek,  and  Left  Hand.  After 
this  the  charge  included  only  the  part  of  the  Platte  Valley  lying 
north  of  Denver  and  the  lower  St.  Vrain.  These  were  followed 
in  the  pastorate  by  F.  C.  Booth,  1875;  E.  C.  Dodge,  1876.  It  was 
first  called  Platteville  Circuit  in  1877,  with  John  Collins  pastor. 
He  was  followed  by  A.  N.  Field,  who  started  and  secured  the  in- 
closure  of  the  Fort  Lupton  Church,  on  ground  partly  donated  by 
Ex-Governor  Evans.  H.  L.  Beardsley  served  the  charge  in 
1879-80.  He  had  the  new  Lupton  church  plastered  and  supplied 
with  temporary  seats  and  furniture;  raised  the  funds,  bought, 
paid  for,  and  fitted  up  the  first  parsonage  at  Platteville,  which 
made  a  comfortable  home  for  the  pastors  for  seven  years.  The 
next  two  years  B.  B.  Dundass  was  pastor,  and  by  a  great  effort 
on  his  part  and  that  of  the  people,  built  the  church  in  Platteville, 
with  the  assistance  of  a  loan  of  $500  from  the  Church  Extension 
Society.  Then  came  the  faithful  laborer,  W.  H.  Greene,  for  two 
years,  when  the  writer  followed  for  four  years,  1885-9. 

About  a  year  after  becoming  settled  in  Platteville,  my  heart 
became  specially  burdened  for  souls,  and  I  longed  to  see  a  sweep- 
ing revival.  For  this  I  prayed  day  and  night;  but  a  leader  of  the 
music  was  greatly  needed.  Where  was  he  to  come  from?  My 
cry  was,  ''O  God,  send  us  a  singer!"  How  strangely  God  an- 
swered that  prayer!  On  the  last  Wednesday  evening  of  Novem- 
ber, just  after  the  prayer-meeting  began,  there  walked  into  the 
church  a  tall,  light-complexioned,  intelligent-looking  man,  who 
36 


560  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

wore  glasses,  and  was  dressed  in  a  corduroy  suit.  He  took  a 
seat  close  up  to  those  present,  though  a  stranger  to  all.  He  sang 
when  others  sang,  and  kneeled  when  others  kneeled.  Near  the 
close  I  invited  him  to  speak  a  word  for  Jesus.  He  arose,  and  told 
in  a  very  humble  manner  of  a  wonderful  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  which  had  come  upon  him  a  month  before  at  the  People's 
Tabernacle,  in  Denver,  under  the  labors  of  Mrs.  Jennie  F.  Will- 
ing, and  further  expressed  a  desire  to  do  something  for  the 
Master.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting  I  invited  him  to  call  at  the 
parsonage  at  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning.  He  was  on  time 
promptly.  An  interesting  conversation  ensued  until  dinner  was 
ready.  He  gave  me  his  name  and  address,  and  stated  that  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Twenty-third  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church, 
Denver.  Business  called  him  away  that  same  afternoon.  I  said 
to  him  when  leaving,  ''Perhaps  God  wants  you  to  help  me  in  my 
meetings,"  Days,  weeks,  and  a  month  passed  by;  and  I  could 
not  keep  that  singer  in  Denver  out  of  my  mind;  but  T  queried 
whether  a  staunch  Presbyterian  could  adapt  himself  to  Meth- 
odist usages  in  a  protracted-meeting.  I  felt  that  I  wanted  him 
to  come,  yet  I  hesitated  about  writing  for  him  to  do  so,  for  fear 
it  might  be  a  mistake.  I  kept  praying  that  a  singer  might  be 
sent.  Finally  the  burden  became  so  heavy  I  decided  to  begin, 
using  our  home  talent,  unless  God  should  send  me  some  one. 
Twice  I  seated  myself  to  write  for  him  to  come  on  at  once,  but 
each  time  my  pen  fell  from  my  hand,  as  something  seemed  to 
say  to  me,  ''Do  not  write.  God  will  provide."  I  could  write  on 
other  subjects,  but  not  on  this.  There  were  no  apparent  indica- 
tions of  a  revival;  yet  I  could  not  rest  until  an  effort  was  made. 
I  was  anxious  for  the  fray;  hence  meetings  were  begun  December 
27,  1886.  For  some  time  I  had  had  the  impression  that  God 
would  give  me  at  least  one  hundred  souls  that  Conference  year. 
The  fourth  night  of  the  meeting,  as  I  arose  to  announce  the  open- 
ing hymn,  who  should  walk  into  the  Church  but  that  tall  man 

in  the  "corduroy  suit."     I  at  once  said,  "Brother  W ,  please 

come  forward  to  the  organ,  and  lead  the  singing."  He  complied, 
and  the  congregation  was  delighted.  During  the  next  thirty- 
three  days  he  remained  nearly  all  the  time,  singing,  praying,  and 
testifying,  as  the  Spirit  gave  him  utterance.    His  days  were  prin- 


PERSONAL  HISTORY. — CONCLUDED.  56 1 

cipally  spent  in  visiting  from  house  to  house,  and  praying  with 
the  people.  About  thirty  souls  were  converted,  and  a  few  were 
sanctified. 

At  Fort  Lupton  death  and  removals  had  depleted  the  mem- 
bership until  only  eight  remained.  Two  of  these  lived  so  far 
away,  that  they  never  got  to  Church.  Two  others  were  elderly 
people,  who  could  seldom  attend.  Two  more  were  invalids.  An- 
other lived  seven  miles  out,  and  was  necessarily  not  there  very 
often.  Only  one,  a  sister,  was  regular  in  her  attendance;  but  she 
was  never  known  to  take  any  part  in  public  meetings.  This  was 
the  condition  of  things  there  at  that  time.  The  meetings  were 
begun  February  6,  1887.  The  congregations  were  good  from  the 
very  start.  Mrs.  Rufus  Reynolds  led  the  singing.  There  were 
nine  seekers  at  the  altar  at  the  first  call,  and  none  to  pray  for 
them  but  the  pastor.  It  was  then  that  I  learned  what  it  meant  to 
lean  wholly  on  God  for  help,  as  never  before  under  such  circum- 
stances. There  were  no  helpers,  except  in  the  music.  After  the 
first  week,  O.  L.  Ramsey,  a  zealous  worker  and  singer,  came 
down  from  Denver  to  assist.  For  nearly  two  weeks  he  did  good 
through  his  singing  and  exhortations,  when  he  left. 

Rev.  D.  L.  Rader,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  personal 
friends,   came   and   preached   five   times,   with   excellent   effect. 

Brother  W ,  who  had  been  at  Evans  helping  Brother  G.  S. 

Oliver,  the  pastor,  came,  and  was  a  great  help  during  the  last 
two  weeks  of  the  meeting.  God  gave  us  blessed  results.  About 
seventy  souls  were  converted,  nearly  all  heads  of  families.  The 
meetings  closed  March  6th.  A  few  days  before  that  date,  that 
tall  brother  joined  the  itinerant  host,  under  the  tutorship  of 
N.  A.  Chamberlain,  presiding  elder,  where  he  has  remained  most 
of  the  time  since.    He  is  now  known  as  the  Rev.  John  R.  Wood. 

Three  or  four  months  before  the  revival  at  Lupton,  a  young 
man,  living  seven  miles  away,  mounted  an  unbroken  ''broncho" 
one  Sabbath,  and  rode  over  to  Church,  "just  for  the  fun  of  the 
thing."  This  was  a  very  unusual  course  for  him.  One  was  just 
about  as  wild  as  the  other.  The  services  were  begun  when  he 
entered  and  took  a  back  seat.  I  saw  that  he  was  a  stranger,  and 
felt  drawn  toward  him  during  the  entire  discourse.  God  sent 
the  truth  to  his  heart  so  deeply,  that  he  never  got  rid  of  it  until 


562  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

he  was  converted,  which  took  place  during  the  third  week  of  the 
above-mentioned  meeting.  Brother  Wood  was  the  immediate 
means  of  helping  him  into  the  gospel  light,  when  he  bowed  the 
knee  as  a  seeker  of  salvation.  For  years  this  young  man  has 
been  attending  school  at  the  University  of  Denver,  and  preaching 
the  gospel  at  the  same  time,  graduating  therefrom.  His  name  is 
Charles  W.  Huett,  now  a  missionary  in  Japan. 

As  soon  as  he  was  "born  of  the  Spirit,"  he  (and  others)  in- 
sisted on  my  going  over  to  the  mouth  of  the  *'Big  Dry"  (near 
where  his  parents  resided),  and  holding  a  meeting  there,  where  no 
religious  service  of  any  kind  had  ever  been  held.  This  meeting 
began  March  14th,  and  ended  April  4th.  Nearly  thirty  souls 
were  saved.  The  result  was,  a  class  and  Sunday-school  were 
organized,  arid  subsequently  a  neat  little  church  erected.  An- 
other whom  the  meetings  helped  into  the  light  of  "the  Son  of 
God,"  was  a  youth  by  the  name  of  Frank  Shea,  who  is  now  an 
active  worker  for  the  Master,  teaching  in  the  Sunday-school,  or 
preaching  the  gospel  every  Sabbath. 

At  the  close  of  this  Conference  year  Lupton  w^as  made  a  sepa- 
rate charge,  with  three  appointments — Lupton,  Big  Dry,  and 
Barr.  The  first  service  held  in  the  latter  place  was  by  the  writer, 
June  2y,  1886,  in  the  waiting-room  of  the  Burlington  &  Mis- 
souri Railroad,  of  which  my  brother,  G.  L.  Beardsley,  was  the 
agent.  The  text  used  was  John  xx,  2^].  There  were  twenty  per- 
sons present.  The  pastors  at  Lupton,  since  the  separation,  have 
been:  Kent  White,  W.  A.  McElphatrick,  S.  A.  Winsor;  J.  W. 
Flesher,  who  built  a  five-room  brick  parsonage;  A.  L.  Chase, 
Jacob  R.  Rader;  C.  A.  Brooks,  1896. 

Late  in  the  summer  of  1887,  the  first  parsonage  in  Platteville 
was  sold,  and  a  six-room  brick  one  built  beside  the  church  under 
the  direction  of  the  writer,  and  paid  for.  The  late  H.  B.  Chamber- 
lain, Esq.,  formerly  of  Denver,  gave  $200,  which  was  applied  on 
the  erection  of  the  kitchen.  Following  this,  the  Platteville  pastors 
were:  B.  F.  Todd,  1889-90;  Thomas  Andrew,  1891-2;  H.  L. 
Beardsley,  1893-5;  A.  B.  Glockner,  1896. 

Arvada. — A  six-room  parsonage  was  begun  here  by  the 
pastor,  H.  L.  Beardsley,  in  1881,  and  completed  by  him  in  1882, 


PERSONAL  HISTORY. — CONCLUDED.  563 

all  paid  for.  During  its  construction  he  gave  his  time  almost 
wholly  to  this,  raising  the  funds  and  doing  most  of  the  work. 

The  writer  was  sent  to  Arvada  in  1889,  where  he  found  two 
active  members.  There  were  two  outside  appointments,  Black's 
and  the  Ralston  Crossing,  which  were  filled  every  two  weeks. 
At  Arvada  the  preaching  and  Sunday-school  services  were  held 
in  the  Grange  and  Good  Templars'  Hall.  In  the  summer  of  1890 
a  church  enterprise  was  begun  by  the  writer,  assisted  by  Bishop 
Warren.  The  cellar  was  dug,  foundation  laid,  most  of  the  funds 
provided  for,  and  contracts  for  material  talked  over;  but  he  was 
not  permitted  to  finish  it,  being  sent  elsewhere.  My  successor, 
J.  F.  White,  completed  the  building.  B.  F.  Wadsworth  gave  the 
ground  and  a  liberal  subscription;  besides,  other  friends  helped 
liberally,  and  a  beautiful  house  of  worship  is  the  result.  This  year 
was  a  very  pleasant  one,  and  the  congregations  good.  No  fixed 
allowance  was  made;  yet  the  people  gave  us  a  comfortable  sup- 
port. 

The  pastors  here,  or  serving  here  in  connection  with  other 
points,  have  been:  G.  W.  Swift,  H.  J.  Shaffner,  Gay  S.  Allen, 
N.  S.  Buckner,  R.  H.  Rhodes,  John  Stocks,  W.  H.  Gillam,  C.  S. 
Uzzell,  C.  L.  Libby,  H.  M.  Law,  H.  L.  Beardsley,  A.  W.  Coff- 
man,  A.  D.  Hammitt,  H.  L.  Wriston,  J.  R.  Rader,  I.  H.  Beards- 
ley,  J.  F.  White,  R.  M.  Barns;  J.  H.  Merritt,  1894-6. 

In  1890  I  was  sent  to  Loveland,  where  there  was  a  good  soci- 
ety, church,  and  parsonage,  with  a  small  debt  on  the  property. 
The  Lord  gave  us  good  audiences,  and  some  additions  to  the 
Church.  The  people  had  a  very  warm  place  in  our  hearts.  In 
October  of  that  year  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Good  Templars,  of  Colorado,  elected  the  writer  to  represent  it 
in  the  Supreme  Lodge  of  the  World,  which  was  to  meet  in  May, 
1891,  at  Edinburgh,  Scotland.  This  necessitated  my  leaving  the 
last  of  April  for  New  York,  so  as  to  sail  on  the  Servia  the  9th  of 
May,  at  six  o'clock  A.M.  After  a  very  pleasant  passage  of  eight 
days,  we  landed  at  Queenstown,  Ireland,  at  one  o'clock  A.  M.  of 
May  17th.  A  brief  run  through  Ireland,  visiting  Cork,  Blarney 
Castle,  Dublin,  Belfast,  and  many  other  historic  points,  was  full 
of  interest.     Then  we  crossed  the  Irish  Channel,  and  landed  at 


564  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Stranraer,  Scotland.  While  standing  on  the  pier  waiting  for  my 
traveling  companion,  a  medium-sized,  pleasant-looking  gentle- 
man expressed  great  concern  as  to  what  the  young  people  of 
Ireland  were  to  do,  since  the  Government  positions  were  all  full, 
and  there  was  little  or  no  employment  at  home.  Looking  him 
squarely  in  the  face,  with  great  soberness  I  remarked,  "In  our 
country,  when  there  is  an  overproduction  we  stop  the  manufac- 
ture. If  you  do  that  in  Ireland,  the  problem  will  be  solved." 
He  looked  at  me  in  amazement,  wondering  just  what  was  meant, 
when  I  repeated  the  above  statement.  He  stared  at-  me  to  see  if 
I  really  meant  what  I  said,  when  he  saw  that  I  seemed  deeply  in 
earnest,  he  threw  both  arms  above  his  head,  exclaiming,  ''Impos- 
sible! Impossible!"  roaring  in  laughter. 

Then  followed  a  visit  to  Ayr,  Glasgow,  the  lakes  and  High- 
lands of  Scotland.  A  week  was  spent  in  attending  to  the  business 
of  the  Order  in  Edinburgh.  The  many  sights  of  interest  here 
were  not  overlooked,  though  we  had  seen  them  all  nineteen 
years  before. 

I  will  mention  a  few  of  the  places  visited  in  England :  London 
and  many  of  its  attractions,  though  most  of  my  time  was  spent 
in  the  library  of  the  British  Museum;  Stratford-on-Avon ;  Ep- 
worth,  where  John  Wesley  was  born  and  reared;  St.  x\lbans,  from 
whence  the  writer's  ancestor  emigrated,  in  1635,  with  his  family, 
to  New  England. 

Crossed  the  English  Channel  to  Boulogne,  France,  and  sailed 
on  the  Rotterdam,  reaching  New  York  early  in  July. 

While  pastor  at  Loveland,  I  enlarged  my  /'essay"  on  "The 
True  Sabbath,"  which  the  Northern  District  Conference  had 
previously  requested  published.  The  manuscript  had  been  sent 
off,  before  leaving  for  Scotland,  to  the  publishers,  and  arrange- 
ments made  for  its  publication  in  book  form.  On  my  westward 
journey  I  stopped  at  different  places,  that  I  might  visit  friends 
and  former  associates,  here  and  there,  en  route.  September  found 
me  with  relatives  and  boyhood  friends  in  Illinois. 

On  the  6th  day  of  September,  1891,  I  received,  by  mail,  at 
Altona,  Illinois,  the  first  copy  of  my  little  book,  called,  "The 
True  Sabbath."  My  feelings  can  be  better  imagined  than  de- 
scribed, as  I  gazed  upon  this  work  for  the  first  time.    It  had  cost 


PERSONAL  HISTORY. — CONCLUDED. 


565 


me  so  much  thought  and  research  that  somehow  it  had  become 
a  part  of  myself.  Having  secured  a  supply  of  the  books,  I  visited 
in  succession  the  "Central  Illinois,"  "-Des  Moines,"  "Nebraska," 
and  "West  Nebraska"  Conferences,  where  I  sold  nearly  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  copies.  These  Conference  sessions  over,  I  hastened 
on  homeward. 

On  reaching  Denver,  the  first  week  in  October,  I  was  engaged 
at  once  to  enter  upon  a  lecturing  tour,  in  behalf  of  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Good  Templars,  through  New  Mexico,  Southern 


LOVELAND  METHODIST  EPISCOPAI,  CHURCH  AND  PARSONAGE. 

and  Western  Colorado,  which  I  did,  returning  to  Denver  the  last 
night  of  the  old  year. 

At  the  opening  of  the  new  year,  I  entered  upon  evangelistic 
work  in  the  "City  Missions"  of  Denver,  and  continued  in  this 
until  the  Conference  session  in  June,  1892. 

This  closed  twenty-three  years  of  work  in  connection  with 
the  Colorado  Conference,  and  forty  years  since  my  first  text  was 
taken,  April  18,  1852.  A  year's  rest  had  not  restored  me  to  my 
usual  health,  so  that  in  1893,  the  Conference,  at  my  own  request, 
placed  me  on  the  superannuated  list.  My  nervous  system  is 
shattered  and  hearing  affected,  so  that  I  am  unable  longer  for 
active  work  in  the  ministry. 


XVIII. 

THE  CONKKRKNCKS  OK  1893-4:-5-6, 
AND  OKKERAIv  SUIVLM ARIES, 

1893. — The  thirty-first  session  of  the  Colorado  Annual  Con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  held  in  Trinidad, 
Colorado,  from  June  8th  to  12th,  by  Bishop  H.  W.  Warren,  D.  D., 
in  the  place  of  Bishop  R.  S.  Foster,  who  had  been  unexpectedly 
assigned  to  visit  the  foreign  missions.  This  was  his  second 
presidency  of  the  Conference,  to  which  he  was  welcomed  by 
appropriate  resolutions,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  he  gave 
general  satisfaction. 

None  of  the  presiding  elders'  reports  are  on  file.  Forty-five 
were  transferred  away  from  us;  thirty  of  these  were  to  the  New 
Mexico  Spanish  Mission,  including  the  well-known  superin- 
tendent, Rev.  Thomas  Harwood,  D.  D.;  one  had  died,  and  three 
located.  Sixteen  were  transferred  into  the  Conference,  one  was 
received  on  credentials,  and  three  were  admitted  on  trial.  These 
changes  made  a  decrease  of  twenty-nine,  counting  the  proba- 
tioners, in  the  Conference  membership.    The  transfers  were: 

Claudius  B.  Spenckr,  from  the  Detroit  Conference;  was 
born  in  Livingston  County,  Michigan,  in  1856.  He  completed 
the  high  school  course  at  Howell,  Mich.,  and  went  immediately  to 
the  Northwestern  University,  at  Evanston,  Illinois,  from  which 
he  graduated,  with  high  honor,  in  1881.  He  has  decided  literary 
tastes  and  qualifications,  and  has  been  honored  with  the  degree 
of  D.  D. 

After  serving  two  years  as  pastor  in  the  mining  districts  of 
Lake  Superior,  he  was  sent  to  the  Haven  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  Detroit;  three  years  later  to  Lincoln  Avenue.  Next  he 
was  sent,  by  his  own  request,  with  his  bride,  to  Owosso.  In  1890 
he  was  returned  to  Detroit,  as  pastor  of  the  Preston  Church,  and 
two  years  later  entered  on  the  pastorate  of  Christ  Church,  Den- 
ver, Colorado;  was  appointed  to  Asbury  in   1895-6.     He  was 

566 


THE   CONFERENCES   OF  18(^3-4-5-6. 


567 


elected  by  the  Commission,  and  confirmed  by  the  Book  Com- 
mittee, editor  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Christian  Ad-jocate  in  1892; 
but  served  only  for  a  short  period,  as  the  paper  was  soon  dis- 
continued. The  few  numbers  issued  under  his  supervision 
showed,  however,  marked  ability  in  editorial  work. 

The  General  Conference,  at  its  session  in  1896,  having  author- 
ized the  re-establishing  of  a  paper  in  Denver^  assisted  by  a  liberal 
subsidy  from  the  Book  Concern,  the  Conference  appointed  a 
Publishing  Commission,  which  has  started  the  paper  on  a  sub- 
stantial basis,  with  Brother  Spencer  as  its  editor.  Since  accept- 
ing this,  he  has  resigned  his  Asbury  pastorate,  and  is  giving  his 
whole  time  to  this  new 
work.  Brother  Spen- 
cer is  an  attractive 
preacher,  a  popular  lec- 
turer, and  is  showing 
editorial  ability 
scarcely  second  to  any 
in  the  Church. 

He  was  also  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Ep- 
worth  League,  which 
is  having  such  a  won- 
d  e  r  f  u  1  development 
among  the  young  peo- 
ple of  the  Church  all 
over  this  land.  This 
society  was  organized 
in  Clevleand,  Ohio,  May,  1889,  and  now  has  18,379  Chapters,  and 
1,250,000  members. 


CLAUDIUS  B.  SPENCER. 


W.  E.  C01.LETT,  from  the  Central  Ohio  Conference;  Holyoke, 
1893-4;  La  Junta,  1895-6.  Brother  Collett  is  making  a  commend- 
able record  as  a  loving  pastor,  an  able  preacher,  and  careful  man- 
ager of  Church  interests. 

C.  D.  Day,  from  the  North  Nebraska  Conference;  Castle 
Rock,  1893;  Wyoming  Mission,  1894-6.  He  is  a  young  man  of 
promise,  and  is  doing  valuable  work. 


568 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND   PLAIN. 


Samuel  H.  Kirkbriue,  from  the  Troy  Conference,  was  sta- 
tioned at  Florence,  1893-6.  Brother  Kirkbride  is  **a  workman 
that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed,"  and  is  a  valuable  acquisition 
to  the  Conference. 

William  Plested,  a  supernumerary,  from  the  Des  Moines 
Conference,  who  died  in  great  peace,  July  i,  1893,  at  his  home  in 
Trinidad,  Colorado. 

Columbus  Bradeord,  from  the  St.  Louis  Conference;  Mani- 
tou,  1893;  Aspen,  1894;  left  without  appointment  in  1895  to  at- 
tend school;  given  a  certificate 
of  location  in  1896.  He  is  a 
good  man  and  an  excellent 
preacher. 

Wilbur  F.  Steele,  A.  B., 
S.  T.  D.,  D.  D.,  from  the  New 
England  Southern  Conference, 
was  born  in  Massachusetts  in 
185 1.  His  higher  educational 
training  was  had  at  Syracuse 
and  Boston,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged in  the  pastorate  for  eight 
years,  and  then  in  the  educa- 
tional work  of  the  Church  for 
w.  F.  sTEEi^E.  a  like  term.     In  1889  he  went 

abroad  with  his  family  to  pursue  his  studies  in  Europe,  making 
an  extended  tour  in  the  Orient  in  1892. 

He  was  called  that  year  to  the  chair  of  Biblical  Literature  in 
the  Ilifif  School  of  Theology.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Rosa  B. 
Wood,  May  21,  1874.  Four  children  have  gladdened  their  home. 
Arthur,  a  loving  son,  just  entering  upon  a  promising  young  man- 
hood, was  called  to  his  eternal  home  May  17,  1896,  mourned  by 
all  who  knew  him.  A  kick  from  a  horse  inflicted  serious  injury, 
and  was  the  cause  of  his  death.  He  lingered  for  a  few  days,  was 
restored  to  consciousness,  giving  his  last  rational  words  to  those 
he  loved  best.  His  memory  is  precious.  Brother  Steele  is  a 
consecrated  Christian,  a  thoroughly  evangelical  preacher,  and 


THE   CONFERENCES   OF  18^3-4-^-6. 


569 


an  apt  teacher;  in  fact,  a  good  ''all-around"  publisher  of  the  *'Glad 
Tidings,"  whom  any  Conference  might  feel  honored  to  have  en- 
rolled among  its  list  of  members. 


John  R.  Van  Pelt,  A.  B.,  S.  T.  D.,  was  born  in  Shelby 
County,  Kentucky,  November  10,  1862;  converted  early  in  life; 
graduated  from  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  in  1882;  taught 
two  years,  and  then  entered  the  Boston  School  of  Theology; 
spent  the  second  theological  school  year  at  Garrett  Biblical  In- 
stitute, Evanston,  Illinois;  graduated  from  the  Boston  University, 
Theological  Department,  in  1887.  That  fall  he  joined  the  Illinois 
Conference,  filling  pastorates  for  four  years.  In  1891  he  went  to 
Halle,  Germany,  and  studied  theology  for  one  year.  The  fall  of 
1892  found  him  professor  of  Systematic  Theology  in  the  Iliff 
School  of  Theology  of  the  University  of  Denver.  Colorado.  The 
Boston  University,  in  1893,  after 
examination,  conferred  on  him 
the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Ellen  R.,  daugh- 
ter of  Bishop  H.  W.  Warren, 
December  2y,  1893.  He  fills  ac- 
ceptably the  position  to  which  he 
has  been  called  in  this  new 
"School  of  the  Prophets,"  and  is 
making  an  excellent  record  as  a 
scholarly  professor  and  teacher. 

William  I.  Taylor;  born  in 
Warren  County,  Kentucky;  edu- 
cated at  Ray's  Branch  Seminary, 
Kentucky;    DePauw   University, 
Indiana;  and  Garrett  Biblical  In- 
stitute;   converted    in    1869;    li- 
censed to  preach  in  1877;  entered  the  Kentucky  Conference  in 
the  fall  of  1882;  was  transferred  to  the  North  Indiana  Conference 
in  1886,  and  then  to  Colorado  in  1893,  having  supplied  Lamar  for 
two  years;  at  La  Junta  in  1893,  where  he  had  a  good  revival; 


W.  I.  TAYLOR. 


570 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 


Cameron  Memorial,  Denver,  1894;  and  Georgetown,  1895-6. 
He  is  a  thorough  student,  and  an  excellent  preacher  with  a  good 
record. 


Jacob  T.  Pender,  from  the  Illinois  Conference,  was  born  in 
McLean  County,  Kentucky,  October  24,  1849;  converted  at  the 
age  of  fourteen,  and  called  to  preach  a  year  later;  worked  on  a 
farm  for  wages  in  the  summer,  and  went  to  school  in  the  winter, 
until  he  was  able  to  take  a  collegiate  course  at  Greenville,  Ken- 
tucky; joined  the  Kentucky  Conference  in  March,  1873;  ^^^^ 
years  later  was  ordained  elder  by  Bishop  Bowman,  having  been 

ordained    deacon    two    years 

before.  For  seven  years  he 
traveled  in  that  Conference, 
during  the  days  of  "Recon- 
struction." He  suffered  great 
persecutions,  was  mobbed 
twice  by  the  *'Kuklux,"  and 
often  threatened  by  them,  but 
never  swerved  from  the  line 
of  duty  one  iota.  Paducah 
was  his  last  appointment 
there.  In  1880  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Southern  Illinois 
Conference,  where  he  served 
Enfield,  McLeansboro,  each 
two  years;  Mt.  Carmel,  three 
years;  Lebanon,  one  year;  and 
then  was  transferred  to  the  Illinois  Conference.  His  last  appoint- 
ment therein  was  Bement,  where  he  built,  without  debt,  a  beau- 
tiful and  commodious  church,  at  a  cost  of  $7,000.  On  account 
of  failing  health,  he  was  transferred  to  Colorado,  November  i, 
1892,  and  appointed  to  Simpson  Church,  Denver,  where  he  re- 
mained one  year  and  a  half,  when  he  was  sent  to  Grant  Avenue, 
Denver,  1894-5.  In  1896  he  was  transferred  to  the  Pittsburg 
Conference.  He  published  the  Methodist  Helper,  a  live  local 
paper,  for  three  years. 


J.  T.  PKNDEK. 


THE   CONFERENCES  OF  iSgj-^-^-d.  57 1 

Few  men  have  taken  hold  more  readily,  or  accomplished  more 
in  the  brief  time  he  was  here,  than  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He 
is  a  good  pastor  and  preacher,  and  had  many  calls  from  his 
brother  pastors  to  assist  in  revival  services  and  for  lectures.  His 
wife  is  the  daughter  of  Rev.  W.  H.  Hanner,  of  Kentucky.  Seven 
children  adorn  their  home. 

L.  E.  Kennedy,  from  the  Southeast  Indiana  Conference. 
His  record  here  reads:  Rifle,  1893;  supernumerary,  1894;  Victor, 
1895,  where  a  new  church  was  built,  36  x  56,  with  a  lecture-room 
16  X  32  feet,  and  the  whole  heated  by  a  furnace.  He  took  a  certifi- 
cate of  location  in  1896.  He  is  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
ability,  and  has  the  elements  of  great  usefulness. 

Rev.  J.  H.  Scott  and  W.  A.  Sage  were  the  founders  of  the 
society  in  Victor,  which,  at  this  writing,  has  a  good  church  edifice 
and  comfortable  parsonage,  though  the  society  is  less  than  two 
years  old. 

S.  B.  Warner,  from  the  Minnesota  Conference,  was  sent  to 
the  First  Church,  Pueblo,  to  which  he  was  returned  in  1894-5, 
and  then  was  transferred  to  the  St.  Louis  Conference  in  1896. 
He  is  a  scholarly,  spiritual,  and  able  minister  of  the  gospel,  and 
made  a  good  record  here  in  a  very  hard  field  of  labor. 

T.  W.  Jeffrey,  from  the  Indiana  Conference;  Leadville, 
1893-6,  where  he  is  very  acceptable  as  a  preacher  and  pastor. 
He  is  a  ''growing"  young  man,  and  promises  much  in  the  future. 

M.  D.  HoRNBECK,  from  the  Illinois  Conference;  Caiion  City, 
1893;  Broadway,  Pueblo,  1894-5;  Boulder,  1896.  He  is  an  able 
preacher  and  efficient  pastor. 

In  the  class  received  on  trial  are  the  names  of: 

Charles  A.  Edwards;  Ordway  in  1893;  attended  school  in 
1894-5;  Lafayette,  1896.  He  has  also  worked  in  the  ''City  Mis- 
sions" of  Denver,  and  stands  well  among  his  associates.  Is 
greatly  beloved  as  pastor. 

Charges  W.  BridwELL;  was  born,  July  25.  1872,  in  Ken- 
tucky, and  converted  at  fifteen  years  of  age;  licensed  to  preach 
at  seventeen;  came  to  Colorado  in  1889,  and  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Denver  in  1893,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.;  united 


572  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

with  the  Conference  the  same  year,  and  was  sent  to  Black  Hawk, 
1893-4;  Holyoke,  1895;  Pleasant  View,   1896. 

At  the  holiness  camp-meeting  held  in  Herring's  Grove, 
"Pleasant  View,"  near  Longmont,  Colorado,  July,  1894,  he  en- 
tered into  the  experience  of  ''perfect  love,"  since  which  time  God 
has  wonderfully  blessed  him  in  preaching  the  gospel.  He  has 
had,  on  different  charges  where  he  has  served,  a  blessed  work  of 
grace,  both  within  and  without  the  Church.  He  is  a  worthy 
young  man,  well  equipped  for  his  life-work,  and  gives  promise  of 
a  successful  future. 

George  B.  F.  HuenE  graduated  from  the  University  of  Den- 
ver in  1894,  and  was  appointed  to  Colorado  City;  Evans,  1895-6. 
His  future  is  bright,  and  promises  great  usefulness. 

1894. — For  the  second  time  the  Conference  met  in  Boulder, 
June  7th  to  nth.  Bishop  S.  M.  Merrill,  D.  D.,  presided.  The 
opening  services  were  conducted  by  the  bishop,  assisted  by  others. 
The  usual  Conference  business  was  completed  in  four  working 
days.  Owing  to  physical  injuries,  caused  by  being  thrown  from  a 
wagon,  the  veteran,  John  L.  Dyer,  was  absent,  to  the  great  regret 
of  his  many  friends. 

During  the  previous  week  a  severe  flood,  caused  by  an  un- 
usual fall  of  snow  and  rain,  had  visited  nearly  every  part  of  the 
State.  The  bridges  had  been  swept  away,  the  wagon  and  rail 
roads  washed  out,  so  that  in  many  places  travel  was  suspended  for 
several  days.  The  waters  had  been  extremely  high  in  the  Boul- 
der Creek,  and  the  town,  as  well  as  the  roads,  bore  evidence  of 
its  destructive  work.  Members  of  the  Conference,  whose  duties 
called  them  early  to  its  place  of  meeting,  went  in  on  the  first  train 
reaching  the  town  after  the  flood.  Many  could  not  get  there  until 
after  the  session  had  opened.  Twenty-six  "absentees"  answered 
to  their  names  on  the  second  morning.  On  the  whole,  a  pleasant 
and  very  enjoyable  session  was  had. 

In  the  list  of  transfers  were: 

Robert  Sanderson  was  transferred  from  the  South  Kansas 
Conference,  and  appointed  to  Idaho  Springs  in  1893;  returned  in 
1894;  Cameron  Memorial,  Denver,  1895;  Fifth  Avenue,  Denver, 


THE   CONFERENCES  OF  1893-4-^-6. 


573 


1896.  He  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  July  28,  1847;  con- 
verted when  ten  years  of  age;  Hcensed  to  preach  at  the  age  of 
sixteen;  came  to  the  United  States,  April,  1873,  and  joined  the 
Vermont  Conference  in  1874;  was  transferred  to  the  Ohio  Con- 
ference in  1883,  and  to  the  Southwest  Kansas  Conference  in  1886; 
thence  to  the  South  Kansas  Conference  in  1892,  from  which  he 
came  to  Colorado  a  year  later.  He 
is  a  thorough  pastor  and  an  inter- 
esting preacher,  and  has  filled  very 
acceptably  the  pastorates  assigned 
him  here. 

C.  A.  Crane,  from  the  Illinois 
Conference;  was  sent  to  Colorado 
Springs,  1894-6,  where  he  had  re- 
markable success  in  the  work  of 
the  Lord.  In  May,  1897,  he  was 
transferred  to  Boston,  and  placed 
in  charge  of  an  important  work 
there. 

Those  received  on  trial  were : 


R.  sa>;derson. 


Herbert  W.  H.  Butler; 
Wray,  1894;  Berkeley  in  1895-6. 
He  was  born  in  Pensford,  England,  November  25,  1866;  con- 
verted in  Australia,  October  7,  1885;  licensed  to  preach  three 
years  after.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  Pain,  August  24,  1893. 
They  landed  in  New  York,  January  17,  1894,  and  seven  days 
later  reached  the  place  of  his  first  pastorate  at  Wray,  Colorado; 
was  ordained  deacon  at  this  session  of  the  Conference.  He  is 
making  a  good  record  as  a  preacher  and  pastor  here.  Has  a 
promising  future. 

William  E.  Perry;  Gunnison,  1894;  Catlin,  1895;  Del  Norte, 
1896.    He  is  a  young  man  of  promise,  and  is  doing  a  good  work. 

Henry  Sutherlin;  Meeker,  1894-5.  This  was  an  entirely 
new  field  when  he  went  to  it,  but  he  succeeded  in  establishing 
a  thriving  society;  was  sent  to  Rockvale,  1896. 

H.  L.  Wriston  was  the  first  pastor  at  Hugo,  1885-7;  Kent 
White,   1888;  E.  E.  Allison,   1889-91.     During  his  pastorate  a 


574  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

small  church  was  erected  at  Hugo.  In  1892,  Cheyenne  Wells  was 
attached,  with  Tilmon  Jenkins  the  pastor,  1892-3.  During  the 
pastorate  of  O.  L.  Orton,  1894-5,  a  neat  church  was  built  at 
Cheyenne  Wells;  F.  F.  Post,  1896. 

A  class  of  fourteen  members  was  organized  at  Steamboat 
Springs,  December  9,  1894,  and  a  Sunday-school  at  the  same 
time,  by  the  pastor,  F.  G.  Boylan. 

The  church-building  at  Jimtown  was  reported  washed  away 
in  the  great  flood  mentioned  and  described  in  the  opening  of  the 
present  session. 

1895. — The  members  of  the  Colorado  Annual  Conference 
assembled  for  its  thirty-third  session  in  Trinity  Church,  Denver, 
June  6th,  at  nine  o'clock  A.  M.,  the  chairman,  Bishop  C.  D.  Foss, 
D.  D.,  conducting  the  devotional  exercises,  and  stimulating  the 
Conference  to  seek  the  purest  and  highest  attainments  in  the 
Divine  life,  through  his  encouraging  words  begotten  of  a  rich 
personal  experience. 

The  business  of  the  session  was  finished  on  the  fifth  day,  when 
one  hundred  and  twelve  men,  not  counting  the  twenty-two  sup- 
plies, went  forth  to  do  the  work  assigned  them. 

The  following  were  received  into  the  Conference  by  transfer: 

John  Columbia  GulIvETTE,  from  the  Minnesota  Conference; 
was  born  in  Dearborn  County,  Indiana,  January  7,  1848;  lived 
with  his  father  on  the  farm  until  nineteen  years  of  age,  attending 
school  during  the  winter,  and  studying  at  other  times,  as  oppor- 
tunity presented.  He  began  teaching  in  the  district  where  he 
was  raised,  and  taught  two  terms  at  the  unanimous  request  of  the 
Board.  He  completed  a  college  course,  and  graduated  from 
Moores  Hill  College,  Indiana,  June  19,  1872.  At  the  close  of 
the  Commencement  exercises,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Hattie  E. 
Sawdon,  of  Aurora,  Indiana,  also  a  member  of  the  graduating 
class.  Afterward  he  studied  medicine,  attending  lectures  at 
Miami  Medical  College,  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Subsequently  he  took 
a  post-gra-duate  course  in  metaphysics,  receiving  degrees  of  A.  M. 
in  1883,  ^"^^  that  of  Ph.  D.  in  1884,  from  the  Illinois  Wesleyan 
University,  at  Bloomington,  Illinois. 


THE   CONFERENCES   OF  l8gj-4-j-6. 


575 


He  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1866; 
was  Hcensed  to  preach  in  1S70;  was  a  supernumerary  from  1875 
to  1878;  was  transferred  to  Minnesota  in  March,  1883;  resigned 
his  charge,  July,  1894,  in  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  and  accepted  the  pas- 
torate of  Montrose,  Colorado;  was  sent  to  Salida  in  1895,  and 
to  Loveland,  1896.  His  work  here 
marks  him  as  a  good  pastor,  an 
interesting  preacher,  and  a  valu- 
able accession  to  the  Conference. 

J.  C.  Horn,  from  the  North- 
west Kansas  Conference,  was  born 
in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  and  came 
with  his  parents,  when  a  small  boy, 
to  Illinois,  where  he  attended  the 
public  schools.  His  advanced  edu- 
cation was  had  at  the  Chillicothe 
Academy  and  at  Lewis  College,  in 
Missouri,  from  which  he  received 
the  degree  of  A.  M.  Twice  he  was 
professor  in  this  last  school,  and 
finally  its  president.  He  was  also 
president  of  the  McGee  College  at 

a  later  period.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  E.  Wallace,  of 
Chillicothe,  Missouri,  in  1874.  He  was  converted  in  1866,  and 
received  on  trial  in  the  Missouri  Conference  in  1876,  where  he 
did  pastoral  work  for  eight  years,  when  he  was  sent  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  South  America  in  1884,  returning  in  1887.  From  1890 
to  1893  he  practiced  law  in  Denver,  Colorado.  He  re-entered  the 
pastorate  in  the  Northwest  Kansas  Conference  in  1893,  and  was 
appointed  to  Lamar,  Colorado,  in  1895,  and  to  Cripple  Creek 
in  1896,  where  he  is  having  good  success.  He  has  shown  here 
the  spirit  of  a  true  itinerant,  and  of  the  "workman"  who  always 
finds  plenty  to  do,  and  does  it.    He  is  a  man  of  fine  ability. 


J.  C.  GUI.I.KTTH. 


M.  F.  Sapp,  from  the  Missouri  Conference;  was  born  in  Owen 
County,  Indiana,  November  12,  1845.     ^^  five  years  of  age  he 
was  left  an  orphan.     His  home,  from  that  time  until  tvv-enty-two 
37 


576 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 


years  of  age,  was  with  a  family  by  the  name  of  Barns.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  State;  was  converted 
within  a  mile  of  where  he  was  born,  at  the  Bethel  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  February,  1863;  received  license  to  exhort 
in  March,  1865;  felt  called  to  the  ministry,  but,  like  Jonah,  fled, 
here  and  there,  to  escape  from  duty.  February  i,  1871,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Alverna  D.  Carey,  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
licensed  as  a  local  preacher  in  May,  1873.  Again  he  rebelled,  and 
fled  to  Arkansas,  thinking  the  Lord  would  not  trouble  him  there. 
While  there  he  was  pressed  into  a  revival-meeting,  where  twenty 

souls  were  converted.  In  1876  he 
returned  to  Northwest  Missouri, 
and  there  consecrated  all  to  God's 
service.  In  March,  1881,  he  joined 
the  Missouri  Annual  Conference, 
and  was  ordained  deacon  by 
Bishop  Warren  in  1882,  and  elder 
by  Bishop  Fowler  in  1885.  His 
appointments  were:  Milton  and 
Corning,  Clearmont,  Skidmore, 
Albany,  and  Bethany.  While  at 
this  last  place,  engaged  in  build- 
ing a  $TO,ooo  church,  his  health 
gave  way,  near  the  middle  of  the 
third  year,  and  he  was  compelled 
to  seek  a  more  congenial  clime  in 
Colorado.  Dr.  Rader,  presiding 
elder,  gave  him  Rocky  Ford, 
which  was  reached  August  8,  1894.  Thence  he  was  sent  to  Colo- 
rado City,  1895-6.  He  has  since  resigned  this  charge,  and  re- 
turned to  his  former  Conference  home.  He  is  zealous  in  the 
service  of  the  Master,  and  does  good  work  wherever  he  goes. 
He  was  a  very  genial,  manly  brother  in  the  gospel.  He  rests 
from  his  labors. 


M.  F.  SAPP. 


F.  G.  BoYLAN,  from  the  Oklahoma  Conference;  Steamboat 
Springs,  1895,  which  was  on  the  very  "outpost  of  Zion."    With- 


THE  CONFERENCES  OF  j8gj-4-^-6.  577 

drew  from  the  ministry  and  Conference  in  1896.  He  was  a  good 
man,  and  did  noble  battle  for  the  Lord. 

W.  R.  Weaver,  from  the  St.  Louis  Conference;  Delta,  1895; 
Montrose,  1896.  God  is  giving  him  power  for  his  work,  and 
causing  him  to  have  marked  success  in  building  up  the  cause  of 
Christ. 

G.  W.  Irwin,  from  the  Southwest  Kansas  Conference :  Monte 
Vista,  1895;  transferred  back  to  his  old  Conference  in  1896. 

John  Joseph  Post,  a  probationer,  from  the  Xew  York  East 
Conference;  was  permitted  to  attend  school;  sent  to  Cheyenne 
Wells,  1896.  He  promises  well  for  a  successful  minister  of 
Christ.    Graduated  from  the  University  of  Denver  in  189 1,  A.  B. 

Thomas  E.  Sisson,  from  the  California  Conference;  Castle 
Rock,  1894-5;  Grand  Junction,  1896.  W^hile  at  Castle  Rock  he 
pursued  a  course  of  study  in  the  Iliff  School  of  Theology,  attend- 
ing to  the  work  of  his  pastorate  at  the  same  time.  He  is  a  stu- 
dent, spiritual,  apt  in  teaching  as  a  preacher,  and  is  making  him- 
self felt  as  a  power  for  good  in  building  up  the  Church  of  Christ. 

Presiding  Elder  D.  L.  Rader  reported  that  a  church  had  been 
completed  at  Ordway,  and  another  was  begun  by  the  society  at 
Catlin. 

The  following  account  of  circuit  work  will  be  interesting: 

"Plateau  Circuit. — Rev.  F.  L.  Davis,  a  supply  in  charge, 
writes:  'The  work  of  this  charge  is  large,  and  demands  a  great 
amount  of  riding  on  the  part  of  the  pastor.  It  covers  a  beautiful 
valley,  sixty  miles  in  length.  There  is  a  population  of  two  thou- 
sand people,  with  a  Church  membership  of  about  fifty.  I  have, 
since  the  nth  of  July  last,  traveled  4,010  miles  in  the  saddle, 
preached  390  sermons,  held  62  cottage  prayer-meetings,  and 
made  506  visits.  There  are  two  Sunday-schools  held  in  the 
valley  the  year  round,  and  five  during  the  summer  months.  We 
have  just  closed  a  series  of  meetings  which  continued  seventy- 
eight  nights,  with  blessed  results. 

"This  year  seventeen  have  come  into  full  membership,  and 
we  have  had  three  conversions.  There  is  preaching  three  times 
every  Sunday,  as  a  rule,  in  some  part  of  the  valley.  We  hold 
services  at  the  following  places:  De  Beque,  Mesa,  Bull  Creek, 


5/8  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

Eagalite,  Collbran,  Hauxhurst,  and  Norman  Mesa.  There  is  a 
great  work  to  be  done  here  among  the  young  people,  there  being 
over  eight  hundred  under  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  We  hope 
next  year  to  build  a  nice  church  in  the  Upper  Plateau  Valley 
near  Eagelite  and  Collbran,  and  in  the  future  one  at  Mesa." 

The  following  were  admitted  on  trial: 

Lewis  C.  Thompson,  who  is  doing  missionary  work  in  Wy- 
oming. 

O.  L.  Orton;  sent  to  Cheyenne  Wells,  1895,  and  to  Littleton, 
1896.  He  has  built  successfully  on  the  walls  of  Zion,  and  has  a 
promising  future  before  him. 

Fred  T.  Krueger;  "supplied"  several  charges,  and  attended 
school  at  the  university.  He  graduated  therefrom  in  1894,  and 
from  the  Iliff  School  of  Theology  in  1897.  He  is  laying  a  broad 
foundation  upon  which  to  build  his  ministerial  character,  and  the 
Church  has  good  reason  to  expect  much  from  him.  He  was  sent 
to  Black  Hawk,  1895-6. 

E.  S.  Holmes;  Silver  Plume,  1895;  discontinued  in  1896. 

J.  W.  Barnhart;  Wet  Mountain  Valley,  1895-6,  where,  under 
God,  he  is  making  it  "bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose."  He  endures 
hardness  as  a  good  soldier,  and  conscientiously  pursues  his  as- 
signed work. 

E.  V.  DuBois,  sent  as  a  missionary  to  New  Mexico,  where 
he  remained  only  a  short  time,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Des  Moines  Conference.  In  1896  he  was  sent  to  Gunnison,  and 
has  since  been  transferred  back  to  Colorado.  He  is  a  promising 
young  man. 

Ora  F.  Merrill;  Sheridan  Lake,  1895-6,  where  he  is  sowing 
the  seed  of  the  kingdom  faithfully  and  successfully,  tie  is  a  con- 
secrated man,  and  will  have  a  growing  future. 

In  1894  the  Colorado  Springs  Circuit  was  organized,  with 
William  A.  Sage  as  the  pastor.  At  the  Conference  of  1895  he  re- 
ported eleven  probationers,  forty-seven  members,  and  two 
churches,  valued  at  two  thousand  dollars,  three  Sunday-schools, 
with  twenty  ofiBcers  and  teachers,  and  one  hundred  and  five  schol- 
ars of  all  ages.  The  name  was  changed  at  this  session  to  Second 
Church  of  Colorado  Springs,  and  Brother  Sage  continued  for 
another  year. 


THE    CONFERENCES   OF  18^3-4.-^-6.  579 

1896. — The  thirty-fourth  annual  session  of  the  Conference 
was  held  in  Leadville,  August  26th  to  31st,  with  Bishop  John  H. 
Vincent,  D.  D.,  in  the  chair.  This  was  its  second  meeting  in  this 
place,  and  is  remarkable  for  its  assembling  during  the  great 
strike  of  1896.  Most  of  the  mines  were  idle  at  the  time,  a  ma- 
jority of  the  miners  were  without  work,  and  business  of  all  kinds 
greatly  depressed;  yet  the  good  people  opened  their  hearts  and 
homes,  and  extended  a  cordial  welcome  to  their  visitors.  The 
air  was  full  of  exciting  rumors,  and  more  or  less  of  apprehension 
was  felt  lest  there  be  a  violent  outbreak.  Still  the  time  passed 
quietly,  and  the  business  of  the  Conference  was  transacted  without 
interruption.  At  its  close  the  following  was  unanimously 
adopted : 

"Resolved,  That  the  Colorado  Conference  hereby  expresses  its  pro- 
found regret  that  the  industrial  situation  in  Leadville  should  at  this 
moment  be  so  unfortunate;  and  we  hereby  express  our  devout  prayer 
that  the  existing  divisions  in  this  beautiful  Cloud  City  may  be  speedily 
settled  in  the  spirit  of  brotherliness,  in  which  each  shall  acknowledge 
himself  his  brother's  keeper,  and  seek  a  basis  of  agreement  not  in  selfish- 
ness, but  in  the  Golden  Rule." 

The  continuance  of  the  strike  finally  resulted  in  violence,  and 
the  calling  out  of  the  State  militia  to  assist  in  preserving  order. 
x\mong  those  whose  services  were  thus  given  was  Raymond,  son 
of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  N.  A.  Chamberlain,  who  contracted  the  disease 
there  that  soon  took  him  from  this  to  his  eternal  home.  He  was 
a  true  son,  a  loving  Christian,  and  a  young  man  of  much  promise. 

This  and  other  like  sacrifices  show  the  need  of  such  action, 
as  was  recommended  in  the  Conference  resolution  just  quoted. 

The  changes  in  the  membership  and  probationers  of  the  Con- 
ference were  as  follows : 

Loss  by  death,  two — namely,  Henry  C.  King  and  Edgar 
White;  by  withdrawal,  three — M.  W.  Hissey,  F.  G.  Boylan,  and 
H.  Carlyon;  by  expulsion,  one — F.  F.  Passmore;  and  by  location, 
five— J.  T.  Musgrove,  L.  E.  Kennedy,  G.  W.  Ray,  W.  P.  Rhodes, 
and  C.  Bradford.  Probationers  discontinued,  three — E.  S. 
Holmes,  W.  H.  IlifT,  and  Noah  Brandybury. 

There  were  also  twelve  transfers  out  of  the  Conference,  mak- 
ing the  losses  of  membership  and  probationers,  twenty-six. 


58o 


ECHOES-  FROM  PEAK  AND   PLAIN. 


The  accessions  were:  Received  by  transfer,  thirteen;  on  trial, 
six;  leaving  a  decrease  of  seven  in  the  number  of  workers  en- 
rolled. 

The  one  item  of  business  that  was  of  interest  to  all,  and  that 
will  influence  largely  the  future  of  the  Church  here,  was  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  commission  to  establish  and  publish  a  Conference 
paper.  This  commission  was  carefully  selected  after  due  con- 
sideration, and  the  success  thus  far  at- 
tending the  new  venture  proves  the 
wisdom  of  the  choice. 

In  the  list  of  the  names  received  by 
transfer  were  three — S.  W.  Albone,  W. 
Murphey,  and  T.  J.  Hooper,  who  were 
engaged  in  the  mission-fields  adjoining 
this  State;  one,  George  R.  Graff,  was 
transferred  for  the  purpose  of  ordination; 
and  one,  John  Whisler,  returned  to  his 
old  Conference  home,  to  be  associated 
in  membership  only  with  his  former  co- 
laborers. 

The  list   of  active  workers  thus   re- 
ceived contains  the  following  names: 
F.  U.  LiLjKGREN,  from  the  California  Conference,  to  take 
charge  of  the  important  Swedish   Mission  Church  in   Denver, 
where  he  is  succeeding  finely. 

H.  M.  Mayo,  from  the  Northwest  Kansas  Conference;  sent  to 
Rocky  Ford.  Brother  Mayo  came  with  a  good  record,  and  by 
his  skill  in  managing  the  interests  of  his  charge,  and  by  his  ability 
as  a  pastor  and  preacher,  has  thus  far  shown  himself  a  worthy 
successor  of  the  men  who  laid  the  foundations  here. 


C.  M.  COBERN. 


Camdkn  M.  Cobern;  born  in  Uniontown,  Pa.,  1855;  con- 
verted when  seventeen  years  of  age,  under  the  preaching  of  Rev. 
A.  B.  Castle,  D.  D.,  of  the  Pittsburg  Conference;  graduated  at 
Allegheny  College,  1876,  and  the  same  year  received  a  license  to 
preach.  For  five  years  he  preached  in  the  Erie  Conference,  and 
then  entered  the  Boston  University,  receiving  the  degree  of 
S.  T.  B.  in  1883.    The  same  year  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 


THE   CONFERENCES  OF  18^^-4-^-6. , 


581 


Miss  Ernestine,  daughter  of  Rev.  A.  N.  Craft,  D.  D.,  of  the  Erie 
Conference,  and  went  immediately  to  Michigan,  Detroit  Confer- 
ence, where  he  was  stationed  successively^  at  Monroe,  Detroit, 
Saginaw,  and  Ann  Arbor.    He  came  to  Trinity,  Denver,  in  1896. 

He  spent  1889-90  in  study  in  Europe,  Egypt,  and  Palestine. 
In  1894  he  received  the  degree  of  D.  D.  from  the  Allegheny  Col- 
lege, and  in  the  same  year  published  "Ancient  Egypt  in  the  Eight 
of  Modern  Discoveries,"  which  is  now  used  as  a  reference  book 
in  many  universities. 

Brother  Cobern  is  a  profound  scholar,  a  superior  preacher  of 
the  Word,  a  skillful  manager  of  Church  finances,  an  organizer 
of  Church  interests,  and  a  very  faithful 
pastor.  By  his  scholarly  addresses  be- 
fore the  university  and  other  audiences, 
and  able  discourses  from  his  pulpit,  he 
has  proven  himself  a  worthy  successor 
of  those  who  preceded  him  in  the  Law- 
rence Street  and  Trinity  pulpits.  The 
Conference  may  well  congratulate  itself 
on  receiving  for  a  member  one  whose 
worth  and  work  will  certainly  commend 
him  to  universal  favor. 


W.  F.  CONNER. 


W.  F.  Conner,  from  the  Pittsburg 
Conference^  was  placed  at  Grant  Avenue, 
Denver.  He  was  born  December  10, 
1852,  in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio;  converted  in  1868,  and  li- 
censed to  preach  in  1873.  He  graduated  from  Mt.  Union  College 
in  1872,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  The  degree  of  A.  M.,  and  that 
of  D.  D.,  were  afterward  conferred  on  him  by  the  same  institu- 
tion.   His  wife  was  Miss  Mary  E.  Taxton,  of  Chambersburg,  Pa. 

Brother  Conner  came  with  a  record  that  commended  him  to 
all  as  a  true  brother,  an  efficient  pastor,  and  a  preacher  of  ability. 
In  his  work  thus  far  he  has  met  the  highest  expectations,  and  is 
greatly  beloved  by  all  with  whom  he  has  been  associated  here. 


O.  P.  Wright,   from  the   St.   Louis   Conference;  at   First 
Church,  Pueblo.     Brother  Wright  came  from  Kansas  City,  in 


582  ECHOES-  FROM  PEAK  AND   PLAIN. 

an  exchange  of  pulpits  with  kev.  S.  B.  Warner.  He  was  a 
stranger  to  his  new  Colorado  associates,  but  in  his  short  history 
here  he  has  shown  that  brotherliness  of  spirit,  that  ability  as  pas- 
tor and  preacher  that  proves  him  a  worthy  brother  and  valuable 
accession.  The  work  in  his  charge  has  been  attended  with  more 
than  usual  success. 

Arthur  H.  Briggs,  from  the  California  Conference;  Grace 
Church,  Denver.  He  was  born  in  San  Francisco,  California, 
January  16,  1859;  converted  in  March,  1881;  licensed  to  preach 
in  the  fall  of  1883,  and  joined  the  Cali- 
fornia Conference  in  1887;  educated  at  the 
Northwestern  University,  and  at  the  Bos- 
ton School  of  Theology.  From  the  former 
he  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.,  and  from 
the  latter  that  of  S.  T.  B. 

He  was  married.  May  26,  1877,  to  Miss 
Edna  Ilif¥,  daughter  of  Mrs.  Bishop  War- 
^^^Ite  s    ren.    Brother  Briggs  is  scholarly,  spiritual, 

^^^k  ^^^   ^H^    tactful,    and    able    as    a    mmister    of    the 

^^^^■^HB^^B  In  his  associations  with  his  brethren 

■^I^IMI^^Hl     of  the  ministry  and  people,  he  is  genial. 

In  his  methods  as  a  preacher  he  is  evan- 

A.  H.  BRIGGS.  .  .  .       ^ 

gelical,  and  in  his  work  here  he  has 
shown  himself  a  ''workman"  indeed,  "that  needeth  not  to  be 
ashamed." 

R.  Eugene  Myers  and  Joel  Smith,  from  the  Oklahoma  Con- 
ference. 

Brother  Mykrs  came  during  the  year  previous,  and  had 
been  attending  school  at  the  university  and  "supplying" 
Brighton;  sent  to  Myrtle  Hill,  Denver.  He  was  a  truly  conse- 
crated Christian  man,  efficient  as  a  pastor,  and  earnest  as  a 
preacher  of  the  gospel.  For  reasons  good,  he  returned  during 
the  summer  of  1897  to  his  former  field  of  labor  in  Oklahoma. 


THE   CONFERENCES  OF  18^3-4.-^-6. 


583 


JoEiv  F.  Smith  came  also  the  previous  year,  and  had  had 
active  work.  He  was  born  November  4,  1863,  in  North  CaroUna; 
was  converted  in  the  fall  of  1872,  and  joined  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  Graduated  from  the  Grant  University,  at  Athens, 
Tennessee,  in  1889,  and  united  with  the  Blue  Ridge  Conference 

preach  at  seventeen,  in 
1887;   had   charge   of 


in  October  following;  was  hcensed  to 
1880;  and  ordained  a  local  deacon  in 
Fairview  College,  at  Traphill, 
North  Carolina,  for  four  years, 
and  then  supplied  Perkins,  Okla- 
homa, a  part  of  one  year.  He  was 
transferred  to  the  Oklahoma  Con- 
ference at  its  organization.  Ap- 
pointments there  were:  One  year 
at  Guthrie;  one  year  and  a  half  at 
Stillwater,  when,  in  March,  1894, 
on  the  death  of  the  presiding  elder 
of  the  Oklahoma  District,  he  was 
appointed  thereto.  In  July,  1895, 
he  resigned  the  district  on  account 
of  failing  health,  and  sought  work 
in  the  Colorado  Conference.  In 
October  following  was  placed  in 
charge  of  Erie  Circuit,  where  God 
abundantly  blessed  his  labors.  In 
1896  he  was  sent  to  Salida,  but  his  health  soon  failed 
but  a  short  time,  when  he  passed  away  triumphantly. 
good  man  and  a  strong  preacher. 


J.  F.  SMITH. 


He  lived 
He  was  a 


Joseph  H.  SinglKTon  was  ordained  deacon,  and  S.  A.  Web- 
ber, G.  R.  Graff,  H.  W.  H.  Butler,  C.  W.  Huett,  and  F.  T. 
Krueger,  as  elders,  at  this  session. 


Interesting  Summaries. 

April  i8,  1859,  when  Bishop  Scott  read  the  appointments  of 
the  Kansas  and  Nebraska  Conference,  he  announced  for  the  first 
time,  "Pike's  Peak  and  Cherry  Valley,"  to  be  supplied.  Two 
weeks  later,  W.  H.  Goode  was  appointed  inspecting  superin- 


584  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

tendent,  and  Jacob  Adriance  missionary  of  this  whole  Rocky 
Mountain  region. 

One  year  later  it  was  called  ''The  Rocky  Mountain  District" 
of  the  same  Conference.  The  General  Conference,  in  May,  i860, 
divided  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska  Conference,  making  two  Con- 
ferences, leaving  this  section  with  the  Kansas  Conference.  In 
this  change  it  retained  its  former  name,  and  was  known  as  the 
"Rocky  Mountain  District"  of  the  Kansas  Conference. 

By  the  authority  of  the  General  Conference  and  of  the  Board 


GRACE  CHURCH,  DENVER. 

of  Bishops,  Bishop  E.  R.  Ames  organized  the  "Rocky  Mountain 
Conference,"  July  10,  1863,  in  the  city  of  Denver,  Colorado.  One 
year  later,  the  General  Conference  changed  the  name  to  "The 
Colorado  Conference,"  by  which  it  is  yet  known.  For  years  it 
included  not  only  Colorado,  but  Wyoming  and  New  Mexico. 

I.  Below  I  give  the  entire  list  of  presiding  elders  from  the 
beginning,  including  the  appointees  of  1896,  with  their  time  of 
service.  The  first  two  named  served  before  the  Conference  was 
organized.  The  list  is  given  in  the  order  of  their  first  appoint- 
ment : 

Number     i.  John  M.  Chivington,  1860-61,  two  years. 

Number    2.  B.  C.  Dennis,  1862-63,  one  year  and  four  months. 


Number 

3- 

Number 

4- 

Number 

5. 

Number 

6. 

Number 

7- 

Number 

8. 

Number 

9. 

Number 

lO. 

Number 

II. 

Number 

12. 

Number 

13- 

Number 

14- 

Number 

15- 

Number 

i6. 

INTERESTING  SUMMARIES.  585 

W.  B.  Slaughter,  1863,  one  year. 

O.  A.  Willard,  1863-64-65,  three  years. 

John  L.  Dyer,  1864-65-66-67-68-69,  six  years. 

W.  M.  Smith,  1866-67-68,  three  years. 

B.  T.  Vincent,  1868-69-70-71,  1892-93-94-95-96. 

A.  Gather,  1868,  one  year,  in  what  is  now  Wyoming. 
George  Murray,  1869-70-71,  three  years. 
L.  Hartsough,  1869,  one  year,  in  Wyoming. 
G.  H.  xA.dams,  1872-73-74-75,  four  years. 

B.  F.  Crary,  1872-73-74-75-76-77-78-79,  eight  years. 
J.  H.  Merritt,  1876-77-78-79,  six  months  of  1884,  1885-86 

87-88-89-90-91,  eleven  and  one-half  years. 
Earl  Granston,  1880-81-82-83,  four  years. 
O.  Jw.  Fisher,  1880,  fourteen  months. 
F.  G.  Millington,  1881-82-83,  1884  for  six  months,  when 
he  resigned.     Three  years  and  one-half. 
Number  17.  N.   A.   Ghamberlain,   1884-85-86-87-88-89,   six  years  and 

two  months. 
Number  18.  Gyrus  A.  Brooks,  1888-89-90-91-92-93,  six  years. 
Number  19.  S.  W.  Thornton,  1890-91-92,  three  years. 
Number  20.  D.  L.  Rader,  1892-93-94-95-96. 
Number  21.  W.  G.  Madison,  1893-94-95-96. 
Number  22.  R.  A.  Garnine,  1894-95-96. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  General  Conference 
Delegates  from  the  organization : 

1864— 

No  Delegates  were  elected.  The  interests  and  records  of  the 
Conference  were  looked  after  by  H.  D.  Fisher  and  Joseph  Denni- 
son,  of  the  Kansas  Conference. 

id>6^— Ministerial. 

Delegate John  Iv.  Dyer. 

Reserve  Delegate William  M.  Smith, 

V  1872 — Ministerial. 

Delegate B.  T.  Vincent. 

Reserve  Delegate ^    George  Murray. 

1872 — Laymen. 

Delegate John  Evans. 

Reserve  Delegate - Samuel  H.  Elbert. 

1876 — Ministerial. 

Delegate B.  F.  Crary. 

Reserve  Delegate George  H.  Adams. 


586  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

1876 — Laymen. 

Delegate . John  Evans. 

Reserve  Delegate.    William  A.  Burr. 

1 880 — MiJi  isterial. 

Delegate = B.  F.  Crary. 

Reserve  Delegate , J.  H.  Merritt. 

1880 — Laymen. 

Delegate John  Evans. 

Reserve  Delegate E.  T.  Ailing. 

1 884 — Ministerial. 

Delegate. Earl  Cranston. 

Reserve  Delegate F.  C.  Millington. 

1884 — Laymen. 

Delegate .John  Evans. 

Reserve  Delegate. E.  T.  Ailing. 

1%'^'^,^  Ministerial. 

°^'^«-*- {^H.'^Mrr- 

Reserve  Delegates .  {  J,  H^.'^^^l^^'Lriain: 

1888 — Laymen. 

^^1^8-*- ^ {johT-^es 

p^o^rv*-  -n^l^o-fli-f^Q  f  Mrs.  O.  L.  Fisher. 

Reserve  Delegates ^^    ^    ^^^.^^ 

1892 — Ministerial. 

{Earl  Cranston. 
N.  A.  Chamberlain. 
S.  W.  Thornton. 

Reserve  Delegates... {t.^*. Yliff""* 

\%^'2— Laymen. 

^^l^g^'- rHorac^T^DeLong. 

Reserve  Delegates.. {J!  E.  ^l^^f ey. 

1 896 — Min  isteria  I. 

I^^l^g-t- {g^nie^rRrder. 

Reserve  Delegates {  g.^^frCarnfe 

1896 — Laymen. 

^^^^■■-■- {^^^^. 

Reserve  Delegates ^.t  Wdl"'""' 


INTERESTING  SUMMARIES. 


587 


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588 


ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN, 


"^bes  rest  from  tbetr  labors;  anD  tbeir  works  &o  follow  tbem/' 


NAME. 


DEATH. 


Geo.  S.  Phillips,  A.  M... 

Mrs.  M.  Shaflfner 

Henry  C.  Waltz 

Mrs.  M.McKeau  Fisher 
Mrs.  C.  W.  Armstrong.. 
Mrs.  E.  E.  R.  Wilson... 

Mrs.  E.  A.  Ivibby.... 

Robt.W.  Manly,  D.D... 

John  Wilson 

Mrs   N.  P.  Eldridge 

Mrs.  M.J.  Eaton 

John  Stocks 

Mrs.  Iv.J.  Bruner 

F.  C.  Millington 

Mrs.  Iv.  P.  Dyer 

C.  C.  Zebold 

Mrs.  S.  A.  Thornton 

Mrs.  Emma  J.  Chase... 
Mrs. Frances  H.Merritt 

Edwin  E.  Allison 

Mrs.  Helen  P.  Calkins.. 

William  Plested 

Mrs.  ly.  E.  Carnine 

Mrs.  H.  O.  Flesher 

Henry  C.  King...; 

Edgar  White 

Mrs.  J.  T.  Musgrove 

John  W.  I<inn 

Joel  F.  Smith 

Benjamin  F.  Todd 

Samuell^.  Todd 


,  1865 

Mar.  21,  1S73 
May  II,  1877 
Feb.  8,  1877 
July  29,  1880 
May  15,  1881 
Feb.  7,  1881 
July  15,  1S83 
Mar.  3,  1885 
Mar.  28,  1885 
July  25,  1885 
Sept.  19,  1886 
Oct.  27,  J  887 
Dec.  27,  1887 
April  9,  1888 
May  9,  1888 
Jan.  8,  1890 
May  22,  1891 
Dec.  8,  1891 
Nov.  9,  1692 
Mar.  27,  1893 
July  I,  1893 
July  18,  1893 
May  18,  1894 
June  30,  1895 
Juty  16,  1895 

,  1896 

Sept.  2,  1896 
Oct.     6,  1896 

,  1896 

,  1896 


Ohio. 

Denver. 

Quincy,  Illinois. 

Greeley. 

Monument. 

Georgetown. 

Wheat  Ridge. 

Wenona,  Illinois 

Denver. 

Cheyenne,  Wyo. 

Colorado  Springs 

Bald  Mountain. 

Indiana. 

Denver. 

University  Park. 

Monte  Vista. 

Denver 

Denver. 

Denver. 

Denver. 

Castle  Rock. 

Trinidad. 

Pueblo. 

Denver. 

Denver,  Colo. 

Erie,  Colo. 

California. 

Leadville. 

Salida. 

Castle  Rock. 

Pueblo. 


CONCLUDING  NOTE.  589 

CONCIvUOINO   NOTE. 

My  task,  which  was  begun  by  the  urgent  request  of  many 
friends,  is  now  completed,  and  I  send  it  forth  on  its  mission  of 
"good-will"  to  men,  believing  that  when  this  ''mortality  shall  have 
put  on  immortality,"  it  will  continue  to  glorify  God. 

The  thoughts  recorded  in  this  volume  have  occupied  my  mind 
so  fully  for  the  last  five  years,  that  I  could  scarcely  think  of  any- 
thing else. 

While  writing  this  book  I  have  lived  my  life  over  and  over 
again.  I  have  seen  many  mistakes — not  necessarily  sins — but 
how  comforting  the  thought  that,  amid  all  our  weaknesses,  *'we 
have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous!" 
(i  John  ii,  I.) 

My  aim  in  this  volume  has  been  to  give  a  view  of  the  itinerancy 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  "rank  and  file,"  hoping  thereby  to 
encourage  some  weary  toiler  on  his  heavenward  journey,  when 
tempted  to  step  aside,  that  he  may  press  on,  doing  the  work 
assigned  him,  until  he  shall  hear  the  Master's  "Well  done!"  before 
the  throne. 

If  one  soul  shall  be  strengthened,  and  lifted  into  a  richer  and 
fuller  religious  experience,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  in  the  reading 
of  this  book,  I  shall  be  amply  repaid  for  the  years  spent  in  the 
direct  preparation  of  the  same.  Dear  reader,  would  you  have  all 
there  is  for  you,  spiritually?  Then  throw  yourself  at  Jesus'  feet, 
and  cry,  like  David,  "Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God;  and 
renew  a  right  spirit  within  me.  W^ash  me  thoroughly  from  my 
sin,  and  cleanse  me  from  mine  iniquity."  (Psalm  li.)  Never! 
O  never!  stop  short  of  the  highest  possible  attainment  in  the 
Divine  life.  Faith  alone  is  the  condition  of  its  bestowment. 
(Ephesians  iii,  14-21,) 

I  began  preaching  eight  months  after  my  conversion,  and  held 
forty  services  that  year,  while  attending  school,  before  I  had 
either  a  license  to  exhort  or  to  preach;  in  fact,  I  traveled  on  a 
circuit  under  the  elder  three  months  before  I  was  authorized  to 
preach  the  gospel  by  the  Church  in  the  regular  way.  Do  you 
ask,  "Has  it  paid?  How  does  it  appear  now?"  My  reply  is, 
"If  I  had  a  thousand  lives  to  live,  they  should  all  be  spent,  as  has 


590  ECHOES  FROM  PEAK  AND  PLAIN. 

been  the  past  one,  in  publishing  to  dying  men  the  'glad  tidings' 
of  a  'free  and  a  full  salvation  from  all  sin.'  " 

It  is  now  a  delightful  reflection,  that  I  have  not  preached  for 
applause,  nor  for  money,  nor  to  please  worldly-minded  professors. 
No!  no!  But  to  save  souls,  and  to  ''present  every  man  perfect  in 
Christ  Jesus." 

"Are  we  sowing  seeds  of  goodness? 

They  shall  blossom  bright  erelong. 
Are  we  sowing  seeds  of  discord? 
They  shall  ripen  into  wrong. 
Are  we  sowing  seeds  of  honor? 

They  shall  bring  forth  golden  grain. 
Are  we  sowing  seeds  of  falsehood? 
^  We  shall  yet  reap  bitter  pain. 
Whatsoe'er  our  sowing  be, 
Reaping,  we  its  fruit  must  see." 

*'We  can  never  be  too  careful 

What  the  seed  our  hands  shall  sow; 
Love  from  love  is  sure  to  ripen. 

Hate  from  hate  is  sure  to  grow. 
Seeds  of  good  or  ill  we  scatter 

Heedlessly  along  our  way; 
But  a  glad  or  grievous  fruitage 

Waits  us  at  the  harvest  day." 


INDEX 


PAGE. 

Abana 208 

Abinadab 187 

Absalom's  Tomb 199 

Abraham's  Oak 189 

Ackland  Place 128 

Acker,  J.  M 371 

Acropolis 211 

A  Close  Call 145 

A  Cowardly  Act 98 

Adair,  J.  M 510,  591 

Adland,  Wm 519 

Adams,  George  H 282,  297 

Adams,  B.  M 259 

Adkinson,  John    276 

Adobe  Church 219,  477 

Adullam 190 

Adriatic  Sea 211 

Advice  Freely  Given 66 

Admissible  Shouting 106 

Adriance,  Jacob 225,  231,  243,  244,  258 

Adriance,  Mrs.  Fanny  H 270 

A  Fishing-party 475 

A  Flue  Blown  Out  With  Powder 471 

A  Forerunner 178 

"Age  of  Reason  "  Cast  Aside. loi 

Aijalon 187 

Aikens,  Captain 220 

Ain  Belat 207 

Ain  et  Tim 206 

Akron 510 

Alamosa 471,  528 

Albone,  S.  W 580 

Albright,  N.  S 383 

Alderman,  E.  G 431 

Alexandria,  Egypt 175 

Aley,  Iv.  C 431,  492 

Allen,  A.  P 240,  247,  257,  272 

Allen,  George 230 

Allen,  E.  L 260,  439 

Allen,  G.  S 272,  334,  542,  559 

Allen,  C.  B 507,  517 

Ailing,  E.  T 260,  400,  431,  586 

Allison,  E.  E 531,  588 

Alma 432,  444 

Alpine 445 

Alps. 


155 

Altar  of  Burnt  Offerings 201 

Altona,  111 564 

A  lyittle  Romance 236 

Ames,  Bishop  E.  R.. .  .56,  62,  TJ,  260, 

261,  272,  284,  584 


PAGE. 

Amsbury,  W.  A 280,  282 

A  Modest  Man  Introduced 436 

Anecdotes  of  J,  I^.  Dyer 291 

Antelope  Herd  , 153 

An  Aggressive  Force 368 

Anderson,  M 509 

Anderson,  Captain 136 

Anderson,  J.  C 241,  360 

Anderson,  J 452 

Anderson,  G 367 

Antes,  Wm 259,  268,  272,  275 

Antes,  H.  B 520 

Antes,  J.  W 533 

Anti-Lebanon 208 

Andrew,  T 540 

Andrews,  Bishop  E.  G.  .410,  494,  541,  543 

Anchor  Line 213 

Animas  City 445,  455 

Angelic  Choir 190 

A  One-legged  Bedstead 236 

Arve 154 

Arvada 271,  368,  436,  533,  562,  563 

Arapahoe 230,  270 

Argo 338,  459,  479,  480,  507 

Arch  of  Titus 162 

Arch  of  Constantiue 162 

Arab  Funeral 177 

Arab  Dwelling 180 

Arab  Plowing 187 

Area  of  the  Centennial  State 223 

Argentine  Pass 340 

Armstrong,  G.  B 442 

Armstrong,  J 422 

Armstrong,  Mrs.  C.  W 588 

Arnzen,  Mrs.  Isabel 252 

Army  Life 115 

Arminian  Convent 199 

Arminian  Pilgrims 202 

Asbury  Church. . .  .332,  376,  427,  463,  533 

Asbury,  Bishop 47 

Arthur,  William 62 

Atherton,  A.  H 62 

Apostolic  Church 437 

Appian  Way I57 

Appointments,  i860  to  1871 .  .238,  273, 

275,  276,  279,  280,  282,  291,  320,  345 

Athens,  Greece 211 

Ashley,  W.  R 266,  552 

Aspen 431.  482,  507 

A  Solitary  Match  Ignited 417 

A  Singular  Reproof 410 

591 


592 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

A  Shoemaker  Jew 56 

A  Thankful  Woman 280 

A  Wedding  in  the  Dark 35 

A  Woman  Robbed 286 

A  Toboggan  Ride 212 

A  Young  Miss's  First  Sermon 407 

Arundel,  A.  W ; 483 

Auraria 219,  221,  356 

Aurora 163 

Austin,  H.  H 539 

A  Wax  Doll 164 

Baalbec 207 

Backsheesh 179,  181,  200 

Baker,  Jim 219 

Baker,  Bishop  O.  C 7i»  278 

Baker,  B.  W 458 

Bald  Mountain 466,  494 

Baldwin,  W.  W 282,  275,  393,  452 

Baltimore  Medical  College 478 

Ball,  G.  W Ill 

Bailey,  J.  W 396 

Bailey,  W.  Iv 5i9)  525 

Bangs,  H 31,  333 

Banias 207 

Bannister,  Dr 245 

Baptism  of  Jesus 161 

Baptist,  John  the 161 

Baptistry 157,  259,  264 

Barr 562 

Barraclough 476 

Barrett,  George 302 

Barkley,  Dr 201 

Bardstown  Junction 123 

Barns,  R.  M 536 

Barnhart,  J.  W 578 

Barnes,  A.  G 219,  220 

Barker,  A.  H 221,  229 

Bascom,  N 534 

Barton  House  Burned 309 

Bathing 186,  191 ,  193 

Battle  Impending 120 

Battle  in  Front  of  Nashville,  Tenn.   127 

Battle,  the  First  Day 129 

Battle,  the  Second  Day 131 

Battle,  the  Third  Day 135 

Battle-field  of  Stone  River 145 

Baxter,  C.  L. 539 

Bayliss,  Dr 449 

Basalt 516 

Beardsley,  D.  A 37 

Beardsley,  H.  L, 9,  79,  423 

Beardsley,  Melville  Cox 426,  467 

Beardsley,  Gideon  I^ 562 

Bear  Creek 314 

Bear-pits 154 

Bear-hunt 341 

Bear  Canon  Church 491 

Beard  OflFensive 98 

Beatty,  W 395 

Beattj',  Mrs.  John 91 

Becker,, 235 

Beckwourth  Street  Church 377,  424 

Bedouins 207 


PAGE. 

Beggs,  F.  S 494,  551 

Bent,  Col 219 

Bema  of  Demosthenes 211 

Bennett,  Mrs.  P.  S 404 

Bennett,  Miss  Ella 429 

Bell's  Two  Hundred  Dollars 362 

Bell  Rang  Early 311 

Bell,  Dr 455 

Beit  Jann 207 

Berea,  Ohio 99 

Berkeley , 3«i 

Berne,  Switzerland. 154 

Berry,  R 388 

Berlin 213 

Bethel 202 

Bethel  Cottage 404 

Betts,  George  C 362 

Bethlehem 189,  199 

Berthoud  Pass 337,  340 

Bewley,  W.  M 271,  510,  527 

Bessemer 540,  544 

Beyrout 185,  210 

Bezetha 199 

Bible  Would  Destroy  My  Business. .  310 

Big  Dry 523,  527,  562 

Birth  of  Protestantism 158 

Biscuit  Wanted 338 

Billingsly,  A.  S 244 

Bishop,  S.  E 381 

Bishop,  J.  P 521 

Bithel,  Tho 379 

Bittner,  E.  F.  A ' 544,  545 

Black  Hawk 469,  533 

Black,  Miss  Susan 340 

Black,  Miss  Hattie 340 

Black,  John 340 

Black-tongue 308 

Blake,  Isaac  E 511 

Blackburn 147 

Blodgett,  C.  W 413 

Bloom,  Frank 476 

Blood  Will  Tell 352 

Blue  River 340 

Boies,  J 453 

Bolivar,  Ohio : loi 

Boiling,  W.  T 386 

Booth,  F.  C 559 

Bologne 156 

Bosworth,  R.  W 346 

Boulder 270,  332,  334,  538,  539 

Bowling  Green 124 

Bowman,  Bishop  T 420,  506 

Bowman,  Mrs.  J 333 

Bouton,  W.  S 50 

Bottomless 262 

Bourquin,  Miss  Emma 510 

Boyer  Family 67 

Boylan,  F.  G 576 

Bradford,  Major 235,  255 

Bradford,  Wm 241 

Bradford,  C 549,  568,  579 

Bradway ,  Miss  E 532 

Brandybury,  N 540,  579 

Bragg,  Gen 124 


INDEX. 


593 


PAGE. 

Bray,  M 75 

Brainard,  W.  V.  0 57 

Bread  Cast  Upon  the  Waters 181 

Brick  Arches 164 

Breed,  W.  J 139 

Bridwell,  C.  W 519,  571 

Briggs  Mission 382,  516 

Briggs,  A.  H 582 

Brewer,  C.  W 260,  483 

Bratton,  J.  D 545 

Bridge  of  Sighs 156 

Brindisi 175 

Brooks,  E.  C 260,  324,  330,  345 

Brooks,  C.  A 271,  352,  422 

Brooks,  Mrs.  A.  C 353 

Brook,  Mrs 558 

Brooker,  L, 371 

Broomfield 422 

Brenner  Pass 212 

Brothers,  David 479 

Broadway  Heights 380 

Broadway,  Pueblo 528 

Brown's  Bridge 314 

Brownson ,  John 377 

Bruin  Defiant 340,  341 

Bruner,  A.  B 507 

Bruner,  Mrs.  I,.  J 588 

Brocket,  J 220 

Burr,  Wm.  A 586 

Burt,  D.  W 512,  544 

Brown,  J 213 

Brown,  Aunt  Clara 222,  358 

Brown,  H.  C 360 

Bross,  Gov 252 

Bronco-breaker  Caught 561 

3runs,  H 373 

Bryan  Circuit 62 

Buena  Vista 444,  460,  464 

Buckner,  N.  S :. . .  260,  346 

Buchtel,  H.  A 499 

Bunker  Hill 366 

Burgess,  M.  M 74 

Bufifaloes 334 

Bullets  Whizzed 128,  132 

Buckhorn  Circuit 510 

Buckeye,  R.  E 454,  510 

Buoy,  C.  W 375,  462 

Burnell  Springs 251 

Bumell,  J.  M 353 

Burton,  H 360 

Bursting  Shells 129 

Burlington  Circuit 527 

Bush,  J.  D 385 

Butcher,  James 149 

Bunyan,  John 213 

Butler,  H.  W.  H 573 

Byers,  W.  N 388 

Byron,  I,ord 155,  157,  159,  161, 

162,  163,  210 

Cage,  G.  A.  W 543 

Cairo 176 

Caique 210 

California  Street  Church.  ...331,  366,  369 


PAGE. 

Calkins,  H.  R 552 

Calkins,  Mrs.  H.  P 588 

Calfee,  D.  W 520 

Calvin,  John 154 

Camp 261,  312,  337 

Camp  Chase 149 

Camp-meeting 36,  333 

Campanile 156 

Cameron  Memorial 379 

Cana  of  Galilee 205 

Canal  Dover,  Ohio no 

Canon  City 256,  259,  260,  322,  438 

Canon,  R 241 

Cane  Presentation 482 

Capernaum 206 

Campo  Santo 156 

Capitol  Changed 392 

Captain  Wounded 134 

Caribou 418,  510 

Carbon,  Wyoming 520 

Carlton  Hill 133 

Carrol  Schoolhouse 147 

Carroll,  F.  B 385 

Carlyon,  H 579 

Carmel 204 

Carnine,  R.  A 547 

Camine,  Mrs.  R.  A 588 

Castle  of  Chillon 154 

Carter,  Alexander 226,  231,  356 

Carter,  W.  T 360 

Carson,  Kit 219 

Carpenter-shop 359 

Castle,  P.  C 312 

Castle  Rock 510,  520 

Castle  of  St.  Angelo 162 

Catacombs 159,  160 

Catskill  Mountains 20 

Cather,  A 290,  452 

Carpenter,  H.  A 431 

Cattle  King 323 

Cathedral  Cave 319 

Cave  of  Machpelah 189 

Cave  City 124 

Case,  W.  B 312 

Case,  A.  B 388 

Casey,  M.  A 479,  534 

Caughlan,  J.  W 270 

Carnahan,  B 519 

Central  City 221 

Cesarea  Philippi 297 

Chafee,  J.  B 222,  388 

Chair  of  the  English  Bible 404 

Chair  of  D.  H.  Moore 405 

Chamberlain,  N.  A 260,  457 

Chamberlain,  H.  B 364,  400,  407,  562 

Chamberlain,  R 579 

Chaplain  McCabe 260,  321 

Chaplaincy 95,  145 

Chase,  R.  A 260,  529 

Chase,  W.  D 324,  412 

Chase,  N.  W 437,  442 

Chase,  A.  I, 513 

Chase,  Mrs.  E.J 588 

Charlotteville,  N.  Y 29,    40 


594 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Chamounix,  Valley ;  Alps 154 

Chassel,  O.  B 539,  543 

Chapin,  H.  C 304 

Chateau  of  Voltaire 154 

Chattanooga,  Tenn 147 

Chatfield,  Seth 149 

Cheyenne 286,  437,  452,  453 

Cheyenne  Wells 515,  574 

Cheops 181 

Cherry  Creek  Flood 222,  392,  360 

Chilcott,  G.  M 393 

Chivington,  J.  M 240,  236,  243, 

250,  272,  275 

Chivington  Circuit 521 

Choate,  R.  I, 497 

Christ  Church 370,  489 

Church  of  St.  Helena 189 

Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher 201 

Church,  Frank 363 

Church  Needs 411 

Christian  Commission 97 

City  Missions 380,  383,  421,  544,  565 

Cinnamon  Bear 317 

Circuit  Riders 294 

Clark,  N.  N 70 

Clark,  Rufus 222,  400 

Clark,  Bishop  D.  W 274 

Clark,  Fred  A 304 

Clark,  J.  M 511 

Cleora 427,  444 

Cline,  C.  ;E 412,  429 

Clyde 213 

Clough,  John  A 396,  586 

Cockran,  Miss  Mary  E 580 

Cobern,  CM 580 

CofFman,  E.  J 270,  354 

CofFman,  James  F 419,  456 

Cofifman,  A.  W 451 

Clayton,  Mrs 381 

Coates,  H.  C 497 

Coleman,  A 360 

Collins,  John 278,  429 

Collins  Chapel 380 

Collins,  J.  E 350 

Collins,  Miss  Mattie 525 

Collins,  Isaac  F 335 

Collins,  A.  M iii 

Collett,  W.  E 519,  567 

Collier,  D.  W 358 

Colfax,  S 252 

Cologne 213 

Colorow 333 

Coppin,  James 60 

Coal  Creek 522,  544 

Coliseum 157,  162 

Cleopatra's  Needle 176 

Colorado 207 

Colorado  City 255,  322,  520,  523,  528 

Colorado  Seminary 361,  444 

Colorado  Penitentiary 322 

Colorado  Springs 323 

Colorado  Springs  Circuit 578 

Colorado  Conference- 
Organized  272 


PAGE. 
Colorado  Conference — 

Name  Changed 274 

Session  of  1863 273 

Session  of  1864 274 

Session  of  1865 275 

Session  of  1866 278 

Session  of  1867 279 

Session  of  1868 282 

Session  of  1869 290 

Session  of  1870 320 

Session  of  1871 345 

Session  of  1872 348 

Session  of  1873 412 

Session  of  1874 420 

Session  of  1875 422 

Session  of  1876 426 

Session  of  1877 430 

Session  of  1878 431 

Session  of  1879 437 

Session  of  1880 444 

Session  of  1881 457 

Session  of  1882 461,  479 

Session  of  1883 481 

Session  of  1884 488 

Session  of  1885 494 

Session  of  1886 507 

Session  of  1887 509 

Session  of  1888 519 

Session  of  1889 527 

Session  of  1890 , 533 

Session  of  1891 545 

Session  of  1892 548 

Session  of  1893 561 

Session  of  1894 572 

Session  of  1895 574 

Session  of  1896 579 

Group  of  1865 277 

Group  of  1879 443 

Group  of  1885 493 

Collom,  John 278 

Collom,  J.  E 464 

Como 511,  528 

Constance 154 

Constantinople 210 

Copts 178 

Conch  Shell 302 

Cornwell,  W.  D  368 

Cook,  C.A 388 

Cook,  T.  P 425 

Cook,  Thomas 183,  186 

Cook,  H.  B 533,  538,  581 

Concluding  Note 589 

Conner,  W.  F 581 

Conwell,  A.  B 549 

Corfu 175 

Corodini 166 

Cooley,  R 148 

Cort,  Simeon 271,  366 

Cox,  General 129 

Craft,  A.  N 581 

Crane,  C.  A 573 

Crary,  B.  F 261,  331,  350 

Cranston,  Bishop  E 439 

Cree,  John 241,  271  276,  305,  360 


INDEX. 


595 


PAGE. 

Cripple  Creek 549,  551 

Crockett 143,  217 

Crigler,  George 378 

Crippin,  G.  B 49 

Crowned 588 

Crooks,  A 507,  544 

Crouch,  H.  A 386 

Crowe,  J.  M 386 

Crusaders 205 

Cumberland  River 121 

Cumberland  Barracks 149 

Cummings,  Dr 153 

Cupheag 21 

Curnick,  E.  T 375,  492 

Cyprus 210 

Dalton  Circuit 84 

Dallas  Park 520 

Dame,  Mary  E 438 

Damascus 208 

Dan  is  Dead 55 

Dancers  Converted 100 

Danube 213 

Daniels,  Webster 379 

Darley,  A.  M 471 

Dardanelles 211 

Dart,  T.  M 415 

David's  Tomb 199 

Davis,  J 476 

Davis,  F.  L 557,  577 

Day,  CD 567 

Dead  Sea 191 

Deaconess  Home  in  Denver  (1885) . . 

423,  544 

Dead  Christ  Veiled 166 

Deane,  Mrs.  C.  H 374 

Death  Scenes 23,  55,  60,  no,  93, 

133,  109,  466,  342 

DeardorflF,  U.  C 112 

DeHass,  F.  S ^^ 

DeBeque 530,  571 

Delegates  to  the  Gen'l  Conference. .  586 

Delvong,  Horace  T 586 

Delta 492 

De  LaMatyr,  Gilbert 481,  489 

DeFoe,  J.  A 386 

Del  Norte 262,  428,  469,  476 

Dennis,  B.  C 248,  259,  272,  275 

Dennison,  J 581 

Denver 221,  268,  314,  331,  368,  400 

Dew,  T.  P 371,  375,  414 

De  Witt,  Dr 112 

Dobbins,  Miss  Kate  A 505 

Dodge,  E.  C 260,  430,  559 

Doud,  Leander  L, 73 

Doud,  E.  A 460 

Douglas,  Stephen  A 342 

Doleman 230 

Donkey-riding 178,  180 

Dothan 204 

Dotson,  W.  A 422 

Downey,  J.  E 586 

Dover  Circuit 83 


PAGE. 

Doge's  Palace 156 

Doyle,  J.  B 367,  386 

Doylestown,  Ohio 84 

Dresden 213 

Dreadful  Scenes 135 

Driver  Drowned 288 

Dubois,  E.  V 578 

Duncan,  J.  A 386 

Dundas,  B.  B 430,  559 

Duomo 157 

Durango 455,  456,  511,  528,  534 

Durbin,  Jesse 230,  296 

Durbin,  B.  B 452 

Dyer,  J.  L 249,  245,  259,  272,  280, 

282,  321 

Dyer,  Mrs.  L.  P 588 

Dyer,  E.  F 423 

Eads,  J.  R 271,  414 

Eason,  R 533 

Easter 202 

Eaton,  B.  A.  P 427 

Eaton,  Mrs.  M.  J 588 

East  Pueblo 540,  549 

Ebal 


203 

Eberhart,  E.  G 431,  527 

Eckel,  J.  P 386 

Ecker,  C 372 

Edgewater 382,  422,  516 

Edinburgh,  Scotland 153,  213 

Edmonson,  J.  A 426 

Educational  Convention 387,  395,  437 

Edwards,  E.  E 438 

Edwards,  C.  A 571 

Eighth  Street  Mission 383 

Ein-Jalude 204 

Elbert,  S.  H 246,  372,  585 

Elect  Women 477 

Eldridge,  G.N 482 

Eldridge,  Mrs.  N.  P 588 

Elim 187 

Elijah 191,  204,  205 

Elk  Creek 515 

Elkins,  Iv.  W 521 

Elliott,  C 62 

Ellison,  Dr.  0 492 

Elstow 213 

Elsworth  Street  Mission 381 

Empire  Pass 310,  337 

Endowment  Fund 399,  403 

England,  G.  A 4H 

Episcopal  Residence. 383 

Epworth  League 503 

Epworth  Mission 383 

Erie 467.  SH,  520,  527 

Eshcol 188 

Evans,  John 246,  260,  272,  364 

Evans,  Josephine 374 

Evans  Memorial 325,  432 

Evans,  Matthew 438 

Evanston,  Wyoming 335,  454 

Everly,  Lewis 91 

Ewart,  A.  L.  T 485 


596 


INDEX. 


PAGK. 

Fairbanks,  A.  D 431,  481,  531 

Fairplay 256,  350 

Father,  A  New 76 

Father  Jacob 90 

Farrah,  W.  B 112 

Farmer,  J.  J 455 

Fay 233 

Feidler,J 373 

Feldhauser,  P 372 

Ferguson,  J.  A 495 

Field,  J.  A 372 

Field,  A.  N 439,  559 

Fifth  Avenue 378,  528 

Financial  Exhibit.  .273,  411,  480,  560,  584 

Fink,  J.  P 372 

First  Things  in  Colorado,  Some  of 
the- 

First  Church 240 

First  Church  Burned 237 

First  Fourth   of  July   Celebra- 
tion  219,  366 

First-born  of  the  Colorado  Con- 
ference.,    282 

First  Camp-meeting 259 

F'irst  Local  Preacher 228 

First  Ivove-feast 228,  357 

First  Marriage 256 

First  Plug  Hat 358 

First  Presiding  Elder 240 

First    Methodist    Episcopal 

Church,  South 241 

First  Quarterly  Conference 228 

First  Quarterly    Meeting    at 

Boulder 237 

First  Quarterly  Meeting  at  Blue 

River 256 

First  Quarterly  Meeting  at  Cali- 
fornia Gulch 240 

First   Quarterly  Meeting  at 

Canon  City 241 

First  Quarterly  Meeting  at  Den- 
ver   356 

First  Quarterly   Meeting   at 

Mountain  City 241 

First    Resident    of    University 

Park 401 

First  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's 

Supper 231,  357 

First  Sunday-school 358,  366 

First   Sermon   in  Animas   Val- 

^.    ley 425,  445 

First  Sermon  in  Arkansas  Val- 
ley   296 

First  Sermon  in  Arvada 271 

First  Sermon  in  Boulder 233 

First  Sermon  in  Breckenridge. .  254 
First  Sermon  in  Buckskin  Joe . .  256 
First  Sermon   in   California 

,    Gulch 255 

First  Sermon  in  Caiion  City 257 

First  Sermon  in  Central  City. . .  229 
First  Sermon  in  Colorado  City. .  248 

First  Sermon  in  Del  Norte 263 

First  Sermon  in  Denver 228,  356 


PAGE. 

First  Things  in  Colorado,  Some  of 
the— 

First  Sermon  in  Florence 260 

First  Sermon  in  Fort  Garland  . .  292 
First  Sermon  in  Georgetown....  302 
First  Sermon  in  German.. .  .372, 

373,  492 

First  Sermon  in  Gold  Hill 233 

First  Sermon  in  Gold  Run 254 

First  Sermon  in  Golden  City  . . .  228 

First  Sermon  in  Hamilton 254 

First  Sermon  in  Mountain  City.  22S 
First  Sermon  in  Platte  Valley. . .  267 

First  Sermon  in  South  Park 254 

First  Sermon  in  Tarryall 254 

Fisher,  G.  W 228,  356 

Fisher,  W.  H 248,  272,  273 

Fisher,  O.  L 420 

Fisher,  Mrs.  McKean 588 

Fisher,  H.  D 580 

Flack,  A 29,    34 

Fleming's  Grove 393,  429 

Flesher,  J.  W 520,  523 

Flesher,  Mrs.  H.  0 588 

Florissant  Circuit 528 

Florence,  Italy 156 

Florence  Circuit 463,  492,  520 

Floyd  Hill 213 

Fluke,  Jacob 82 

Foote,  R.  H 453 

Forest  Fires 209 

Fort  Collins 412 

Fort  Garland 263,  264 

Fort  Logan 380 

Fort  Lupton 267,  335,  559,  561 

Fort  Morgan 551 

Fort  Weld 250 

P'ort  Worth 538 

Foss,  Bishop  CD 448,  574 

Foster,  Bishop  R.  S 461,  471,  566,    47 

Founder  of  Colorado  Methodism.  225,  243 

Fountain  of  Jericho 193 

Fountain  College 393 

Four  of  Us 307 

Fowler,  W.  R 259,  261 

Fowler,  Charlotte 259 

Frazier,  T.  J 113 

Frazier,.  Elizabeth 259 

Frazier  Creek 322 

Franks,  Martha  F 282 

Frankfort-on-the-Main 213 

Free  Methodist  Church 386 

Fremont,  J.  C 219 

Fremont  Orchard 336 

Frenchman's  Valley 519 

Freyburg 154 

Fresco  Paintings  in  the  Catacombs..  160 

Friend 520 

Frick,  C 373 

Fruita 534,  541 

Fry,  G.  P 545 

Full,  Wm 420,  422 

Funeral  Procession 171 


INDEX. 


597 


PAGE. 

Galilee 157 

Gamewell,  F.  D 461 

Garden  of  the  Gods 317,  319 

Garrett,  J.  F 386 

Gauntlet  Ran 124 

Gardner,  D.  N 372 

Gerizim 203 

Geneva 154 

Genoa 155 

Georgetown 301,  324,  311 

German  Church,  Pueblo 371 

Gethsemane 199,  195 

Gibbon 154 

Gideon's  Band 204 

Gibson,  D 54 

Gifford,  Sarah 72 

Gill,  A.  J 287,  360,  367 

Gillam,  W.  H 271,  367,  433 

Gilliland,  John 280 

Gilluly,  J.  W 586 

Gillson,  J 367 

Gilmer,  U.  Z 552 

Girondists 411 

Gilpin,  Wm 219,  243 

Girl  Drowned 309 

Girls'  Industrial  Home 309 

Girls'  Cottage 404 

Girten,  T 259,  317 

Gladiator 162 

Glasgow,  Scotland 153,  213 

Glazier,  J.  W 286 

Glen  Park.. 315,  318 

Glenwood  Springs 343,  492 

Glick,  G.  M 545 

Glockner,  A.  B 545 

Glorietta 251 

Gold  Watch  Presented 534 

Golden  City 270,  271,  288,  520 

Golden  College 387 

Goldrich,  O.  F 388 

Gold-findings 220 

Goodsell,  Bishop  D.  A 527 

Goode,  W,  H..219,  224,  234,  244,  356,  583 

Good  Templars 563 

Goodrich,  Mrs 61 

Gould,  Jay 56 

Goss,  C.  J 304 

Goss,  Chet 304 

Grace,  H.J 530 

Grace  Church 375,  528,  584 

Grand  River  Circuit 338,  340 

Grand  Junction 531 

Gray,  David 69 

Gray,  D.  S 545 

Gray's  Peak 349 

Graveyard  Started 302 

Grand  Canon 322 

Graff,  G.  R 580 

Granite 426 

Granada 511,  520,  523 

Grasshoppers 426 

Graham,  H.J 356 

Grant  Avenue 380,  530 

Graves,  Oliver 271 


PAGE. 

Graves,  Lucy 271 

Graves,  W.  J 377 

Green,  D.  S , 229,  241 

Greene,  L.  G.  H 275 

Greene,  W.  H 271,  435,  559 

Green,  J.  C 462,  507 

Greene,  Miss  Phebe 373 

Green  City 335,  336 

Green  Lake 348 

Greenwood 381 

Greeley,  H 58 

Griffeth,  D.  T 290,  304 

Grotto  of  Pausilippo 167 

Grotto  Del  Cane 187 

Guerrillas 140 

Guido 163 

Guillotine 153 

Gullette,  J.  C 574 

Gunnison  City 428,  460 

Haish,  Jacob 400 

Hall,  Wm "43,    50 

Hall,  Newman 153 

Hall,J.J 268 

Hall,  L.  J 260,  412 

Hall,  George .- 475 

Hallett,  H.  W 525 

Hallien 212 

Hammitt,  F.  W 260,  554 

Hammitt,  A.  D 497 

Hamilton,  Wm 267 

Hamaker,  John 105 

Hannah,  J.  R 287 

Hager,  Richard 72 

Harbert,  E.  G 431 

Hard,  Frank 50 

Harris,  J.  F 260,  462 

Harris,  Bishop  W.  L 426 

Harris,  Wm 385,  514 

Harford,  R.  L 412,  421 

Harpst,  H 556 

Harbert,  E.  G 521 

Hamed,  C.  W 550 

Harrington,  J 262 

Hartsough,  L 324,  452 

Hart,  Dean  M 235 

Hahn,  F.  S 367 

Harwood,  T 326 

Harwood,  Mrs.  E.J 327 

Harwood,  T.  M 504 

Hassell,  L.  H 373 

Haupt,  W.  H 379 

Hausser,  F 373 

Hawaggah  Backsheesh 209 

Hawkins,  M 548 

Hawkins,  J.  M 549 

Haven,  Bishop  Gilbert 423 

Haven,  Bishop  E.  0 457 

Hays,  Elder 23 

Hays,  J.  S 367 

Haymarket  Haven 487 

Hedding,  Bishop  E 56 

Hebron 188 

Hell,  Sure 262 


598 


INDEX, 


PAGE. 

Hellespont 210 

Heliopolis 179,  209 

Henderson. 557 

Henson,  H 328 

Herculaneum 170,  172,  174 

Hermon 188,  204 

Herrings  Grove 515 

Hershman,  David 268 

Hessell,  L.  H 373 

Hester,  W.  R 377 

Hicks,  W 487 

Highland  Place 381,  382 

Hildt,  Daniel 112 

Hildt,  Fidelia 112 

Hiller,  C.  C.  P 381,  539 

Hiller,  F.  L.  L 379,  380,  540 

Hilton,  H.  S 374,  433 

Hilton,  G.  F 453 

Hissey,  M.  W 539,  533 

Hoffman,  R.  A 260 

Hood,  Wm 340 

Holiness  Camp-meeting 514,  515, 

572,  522,  526 

Hopkins,  S.  M 511 

Horse-race  Postponed 269 

Hospital  Work  .• 136,  142 

Hot  Sulphur  Springs 336,  388,  340 

Holy  Ghost  Baptism 437 

Hotchkiss 556 

Hough,  A.  M 56 

Howbert,  Wm 240,  244,  248,  254 

Howard,  the  Dragoman 186,  188 

Howard,  F 271 

Howe,  H.  A 409 

Hoyt,  0 454 

Holyrood  Palace 153 

Holmes,  E.  S 578 

Holmes,  Miss  C.  A 497 

Home,  M.  S 528 

Holy  Ground 188 

Holyoke 519,  527 

Hooi>er,  T.  J 500 

Horn,  J.  C 575 

Hornbeck,  M.  D 571 

Horns  of  Hattin 205 

Horsemanship  Displayed 190 

House  of  Simon  the  Tanner 186 

Houses  of  Parliament 153 

Hubbard,  E.  G 476 

Huber,  S.  H 454,  499 

Huett,  C.  W 381,  480,  561 

Hugo 574 

Huene,  G.  B.  F 572 

Hurlbert,  F.  B 452 

Humphrey,  H 72 

Huston,  H.  J 464,  482 

Hutchinson,  J.  W 452 

Hurst,  Bishop  J.  F 548 

Hussy,  W 388 

Hyde,  A.  B 403,  495 

Huss,  John 154 

Idaho  Springs 312,  436,  464 

Iliff,  T.  C 364,  445 


PAGE. 

Iliff,  Mrs.  E 384 

Iliflf,  W.  L 401 

Iliff,  W.H 579 

Iliff,  Miss  Edna 579 

Iliflf  School  of  Theo  ogy 405,  407, 

549,  551 

Incorporated 360,  387,  388 

Indian  Chief  Friday 269 

Indulgences 158 

International  Museum 166 

Ireland 153,  563 

Irwin,  G.  W 577 

Isle  of  Man 307 

Ismailia,  Egypt 183 

Jacob's  Well 199,  203 

Jaflfa  Gate 188 

James,  H.  A 525 

Janes,  Bishop  E.  S 345 

Jeffrey,  T.  W, 571 

Jenkins,  T 525,  534,  549 

Jerusalem 162,  188,  194,  197,  200 

Jericho 193 

Jerome  of  Prague 154 

Jezreel 204,  205 

Jimtown 574 

John,  Wm 544,  555 

Johnson,  C.  W 241,  275,  388 

Johnson,  H.  H 240,  255,  258 

Johnson,  A.  A 537,  548 

Johnson,  James 91 

Jones,  Wm 74 

Jones,  Sarah  E 372 

Jones,  Lewis. 388 

Jones,  M.  Iv 467 

Jones,  H.  A 539 

Joppa 184,  206 

Joseph 156,  203 

Jordan 191,  207,  192 

Jordan,  Fanny 141 

Joyce,  Bishop  Isaac  W 492,  533 

Judd,  Orange 454 

Judd,  W.  J 492,  533 

Julesburg 533 

Khan  Minyeh 206 

Kansas  and  Nebraska  Conference  of 

1859 224 

Kagey,  J 497 

Kempton,  James 303,  305 

Keeler,  J.  H 221,  235 

Kendall,  T.  R 272 

Kedron 190 

Kenny,  W.  A 243,  245,  367 

Kenny,  H.  B 557 

Kennedy,  L.  E 571,  579 

Kent,  Mrs.  Anna 320 

Kenyon,  R.  I, 481,  494,  526 

Kiss  Refused 181 

Kidder,  A.  A 260 

King  of  Greece 211 

King  Charles 275,  282,  302 

King,  W.  W 344 

King,  H.  C 260,  270,  376,  427,  588 


INDEX. 


599 


PAGE. 

Kingsley,  Bishop  C 284,  289,  302 

Kirkbride,  C.  H 270,  275,  282 

Kirkbride,  S.  H : 568 

Kienzle,  G 304 

Kimball,  H.J 275 

Kinge,  E.  H 373 

Kirjath  Jearim 187 

Klaiber,  M 373 

Knight,  Wm 461 

Knox,  John 90,  153 

Koehler,  J 373 

Kokomo 445,  482 

Koyl,  C.  H.. 460 

Kramer  Settlement 350 

Kriege,  C.  H 373 

Krueger,  F.  T 372,  578 

La  Jara 532,  534 

La  Junta 510,  516 

I,ake  Park 382 

I.ake  City 433,  445 

Lake  Geneva 154 

Lake  Hulah 207 

Lacy,  J.  W 586 

Lakey,  A.  S 32 

Lakin,  CD 90 

Lamar 424,  510,  520 

Lambert,  J.  M 352 

Langly,  H.  C 423 

Lander,  Wyoming 494 

La  Mont,  Thos 40 

La  Mont,  Miss  Kate  E 41 

Laocoou 161 

Laporte,  C.  R 525 

Laramie  City,  Wyoming 432,  453,  454 

Lasher,  G 36,  38,  41,    51 

Last  Prop  Gone 100 

Law,  H.  M 484 

Law  Read 303 

Las  Animas 520,  544 

I,awrence  Street  Church 361,  362 

Lawson,  F.  A. 557 

Lawyer,  Miss  Olive 513 

Lawyer,  O.  L 52 

Leadville 433,  507,  511 

Leaning  Tower,  Italy 157 

Lebanon 209 

Ledbetter,  J.  H 386 

Leach,  S.  V 552 

Lecturing  Tour 565 

Lee,  Mylo 388 

Lee,  N.  H 462,  479,  54? 

Leeds,  England 213 

Leist,  J.  J 373 

Leppert,  D 540,  549 

Lewis,  W.  C.  P 439 

Lewis,  A.  B 533 

Libby,  C.  L, 438 

Libby,  Mrs.  E.  A 588 

Light,  Wm 304,  333,  475 

Lightning  Killed 147 

Lightwalter,  A.  S 543 

Liljegren.  F.  U 580 

Linn,  J.  W 505,  588 


PAGE. 

Linderman,  J.  W 368 

Lincoln,  A 83 

Lincoln  Handsome 141 

List  of  Sunday-school  Superintend- 
ents in  Denver 367 

List  of  Presiding  Elders 364,  584 

List  of  Delegates  to   General  Con- 
ference    585 

Little  Hermon 205 

Livingston,  Mrs.  H 515,  529,  541 

Lloyd,  W.  S 240,  249,  258 

London,  England 153 

Lockport,  Ohio iii 

Locke,  D.  R 34 

Long,  Major 218 

Long,  J.  A 463 

Long,  J.  B 508 

Longhead,  S.  D 444 

Lookout  Mountain 147 

Loomis,  A.  L.  P 181,  207,  212 

Longmont 354,  436,  456,  520,  527 

Lovett,  Noble 34,  150 

Love- feast  Tickets 32 

Loveland 268,  431,  436,  510,  520, 

563,  565 

Loveland,  W.  A.  H 388,  432 

Lough  Foyle 153 

Louisville 118,  533 

Lycan,  Wm 252 

Lycan,  James 252 

Lycabettus 211 

Lyon,  A.J 535 

Lyon,  Miss  C 535 

Lynch,  J.  T 388 

Lucas,  A.  H 501 

Lupton 267,  437,  523,  562 

Madison,  W.  C 497 

Madam  Tussaud's  Wax  Figures 153 

Magi 156 

Machebeuf,  Bishop 222,  241 

Major,  J.  M 385 

Magdala 206 

Manly,  R.  W 455,  588 

Manitou 317 

Mann,  E.  A 385 

Manchester,  T 375 

Masonic  Hall 366,  400 

Masonic  Cemetery 287 

Manning,  Samuel 195,  205 

Mallalieu,  Bishop  W.  F 66 

Mague,  L 460 

Mansfield,  J.  M 393 

Mappin,  W.  F 352 

Martin,  Samuel 35,    51 

Martin,  J.  H 367 

Martin,  J.  W 557 

Mark,  J.  M 514 

Marsh,  E.  J 459.  479 

Marshman,  A 466 

Marshall,  E.  E 532,  534 

Mars'  Hill,  Athens 211 

Markham,  LA 89 

Mar-saba 190 


6oo 


INDEX. 


PAGE, 

Maxwell,  I, 219 

Matthews,  O.  P 33.    5^ 

Maumee  Swamps 63 

Mayence 213 

Mayo,  H.  M 59° 

McClelland,  George 377 

McClelland,  J.  F 374 

McClain 233,  284 

McDade,  R.  H 459 

McDonald,  Mrs 381 

McDowell,  W.  F 403,  535 

McDowell,  David 94 

McElphatrick,  W.  A 520,  523 

Mcllheran 423 

Mclntyre,  R 522 

McKay,  O.  F 514 

McKay,  I.  F 520,  525 

Mclvaughlin,  James 306 

McLeod 335 

McMains,  O.  P 275,  282,  296,  319, 

321,  55? 

McNabb,  John 84,    86 

McNabb,  Joseph 84 

McNabb,  R.  I, 84 

McNutt,  P 349>  412,  476,  507 

McPherson,  Mrs 258,  265 

McPherson,  Belle 258 

McPherson,  Henry 258 

Mead,  J 371 

Mead,  Iv.  F 380 

Merrill,  Bishop  S.  M 371,  572 

Merrill,  O.  F 540,  578 

Merritt,  J.  H 260,  347 

Merritt,  Mrs.  F.  H 588 

Memorial  Gift 401 

Methodist    Episcopal     Church, 

South 385 

Miller,  M.  W 18 

Miller,  Adam 97 

Miller,  W.  G 383 

Miller,  J.  K.... 369,  432 

Miller,  A.  H 454,  557 

Miller,  K.  F 459,  509,  558 

Milleson,  Elijah 250 

Milleson's  Mission 381 

Milleson,  O.  C 371 

Millington,  F.  C 271,  324,  588 

Mirage 262 

Milan,  Italy 155 

Mills,  Judge 397 

Mills,  A.  P 72 

Mills,  J.  W ; 458 

Ming,  John. .  *. 358 

Milnes,  C.  G 415 

Milton  Church 476 

Mine  Explosion 307 

Mineral  Springs 219 

Mitchell,  General 124 

Moderate  Drinking 87,     88 

Modesty  Veiled 166 

Moffitt,  D.  H 388 

Moffitt,  J.  Iv 425.  467,  559 

Monument 323 

Monholland,  Rev 230 


PAGE. 

Montrose 501 

Mons  Capitolinus 162 

Monte  Vista 507 

Montfort,  C.  B 549 

Montfort,  J.  H 557 

Montgomery 258 

Moore,  J.  R 324,  431,  476,  477 

Moore,  D.  H 282,  442,  448,  533 

Moore,  O.  J 507 

Moorehead,  I.  N 384,  507 

Moonlight  Ride  at  Suez 184,  185 

Morrison 314,  322,  456,  492,  533 

Morrison,  F 368 

Morrison,  A.  A 385 

Morrison  Memorial 386 

Morrison,  J.  H 388,  393 

Morris,  J.  C 385 

Morgan,  John 123 

Morgan,  Miss  S.  E 391 

Morse  Church  Camp-meeting 35 

Mosque  of  Omar 194 

Moville 153 

Mosser,  Mrs 461 

Mountain  Q.\\.y 221 

Mont  Cenis  Tunnel 154 

Mount  Hermon 204,  207,  209 

Mount  Ida 210 

Mount  Moriah 197,  201 

Mount  Vernon  Canon 313 

Mount  Zion ; 197 

Mund,  H.  H 374 

Munich 212 

Mullen,  B.  A 461 

Murfreesboro,  Tenn 139 

Multer,  I^ewis 34 

Multer,  Joseph 138 

Multer,  Philip 138 

Murphey,  J.  M 428 

Murphey,  W 580 

Murat,  Mrs 222 

Murray,  George 259,  276,  282,  287 

Musgrove,  J.  T 459,  579 

Musgrove,  Mrs 588 

My  Mother 478 

Myers,  R.  E 582 

Myers,  W.  I^ 373 

Myrtle  Hill 429 


Nablus,  Palestine 

Nain,  Palestine 

Naples,  Italy 

Napoleon 

Nashville  Circuit 

Nashville,  Tenn 

Navajo  Indians 522, 

Nation  Defenders 

Nazareth 

Neighbors  Too  Close 

Newcomerstown  Circuit 

New  Suit,  First  Worn  in  Death 

New  Testament,  Saved  Him 

Newgate  Prison,  England 

Newman,  Bishop  J.  P 

Nevada 


203 
205 
164 
217 

126 

533 

84 

204 

323 

9S 
108 

134 

153 

41 

412 


INDEX, 


60 1 


PAGE. 

Nichols,  Horace 28 

Nichols,  M 532 

Nicholson,  E 367,  ZT2 

Ninde,  Bishop  W.  X 532 

Nineveh  Corners 72,  75 

Noble,  W.  A 554 

North  Amherst 58 

North  Denver 332,  375,  376,  427,  444 

North  Fork  Circuit 556 

North  Harpersfield,  N.  Y 19 

North  Orange  Circuit 78 

Noph  of  Scripture 180 

Norviel,  J.N 549,  557 

Nottingham,  W.  W 267 

Nottingham,  E 267 

No  Sabbaths 257,  259 

Nubk 193 

Oakes 383 

OiF  to  the  Army 97 

Olds,  B.  Iv 481,  586 

Oliver,  G.  S 501,  508,  534 

Olivet 195,  198 

Olympic  Games,  Greece 2H 

On 176 

Oney,  J.  H 386 

Only  One  Saved 70 

Ordination  Services 77 

Orange  Circuit 81 

Orient 176,  186 

Ordway 470 

Orton,  O.  I. 578 

Osborn,  W.  B 268 

Osborn,  George 334 

Osborn,  Rose 377 

Osborne,  H.  R 534 

Osburn,  Wm 455 

Outposts 293 

Ouray 431,  433,  435 

Overton  Hills , 132 

Over  the  Range 287 

Overland  Cotton-mills 383 

Packard,  W.  T 519 

Pagosa  Springs 556 

Palatine  Hill,  Rome 157 

Palmer,  General 455 

Palmer  Lake 315 

Palestine  Rambles 185 

Paonia 556 

Pantheon,  Rome 163 

Pansa,  Pompeii 170 

Panther's  Cry 339 

Parachute 540 

Parker,  Samuel 76 

Parker,  F.  W 371 

Parker,  Joseph 153 

Parker,  A 461 

Parsons,  F.  0 372 

Parthenon,  Greece 211 

Paris,  France 153 

Passmore,  F.  F 481,  524 

Patmos 210 

Paulson,  P.  A 539 


,  PAGE. 

Payne,  A.  G 519 

Peck,  J.  T 80 

Peck,  J.Iv 298 

Peck,  A.  C 485,  554 

Peck,  Mrs.  F.  E 486 

Pearce,  W 529 

Pease,  W.  D 366,  501,  452 

Pedagogism 27 

Pender,  J.  T 570 

Pentelicus 211 

Peterson,  P 290,  368 

Petefish.  D.  H 248,  273 

People's  Tabernacle 435 

Pepper,  George  W 96 

Perry,  W.  E 472,  573 

Petroleum  V.  Nasby 95 

Phillips,  G.  S 275,  389,  588 

Phillips,  Mrs.  Rachel 80 

Phillips,  Philip 156 

Phillips,  W.  J 385 

Phifer,  W.  D 379 

Pierce,  G.  M 324,  454 

Pierce,  B.  R 547 

Pierce,  Miss  Mary  Bell 547 

Pike,  Captain 218 

Pike's  Peak  and  Cherry  Valley  Mis- 
sion  322,  583 

Pine  Street,  Pueblo 540 

Pisa 156 

Pisgah 198 

Pitkin 445 

Plain  of  Sharon 186 

Plain  View 435 

Planter,  What  is  He  Doing  Here?. . .   129 

Plateau  Circuit 577 

Platte  River  Circuit 266 

Platteville 267,  430,  477,  559,  562 

Pleasant  View 312,  425,  516,  572 

Pleasant  Prairie 557 

Pleasure  Saunterings 343 

Plested,  W 511,  568,  588 

"  Plumb  "  Creek 314 

Plumb,  Dr.  Crary's 347 

Plummer,  J.  E 302 

Plymouth  Circuit 71 

Pocket  Edition 321 

Poe,  Adam 59 

Polycarp 210 

Pompeii 166,  168 

Pompey's  Pillar 176,  198 

Poole,  T 459 

Porter,  N 519 

Post,  J.  J 577 

Potter,  Miss  F.  E 485 

Powel,  Henry 96 

Powel,  J[oseph 96,  469 

Pozzuoli 166 

Prague 213 

Preach  for  Souls '. 57 

Preston,  J.  R 375 

Price,  W.  C 504 

Primitive  Housekeeping 232,  265,  236 

Prohibition 81,  522,  524 

Pumped  Out 213 


6o2 


INDEX, 


PAGE. 

Pueblo 260,  492,  520 

Puteoli 166 

Pyramids 178,  182 

Quakers 21,    72 

Quarries  of  Solomon 201 

Queirolo 166 

Rabb,  J 440 

Rachel's  Tomb 188 

Rader,  J.  R 488 

Rader,  D.  I. 502,  561 

Rader,  M.  A 542 

Ragersville,  Ohio 98 

Railroad  Loop 311 

Ramsey,  O.  L 519,  S^i 

Ralston 271 

Raney,  ly.  M 267 

Raphael 161 

Rawlins,  Wyoming 455,  464,  482, 

437,  491 

Ray,  G.  W 512,  579 

Red  Sea 183 

Red  Cliflf. 445 

Reed,  John  S 241,  303 

Reitze,  H 226,  231,  356 

Reichard,  F 373 

Refused  to  Marry  Them 307 

Remington 60 

^Reports  of  Presiding  Elders...  .351, 
411,  412,  426,  432,  437,  438,  444, 
464,  481,  491,  494,  505,  507,  510, 
520,  527,  528,  533,  534,  544,  548,  577 

Reynolds,  George 302 

Reynolds,  Mrs.  R 561 

Rhodes,  R.  H 421 

Rhodes,  W.  P 579 

Rhine 154,  213 

Rhone 154 

Richardson,  George 275,  281,  302, 

362,  338,  459 

Richardson,  T.  M 259 

Richardson,  Mrs.  J.  B 390 

Richardson,  S.  M 393 

Rider,  E 375 

Rickards,  J.  E 260,  411,  416,  426 

Riddick,  C.  B 385 

Rifle  Circuit 525,  534,  539 

Rialto 156 

Rice,  E.  J 321,  324,  476 

Ridgeway 458 

Ripley,  H 431 

Rippetoe,  R.  E 422,  452,  510,  548 

Roberts  College 210 

Roberts,  J.  B 386 

Robber's  Glen 202 

Robinson,  M.J 445,  540 

Robinson,  J.  R 460,  586 

Rocky  Mountaiin  Christian  Advo- 
cate  501,  567,  580 


PAGE. 

Roby,  W.  C 415,  480 

Rocky  Ford 510,  549 

Rogers,  ly.  C 236,  270 

Rogers,  Miss  Fanny  A 236 

Rogers,  George  B 422 

Rogers,  B.  M 509 

Rogers,  S.  J 555 

Roker,  Mrs 222 

Rome 157,  162 

Rosedale 380,  429 

Rosita 417,  426,  428 

Royal  George 261 

Ross,  D 271 

Rowen,  Rev 237 

Rotterdam 213 

Roworth,  W.  M 393 

Royce,  Mary  E 302 

Rozzells,  Ashley 139 

Rudd,  Ivieutenant-Governor 258 

Rushville,  Indiana 136 

Russell,  Greene 218 

Russell  Gulch 514,  533 

Russian  Lady's  Gift 194 

Sage,  Rev 65,     66 

Sage,  W.  A 578 

Saguache 266,  472 

Salida 459,  492 

Salina 437 

Salsburg,  Austria 212 

Samaria 203 

Samothracia 210 

Sampson,  A.  J 367 

Sanctification,  Entire 42,  48,  508, 

514,  518,  522,  527 

Sand  Creek  Fight 252 

Sanderson,  R 572 

Sangre-de-Christo  Pass 264,  350 

San  Luis  Valley 261,  266 

Sans  Culotte 411 

Santissimo  Bambino 164 

Sapp,  M.  F 575 

Sasseen,  J.  R 551 

Saul's  Conversion 208 

Sawdon,  Miss  H.  E 574 

Schultz.J.J 373 

Schlessinger,  Miss  Matilda 356 

Scott,  Bishop  Levi 56,  224,  583 

Scott,  Dr.  D.  W 271,  452 

Scott,  J.  H 428 

Scripps,  H.  C 520 

Scudder,  E 388 

Scotland 153,  215,  564 

Sea  of  Galilee 205 

Sea  of  Marmora 211 

Seminary,  New  York  Conference.. 29,    40 

Seminary,  Colorado 282,  395 

Servia 563 

Seckner,  H.  D 507 

Sevarts,  A.  J 270 


*  Which  are  on   file  with  the  Conference  Secretary.    None  others  were  accessible 
to  the  compiler. 


INDEX. 


603 


PAGE. 

Scalp  Dangling 323 

Sears,  S.  W 412,  466 

Shaffner,  H.  J 331,  332,  368 

Shaflfner,  Mrs.  M 588 

Shanesville,  Ohio 97,  loi 

Shannon,  J.  R 482,  554 

Sharp,  J.  W 142 

Shaw,  R 256 

Shawber,  J 431,  504 

Shattuck,  J.  C .500 

Shattuck,  H.I, 367 

Shears,  Henry 22 

Sheldon,  Miss  C.  E 509 

Shepherd,  Wm 345 

Shilo 202 

Sheriff,  R 375 

Shea,  Frank 381 

Shocks 471 

Shockley,  A.  D 521 

Shobra  Gardens 179 

Shunem 205 

Siberlain 87 

Silver  Plume 533 

Silverton 445 

Siloam 201,  202 

Simmons,  C.  W 546 

Simpson,  Bishop  M 282,  431,  481 

Simpson  Mission 378,  421 

Simon,  R 411 

Sinnock,  J.  W 340 

Singleton,  J.  H 479 

Sinsabaugh,  H 369,  433 

Sisson,  T.  E 577  , 

Skene,  George 348,  367,  410,  416  ! 

Skewes,  H 416  i 

Slaughter,  W.  B...258,  261,  272,  275,  361  I 

Slater,  A 235 

Slavery  Viewed  Differently 144 

Slaugh,  Colonel 242,  251 

Slicer,  H 311 

Slicer,  T.  R 311,  339,  345,  412 

Slutz,  W.  L 271,  415,  481 

Small,  Samuel 539,  544 

Smith,  W.  M 271,  282,  296 

Smith,  J.  W 52,  54,  56,  388 

Smith,  Jesse 271,  291,  298 

Smith,  P.  J 259,  275,  301,  304 

Smith,  Miss  Mary 340 

Smith,  J.  A 412,  430,  466 

Smith,  L.  C 524 

Smith,  P 471 

Smith,  G.  H 379 

Smith,  Joel  E 583,  588 

Smyrna 210 

Snake  River 340 

Snow  Peaks 288,  289 

Snowden,  D.  H 430 

Snyder,  Z.  X 586 

Socrates 211 

Soggs,  D 332,  363,  375 

Solfaterra 167 

Solomon's  Pools 188 

Songs  of  a  Wounded  Soldier 130 

South  Denver  Mission 378 


PAGE. 

South  Eleventh  Street  Mission 382 

South  Park 244 

South  Pueblo 426 

Spencer,  C.  B 502,  503,  566 

Spencer,  W.  A 461 

Spelling-schools 26 

Spirit  Baptism 77 

Sphinx 183 

Sprague,  Ira  S 544 

Spurgeon,  C.  H 153,  213 

Stabler,  A.  K 552 

Stayt,  J.  A 433 

Stamp,  C.  W 386 

Standing  Guard 304 

Starr,  M.  I. 61 

Stanton,  J.  W 235,  240,  270,  305 

Stateler,  L.  B 267 

Statistics  of  1860-61-62 239 

Statistics  of  1863 274 

Statistics  of  1869 291 

Statistics  of  1872 349 

Statistics  of  1892 557 

Statistics  of  the  Spanish  Work 328 

Steck,  Amos 388 

Steele,  W.  F 405,  568 

Steele  Daniel 57 

Stevens,  Thomas 477 

Stevens,  Mrs.  T 493 

Stevens,  Rev 288 

Stevens,  George  0 336 

Stevens,  C.  H 555 

Stickles,  James 270 

Stiles,  Baxter 368 

Steamboat  Springs 574 

Stocks,  J 348,  417,  688 

Stout,  James 99 

Strasburg 154 

Story,  T.  A 418,  504 

Streeter 454 

St.  Albans,  England 21 

St.  Callixtus 160 

St.  Jerome 161 

St.  James,  Denver 331,  432,  549,  371 

St.  John,  C.  H 464 

St.  John's  African  M.  E.  Church 372 

St.  John's  Church  in  the  Wilderness.  385 

St.  Mark's  Church,  Venice 156 

St.  Steven's  Gate,  Jerusalem 199 

St.  Peter's,  Rome 158,  186 

St.  Sophia 373 

Summers,  D 419 

Summers,  Miss  Maggie 419 

Sumner,  A.  E 377 

Sullivan  Circuit,  Ohio 77,    81 

Summaries 583 

Sutherlin,  H 573 

Sunshine 426 

Swift,  G.  W 271,  299,  345,  412 

Suez  Canal 183 

Sylla,  Miss  C.  L 53i 

Tabor  Grand  Opera-house 364 

Tanner,  J 373 

Tappin,  L.  N 358 

Taxton,  Miss  M.  E 478,  581 


6o4 


INDEX, 


PAGE. 

Taylor,  Wm 77 

Taylor,  Col.  Jacob 146,  457 

Taylor,  B.  F 271,  421 

Taylor,  D 478 

Taylor,  W.  1 569 

Tedious  Preaching 364 

Teachout,  H 461 

Telescope 408 

Teller,  H.  M 289,  393 

Tell,  William 154 

Telluride 429,  482 

Tell-el-Kady 207 

Temperance  Work iii 

Temple  of  Solomon 197 

Temple  Platform 200 

Ten  Tribes 203 

Terry,  M.  S 41 

Terry,  Seth 520,  527 

The  True  Sabbath 564 

Thirsty  Travelers 287 

Thomson,  Bishop  E 284,  285 

Thomas,  General 129,  143,  149 

Third  German  Mission 373 

Thomas,  F.  F 544 

Thompson,  ly.  C 578 

Thornton,  S.  A 271,  482,  446 

Thornton,  Mrs.  S.  A 588 

Tibe 187 

Tiber 158 

Tiberias 205 

Tindal,  Easton 304 

Tin-horn 259 

Tintoretto 156 

Titian 156 

Titus,  the  Roman  General 162,  198 

Titus,  Robert 21 

Titus,  Jacob 22 

Todd,  Samuel  I, 540,  588 

Todd,  B.  F 548,  588 

Tolby,  F.  J 296 

Tonquin,  John 450 

Tower  of  David 199 

Tower  of  London 153 

Trance 80 

Trayer,  E 54 

Transfiguration 161 

Trend  of  Life  Changed 252 

Tregonning,  Miss  M.  J 555 

Treloar,  J.  P 430 

Trieste,  Austria 211 

Trinidad 324,  476,  478,  549 

Trinity  Church,  Denver 363,  501, 

5".  550 

Triumphant  Deaths 113,  253,  467 

Trowbridge,  G.  E 510 

Tucker  Brothers 302 

Tullahoma,  Tenn 146 

Turin,  Italy 155 

Turkey  Creek  Camp 323 

Turks 205 

Tuttle,  G.  E 492 

Turtles  Escaped 204 

Tyler,  CM 393 


PAGE. 

Uffizi  Gallery. 156 

Union  Evangelical  University 394 

University  of  Denver 392,  397, 

399,  402,  403,  405 

University  Park  Church 380 

Upper  Room 199 

Upper  Pool  of  Gihon 201 

United   States    Christian    Commis- 
sion  .97,  117 

Ute  Indians 339 

Utter,  Stephen 340 

Uzzell,  T.  A 433 

Uzzell,  C.  S 450 

Vallow,  J.  L 529 

Valverde 379i  429 

Van  Law,  George  S 367 

Van  Pelt,  J.  R 406,  569 

Van  Valkenberg,  R.  J 299 

Veta  Pass 264 

Variety 411 

Vasquez,  Fort 267 

Vawter,  J.  G 388 

Vatican i6i 

Veeder,  J.  C 532 

Venable,  Mrs t 352 

Veasy,  L.  M 392 

Venice,  Italy 155,  212 

Vernon,  L.  M 156 

Verona , 212 

Versailles,  France 153 

Vesuvius 172 

Veiled  Christ 166 

Veterans 84 

Vevay 154 

Vice  Conceived 165 

Victor 571 

Via  Appia 160 

Via  Sacra 162 

Vincent,  B.  T 294,  426,  533 

Vincent,  Mrs.  M.  Ella 271 

Vincent,  Leon  H, 271 

Vincent,  Mrs.  H 434 

Vincent,  Bishop  J.  H 576 

Virden,  N.  H 270 

Virgil's  Tomb 166 

Vosseller,  D.  B 542,  555 


Wadsworth,  B.  F 

Wadsworth,  J.  T 

Walden,  Bishop  J.  M 

Wallace,  George 299, 

Wallace,  Miss  J.  E 

Waltz,  H.  C 271,  346,  588, 

Wanless,  G.  F 

Ward,  E 467, 

Warner,  Henry 62, 

Warner,  Jonas 

Warner,  Jesse, 

Warner,  Millard 

Warner,  H.  E 

Warner,  S.  B 

Warren,  W.  F 321,  282, 

Warren,  W.  H 


270 
460 

509 
321 

575 
410 

367 

% 

112 
"3 
113 
546 
571 


INDEX. 


605 


PAGE. 

Warren,  W.  T 386 

Warren,  A 423,  428 

Warren,  Bishop  H.  W.  .428,  444,  509,  566 

Warren,  Mrs.  E.  IliflF. 399,  481 

Washburn,  B.  A 420,  478,  563 

Water  Straight 206,  287 

Watkins,  T.  C 412 

Watson,  Samuel 74 

Watson,  R 61 

Watson,  J.  V 240 

Waterville 69 

Waugh,  Bishop  B 56,     69 

Weaver,  Bishop 66 

Weaver,  W.  R 577 

Webber,  S.  A 542,  555 

We  are  an  Oflficer 264 

West  Denver  Mission 371 

West  Denver  German  Church 373 

West  Las  Animas 332,  426 

Weston,  M.  A 460 

Weston,  S 147 

Westminster  Abbey 153 

Wesley,  John 60,     61 

Wesley  Chapel 381 

Webster,  D 247 

Wells,  J.  E 33,    36 

Wells,  Mrs.  E.  N 531 

Welbom,  Miss  A.  M 529 

Welch,  George  S 501 

W^elty,  Levi 323 

Wellington,  Ohio 58 

Wet  Mountain  Valley 261,  353,  417 

Wheat  Ridge 422,  479,  494 

Wheeler,  B.  A 367,  410 

Wheeler,  L.  N 410 

White,  J.  F 271,  436 

White,  Kent 515 

White,  Edgar 541,  588 

Whisler,  J 496,  580 

Whipple,  W 519 

Whitsett,  R.  E 388 

Whiteman,  Henry 58 

Where  the  Colorado  Conference  Was 

Organized 359 

Willard,  O.  A.  .270,  272,  275,  278,  362,  387 

Willard,  Mrs.  M.  B 246,  390 

Willard,  Miss  Frances  E 246 

Willing,  Mrs.  J.  F 560 

Williams,  Mrs.  M.  P 546 

Williams,  S.  P 546 

Williams,  J.  H 233,  469 


PAGE. 

Williams,  W.  H 521 

Wild.J 375 

Wiley,  Bishop  Isaac  W 430,  457,  481 

Wilcox,  E.  J 489 

Wilcox,  M.  C 509 

Widner,  A 388 

Wilmot,  Ohio 103 

Wiltsee,  T.  L 511 

Willow  Grove  Camp-meeting 333 

Wilson,  J 447,  588 

Wilson,  Mrs.  E.  E.  R 588 

Winne  Peter 367 

Windham  Circuit 30.  51,    57 

Winsor,  S.  A 457 

Winsor,  Thomas 481 

Winsor  Society 381,  517 

Wise,  D 77 

Without  Breeches 411 

Witter,  D 392 

Witter,  H 393 

Wright,  O.  P 581 

Wright,  Mrs.  L 460 

Wriston,  H.  ly 505 

Wolff,  Albert.. : .  302 

Wolff,  Alfred 558 

Wood,  Aaron 375 

Wood,  J.  R 382,  516,  562 

Wood-sawyer 464 

Woodbury,  H 377 

Worms 213 

Woman's  Chair  Endowed 402 

Woman's     Home     Missionary    So- 
ciety   544 

Wycliff  Cottage 405 

Wyoming  Mission 525 

Yank  Preach 148 

Yell 132 

Young,  Aaron 92 

Young,  Andy 97 

Young,  Jacob 77 

Young,  B 539 

Your  Child  is  Dead 97 

Zabdaney 199 

Zacheus 193 

Zaghlah 209 

Zebold,  C.  C 463,  588 

Zion's  Baptist  Church 372 

Zwingli 154 

Zurich,  Switzerland 154