Part 20 (2/2)
”What is your fine?” I asked, ”Only a dollar.” ”My dear boy, I will do what mother would do, if she were here, kneel down here and let us pray.” He did, weeping so bitterly all the time. I asked G.o.d to make this a means of saving that dead mother's precious one. I said to him, ”Now my boy, mother would say my darling son, don't use bad language. Be good and love G.o.d. Now I will pay your fine just as mother would do.”
So I called the jailer, who seemed to be a kind man, and paid the dollar.
The boy with his face glowing with happiness, fairly flew out. In a few minutes the door was opened, a friend went on my bond, and I left to fill my appointment. There were as many as twenty-five men who volunteered to testify to the unfair arrest. The case was tried the next day and I was acquitted, the judge saying that. ”All Carry Nation wanted was advertising. Man's inhumanity to woman.” I was glad to open the prison door to the boy, and give him advice at a time when he would take it, for he promised me to be a good boy and serve G.o.d. I expect G.o.d sent me there for that purpose.
CHAPTER XXIII.
COWARDLY a.s.sAULT BY SALOON KEEPER, G. R. NEIGHBORS OF ELIZABETHTOWN, KY.--APATHY OF OFFICERS, BUT PEOPLE MUCH MOVED BY OUTRAGE, LECTURED AFTERWARDS, THO' VERY FAINT AND WEAK FROM LOSS OF BLOOD.-- CIGARETTE SMOKING IN HIGH PLACES DISCUSSED WITH MISS GASTON, PRESIDENT NATIONAL ANTI-CIGARETTE LEAGUE.
A saloon keeper, G. R. Neighbors, of Elizabethtown, Ky., struck me over the head with a chair, July 23, 1904. In going up to the hall to fill an engagement. I pa.s.sed this man and walking into his saloon, said, why are you in this business, drugging and robbing the people? ”Hus.h.!.+ You get out.” I replied, ”Yes you want a respectable woman to get out, but you will make any woman's boy a disgrace, you ought to be ashamed.”
I then pa.s.sed out going to the hall. After the lecture I pa.s.sed by his place again. He was sitting in a chair in front of the saloon, and I said, ”Are you the man that runs this business?” and in a moment with an oath he picked up the chair and with all his strength, sent it down with a crash on my head. I came near falling, caught myself, and he lifted the chair the second time, striking me over the back, the blood began to cover my face, and run down from a cut on my forehead. I cried out, ”He has killed me,” An officer caught the chair to prevent a third blow.
There were two officers in the crowd. I cried out, ”Is there no one to arrest this man?” No one appeared to do it. He went back in his saloon. I to the hotel. Some one sent for a doctor who came and dressed the wound on my forehead, my left arm was badly bruised, also my back. Had it not been for my bonnet, I should have suffered more.
This outragous act roused the people. The women and men came to see me indignant, saying this outrage would not be tolerated. The Methodist minister especially was deeply moved. There were two officers who saw this outrage, but there was no arrest.
Next morning, Mrs. Bettie James, came in two miles from the country, and had a warrant sworn out against Neighbors, but the case was laid over to await the action of the ”Grand jury,” in November, saloon keepers going on his bond.
I intended to go to Mammoth Cave but remained over on account of trial, and spoke again that night. Elizabethtown is one of those bad rum- towns in Kentucky, but there is a fine prohibition sentiment, and great indignation was felt and expressed that a saloon-keeper even so low and cowardly as to strike a woman, should be tolerated. I was in bed most of the day and nearly fainted during the lecture, but I thanked G.o.d that I was counted worthy to suffer, that others might not. I felt some mother might receive fewer blows--that while my head was bruised and bleeding to prevent hearts from being crushed and broken, souls were going to drunkards graves, and drunkards h.e.l.ls, and this outrage would reveal the enormous brutality of this curse, bringing a speedy remedy.
In the Spring of 1904, I was in the office of Miss Lucy Page Gaston, the National President of the Anti-Cigarette League. I saw on the walls of her room Mr. Roosevelt's picture. I said, ”My dear Miss Lucy, why do you have that picture in here? Don't you know, he is a cigarette smoker?” She said, she did not know it. I said, ”let me tear that up.
Did this man who is at the head of affairs in this nation ever say a word against this vice? Although he is sworn to protect from just such. This brave, good woman, whose heart, soul, and body is dedicated to saving the young men of our land did not seem to recognize the fact that Democrats and Republicans (so-called) were the head and front of all the corruption we have. At last, I said, ”If you will write to Mr. Roosevelt and get his statement that he does not, nor ever did smoke cigarettes I will give You $50 for your work, she said she would. She wrote to the President, got no response from him, but Mr. Loeb, his secretary wrote that the President, did not nor ever had used tobacco in any form. She sent this to me, of course I was not to be caught with such chaff. I wrote her so, telling her of the time when Mr. McKinley wished to deny the fact, that he rented his property in Canton, Ohio, for saloon purposes, his minister denied this, but the 'Chicago Voice' proved that he did. I suppose Mr. Roosevelt got his minister to write what he dared not. I wrote her that old birds were not easily fooled with chaff, also stating, that if she would get a statement that Mr. Roosevelt was not a beer drinker, I would give her another $50.00. Of course she could not do this, but the Republican Press published all over the country that Miss Gaston got the evidence and I paid the $50.00, but not one word of this was true.
CHAPTER XXIV.
SISTER LUCY WILHOITE'S VISION.--WRITES TO ME FOR CO-OPERATION IN MAKING RAID ON MAHAN'S WHOLESALE LIQUOR HOUSE.--HESITATE ON ACCOUNT PRESSING ENGAGEMENTS AHEAD.--ANSWER THE CALL.--RAID SET FOR 29TH.--W. C. T. U. CONVENTION IN SESSION.--FOUR SISTERS AND MYSELF START FROM M. E. CHURCH.--A CALL FOR THE POLICE BEFORE WE COULD EFFECT AN ENTRANCE.--TAKEN TO JAIL IN HOODLUM WAGON.-- UNHEALTHY CONDITION OF CELL.--IN JAIL FROM FRIDAY TO MONDAY.-- GOOD OLD PENTECOSTAL TIME ON SUNDAY--COUNTY JAIL MONDAY--TRIAL WEDNESDAY--JAIL SENTENCE AND FINES--APPEAL TO DISTRICT COURT.
In the Fall of 1904, I received a letter from Sister Lucy Wilhoite of Wichita, telling me of a vision, which I will relate here in her own words: ”During a severe illness, last July, the Lord appeared unto me and revealed many wonderful things concerning our work in which I have been engaged for seven years. Temperance and Prohibition.
My life was despaired of by my friends and I knew I was very near the borderland, and as I lay on my bed of suffering in the still hour of midnight, G.o.d showed me the awful desolation which our thirty eight saloons and five wholesale houses were making in the homes of Wichita and surrounding country, The sight so overwhelmed me, I cried unto the Lord and said, ”Oh my G.o.d! Have I done all I could during this life of mine to dam up this fearful tide? Then I said, show me Lord, what this means. Immediately a great cloud of human souls came rolling down a steep decline and as my eyes followed them, saw them rolling on and on until they finally fell into a pit from whence fire and smoke were ascending. Then my eyes were turned again up the ascent from whence the souls were coming. When, Lo! I saw the National Capitol, with her Senate and Congressmen. I saw the Legislative Halls, and our Educational Inst.i.tutions. I saw our churches with her educated ministry, and her secret societies, our public libraries and reading rooms, our National State and Local W. C. T U's, all of them right in the track of this awful tide of human souls, yet they still rolled on and on until they reached the pit. Then I cried again unto the Lord and said, ”Oh, Why do you show me these horrible things, when I am on the brink of the grave? And still the picture or vision remained before me, growing more and more vivid every moment until I struggled to my knees, and said, 'O G.o.d, if I can do anything to dam up this fearful tide, just heal this body, and let the healing be the seal that I can do something to help, and I shall do it if it costs my life. Then a deep calm and soul rest settled over me and I sank into a deep sleep, when I awoke I realized the pain was gone and also the fever. I lay there, looking up to G.o.d and I said, ”Now, Lord, show me what you want me to do. Immediately, like a great scroll reaching across the sky, these words appeared, written in letters of gold.
”Spill it out!” Then he showed me the very place I was to attack Mahan's Wholesale Liquor House.
”For many weeks I pondered upon this vision and prayed about it most earnestly, that I might not be mistaken and know of a truth that it was G.o.d's will. I never found any soul rest until I wrote to Mrs. Nation, and told her the time was ripe for G.o.d and that we must attack Mahan's Wholesale Liquor House, that was helping to degrade so many women and debase so many men. This resulted in an attempt to carry out G.o.d's purpose on Sept. 30, 1904.
I was true to the ”Heavenly Vision,” which is only the beginning of the fulfillment, for there are yet many things to be spilled out, not only the liquor, but also the hypocrites in the church, and the false prophets with sin of every kind, and our lives also.
The Wichita Eagle Reporter, uttered a profound truth, whether he intended to or not, when he said, we walked into the Court Room like a poem, a sort of a 'Lead Kindly Light' poem, for we were lead of G.o.d, who is the Light of the world. And we intend to follow on until this vision is fully realized.”
Yours for G.o.d's love for Him and suffering humanity, MRS. LUCY WILHOITE.
I had dates ahead that I disliked to cancel, because of disappointing the people and entailing a great financial sacrifice. Sister Lydia Muntz, also wrote me to come to Wichita immediately. I knew it meant smas.h.i.+ng and imprisonment, possibly, loss of life, for I wrote Sister Wilhoite, ”I am coming to do all I can to destroy the works of the devil, and if need be to die.” At first, I told her to keep things quiet. Then I thought it best to give all an opportunity to have a part in this great work of saving life here and hereafter, so I wrote a letter to the Topeka Journal making a call for helpers setting Sept. 28 as the day. When I arrived in Topeka I learned that the W. C. T. U would be in convention session on that day in Wichita, and also that there was a carnival going on in the place, and thought it providential to have a crowd. I arrived in Wichita the 28th, the raid was postponed until the 29th. I took hatchets with me and we also supplied ourselves with rocks, meeting at the M. E. church, where the W. C. T. U. Convention was being held. I announced to them what we intended doing and asked them to join us. Sister Lucy Wilhoite, Myra McHenry, Miss Lydia Muntz, and Miss Blanch Boies, started for Mahan's wholesale liquor store. Three men were on the watch for us, we asked to go in to hold gospel services as was our intention before destroying this den of vice, for we wanted G.o.d to save their souls, and to give us ability and opportunity to destroy this soul d.a.m.ning business.
They refused to let us come near the door. I said, ”Women, we will have to use our hatchets,” with this I threw a rock through the front, then we were all seized, and a call for the police was made. There was of course, a big crowd. Mrs. Myra McHenry was in the hands of a ruffian who shook her almost to pieces. One raised a piece of gas pipe to strike her, but was prevented from doing so. We were hustled into the hoodlum wagon, and driven through the streets amid the yells, execrations and grimaces of the liquor element. I watched their faces and could see that Satan was roused in them beyond their control, making the most diabolical faces sticking out their tongues! at what? Just five women, who were doing with their might what their hands found to do, Just five living hearts that dared to give their lives to save them. Just gray-haired women, mothers, and grandmothers, who, for love they could not contain, rushed in to save their loved ones, from ruin.
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