| Show WAS VERY STRANGE The Fatalities Caused by Refusals Re-fusals to Lend I SUPERSTITION AND PREACHERS How a Confidence Man Gulled a Minister and Touched him for a Loan i For Tnn SUNDAY HEHAXD Copyrighted Rev John W Woodrigg pastor of a large church and one of tho gentlest of men was walking meditatively in his garden when a man came up to the fence and said I am a stranger to you Mr Woodrigg but you arc stranger to me Many and manya time when the wick on the candle of hope had grown long and the blaze threatened to go outyour sermons have buoyed mo up You move me deeply by saying so the reverend gentleman answered casting a lOok of close inquiry upon the man whom be found to be solemn of countenance and exceedingly plain of dress liDo you live near here I r No the visitor answered limy habita tion humble and scarcely worth a glance of the traveler that passes the door is situated many miles frpin here but your I sermons come to me on the great thought i carrying waves of the press Are you too deeply engaged in contemplation to spare men few moments in your library Oh by no means0 the minister responded re-sponded Walk into the house please They went into the library and the visitor after seating himself looked earnestly at the preacher and said I did not know that I was in your immediate neighborhood until your housewas pointed out to me and then my desire to see and talk with you overcoming my judgment perhaps urged me to stop I am really glad that you did stop the minister replied moving in an embarrassed manner for although accustomed to the S iZr J > = < 1 3 i75 Vi 1 < > = s P J v r if k 1 f 1 fli 1 I ill 0 rf I r ii f II II lll j 1 II LJ1 I 1i I 1 ifr hr t i A SOLTiIx 3tAN compliments of the sisters and brothers of the church the praise of this solemn manmade man-made him feel uneasy I thank you profoundly said the visitor bowing For many days I have thought that I should like to talk to you on a subject that has become very serious tome to-me and you can scarcely imagine the thrill I felt when your house was pointed out II am ready my dear sir to talk to you on any subject the minister answered It is with regard to religion of course Well bardiy The truth isI am almost al-most ashamed to acknowledge itI fear that I have become superstitious I have fought have really struggled against it but still I can not drive away a horrible belief that seems hourly to fasten itself stronger and stronger upon me Before J proceed farther let me tell you my name I am Calvin N Bo ers I am exceedingly poor but all my friends know me to be honest Sometimes I have money and then sometimes some-times I find myself in extreme need My superstition began in this way About four months ago I went to a man named Anderson Ander-son and asked him to lend me 525 He refused re-fused What happened The next day he dropped dead There is nothing remarkable in that the preacher remarked Oh no but wait The very next day I went to a man named Cal Simmors and a ked him to accommodate me with twenty live dollars He declared that he did not have the amount He was a very strongman strong-man but the next day ho dropped dead Humph grunted the minister Then I began to grow superstitious the visitor continued and although I needed money I waited for several weeks before asking anyone ease Finally need drove me to do it and I went to B S Featherston our county judge and asked him for twentylive He said he could let me have it and I know that his intentions were good but upon looking in his safe he found that he had not the amount I thanked him of course but the very next day just as he had admitted old Steven L Doyles will to probate he fell off the bench dead You dont say so exclaimed the minister min-ister Yes sir It is a fact When I went home I heard of it and shut myself up and I for more than two days did no eat a bite I J I W l v llI r qJ r J 1 11f Lo < I 1fjJ i i I I iu J Id lw > I = I < L r p J i jHH N > A i rl I > t Psa I 7 Aitt j ft t t = I I l L f i t I iJ 1 I = lr u bUtl 0 roc DOXT SAT so I Finally I came out and rouiemberiiig a j moneyed man a friend of mine that Jived i not far away I went to him and telling him of my experience with the other men and reminding him of what had befallen them I asked him to lend me twentyfive dollars He not only refused but actually laughed at me The next morning while he was out in the pasture looking at his fine horses he was stricken with apoplexy and died almost instantly Good gracious I exclaimed minister you startle me Ah you beginning to see that I have cause to be superstitious Oh no said the preacher thoughtfully thought-fully oh no for we are in this enlightened enlight-ened day warned against superstition Coincidents are sometimes perplexing but we should never permit them to drive us into the dark corners of superstition I know that Mr Woodrigg and I have fought against it but still I can not help I yielding to a strength so immeasurably greater than my own Let me give you another instance About two weeks alter the last mandied I went to a preacher a dear friend of mine and begged for spiritual spirit-ual comfort You should have done thatlcngbefore Mr Woodripg broke in II know that the visitor assented but somehow did not have the strength o acknowledge ac-knowledge my weakness Well I talked with him long and earnestly and after awhile a-while he convinced me that I was foolish My spirits rose and 1 laughed for tho first time in many weeks But suddenly tho thought Hashed across my mind that I had to raise 25 or my land would bo sold for taxes I explained the distress I was in and asked him to let me have tho money II should do so with pleasure said he but the truth is I am in absolute and immediate need of every cent I have I went away knowing that he had spoken the truth but Tho visitor took out a mi handkerchief I hand-kerchief and wiped his eyes How I did I love that man he continued after a painful pain-ful silence He was more than a brother to me he was i deed a father I But did anything happen to him the minister eargely asked I The visitor arose and standing with his I bacli to the preacher looked far away over the landscape He wiped his eyes again i and in a voice husky with emotipn answered an-swered He fell dead the next day Oh my dear Mr Woodrigg he exclaimed suddenly sud-denly wheeling about and stretching forth his arms you now see why I am held down by the blackened chains of superstition supersti-tion You can now appreciate why I am no longer a real man My aear brother said the minister 1I your case is indeed deserving of commiseration commis-eration but still I say be not led into the Foul waters of superstition You must pray I will do so the visitor exclaimed I will pray deep within my soul Well I must go now I must hasten homo but alas he sorrowfully added I expect to find strangers in my house The taxgath erer I fear has supplanted me ILl had only twentyfive dollars I should now that you have comforted mr again be happy Rev Mr Woourigg begin to wince Just to think the visitor continued that so small an amount can make a man forget all his former troubles Say my friend can you not accommodate me for a few days i The preacher began to cough Why I declare 1111 Oh do not inconvenience yourself sir said the visitor Mr Woodrigg began to walk up and down the room Your words have given me such strength the visitor went on that I am sure I call never wholly repay yon I have fought so hard againstbut he suddenly added I had such awful evidence evi-dence to combat I know that to let me have the money would be pleasure to you and I really supposed that you were well 1 fixed financially or I should not have requested re-quested the loan even though you had so strengthened me against a belief in the dark shadows of 1 11 I think t can let you have the money the preacher broke in I have only thirty dollars to my name and had intended getting get-ting some books that I have wanted for a long time but cannot think b you going hnmA n fninO h nn from you Wait a u moment < > 1t I u will bring the money < The good man left the roomf tand the vIsItor humming a melancholy tunes tune-s out his legs and clasped his hands o HE LEAKED BACK IX HIS en tiR back of his head When the preacher returned re-turned and gave him the money he became a veritable fountain of thanks throwing up the silvery spray of gratitude That afternoon a neighbor called on Mr Woodrigg I had rather a queer caller this morning said he A fellow came to the house and after talking for some time began to tell me of people that had dropped dead because they had refused to lend him money Then he wanted me to lend him twentyfive dollars and I pledge you my word that it took all my strength to resist him almost believing at one time that I should surely die suddenly if I did not yield to him In fact I dont know but that I should have given him the money had not some one interrupted our conversation Upon seeing the newcomer new-comer my impressive visitor took his leave and when he had gone the newcomer new-comer asked Do you know that fellow V No I rejoined who is he One of the shrewdest confidence men in the country he replied The minister holding his hands behind L him walked up and down the room After awhile he said You did well not let him I taint you with his professed superstition We should cultivate strength and root out the germs of weakness OPIE P READ 1JOILSBLOOD DISORDER I had been troubled with boils which came out on my cars neck and in fact allover all-over my body I tried everything and Ir I could get no relief until I was advised by my neighbor T N Arnold to try Dr David Kennedys Favorite Remedy made at Rondout N Y After using it less than three months I can say I am fully cuied I feel so greatful at the relief that I shall be glad to recommend it to anyone suflering from impure an d poisoned blood HAMUEf GUADT No 20 Caledonia ave Rochester N Y For sale by Z C MI drug store < |
