Prisons and Prayer; Or, a Labor of LoveWheaton, Elizabeth Ryder
Religion
Prisons and Prayer; Or, a Labor of Love
Wheaton, Elizabeth Ryder
Evangelistic work; Prisons
At one time I held a service with the prisoners in the county jail in
Sedalia, Missouri. Among them was a poor old man awaiting execution.
He seemed unmoved, stolid, indifferent. I talked and prayed with him
and asked him about his soul's salvation. He said it was all right
with his soul and that he was saved. I knew the Lord showed me that he
was a deceived man and that the devil had deluded him into thinking he
was all right. I was faithful to my convictions, to my God and to his
soul. I said to him: "You are not prepared to face the scaffold and
death." He seemed indignant that I should doubt his word, but I left
him with the warning, "Prepare to meet thy God."
I went to the wife of the sheriff, who was an excellent woman, and
found she too was very anxious about his soul. I told her of my burden
for him and asked for a room where I could wait on God in prayer and
she kindly furnished it. In an hour the old man sent word to the
sheriff to send for me to come and pray for him as he was not fit to
die. In company with others I went to him and the poor deceived old
man repented of his sins and confessed them to God and to us and was
blessedly saved and died in the full assurance of faith. His last
words were of his hope in Christ and of his acceptance with God. I
fully believe that the blood of Jesus--who died on the cross for
sinners and was the friend of sinners always--did cleanse his soul.
The sheriff's wife told me of his last words and that all was well. We
give a clipping from a Sedalia paper concerning the case.
VISITORS EXCLUDED.
WILLIAMSON WILL RECEIVE NO MORE VISITS--PREPARATION FOR THE
EXECUTION.
Sheriff Ellis R. Smith has commenced to make his arrangements for
the execution of Thomas A. Williamson, and everything will be in
readiness before Saturday morning. The rope with which John Oscar
Turlington and Bill Price were hanged will be used, the sheriff
having received a telegram yesterday from Sheriff Mat S. Ayers,
of Saline county, stating that it had been forwarded to him by
express. On the day of execution the police force will assist the
county authorities in preserving order in the vicinity of the
jail building.
No more visitors will be permitted to see and talk with
Williamson, except his spiritual advisers. This is in compliance
with the condemned man's wishes, which are contained in the
following note which he sent to Sheriff Smith yesterday:
"Sheriff Smith: I would like a cell by myself the rest of my
time. You can put me any place. I will give you no trouble. My
mind is on God. I would like to be upstairs; it is lighter up
there. I will go where you put me.
T. A. W."
I received from him the following letters written after his
conversion. One of them reached me after his execution:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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