HILLSBORO’, OHIO.
I am indebted to Mrs. Dean K. Fenner for this able report; I have
added but little to it.
On the evening of the 23d December, 1873, there might have been seen in
the streets of Hillsboro’, Ohio, persons singly or in groups wending
their way to Music Hall, where a lecture on temperance was to be
delivered by Dr. Dio Lewis, of Boston, Massachusetts.
Some account of the town and people of Hillsboro’ is necessary in
this connection. It is a small place, containing something more than
3,000 people, and situated in a beautiful part of southern Ohio. Owing
to the educational advantages of the place--there being two colleges
for young ladies there and a large public school--the inhabitants are
rather better educated than is usually the case in small towns, and its
society is indeed noted in that part of the country for its quietude,
culture, and refinement.
But Hillsboro’ was by no means exempt from the prevailing scourge
of intemperance. The early settlers of Hillsboro’ were mostly
from Virginia, and brought with them the old-fashioned ideas of
hospitality. No sideboard was considered properly furnished unless the
usual supply of decanters and glasses was there. The habit of drinking
was almost the rule. For many years previous to the crusade the
professional men, and especially of the bar, were nearly all habitual
drinkers, and many of them very dissipated. Of course the influence of
their example was felt everywhere about them, and extended to the next
generation. When a few earnest temperance men, among whom was Governor
Allen Trimble, initiated a total abstinence movement in or about the
year 1830, the pulpit took up arms against them, and a condemnatory
sermon was preached in one of the churches.
Thus it was that although from time to time men, good and true,
banded themselves together in efforts to break up this dreadful state
of things and reform society, all endeavors seemed to fail of any
permanent effect. Outside appearances were indeed better. The farmers
could get their harvests in without a keg of whiskey, and the family
grocers no longer sold it with their tea and sugar. But in many homes
the light of hope was gone out. Mothers were heart-broken and wives
worse than widowed. Sighs and tears were continually poured out from
sorrowing souls, who saw no hand stretched out for their deliverance.
The plan laid down by Dr. Lewis challenged attention by its novelty at
least. He believed and argued that the work of temperance reform might
be successfully carried on by women if they would set about it in the
right manner--going to the saloon-keeper in a spirit of Christian
love, and persuading him for the sake of humanity and his own eternal
welfare to quit the hateful, soul-destroying business. The doctor spoke
with enthusiasm; and, seeing him so full of faith, the hearts of the
women seized the hope--a forlorn one, ’tis true, but still a hope--and
when Dr. Lewis asked if they were willing to undertake the task, scores
of women rose to their feet, and there was no lack of good men who
pledged themselves to encourage and sustain the women in their work.
A meeting for the further development of the plan was agreed upon,
to be held in the Presbyterian Church at ten o’clock next morning,
Wednesday, December 24th, and at the time appointed there was gathered
a solemn assembly. A strange work was to be done, and by unaccustomed
hands.
On bended knee, and with uplifted hearts, they invoked the blessing
and guidance of Him “who knoweth the end from the beginning,” and then
proceeded to the business of the hour.
Rev. W. J. McSurely, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, was called to
the chair. A committee was appointed to prepare an appeal which was
to be presented to the liquor-sellers; also a druggist’s pledge and a
dealer’s pledge.
[Illustration: MRS. ELIZA J. THOMPSON,
Leader of the First Crusade Band.]
Officers were then elected: Mrs. Eliza J. Thompson, President; Mrs.
Sally McDowell, Vice-President; Mrs. Mary B. Fenner, Secretary.
Mrs. Thompson is the daughter of ex-Governor Trimble, of Ohio. She is
a lady of culture, about sixty years of age, of modest and pleasant
appearance and very agreeable manners. She speaks with great
simplicity, in a conversational style, and with a quaintness that is
peculiarly attractive. Whenever she addresses an audience she is sure
of an attentive hearing.
Her recital of
“THE FIRST CRUSADE”
is somewhat on this wise: “On the 22d of last December Dr.
Dio Lewis lectured before our lyceum. It was a literary lecture,
and the subject was ‘Our Girls.’ I wasn’t there. My boy came home
and said, ‘Ma, they’ve got you into business;’ and went on to tell
that Dio Lewis had incidentally related the successful effort of his
mother, by prayer and persuasion, to close the saloon in a town where
he lived when a boy, and that he had exhorted the women of Hillsboro’
to do the same, and fifty had risen up to signify their willingness,
and that they looked to me to help them to carry out their promise.
As I’m talking to you here familiarly, I’ll go on to say that my
husband, who had retired, and was in an adjoining room, raised up on
his elbow and called out, ‘Oh! that’s all tomfoolery!’ I remember I
answered something like this: ‘Well, husband, the men have been in the
tomfoolery business a long time; perhaps the Lord is going to call
us into partnership with them.’ I said no more. The next morning my
brother-in-law, Colonel ----, came in and told me about the meeting,
and said, ‘Now, you must be sure to go to the women’s meeting at the
church this morning; they look to see you there.’ Our folks talked it
all over, and my husband said, ‘Well, we all know where your mother’ll
take this case for counsel,’ and then he pointed to the Bible and left
the room.
“I went into the corner of my room, and knelt down and opened my Bible
to see what God would say to me. Just at that moment there was a tap on
the door and my daughter entered. She was in tears; she held her Bible
in her hand, open to the 146th Psalm. She said, ‘Ma, I just opened to
this, and I think it is for you,’ and then she went away, and I sat
down and read
THIS WONDERFUL MESSAGE FROM GOD.
“‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there
is no help. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help,
whose hope is in the Lord his God; which keepeth truth forever; which
executeth judgment for the oppressed; the Lord looseth the prisoners;
the Lord openeth the eyes of the blind; the Lord raiseth them that
are bowed down; the Lord loveth the righteous; the Lord relieveth the
fatherless and the widow--_but the way of the wicked he turneth upside
down_. The Lord shall reign forever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all
generations. Praise ye the Lord!’
“I knew that was for me, and I got up, put on my shoes, and started. I
went to the church, in this town where I was born. I sat down quietly
in the back part of the audience-room, by the stove. A hundred ladies
were assembled. I heard my name--heard the whisper pass through the
company, ‘Here she is!’ ‘She’s come!’ and before I could get to the
pulpit, they had put me ‘in office’--I was their leader.
“Many of our citizens were there, and our ministers also. They stayed
a few minutes, and then rose and went out, saying, ‘This is your
work--we leave it with the women and the Lord.’ When they had gone, I
just opened the big pulpit Bible and read that 146th Psalm, and told
them the circumstance of my selecting it. The women sobbed so I could
hardly go on. When I had finished, I felt inspired to call on a dear
Presbyterian lady to pray. She did so without the least hesitation,
though it was the first audible prayer in her life. I can’t tell you
anything about that prayer, only that the words were like fire.
“When she had prayed, I said--and it all came to me just at the moment--
‘NOW, LADIES, LET US FILE OUT, TWO BY TWO,
the smallest first, and let us sing as we go,
“Give to the winds thy fears.”’
“We went first to John ----’s saloon. Now, John was a German, and his
sister had lived in my family thirteen years, and she was very mild and
gentle, and I hoped it might prove a family trait, but I found out it
wasn’t. He fumed about dreadfully and said, ‘It’s awful; it’s a sin and
a shame to pray in a saloon!’ But we prayed right on just the same.”
That the choice was dictated by God we must believe, for in all
the trials and discouragements which have beset us, and they have
been many, her trust in God has never failed. She had tested his
faithfulness through many years of heavy and sore trouble, and had
proved that his promises are “Yea and amen, to them that believe.”
And no other woman could have kept up such a spirit of courage and
hopefulness in the little band of devoted women, who have met week
after week, all these years, to pray for God’s blessing on the work.
After the election of officers, came the plan for work. It was decided
to go to the drug stores first, so that the saloonists might not plead
their example as an excuse for themselves.
Mrs. J. M. Boyd was chosen to present the appeal on that visit. All the
druggists signed the pledge except Mr. Dunn, of whom more hereafter.
Next day the ladies held another meeting, but decided not to make
any visitations, it being Christmas-day, and the hotel-keepers more
than usually busy and not likely to listen very attentively to our
proposition.
On the 26th, the hotels and saloons were visited; Mrs. Thompson
presenting the appeal. And it was on this morning, and at the saloon
of Robert Ward, that there came a break in the established routine.
“Bob” was a social, jolly sort of fellow, and his saloon was a favorite
resort, and there were many women in the company that morning whose
hearts were aching in consequence of his wrong-doing. Mrs. Thompson
presented the appeal, another lady read a selection in the Bible,
and then Mrs. Thompson began to talk to him; and she did it with
her heart all stirred up by the memory of the wrongs the man had
done to many whose weakness he had taken advantage of, dragging them
down to disgrace and ruin. Ward was evidently touched. He confessed
that it was a “bad business,” said if he could only “afford to quit
it he would,” and then tears began to flow from his eyes. Many of
the ladies were weeping, and at length, as if by inspiration, Mrs.
Thompson kneeled on the floor of the saloon, all kneeling with her,
even the saloonist, and prayed, pleading with indescribable pathos
and earnestness for the conversion and salvation of this and all
saloon-keepers. When the amen was sobbed rather than spoken, Mrs.
Washington Doggett’s sweet voice began, “There is a fountain,” etc.,
in which all joined; the effect was most solemn, and when the hymn was
finished the ladies went quietly away, and that was the first saloon
prayer-meeting.
This is a fair specimen of the saloon visiting as carried on in
Hillsboro’ for more than three months. Then the doors were locked and
the prayer-meetings were held on the pavements; extreme care was taken
not to obstruct the passage-way.
Mr. W. H. H. Dunn, the druggist, who refused to sign the druggist’s
pledge, and who was known to be selling whiskey for drinking, and to
minors, too, in disobedience of the law, became very much incensed at
the continuous effort on the part of the women to persuade him to sign
the pledge, and I may say here that not the women alone plead with him;
a petition signed by a large number of the leading men of the place
was presented to him by two of the oldest and most respected citizens,
without the least effect. Let it be said as some excuse for him that
he had bad advisers, and that large sums of money were sent him by the
Whiskey Ring, that he might be able to fight the Crusaders in the
courts.
The first thing done was the issuing of a “pronunciamento,” forbidding
the women to sing and pray on his store steps, or on the sidewalk in
front of his store. This was printed on slips of paper, and copies
scattered over the town, and about the front of the drug store in
question. This was early in the morning of the 31st January, 1874, and
when the hour came for the usual prayer-meeting, there was a great
questioning as to what was to be done; finally, some of the gentlemen
said the ladies should go on the street as usual, and that by the time
they had gone the round of the saloons, a place would be ready in front
of Mr. Dunn’s.
Accordingly, in an hour or two, there was erected in front of the drug
store a covered structure, made of boards and canvas, enclosed on
three sides, and open on the side next the store. The ladies soon took
possession and held a prayer-meeting.
Mr. Dunn could not stand that, so he applied to Judge Safford, then
presiding at court in Hillsboro’, for an injunction against this
“tabernacle.” The injunction was granted, and a notice served on Mr.
Sayler, a very active temperance man, after he had gone to bed. It was
Saturday night, and in order that he might obey the law and still keep
the Sabbath, he dressed himself, procured some help, and had everything
removed by twelve o’clock. An appeal was made at once by the temperance
people for dissolution of the injunction; the case was heard by Judge
Steele, at the February term of court, and the injunction dissolved on
the finding of a legal flaw in the application of the plaintiff. But
Mr. Dunn was not to be quieted. He now brought a suit for “trespass”
against the Crusaders, and asked $10,000 damages.
This suit was heard before Judge Gray, at the May term of court, 1875.
Able counsel was employed on both sides. The question was felt to be a
vital one, and the court-room was crowded to overflowing for _seventeen
days_. The examination of witnesses occupied thirteen or fourteen days,
though not nearly all of the two hundred were called to the stand.
One incident of this trial must be told. It happened during Judge
Safford’s speech, one of Mr. Dunn’s counsel. There was in the
court-room a dear old lady, Mrs. Margaret Foreaker, a genuine mother
in Israel, who, full of faith, prayed much during the trial, and
while Judge Safford was speaking, prayed especially that he might be
“confounded.” He had been going along swimmingly, and entirely to the
satisfaction of his friends, when suddenly he seemed to lose the thread
of his argument, dropped his eye-glasses two or three times, could not
find his references, made quotations not bearing on the points he was
trying to establish, and his embarrassment was so obvious that Mrs.
F. said afterward she did not know but she had “prayed too hard.” The
judge did not recover himself, and one of Dunn’s friends went over
to the hotel and reported the case as “lost,” that Judge Safford had
ruined it.
The jury were compelled by the ruling of the court to bring a verdict
against the defendants, and laid the costs on them, with $5 damages.
Counsel for the defence made a bill of exceptions to the rulings of
Judge Gray, and the case was carried to the Supreme Court of the State.
It is still pending, but will probably be dismissed, as Mr. W. H. H.
Dunn is now a _bankrupt_. _Mr. Sayler owns_ the store, and Mr. Dunn’s
assignee will not defend the suit in Supreme Court.
The “street work” was not resumed after the Dunn suits began. It was
thought best not to defy the law even in appearance until the decision
of the courts should be known. But there was plenty to do. The new
constitution was about to be presented to the people of Ohio, and
“License” or “No License” was the great question. The women girded
themselves for the strife. Into the school districts and smaller
towns they went in little parties, held meetings, organized leagues,
circulated petitions, and kept on praying. The license clause was
defeated.
A few miles north of Hillsboro’ is the little village of L----. It
is quite a pleasant little place; the people are intelligent; there
are two churches, good schools, and a few stores, etc. But there
was one drawback to the peace of the community, and that was the
drinking-saloon attached to the hotel. The proprietor was one of the
oldest citizens, and when the Crusade began it was hoped that he would
at once come over on the temperance side. But as he did not, there was
a meeting called in the little white church to consider what should be
done. The meeting was large, and after a prayer, a visiting committee
of ladies went down to Mr. ----’s saloon. He met them at the door, and
very kindly invited them into the parlor with his amiable wife and
daughter. There they talked the matter over, but he refused to sign
the pledge. The next day they called again, and he was very angry and
locked the door; but on the third day, seeing that the whole community
was roused, he grew calm, and said, “Ladies, I will not sign your
pledge; but I will promise you in the presence of God that I will never
sell another drop of liquor in this town after the 20th of this month,
and if I violate my word you may have every cent I am worth. I will
walk out and you may walk in.” He kept his word for a while, but the
temptation to put a few more dimes in his pocket was too strong, and he
secretly bought another barrel of whiskey. Just at this time several
of the leading temperance women were sick and could not visit him, but
“God met him.” The quiet village was alarmed by the cry of “fire!” It
was the _hotel_. It caught from a segar thrown into a sawdust spittoon
in the _saloon_. While it was burning, a lady said, “O, dear! our town
is built so compactly, it will all burn.” “Never thee fear,” said a
good Quaker sister, “not a building will burn but that one. Don’t thee
see? not a leaf is moving; the flames go straight up, and the sparks
fall back on the house.” She was right. The hotel, store, saloon, and
all belonging to it were entirely burned, while not another house
caught fire. Unappalled by this judgment, Mr. ---- built a room on the
same lot in which to sell whiskey, but became paralyzed, and in a short
time died a miserable death. There is no whiskey now sold in L----.
I want to relate one or two little incidents that show the hardening
effect of liquor-selling on the dealer.
There was a saloon-keeper brought from Greenfield to H---- to be tried
under the Adair law. The poor mother who brought the suit had besought
him not to sell to her son--“her only son.” He replied roughly that
he would sell to him “as long as he had a dime.” Another mother, an
old lady, made the same request, “lest,” she said, “he may some day
fill a drunkard’s grave.” “Madam,” he replied, “your son has as good
a right to fill a drunkard’s grave as any other mother’s son.” And in
one of the Hillsboro’ saloons a lady saw her nephew. “O, Mr. B----,”
said she, “don’t sell whiskey to that boy: if he has one drink he will
want another, and he may die a drunkard.” “Madam, I will sell to him
if it sends his soul to hell,” was the awful reply. The last man is
a peculiarly hard, stony sort of man; his lips look as if chiselled
out of flint, a man to be afraid of. One morning, when the visiting
band reached his door, they found him in a very bad humor. He locked
his door and seated himself on the horse-block in front in a perfect
rage, clenched his fist, swore furiously, and ordered us to go home.
Some gentlemen, on the opposite side of the street, afterwards said
that they were watching the scene, ready to rush over and defend the
ladies from an attack, and they were sure it would come; but one of the
ladies, a sweet-souled woman, gentle and placid, kneeled just at his
feet, and poured out such a tender, earnest prayer for him, that he
quieted down entirely, and when she rose and offered him her hand in
token of kind feeling, he could not refuse to take it.
But it was not always stormy; sometimes it was summer-sunshine, as
witness: One bright Saturday afternoon, while we were singing the sweet
songs of Zion and offering prayer, an old gentleman, a stranger to us
all, stood at a little distance from our band, and while listening
to us was led by the Spirit to give his heart to God. He went to his
home bearing the glad tidings to his friends. He told it in church the
following Sabbath, and a revival began then which resulted in many
conversions.
As I go over these facts of a time so full of interest, I recall the
figure of a venerable, dignified old gentleman, full of vigor and
enthusiasm, though the frosts of seventy-five winters had whitened
his head; this was General Jos. J. McDowell, the husband of our
vice-president. His interest kept pace with the work, he was at nearly
all the meetings, and had ever a word of counsel or encouragement for
the women. But there was one thing lacking. He was not a professing
Christian, and his many friends grew sad when they saw that he was
drawing so near the close of life without the only hope that can
lighten the pathway to the tomb. The time came, however, for the Spirit
to do its work. The ladies had been holding a series of religious
meetings in their consecrated league room, morning after morning, for
two months (January and February, 1876). The presence of the One Mighty
to save and strong to deliver was gloriously manifesting himself,
and on one of these mornings General McDowell came in and took his
seat. Mrs. Thompson, who was leading the meeting on that occasion,
after a very touching hymn had been sung, Scripture read, and prayer
offered, proposed spending a short time in testimony. One and another
had spoken, when Mrs. T---- said, in a kind, familiar way, “General
McDowell, we are most happy to have you with us this morning, and as
you have so often encouraged our hearts in our temperance work, we
should love to hear _you speak_.”
He arose slowly, and in a very solemn manner said, “I do not feel
worthy to speak on sacred subjects before you good women.” After some
hesitation he resumed, “I have been a great sinner; for many years,
especially during the war, I had almost come to the conclusion that
there was no such thing as religion, but seeing the spirit of divine
love displayed by the crusading ladies of our town, as they have knelt
_on snow_ even, in front of the barred doors of these worse than
murderers, to pray for their souls; and as in the churches I have
watched the tears stream down their cheeks as they have prayed the
divine blessing upon them and their families, I have felt my heart
soften. _Now_ I feel that I can say _I love the Saviour_.” The scene
that followed can be better imagined than described, as that devoted
wife, who had prayed for her noble husband for more than fifty years,
received him a new creature in Christ Jesus. All were baptized afresh
by the Holy Spirit, and we grasped with firmer hold the hand of our
Almighty Friend who had bidden us walk upon the untried waves, December
23d, 1873.
Since the departure of this dear friend of the Crusade to the “Home
of the Soul,” for which home he was _rapidly matured_, wonderful
developments of divine mercy have been displayed in our highly-favored
town, Hillsboro’. Last spring a gracious revival resulted from the
“union services” of the Quaker Evangelists, Nathan and Esther Frame.
Scores of young men were converted during these meetings who had been
the objects of our _earnest_ and special prayers. Many a mother’s heart
was made glad, and the churches all received their dead raised to life
again.
Thus God prepared our community for the glorious dawn of the Murphy
movement, and wonderfully qualified by _reformation based upon
conversion_, our Congressman elect, Hon. Henry Dickey, for its
inauguration. The first Murphy meeting was held on the evening of May
15th, 1877, and the first men to sign the pledge were some of our
prominent citizens in every profession; but pre-eminently the lawyers,
men of talent and influence, but whose habit of intemperance had long
been a source of grief and anxiety to their friends. Three hundred
signed the pledge upon the first evening; within two weeks over two
thousand names were upon the roll; some of the most energetic workers
in the movement were men who were foremost in opposing the Crusade,
unsparing and bitter in their invectives against all concerned. That
which fills us with astonishment and devout thanksgiving is the desire
evinced by these men, that old scores be wiped out, and Christian women
come to the front and help in the cause by their presence and sympathy.
BAPTIZED IN WHISKEY.
Among the many interesting incidents of work reported at the Woman’s
Temperance Camp-Meeting at Ocean Grove was the following, related by
Mrs. E. J. Thompson, of Hillsboro’:
“During the Crusade, a saloon-keeper consented to close his business.
There was a great deal of enthusiasm and interest, and we women decided
to compensate the man for his whiskey and make a bonfire of it in the
street. A great crowd gathered about the saloon, and the barrels of
whiskey were rolled out to the public square where we were to have our
bonfire. Myself and two other little women, who had been chosen to
knock in the heads, and had come to the place with axes concealed under
our shawls, went to our work with a will.
“I didn’t know I was so strong, but I lifted that axe like a woodman
and brought it down with such force that the first blow stove in the
head of a barrel and splashed the whiskey in every direction. I was
literally baptized with the noxious stuff. The intention was to set it
on fire, and we had brought matches for that purpose, _but it would not
burn_! It was a villanous compound of some sort, but we had set out
to have a fire, and were determined by some means or other to make it
burn, so we sent for some coal oil and poured it on and we soon had a
blaze. The man who could sell such liquors would not be likely to keep
the pledge. He is selling liquors again.”
VICTORY AT WASHINGTON C. H.
Most of the facts in the following history of the work at Washington C.
H. have been gleaned from the official report of the secretary, Mrs. M.
V. Ustick.
It will be seen that the Crusade began in this town only two days later
than at Hillsboro’. And Washington C. H. was the first place where the
Crusade was made prominent and successful.
On Friday morning, Dec. 26th, 1873, after an hour of prayer in the M.
E. Church, forty-four women filed slowly and solemnly down the aisle,
and started forth upon their strange mission with fear and trembling,
while the male portion of the audience remained at the church to pray
for the success of this new undertaking; the tolling of the church-bell
keeping time to the solemn march of the women, as they wended their way
to the first drug store on the list. (The number of places within the
city limits where intoxicating drinks were sold was fourteen--eleven
saloons and three drug stores.) Here, as in every place, they entered
singing, every woman taking up the sacred strain as she crossed the
threshold. This was followed by the reading of the appeal and prayer;
then earnest pleading to desist from their soul-destroying traffic and
sign the dealer’s pledge.
Thus, all the day long, they went from place to place, without stopping
even for dinner or lunch, till five o’clock, meeting with no marked
success; but invariably courtesy was extended to them; not even their
reiterated promise, “We will call again,” seeming to offend.
No woman who has ever entered one of these dens of iniquity on such an
errand needs to be told of the heart-sickness that almost overcame them
as they, for the first time, saw behind those painted windows or green
blinds, or entered the little stifling “back room,” or found their
way down winding steps into the damp, dark cellars, and realized that
into _such places_ those they loved best were being landed, through
the allurements of the brilliantly lighted drug store, the fascinating
billiard-table, or the enticing beer-gardens, with their syren
attractions. A crowded house at night, to hear the report of the day’s
work, betrayed the rapidly increasing interest in this mission.
On the 27th the contest really began, and, at the first place, the
doors were found locked. With hearts full of compassion, the women
knelt in the snow upon the pavement, to plead for the divine influence
upon the heart of the liquor-dealer, and there held their first street
prayer-meeting.
At night the weary but zealous workers reported at a mass-meeting of
the various rebuffs, and the success in having two druggists sign the
pledge not to sell, except upon the written prescription of a physician.
The Sabbath was devoted to union mass-meeting, with direct reference to
the work in hand; and on Monday the number of ladies had increased to
near one hundred. That day, December 29th, is one long to be remembered
in Washington, as the day upon which occurred the first surrender ever
made by a liquor-dealer, of his stock of liquors of every kind and
variety, to the women, in answer to their prayers and entreaties,
and by them poured into the street. Nearly a thousand men, women, and
children witnessed the mingling of beer, ale, wine, and whiskey, as
they filled the gutters and were drank up by the earth, while the bells
were ringing, men and boys shouting, and women singing and praying to
God who had given the victory. But on the fourth day, “stock sale-day,”
the campaign had reached its height, the town being filled with
visitors from all parts of the county and adjoining villages. Another
public surrender, and another pouring into the street of a larger stock
of liquors than on the previous day, and more intense excitement and
enthusiasm.
Mass-meetings were held nightly, with new victories reported
constantly, until on Friday, January 2d, one week from the beginning of
the work, at the public meeting held in the evening, the secretary’s
report announced the unconditional surrender of every liquor-dealer,
some having shipped their liquors back to wholesale dealers, others
having poured them into the gutters, and the druggists as all having
signed the pledge. Thus a campaign of prayer and song, had, in eight
days, closed eleven saloons, and pledged three drug stores to sell only
on prescription. At first men had wondered, scoffed, and laughed, then
criticised, respected and yielded.
Morning prayer and evening mass-meetings continued daily, and the
personal pledge was circulated till over one thousand signatures were
obtained. Physicians were called upon to sign a pledge not to prescribe
ardent spirits when any other substitute could be found, and in no case
without a personal examination of the patient.
Early in the third week the discouraging intelligence came that a
new man had taken out license to sell liquor in one of the deserted
saloons, and that he was backed by a whiskey house in Cincinnati, to
the amount of $5,000, to break down this movement. On Wednesday, the
14th, the whiskey was unloaded at his room. About forty women were
on the ground and followed the liquor in, and remained holding an
uninterrupted prayer-meeting all day and until eleven o’clock at night.
The next day, bitterly cold, was spent in the same place and manner,
without fire or chairs, two hours of that time the women being locked
in, while the proprietor was off attending a trial. On the following
day, the coldest of all the winter of 1874, the women were locked out,
and stood on the street holding religious services all day long.
Next morning a tabernacle was built in the street, just in front of the
house, and was occupied for the double purpose of _watching_ and prayer
through the day; but before night the sheriff closed the saloon, and
the proprietor surrendered; thus ended the third week.
A short time after, on a dying bed, this four days’ liquor-dealer sent
for some of these women, telling them their songs and prayers had
never ceased to ring in his ears, and urging them to pray again in his
behalf; so he passed away.
Early in the work Mrs. George Carpenter, Mrs. A. C. Hirst, Mrs. A.
E. Pine and Mrs. Ogle, who were appointed to draw up an appeal,
presented the following
APPEAL.
Knowing, as you do, the fearful effects of intoxicating drinks, we,
the women of Washington, after earnest prayer and deliberation,
have decided to appeal to you to desist from this ruinous traffic,
that our husbands, brothers, and especially our sons, be no longer
exposed to this terrible temptation, and that we may no longer see
them led into those paths which go down to sin, and bring both
body and soul to destruction. We appeal to the better instincts of
your own hearts, in the name of desolated homes, blasted hopes,
ruined lives, widowed hearts, for the honor of our community, for
our happiness; for our good name, as a town; in the name of the
God who will judge you, as well as ourselves; for the sake of your
own souls, which are to be saved or lost, we beg, we implore you,
to cleanse yourselves from this heinous sin, and place yourselves
in the ranks of those who are striving to elevate and ennoble
themselves and their fellow-men; and to this we ask you to pledge
yourselves.
This appeal was adopted, and was afterwards extensively used in other
parts of the State, and in other States.
A property-holders’ pledge was also circulated--pledging men not to
rent, or lease property, to be used as saloons, nor to allow any
dealings of the liquor traffic to be carried on upon any premises
belonging to them. This pledge was generally signed by holders of
real estate.
During this week came a plea for help from Hillsborough. In answer to
that call, on Monday, January 12th, a committee, consisting of Profs.
Morehouse and Dean, and Mrs. M. G. Carpenter, Mrs. Judge McLean, Mrs.
Judge Priddy, and Miss Annie Ustick, went to Hillsborough, spent the
evening in attendance upon a mass-meeting there, and next forenoon in
prayer and conference with the workers, returning in time to attend
the mass-meeting at home, bringing with them encouraging words.
By this time the new method of fighting whiskey began to attract the
attention of the press and people in surrounding places; and meetings
were announced to be held in every village and school district in the
county. Committees of ladies and gentlemen were sent out to assist
in these meetings. Committees were also sent, by request, into all
adjoining counties, the meetings being constantly kept up at home,
and all the while gaining in interest.
About this time came word from Columbus, that the Adair Liquor Law
was in great danger of being repealed; consequently the following
communication was sent to every known Temperance organization
throughout the State, by the Washington League:
“_To the Secretary of Women’s Temperance League, at ----_:
“DEAR SISTER--By order of the entire body of our Temperance League,
we send you an urgent request that you immediately appoint a
committee of not less than six, of the most earnest and effective
workers, who shall be ready at an hour’s notice, to respond to the
call embodied in the following resolution:
“‘_Resolved_, That the secretary of this meeting be requested to
correspond with the ladies in all places where the Temperance
movement is now, or may be progressing, asking the same to appoint
a delegation to appear at Columbus, when called, if any action of
the legislature, threatening the safety of the Adair Liquor Law,
may be contemplated.’
“Please notify us of your decision in the matter, forwarding us
one name to whom we may telegraph if necessary.”--[Signed by the
secretary.]
Responses poured in from all Leagues addressed--the word “_Ready_.”
But the law remained undisturbed that winter.
* * * * *
The names of the following women, chosen by God and men to inaugurate
this great work and carry it forward to success, appeared in the
columns of the _Fayette County Herald_ at the time:
Mrs. George Carpenter; Miss Annie Ustick; Mrs. A. C. Hirst; Mrs. A.
E. Pine; Mrs. B. Ogle; Mrs. P. E. Morehouse; Miss M. A. Love; Mrs.
Wm. Stevens; Mrs. O. Grubbs; Mrs. J. Van Deman; Mrs. E. Milliken;
Mrs. A. Blakemore; Mrs. Wm. Smith; Mrs. P. T. Light; Mrs. H. L.
Hadley; Mrs. F. Nitterhouse; Mrs. D. McLean; Mrs. Allen Hegler; Mrs.
T. N. Ustick; Miss A. E. Robinson; Miss Julia Wood; Miss Anna Cherry;
Mrs. S. Lydy; Miss Brightie Ogle; Miss Flora Ogle; Mrs. Barnett;
Mrs. Farmer; Mrs. Geo. Dahl; Mrs. M. Gardner; Miss Kate Foster; Mrs.
Col. Maynard; Mrs. Dr. Dennis; Mrs. Dr. Coffman; Miss Belle Stuckey;
Mrs. H. P. Cherry; Mrs. J. B. Priddy; Mrs. M. Blackmore; Mrs. A. E.
Silcott; Miss L. Milliken; Miss Emma Wilcox; Mrs. H. P. Ustick; Miss
Ida Dean; Mrs. J. Hopkins; Mrs. C. L. Getz; Mrs. T. Gardner; Mrs. Wm.
Gordon; Miss A. Kephart.
But there still remained the beer hall of Charlie Beck, about half a
mile out. Carriages were furnished the ladies, free of charge, from the
temperance livery-stable of Collins & Bitzer, and in these the band
made daily visits to Beck’s.
At this time the Cincinnati _Commercial_ sent a reporter to view the
land, from whose graphic pen we quote the following:
“I reached Washington at noon of January 20th, and seeking Mr. Beck’s
beer garden, found him in a state of terrible nervousness, as the
ladies had spent the forenoon in front of this place. He evidently
regarded me as a spy, but was much mollified when assured that I was
only a journalist, and made voluminous complaint in ‘high Dutch’ and
‘low English.’
“‘I got no vitnesses. Dem vimens dey set up a shob on me. But you don’t
bin a ’bitual drunkard, eh? No, you don’t look like him. Vell, coom in,
coom in. Vat you vant, beer or vine? I dells you, dem vimens is shust
awful. By shinks, dey build a house right in the shreet, and stay mit a
man all day a singin’ and oder foolishness. But dey don’t get in here
once agin already.’
“In obedience to this invitation, I had entered by the side door--the
front was locked and barred--to find four customers indulging in
liquor, beer and pigs’ feet.
“Mr. Beck kept open house nearly all that night; the sounds of revelry
were plainly heard in town, and in the morning several drunken men came
into town, one of whom tumbled down into a livery-stable, and went
to sleep on a manure pile, from which he was carried to the lock-up.
Matters were evidently coming to a crisis, and I went out early; but
the ladies reached there in force just before me. I met Mr. Beck
hurrying into town to consult his lawyer, or, as he phrased it, ‘to see
mein gounsel ven I no got a right to my own broberty.’
“The main body of the ladies soon arrived, and took up a position with
right centre on the doorstep, the wings extending each way beyond the
corners of the house, and a rearward column along the walk to the gate.
In ludicrous contrast the routed revellers, who had been scared out of
the saloon, stood in a little knot fifty feet away, still gnawing at
the pigs’ feet they had held on to in their hurried flight, while I
took a convenient seat on the fence. The ladies then sang--
‘Oh, do not be discouraged, for Jesus is your friend;
He will give you grace to conquer, and keep you to the end.’
“As the twenty or more clear, sweet voices mingled in the enlivening
chorus--
‘I’m glad I’m in this army,’ etc.--
the effect was inspiring. I felt all the enthusiasm of
the occasion, while pigs’ feet party, if they did not feel guilty,
certainly looked so.
“The singing was followed by a prayer from Mrs. Mills Gardner. She
prayed for the blessing of God on the temperance cause generally, and
in this place particularly; then for Mr. Beck, his family and friends,
his house, and all that loved him, and closed with an eloquent plea for
guidance in the difficult and delicate task they had undertaken. In one
respect the prayer was unsurpassed; it was eminently fitting to the
place and the occasion. As the concluding sentences were being uttered,
Mr. Beck and his ‘gounsel’ arrived. The ladies paid no attention to
either, but broke forth in loud strains,
‘Must Jesus bear the cross alone?
No, there’s a cross for me,’
when the lawyer borrowed some of my paper, whispering at
the same time, ‘I must take down their names. Guess I shall have to
prosecute some of them before we stop this thing.’
“I should need the pen of an Irving and pencil of a Darley to give any
adequate idea of the scene. On one side, a score of elegant ladies,
singing with all the earnestness of impassioned natures; a few yards
away a knot of disturbed revellers, uncertain whether to stand or
fly; half way between, the nervous Beck, bobbing around like a case of
fiddle-strings with a hundred pounds of lager beer fat hung on them;
and on the fence by the ladies, a cold-blooded lawyer and excited
reporter scribbling away as if their lives depended on it. It was
painful from its very intensity.
“The song ended, the presiding lady called upon Mrs. Wendels, and again
arose the voice of prayer--so clear, so sweet, so full of pleading
tenderness, that it seemed she would, by strength of womanly love,
compel the very heavens to open and send down in answer a spark of
divine grace that would turn the saloon-keeper from his purpose. The
sky, which had been overcast all the morning, began to clear, the
occasional drops of rain ceased to fall, and a gentle south wind made
the air soft and balmy. It almost seemed that nature joined in the
prayer.
“Again the ladies sang--
‘Are there no foes for me to face,’
with the camp-meeting chorus,
‘Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because he first loved me.’
“As the song concluded, the lawyer suddenly stepped forward, and said:
“‘Now, ladies, I have a word to say before this performance goes any
further. Mr. Beck has employed me as his attorney. He cannot speak
good English, and I speak for him here. He is engaged in a legitimate
business, and you are trespassers on his property and rights. If this
thing is carried any further, you will be called to account in the
court, and I can assure you the court will sustain the man. He has
talked with you all he desires to. He does not want to put you out
forcibly; that would be unmanly, and he does not wish to act rudely.
But he tells you to go. As his attorney, I now warn you to desist from
any further annoyance.’
“Again the ladies sang--
‘My soul, be on thy guard,
Ten thousand foes arise.’
And Miss Annie Ustick followed with a fervent prayer for the
lawyer and his client; but they had fled the scene, leaving the house
locked up. After consultation, the ladies decided to leave Mr. Beck’s
premises and take a position on the adjoining lot. They sent for the
‘tabernacle,’ a rude frame building they had used in front of Slater’s
saloon. This they erected on the adjoining lot, put up immense lights
to illuminate the entrance to the beer garden, and kept up a guard from
early morning till midnight.
“For two weeks religious services were held in the tabernacle day and
night, and the women were constantly on duty; at the end of which time
an injunction was granted Mr. Beck and the tabernacle was taken down.
“Temperance was still the pulpit theme on the Sabbath, and on Monday
morning, February 9th, all the business houses were closed from 8 to 9
to attend the business men’s prayer-meeting. Large delegations were
present from adjoining villages at that early hour. At the meeting
there came a messenger from this man stating that he would give up his
business, which announcement was received with cheers. It was then
decided that all who were not enjoined from so doing should march out
to Mr. Beck’s beer garden, where the proprietor met them at the gate,
and after a brief consultation with a committee appointed for that
purpose, he publicly announced: ‘You comes so many, I quits. I will
never sell any more beer or whiskey.’ Again the crowd gave vent to
their feelings in cheers. Messengers were despatched to the women who
remained praying in the church, to join them. All the bells commenced
ringing, and the procession, numbering two hundred strong, started
out to Sullivan’s beer house, now the only remaining saloon in the
township. Marching up Court street, the numbers increased, and amid the
most profound silence the men and women pursued their journey. About
half way there the man in question was met and interviewed. He asked
two days to consider, which were granted. The procession then returned,
the bells all the time ringing out their chimes upon the crisp morning
air. Meetings, morning and evening, continued with unabated interest,
and at each came to us the cry from other points, ‘Come and help us.’
“On Wednesday morning, February 11th, at mass-meeting in the
Presbyterian Church, Mr. Sullivan came in and publicly pledged himself
to ‘quit _forever_ the liquor business.’ A general rejoicing and
thanksgiving followed this surrender of the ‘last man.’
“Thus, through most of the winter of 1874 no alcoholic drinks were
publicly sold as a beverage in the county.
“The summer was given up to the defeat of the license clause in the new
constitution which was to come before the people on the 18th of August.
“Mass temperance picnics were a prominent feature of the season, and
the untiring zeal of the workers was crowned with success on election
day.
“During the two intervening years weekly temperance league-meetings
have been kept up by the faithful few, while frequent union
mass-meetings have been held, thus keeping the subject always before
the people.
“To-day the disgraceful and humiliating fact exists that there are more
places where liquors are sold than before the Crusade. Does any one
ask the result of all this labor, and if the movement was a failure?
We answer to the first question of results: The idea that _women_ are
to take an active part in the great conflict between religion and the
rum power, was evolved by this very Crusade. None saw quicker than
the women themselves the weak and strong points of the movement, and
these praying bands have become thoroughly organized _Women’s Christian
Temperance Unions_; and reform clubs, reading-rooms, coffee-houses, and
friendly inns are the outgrowth of these ‘unions.’ Other countries have
felt the impulse, and the best women of Europe and Canada are being
organized into ‘leagues’ and ‘unions.’
“Was this movement, then, a failure? No! No! The long list of reformed
lives; the restored happiness and prosperity of once desolated homes;
the still longer list of our noble young men, who were arrested in
their first downward steps in the path of intemperance and ruin, and
whose upright and useful lives will be standing monuments of good for
years to come. Who dares to compute such results? The improved public
sentiment, banishing the wine cup from the social circle, from the
sideboards and cellars of respectable homes--the awakening and uniting
of all Christian hearts in one grand work for God and humanity. All
these are the outgrowth of a reformation which has since belted the
world--the most far-seeing being utterly unable to grasp its results.
“An incident recently under the observation of the writer is in point.
During the winter of 1876 a grand banquet was given the Ohio General
Assembly, judiciary, and military officers by some of the prominent
citizens of our capital city. No labor or expense was spared in
ministering to the comfort or pleasure of the guests, yet no wine was
to be found in all that banquet hall. One of the hosts of the evening
remarked that ‘before the “Women’s Crusade” the giving of such an
entertainment without wine would have been impossible.’
“A failure? No! Eternity alone will unfold the glorious success of
that work. To have banished liquor from the land, as at first the
movement seemed to promise, would have been a miracle, and God does
not now work in such manner; and the work we feel he meant to do in
this Crusade was to rouse up his people to a sense of their duty; to
awaken his church, which seemed to be strangely indifferent and asleep
to this terrible evil. Thus He crowned the movement with success; and
while His followers believe and trust Him, the good work will go on to
completion, for
“‘Right is right, as God is God,
And right the day will win;
To doubt would be disloyalty,
To falter would be sin.’”
WILMINGTON, OHIO.
We are indebted to Rhoda Worthington and Mary Hadley for the following
history of the work in Wilmington:
In pursuance to the call of the pastors of the different churches of
Wilmington, a large and earnest assemblage of citizens gathered at the
M. E. Church, on Saturday evening, January 3d, to devise some plan of
procedure, by which all lovers of the race might be brought to work in
harmony for the suppression of the sale of intoxicating drinks within
the limits of the corporation of Wilmington.
The meeting was called to order by the Rev. William Runyan, pastor of
the M. E. Church. After the singing of the hymn, “All hail the power
of Jesus’ name,” the audience were led in prayer by the Rev. S. H.
Bingman, pastor of the Christian Church. The meeting was then addressed
in a stirring and thrilling appeal in behalf of the movement, by the
Rev. A. C. Hirst, of Washington C. H., Ohio. Mr. Hirst, in the course
of his remarks, set forth the main features of the plan pursued by the
people of Washington, but thought that, if the people of Wilmington
would take hold of the matter with the one object in view, viz., to
suppress the liquor traffic in our midst, some plan suited to the local
requirements of the case would develop itself. At the close of Mr.
Hirst’s address, remarks on the duties of the hour were made by W. E.
Prichard and others. A temporary organization was then effected. Mr.
William H. Cole, superintendent of public schools, was called to the
chair, and J. H. Grove was nominated as secretary.
A committee of five, consisting of Messrs. Hildebrant, Zeigler,
Albright, Gaskill, and Outcalt, was appointed to secure the names of
such men as were willing to pledge themselves to support the ladies in
efforts to suppress the sale of intoxicating drinks within the limits
of Wilmington.
On the suggestion of Mrs. Mary N. Hadley, a minister in the Society
of Friends, it was moved, that all women interested in the cause of
temperance be requested to meet in the Friends’ Church, Sunday, January
4th, at four o’clock P. M., and that all men willing to aid the ladies
in this movement be requested to meet in the Baptist Church, at the
same hour, for prayer and consultation.
At the women’s meeting at four o’clock, Sabbath evening, there was a
good attendance. Rhoda C. Worthington was called to act as president
of the meeting. She came forward and said, “As the children of Israel
did not see the Red Sea open before they came to it, nor the prophets
see the waters of Jordan roll back until the soles of their feet
touched the brim of the water, so it seems we must go forward in this
work, trusting that a way will be made for us.” Rachel MacGregor and
Lizzie C. Runyan were then called on to act as secretaries. Huldah C.
Estes was elected leader, and Sarah S. Walker secretary of the field
of labor, who was to make the report of our proceedings to the public
mass-meetings at night.
At 10 A. M., sixty-three ladies, some of them the tearful wives of
dissipated husbands, solemnly marched forth amid the peals of all
the church-bells of the town, to visit the places where liquors were
sold in Wilmington, and pray for and with the dealers, and implore
them to desist from this work of destruction. Most of the men of the
congregation remained, and engaged in prayer and supplication to God,
that the great mission of the mothers, wives, and sisters of Wilmington
might be successful.
One young man told his mother that he placed himself on a corner to
see the fun as the women passed along, “but,” said he, “they all came
weeping, and I wept, too.”
In the congregation, as we passed out, aged men bowed their heads,
tears were seen to drop to the floor; none seemed to notice, or
scarcely know, that others were weeping. The first place we entered was
Brown Bro.’s drug store. A hymn was sung, three prayers were offered,
and the pledge presented and signed, the druggist shedding tears while
he signed. “Glory, hallelujah, our God is marching on,” was sung, and
we passed out.
We made many visits before we obtained all the signatures of the
dealers, continuing eight days in the work, our numbers increasing to
more than one hundred women.
We then had four drug stores and nine saloons. During all the
preliminary meetings, a number of persons who manifested a deep
interest in all proceedings--men and women, too--were persons whose
faces had not often been seen inside of church walls. But they tarried,
not seeming to tire at the most lengthy exercises. There was a greater
unanimity on the part of the different societies than had ever before
been observable in any movement looking to the good of the general
community. The feeling as the women filed out of the church, two by
two, was of the intensest kind. It was no common errand on which they
started, and their appearance on the streets awed to silence those
whose hearts beat no responsive thrill.
From drug store to drug store, and from dram shop to dram shop, these
brave women went during four hours and a half, daily, pleading,
singing, and praying, in behalf of those who were engaged in the unholy
traffic of rum-selling.
The meetings were continued in the church until the return of the women
at half-past three in the afternoon, when, after a short time spent in
consultation and devotional exercises, the meeting closed. At night the
church was packed in every part. Extra seats had been procured, and
the aisles and vestibule were filled to such an extent that egress was
an impossibility. After a season spent in devotional exercises, the
report of the work done by the women during the day was read by Sarah
S. Walker, and was listened to with breathless attention.
The remainder of the evening was occupied in the transaction of
business, speaking, singing, and prayer, and securing signatures to
the total abstinence pledge. Some of these meetings were the most
remarkable ever held in Wilmington, and their influence cannot be
computed or gainsaid.
On other days the same procession of earnest, devoted women filed
out of the church amid the ringing of bells, and the supplication
and prayers of their fathers, husbands, and brothers, through snow
and sleet; and when the procession returned to the church there
was awaiting them a large meeting of men, to give them a prayerful
reception.
The rain, sleet, and snow in an unusual degree kept on falling, but the
meeting at the Friends’ meeting-house showed the indomitable purpose
of the good people who were engaged in this work. At one of the many
meetings the following appeal, having been prepared by the women
engaged in the work of visitation, was read and adopted:
“Sisters--Feeling greatly encouraged at the results of yesterday’s
work, and thanking God our Father, who giveth us the victory through
Christ, our crucified but risen and glorified Redeemer, and feeling
that, from the character of the men engaged in the liquor traffic, the
amount of capital and financial interest employed in the same, and
the silent yet powerful influence of many members of our community
in backing up these men in their unholy calling, that we may have a
long siege--therefore, let us call upon all our Christian brothers and
sisters in the country surrounding Wilmington, to at once earnestly
identify themselves with this great _Christian temperance movement_, by
organizing, and placing themselves in communication with us, and thus
be ready to help us in carrying forward the work.”
The Crusaders, as they went out on their mission of love, were urged
forward by the prayers and tears of the active Christian community, and
aided by the moral sentiment of very many who made no pretensions of
religion. The unity of effort, fixedness of purpose, and hearty support
given to the work procured entire success.
As the women were engaged all day in their work, arrangements were made
for them to have lunch every day during this protracted effort.
Superintendent William Cole and Sheriff Hackny took the lead in this
matter. It was announced each night, at the mass-meeting, where lunch
would be given, and who would pay for it. A correspondent says: The
saloon-keepers weakened in their efforts to stem the tide of public
opinion. Several were ready to sell out and quit the business, but the
women were not willing to buy. J. R. Hawley, a colored saloon-keeper,
announced in the meeting that he was resolved to quit.
The ringing of all the bells in the town announced to the people that
the lines were broken, and victory was only a question of time. The
women were vigilant, and regardless of the weather, went bravely on
with the work.
Half-way promises were made, but they desired a complete surrender.
Thomas Young, a colored man, who had a saloon in Clarktown (a part of
Wilmington, over the railroad), signed the pledge, amid the ringing
of bells, and singing of songs of praise, that the outposts were
surrendering.
It was resolved at this meeting, “That the business men be requested to
close their houses between the hours of nine o’clock A. M., and three
o’clock P. M., of the following day.” This was generally done, and the
meeting held in the Friends’ meeting-house was largely attended during
the day. The procession was larger than ever, and their influence
correspondingly increased. Whenever they found a saloon closed against
them, praying and singing was carried on in the street. From Main to
South, and up and down South street, the procession moved as the ladies
thought best for the accomplishment of the good work in which they were
engaged. Mr. J. J. Stagg, of the Gates House, generously entertained
the women in the procession; that day one hundred and thirty took
dinner there. That day the last place we visited before dinner was the
court-house, court being in session. We spent some time in religious
service there, but some of the members of the bar made it convenient to
be absent.
One day before that, just after we had taken lunch, we came out and
stopped on the court-house steps, and Lizzie C. Runyan led in prayer.
We afterward heard that a liquor case was just then being tried, that
the court became demoralized for a time until we went away, and the
lawyer who lost his suit accused his opponent of making an arrangement
with us to go there; but we knew nothing of what was going on, and
acted only under the impression of the moment, many of us not knowing
we were going there until the one leading stopped.
At night the meeting was densely packed. At this meeting a plan of work
was arranged for Saturday, somewhat different from the previous days;
we divided into as many companies as there were saloons, having a few
who could sing and some who would pray in each company.
Saturday’s meeting was held in the Baptist Church, and the procession,
large and formidable in appearance, started out, and a regular detail
went to each of the saloons to watch and pray. It was arranged that
every fifteen minutes the church-bell would be rung, and each company
would then pass on to the next saloon; that day our enemy became
exasperated. Before they were rid of one company another would be
seen coming. We soon became too earnest to hear the bell, but went
on from place to place. When any one of the unfortunate fellows was
discovered on the street, a delegation of earnest, devoted women would
surround him, and escape seemed hopeless. Never before had our town
witnessed such a scene. Men dry for drinks, who had come in expecting
no trouble, wandered disconsolately about the streets, and went home
at night-fall in a different condition from what had been their habit
on previous Saturdays, and the bowls of egg-nog already mixed up for
their use were still standing unmolested. They would see a company of
us at one place and think these were the Crusaders, and they would
go on hurriedly to another shop, perhaps enter the door before they
perceived women were there, too; then some would very unconcernedly ask
for a half-dozen apples or something else, and pass out. Through the
vigilance of the women but little liquor was sold during the day, and
at night all of the saloons were temporarily closed, and the chances
were much against any open purchase of liquor. The week had been one of
intense excitement and active work, and such an up-building of public
sentiment as had never been manifested here before.
Union service was held at the Friends’ Church on Sabbath morning and
evening. At the morning hour Rev. James Kendall preached one of his
characteristic sermons, which was listened to attentively by as large
an audience as could be packed into the house. The evening service was
very good, made up of singing, praying, and general speaking.
Monday meetings were held at the M. E. Church. The attendance was
prompt and the procession moved early, and took possession of the
saloons. Men who had been brave all the week before, gave in and
surrendered. Thomas Norton, Fred. Hineman, George Lauber, Henry Getz,
Washington Champ, and Patrick Egan, gave up the business, and while
they did not all sign the pledge, they all promised to quit. Norton and
Hineman emptied their saloons.
As an episode of the day’s work, the capture of the Xenia ale-wagon
and the frightened driver will long be remembered. He entered town and
was replenishing saloons, while the attention of all were taken up by
the pouring out of a half-barrel of gin, given up for that purpose.
G. Thomas Young had signed the pledge, and his liquors were poured into
the gutter from the court-house pavement; some poor fellows drank from
the gutter, taking it up with their hands; one ran up and caught some
in his hat and drank it, although his hat was not a new one. The crowd
dispersed: some went home, but most of the temperance women and men
went to the M. E. Church.
When it was announced that the ale-wagon was in town and M. N. Hadley
was beside it, it was soon overtaken by a vast crowd. A colored boy
caught hold of the horses; the wagon was soon surrounded by the women;
earnest prayer was offered, and just as we had a pledge written, to
present to him, to sign, not to enter our place again on such an
errand by day or by night, the city marshal told the boy to quit his
hold of the bridle, and the driver lay whip to the horses and fled. We
telegraphed to Salina, and they were ready to receive him by the time
he arrived there.
The meeting that night was a joyful one, and the work was reported in a
much more forward condition than any one could have expected. Thursday
found all ready for work, and there being a suspicion that the saloon
of Conners had been open during the night, a delegation met early and
was ready to take possession, as soon as it was opened for business.
The meeting was held in the Baptist Church, and the procession came
out promptly. During the day Edward Conners and Alice Bourke signed the
pledge, thus closing all the drinking-saloons or places in the town.
The men engaged in the work not feeling entirely satisfied with the
fulfilment of some of the pledges, kept a watch.
All the saloon-keepers signed the pledge except Norton and Getz, and
they both closed under the promise not to sell again. Norton finally
sold out at auction, and poured out his beer and turned himself into
the street.
Many individuals who worked without ceasing during this effort we would
gladly mention by name, but not having room for all, we do not desire
to discriminate. The work encouraged all good citizens, and a brotherly
feeling has been wonderfully developed among the different churches.
It was estimated from freight books, that during the six months
beginning with July 1st, and ending December 31st, 1873, that the sum
of twenty-five thousand dollars was spent in this place for liquors.
The above will give our readers some idea of the immense injury which
our town has suffered from the sale of intoxicating liquors; over one
hundred and forty dollars a day.
After the closing up of the saloons, the people on the streets were
universally sober, and in marked contrast to former times. We are
informed by one whose duty it is to extinguish the street-lamps, that
there is a wonderful change in the order on the streets since the
closing of the saloons. Previously, disorder and drunkenness was the
rule night after night, but now he will go around the town without any
sign of disturbance.
The Lebanon _Star_ says, “In Wilmington, Clinton county, there were, a
week ago, we are told, twelve saloons. On last Monday night there was
but one remaining. The women did it. No suits were brought; but as we
understand it, they just talked and sung and prayed, and the hearts of
the liquor-sellers (many of them have hearts) gave way, and they quit
the business. As the walls of Jericho fell at the sound of rams’ horns,
so will the liquor traffic vanish in the presence of a healthy public
sentiment properly manifested.”
RESOLUTION OF THANKS.
The following resolution was unanimously adopted by the women, at the
last meeting held by them at the close of their arduous labors in
putting down the liquor traffic in our town. It is a resolution which
fully explains itself, and we give it without further comment:
_Resolved_, That we return our sincere thanks to our Heavenly Father
for putting kindness into the hearts of the pastors, and so many of the
brethren of all denominations amongst us, together with our friend,
M. Rombach, and those who claim alliance with no church organization,
to so cordially co-operate with, and encourage us in the performance
of the duties of the last few days by their prayers and sympathy;
also, kind attention in the bountiful provision for the sustenance
of our bodies, and care for our comfort and convenience by improving
street-crossings, etc. And again we will thank him for the silent
breathing of “God speed the work,” which we felt was with many of
our citizens and neighbors who had no opportunity to manifest their
interest and co-operation therein, and in humility we desire to thank
and praise his holy name for causing the saloon-keepers with whom we
have labored, to treat us with such profound respect and gentility. And
last, but not least, we most devoutly thank him that he has enabled us
to work thus lovingly together, until the language of our hearts is,
“Truly is it the Lord’s doing, and marvellous in our eyes.”
On behalf of the women of Wilmington and vicinity.
R. C. WORTHINGTON, President.
There were many women who attended our league-meetings regularly, who
never went on the street as Crusaders. When we would start out they
would go home, or remain at the prayer-meeting.
These were led by ministers: W. E. Prichard, S. H. Bingham, Wm. Runyan,
and Friends.
A relief committee was appointed, consisting of both men and women,
which did much to relieve the poor of our town. The children of the
public schools were invited to come out.
We taught them the following pledge:
A pledge we make, no Wine to take,
Or Brandy red, to turn the head;
Or Whiskey hot, to make the sot;
Or fiery Rum, that ruins home;
Nor will we sin, by drinking Gin;
Hard Cider, too, will never do;
Or brewers’ Beer, the heart to cheer.
To quench our thirst, we’ll always bring
Cold Water, from the well, or spring.
Also, from Tobacco’s use we plead excuse;
The filth and scent thus we prevent,
That does accrue from Snuff and Chew;
And Smoke, we abhor, from Pipe or Cigar.
To this Pledge we live, for the joy it will give
To Fathers and Mothers, our neighbors, and others.
Wilmington, Clinton county, Ohio.
Some of the saloons were open, but claimed to be selling cider only.
One had protested that he did not sell whiskey, and tried hard to
convince us of the fact. His door opened into an alley. The children
stopped before his front window, and began repeating the pledge; he
raised the window, put his head out, and said, in an impatient voice,
and with an Irish brogue, “What are ye all a doing here?” The children
all turned their sober little faces toward him, repeating on. What he
heard was just the line,
“Or Whiskey hot, to make the sot;”
when down went the window. It was very amusing, but none
laughed at the time.
One place we visited was a livery-stable, where many had been seen
drinking and drunk. The keeper was greatly incensed to think we had
stopped on his pavement--talked rather roughly; said, “If we came there
just once more, he would sell out, and set up in the liquor business,
and would show us he could sell if he wanted too.” This was all the
rough language we had spoken to us, except by one druggist, who was so
thrown off his dignity to think we dared go to him; he asked us to
sign a pledge that we would not steal anymore, then he would sign ours;
many of them answered him they would, but he did not present any: but
we found afterward that John Deck, the livery-man, perhaps would have
been elected our marshal had it not been for the way he talked to us.
How glad we were then that we suffered, that the right man might be
elected; some men said they expected to have voted for him, but would
not because he talked so roughly to us.
Mary N. Hadley, a minister in the Society of Friends, may be said to
have been one of our most indefatigable private, as well as public,
laborers at home and abroad; while we have many whose faith and
untiring zeal and energy are worthy of a record, although their share
of the work was done in so quiet a way, that eternity alone will
recognize it all, and give it its due reward of honor and praise.
Lizzie C. Runyan, wife of the minister of the M. E. Church, was, after
she fully entered the work, most gifted in prayer and public speaking.
Some time after we had quit all visiting of the dealers, either by
committees or otherwise, on the day of the spring election we met in
the M. E. Church, and continued most of the day in the capacity of
a prayer-meeting. The mayor, marshal and councilmen we desired were
elected, and served their time out faithfully.
In the beginning we felt ourselves, as it were, thrust into the work
by our Allwise Father, for we were allowed no time to consult as to
qualifications, or convenience, or scarcely of how to proceed until
we found ourselves in the work. Truly can we say: “This is the Lord’s
doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.” One of the most striking
features of it to us, and one which plainly shows the hand of Deity,
is, that it is not those who have suffered most directly, or are most
likely to suffer thus, from the evils of strong drink, who are first
to enter the field. As God sent his own Son to give his life a ransom
for his fallen children, even now he calleth those who profess to be
his followers to exercise in their measure (though too small to bear
comparison) the same spirit of unselfish love. “Greater love hath no
man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” While we
look upon the incomplete condition of our work in this place, we are
not discouraged; we can say, hitherto the Lord hath helped us, and in
his own time he will again visibly move onward.
Wilmington was the third town to enter the Crusade, and the first to
cry Victory! and we felt the reaction as deep and sore as any.
NEW VIENNA, OHIO.
The Crusade fire which came down like an electric cloud upon Hillsboro’
and Washington Court-House, Ohio, spread rapidly from town to town.
New Vienna, a small railroad village, was one among the first to become
conspicuous, because of the wickedness of one of its liquor-dealers,
and the persistent faith of the women engaged in the work.
The last saloon to surrender was the “Dead Fall,” kept by John Calvin
Van Pelt. The building was a miserable one-story frame structure near
the railroad depot, and Van Pelt had the reputation of being “the
wickedest man in Ohio.” In appearance he looked like a prize-fighter,
and in behavior he acted like one possessed of devils.
The very first visit of the ladies enraged Van Pelt beyond anything
they had ever seen. In his fury, he threatened that if they came to his
saloon again, he would “hang, draw, and quarter them every one.” And he
looked bloodthirsty enough to undertake any murderous deed.
But, fortunately, these women were imbued with a heroism that comes
from above, and had a faith that would not shrink in the presence of
bodily peril. And the next day about fifty of them marched down to the
“Dead Fall,” as though no threat had ever been made against them.
Van Pelt had made special preparations for them. In one of his
show-windows an axe besmeared with blood was placed; in the other an
unusually fine display of whiskey-bottles; over the door jugs and
bottles were hung, and a black flag conspicuously surmounted all; while
within doors, Van Pelt could be seen walking the floor and flourishing
a club at invisible foes. Now this was all very consistent--whiskey,
a _rowdy_ to serve it; the black flag and the axe, the symbols of the
trade.
The sight of the flag and the axe, nor even the hostile demonstrations
of Van Pelt, deterred the women; they moved right on without halting,
or a quiver of fear, under the black flag of piracy and death, into
the very presence of the man with the axe and club.
Van Pelt stood back in amazement, and the women began to sing and
pray. A great crowd had gathered in the street about the saloon, but,
notwithstanding their presence, while the ladies were at prayer, and
one of them was earnestly praying for him that he might be baptized
with the Holy Ghost, with a horrid oath he said, “_I’ll baptize you!_”
and commenced dashing buckets of dirty water over them.
The crowd of men were enraged and threatened him, but the ladies plead
that he might not be punished. But some of the fathers and husbands
of the women who had been drenched with beer and dirty water had him
arrested, and for a week he had time for reflection in the quiet of the
jail. He came forth, however, more bitter and furious than ever.
He had the audacity to go to the Friends’ Church, where the ladies were
holding a meeting, and try to engage them in a public controversy.
“Why did the Lord put the stimulant in the corn and grape if it was not
for the use of man?” he shouted, furiously. His question betrayed his
ignorance, and they might have answered him that the Lord did not put
it there, but that it came only with decay and rottenness, but instead,
they sang:
“My soul be on thy guard,
Ten thousand foes arise,
And host of sins are pressing hard
To draw thee from the skies;”
and prayed for him especially.
On the 26th of January, when the ladies visited the saloon, he met them
at the door, and told them they might come in and hold a prayer-meeting
on condition that he would be allowed to make every other prayer. The
women were amazed, but consented, and the prayer-meeting began. A lady
was the first to pray, and she was followed by a long, blasphemous
harangue by Van Pelt.
“He asked the Lord to have mercy on the women, whom he classed with
the brutes, and to teach them wisdom and understanding. Woman, he
said, first caused man to sin, and there was great need of prayer in
their behalf. He said the Lord opened the first distillery, and made
the first wine, and that he was following the example of the Lord,
and other like words of blasphemy.” The women, although filled with
amazement, prayed on, until Van Pelt had made three long blasphemous
prayers. They looked to see him struck dumb by the divine power, but
God is merciful and long-suffering, and one week from that day he
surrendered.
He had given some intimation that he would surrender at two o’clock.
Boys ran through the streets ringing hand-bells, and crying at the top
of their voices, “Everybody meet at Van Pelt’s saloon at two o’clock,
and hear his decision.”
There was a general gathering of the people, who closed up their stores
and shops and rushed to the saloon. When the ladies arrived, Van Pelt
presented himself, and with a good deal of feeling said, “I do not
yield to law or force, but to the women, who have labored in love.”
Then ordering the men to stand back, he rolled out his stock of
liquors, and taking the axe besmeared with blood, with which he had
tried to terrify the women, he knocked in the head of every cask, and
sent the contents gurgling down the gutter.
Then drawing himself up to his full height, he said, most solemnly,
“Ladies, I now promise you to never sell or drink another drop of
whiskey as long as I live, and also promise to work with you in the
cause with as much zeal as I have worked against you.”
He also remarked that he hoped the women of the United States would
never cease until every drop of whiskey was emptied upon the ground, as
his was.
Just then the train from Cincinnati arrived. The crowd set up a
deafening cheer. A photographist caught the scene, and preserved it to
posterity. The women gathered around Van Pelt, shaking his hands, and
congratulating him, and the glad news spread through the town, creating
great excitement.
The doxology was sung, and all the bells of the town were rung in honor
of the occasion. That evening Van Pelt spoke at a mass-meeting and
confessed his wickedness, and denounced the business. He referred to
his saloon as a low doggery, saying, “Yes, I’ll call it a low doggery,
for no man can keep a high one.” He had often taken the last ten cents
from a man for whiskey when he knew that the money had been earned by
his wife or child. Every man who sells whiskey does this. Little faces
thus robbed had often appealed to his heart with greater force than any
words of man. He was now determined to quit this business forever, and
throw his strength on the other side of the question.
Thus New Vienna was cleared of grog-shops.
KENTON, OHIO.
The Crusade work began early in January. The town was canvassed, and a
large number of personal pledges obtained, and by the 2d February ten
saloons had surrendered, and two were closed by law.
General Robinson, during the work, made a most eloquent and impressive
address, showing up the whiskey-ring in a way that made them instantly
quail.
GALLIPOLIS, OHIO.
This town was settled by the French, in 1790, and from that day on
whiskey flowed freely.
Early in January, the women commenced Crusade work, and by March 2d,
three saloon-keepers had yielded. Mr. Crowley allowed them to take down
his sign and empty his whiskey into the gutter. Three hundred habitual
drunkards signed the pledge. All sects and parties united in the great
reform; and at the annual election a majority in favor of a prohibitory
ordinance was secured, and five out of six of the seats in the council,
and all the school board, and most of the minor offices were filled by
temperance men.
The result was, that sixteen saloons closed, and _the police-officers
reported crime lessened nine-tenths_.
GREENFIELD, OHIO.
The secretary gives the following statement of work:
Our league began the work January 12th, 1874, and continued until the
latter part of March.
For nearly three months we visited saloons almost every day. At the
end of that time there was _but one_ saloonist who had not made some
concessions to us; and, except by the drug stores, and this one saloon,
there was no liquor sold in our town.
Few of these, however, had signed the pledge, but from outside pressure
abandoned it for the time being.
RESULTS.
How we in our weak human nature love to _see the results_ of our work
for Jesus!
To-day, three years and a half after, we find four of the fifteen
places where liquor was sold have kept their pledges; a number of
moderate drinkers reformed have stood fast. But the greatest and
grandest result is that of the change of public sentiment. Four years
ago a temperance lecturer, of no mean ability, could scarcely find a
respectable sized audience to listen to him; but at any time since the
Woman’s Crusade the simple announcement of a temperance mass-meeting
would insure a crowded hall. Our League in all these years has still
prayed that in some way God would carry on the work. One earnest
petition was that God would raise up some _one in our midst_ who would
be a “sharp arrow,” and last May, God answered our prayer, and Senator
Dickey came over from the ranks of King Alcohol, and from under the
power of sin, into the temperance army and into the fold of Christ.
_This man_ inaugurated the Murphy movement in Greenfield, which we
feel to be the outgrowth of the Woman’s Crusade. Many who have always
scoffed at the Crusade now refer to it with the deepest respect, and
acknowledge it to have been a fore-runner of this great thing which _we
know_ is also of the Lord. I want to add that our ladies were always
kindly treated by the saloonists; we have no thrilling experiences to
tell or hair-breadth escapes to relate; also that the gentlemen “held
the rope” _always_.
When we met at the church to start to work, they met with us, and
while we went to the saloons they prayed, or rather had all-day
prayer-meetings, often expressing their sympathy by ringing the bell.
Then, too, we had messenger boys, who would carry little notes from
the league to the church, reporting various stages of the work to our
brothers at the church. At the close of the day we returned to the
church to sing, perhaps, “One more day’s work for Jesus,” before we
went to our homes.
Clinton, the worst man engaged in the business, whose place was named
“The Den of Iniquity,” said, after his surrender, “I thought I had sand
enough in my craw to stand anything; but the prayers of these women did
stir me up; they were enough to sink a wooden man.” Thirteen saloons in
all were closed.
FRANKLIN, OHIO.
There were six saloons in this village, when the Crusade commenced,
January 21st. Webber, a German saloon-keeper, sent for a brass band to
drown the voices of the praying women, but prayer and tears silenced
the band, and they fled from the field, and Webber himself signed the
dealer’s pledge and gave up the business.
Five thousand dollars were raised to keep saloons out of the town, and
a library and social hall established, and eighteen hundred dollars
raised to purchase books, and to pay the rent of the hall. The rent of
the hall was prepaid for twenty years.
MORROW, OHIO.
The ladies of Morrow commenced the street work, January 26th, to
encounter seventeen drinking-places, fourteen of which were regular
saloons.
They labored unceasingly till all but two insignificant doggeries were
closed; these held out persistently.
A correspondent of a Cincinnati paper gives the following account of
the town, which had been blasted by rum:
“Population, eleven hundred; drinking-places, fifteen; increase of
population in ten years, two hundred persons; increase of municipal
taxation, one hundred and thirty per cent.; decline in business
reported at twenty-five per cent.; manufactures nothing, and no
increase in the value of property; eighteen vacant dwelling-houses, and
numbers of the best citizens removed. Such are the facts given me by
the ‘old and reliable.’ Verily it was time for the law or the gospel to
do something. The place has a beautiful and romantic site. They have
three railroads, and expect connection soon with a trunk line to the
East. On one side is the river, and on the other the beautiful hill,
with hundreds of sites for palatial residences. In the neighborhood is
good fishing and hunting, and all around is scenery unsurpassed in the
State of Ohio. Apparently this is just the place for a favorite summer
resort.
“Twenty-five years ago Morrow had aspirations. There were, and are,
unsurpassed facilities for manufacturing--still unimproved. Three
large hotels at that time were filled most of the summer with families
and visitors from Cincinnati. The society was good; church, school,
and lyceum were thoroughly organized; and besides the manufacturing
interests which were being established, the place expected to become
a city of elegant retired country-seats. Somehow the saloons got the
start, the manufacturers took the alarm, the expected good families
did not come, and many that were here moved away. If the place has
improved in twenty years, that fact is not apparent to the naked eye.
Still there are many good families in Morrow. They have borne the
demoralization and tyranny of the whiskey power until it has become a
question of life and death with them; and they have entered on this
struggle in the spirit in which patriots fight for their homes, feeling
that unless they conquer, they must emigrate. It is not a question of
philanthropy alone, and other people’s good, here, as in some places:
they must conquer or die.”
Wilmington, a neighboring town, had been cleared of the traffic, and
Mrs. Runyan, the wife of a Methodist minister, and Mrs. Hadley, a
Quakeress, went over from that place to Morrow to aid their sisters in
the Crusade. There was great enthusiasm; over fifty ladies rallied
around them, and the work commenced in earnest.
There were many hard cases among the saloon-keepers. Looskins
threatened to shoot the first woman that crossed his threshold.
A notice was posted up conspicuously in Opes’ and Goepper’s saloon,
“No singing and praying women allowed here.” Martin Fath brought out
his sewing machine and ran it violently during their stay. Some of the
saloons locked their doors.
Henry Scheide, who was a young man of some culture, and kept the most
respectable saloon in the place, proved to be one of the hardest cases.
A Cincinnati reporter gives us the following sample of Scheide’s
rambling talk:
“We’ll worry ’em some, though I’m the only one that lets the ladies
in. It don’t bother me much; they only sing and pray, and slay about
half an hour. I’ll open every time they come, shutting doors on nobody.
There’s no rowdies come into this place. Those ladies don’t understand
it: they have a foolish prejudice about this business. Now I can run
this establishment just as nice as a dry goods store, and I do.... O,
if they’d stay all day, I’d soon stop that. This is my business, and
I won’t let anybody interfere with it. There’s a State law against
selling by the drink, but nobody pays any attention to it. We run that
risk. No man but a low sneak, who has a spite against you, will drink
in your house, and then go and make complaint against you. The council
won’t make any order here. They’re men of too much sense. I tell you
a town must have a decent saloon, or it won’t prosper. All the farmers
nearly in the country, when they go to sell their grain or buy goods,
are going where they can get a dram. They will have their beer or ale.
Stop the sale here, and two-thirds of our travel leaves us. Maybe,
though, if no town had saloons, it might make it even; but the others
will have them.
“Women get along in all these towns because they have no opposition.
Mayor and officers and lawyers are all with them, because it was a new
thing. But here we’ve got some rights. Our lawyers are with us. It’s
politics that’s really at the bottom of this thing. It’s been tried
here.”
I glean the following facts from the writings of T. A. H. Brown, in
“Fifty Years’ History of the Temperance Cause.”
On the 17th of February, Henry Scheide went before Judge Gilmore, of
Eaton, with the following petition:
“The said Henry Scheide, plaintiff, prays that each and every one
of the said defendants, individually, jointly, and collectively, be
restrained, prohibited, and enjoined from molesting, disturbing, or
hindering the said Henry Scheide in the prosecuting and conducting his
said business, upon any pretence or pretext whatever, and invading,
or meeting in or about his premises, to obstruct his said business;
and also prays judgment against all of said defendants for the sum of
one thousand dollars, and prays for all other proper relief in the
premises.”
The said defendants were--
Mrs. E. R. Grim,
Frank Forshnell,
Geo. W. Davis,
John Hanford,
Oscar T. Hanford,
B. F. Wilson,
H. J. Coffeen,
Josiah Fairchild,
Porter Corson,
Jas. H. Jeffery,
W. P. Hanford,
J. T. Welch,
and one hundred and four other ladies and gentlemen, among
whom were Dio Lewis and Van Pelt.
The trial came off at Lebanon, the 28th of February. It was a great day
in Lebanon. The whole town of Morrow came over. A public dinner was
given by the Lebanon ladies to their persecuted sisters. Forty of the
defendants marched to the court-house in solemn procession. Every inch
of space in the building was packed full.
After noticing the first two points at length, the judge decides on the
third point of the case as follows: Judge Smith presiding. “But there
is another ground, which, in my judgment, effectually disposes of this
motion. That is third, viz.: That the allegations of the petition are
not true. He alleges that he kept a house where he conducted business
according to law. From the nature of the case, the character of this
business in this respect is directly in issue, and from the proof it is
perfectly clear to my mind that instead of this it was a place where
intoxicating liquors were habitually sold, in violation of the laws of
the State, and where gambling was constantly being carried on.