OCR Text |
Show THREE REMARKABLE KENTUCKY PREACHERS. Now Approaching the Century Mark, They Hare Devoted Their LItm to the Master's Work. Perhaps thrco of tho most remarkable remark-able men In tho cntlro country ro-sldo ro-sldo within a radius of ten miles of Harrodsburg, Ky. They aro Itov. William Wil-liam May, a Mothodlst minister, Rev. David Bruner, n Baptist, and Elder W. W. Graham of tho Christian denomination. denomina-tion. Theso threo men of tho gospel are near tho nlncty-two-mtlo stono on tho road of time, and aro natives of tho county. Ilev. Mr. May, or "Uncle Billy," as ho Is familiarly known, has twelve children living, moro than fifty grandchildren, seventeen great-grandchildren nnd s oven great-great-grandchildren. Ho has been engaged In ministerial work for tho last seventy years, and has never accepted a farthing farth-ing for his services. During this long career he has married about 3,000 couples. Ho has also baptised 5,000 converts, nnd tho number of funeral orations that ho has delivered correspond corres-pond oxactly with the baptisms. His fellow worker la tho vineyard, Itov. David Bruner, 1b Just one day his junior. Ho Is the father ot Bruncr's Chapel, in tho northwestern part of the county, a church ot which he was pastor for sixty years. Llko Mr. May, ho has persistently refused to accept anything far hlu services. Threo thousand couples have been united In marriage by him. Tho third member ot this wonderful trio resides about soven miles from town, near Grapo Vino church, of which ho was pastor for moro than forty years, and, like his two brother workers, ho has declined to accept any remuneration for bis labors. Elder Graham has kept a daily diary for tho past foity years, and tho pages ot this book settle all disputes and disagreements disagree-ments in thnt section of tho country nnd obvlato the cost and worry of lawsuits law-suits and such like, as his word is taken as the law and tho gospel in that region. Nono of theso nonogenarlans has been on board a train, but havo always traveled on horseback. Thoy aro owners own-ers of profitable farms. They havo I recently retired from tho ministry. |