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Show NEEDED A THOROUGH SOUSING Evil Spirit of Hackman Could Not Be Exorcised Except by Most Stringent Strin-gent Method. Doctor Brown, a negro evangelist, was a firm believer In the ancient custom cus-tom of river baptism, and converts whom he baptized In this manner seldom sel-dom forgot it. A few years ago he held a christening In a New Jersey town on the banks of the Delaware river, where a dozen or more converts were assembled, awaiting their turns to be Immersed. Among them was a hackman, who evinced a lively Interest Inter-est in the ceremony. "Why does the good doctor," he asked of a fellow convert, "duck some of them folks two times an' others more!?" "He ducks 'em once," explained his friend, "for every new name they're goln' to have." "Is that possible?" the hackman replied. re-plied. "I was goln' to call myself Thomas Jefferson Lincoln Anderson, but I guess 'Tom' will be 'bout long 'miff." This conversation was overheard by the sharp ears of Doctor Brown, who finally beckoned tha hackman to come forward. "Yo' name, please?" he Inquired la a deep bass voice. "Jess baptize me 'Tom,' that's 'nuff." the candidate replied, as the evangelist, evangel-ist, taking him none too gently by the neck, piloted him far out into the stream, where he ducked him not one but half a dozen times with such rapidity ra-pidity and vigor that a few minutes later the hackman found himself on the shore, coughing, sputtering and Y. -.., Tl.fl raymrfnV WAR ugiiLUlK loi ui cam. . - -- soon over, and when he had recovered his strength he made his way to the side of Doctor Brown. "What fo' you duck me that way?" he demanded in aggrieved tones. "I come here to be baptized, not to be drowned." "My good man," replied Doctor ' Brown, "you was so filled with th devil I had to use a powerful lot of water to wash him out of yo' system." |