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Show BENDICO. THE CONVERTED PRIZEFIGHTER. Nothing so delights the active evangelist as to work out the conversion conver-sion of a notoriously wicked unbeliever, unbe-liever, whom he can exhibit with the business pride of a showman who has secured an unusually rare animal. And this feeling of exultation is shared by the convert himself, who contrasts with vast complacency the sanctity of his new found with the depravity de-pravity of his old-time life. The wickeder he was the happier he is. Such satisfaction does he derive from the retrospect as compared with his current lile that it may be supposed his only regret ia that while sinfulness was in his line he did not distinguish himself by the commission of greater atrocities than, having decided to sneak truth, he can really claim to have compassed. Hence when the '. positively wicked man gives the devil the go-by and takes a pew in the meeting-house it is discovered to the satisfaction sat-isfaction of everybody, including himself, him-self, that he was the superlatively wicked man. He is a peculiarity of that small portion of the great globe which has accepted Christianity, and he is exhibited with great regularity in various plaoes. Not many Sundays Sun-days ago the attendants at the London cabman's mission bad the pleasure of listening to him. This time he is Bendigo, formerly champion prizefighter prize-fighter of England and at ono time, by all odds, the wickedest man in Nottingham. Ho was converted by Jim, who, there being great flexibility about degrees of comparison down there, was also at ono time by all odds the wickedest man in Nottingham. Jim was the superintendent s nuuiui who, to illustrate Jim's early depravity, deprav-ity, related to such Loudon cabmen cab-men as could be found at MUbion hall, how, "Ono night he came heme very late, and was kicking up an awful row in the street just before ho came in. I opened tho window and looking out, said to him very gently, 'Now, Jim, do come iu without wak- ing mother.' And what d'ye think he did ? Why, he said nothing, but-just but-just up with a brick and heaved it at ma. That was Jim in the old days." Aud thereupon the brick-heaving, mother-waking, say-nothing Jim. of the olden time came forward and sang the "Hallelujah Band,',' in which it appears he blows a lively horn. Then he introduces Bendigo, who bears his threr-score years aa easily as he does his honors, both pugilistic and spiritual. His nose is battered like an old tin pan, there are dents in his forehead and pieces missing from hia ear, and when he puts up his hands in prayer a cork-screwy cork-screwy twist to his fingers is observable, but generally he is! in good trim. Bendigo gets the oar of the cabmen and Bays, "I've been a fighting eharaoter, but now I'm a miracle. What could I do ? I was the youngest born of twenty one children, and the first thing that was done with me was to put me in a work-houso. There I got among fellows who brought me out, and I became a fighting character. charac-ter. Thirty years ago I came up to London to fight .Ben Gaunt, and I licked him. I'm sixty-three now and I didn't think I should ever come up to Loudon to -fly lit for King Jesua. I wish I could read the bible, then I could talk to ycu better. I'm only two years old at present, and know no more than a baby. It's two years ago since Jesus came to me and had a bout with me, and I can tell you he licked me in the first round. I've a good many cups and belts which I won when I was a fighting character. charac-ter. Them cups and belts will fade, but there's a crown, being prepared for old Bendigo that'll never fade." Wo hope so, old man. Chicago Times. |