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
In the morning two colored women called upon me, saying they had come
to warn me and assist me to the train. One of them said that two
nights before she had a terrible dream about a woman coming to preach
on the streets and was so impressed that she sent her husband four
miles to see if there was anything in it. This was the man that warned
us that night. When he went home and told her what he had seen and
heard, she dreamed again and the Lord told her to come and help us out
of town, as the people would take my life. They carried our luggage
and showed us to the train and got us safely on board, and with a "God
bless you, Honey, we's prayin' for you," they were gone, and we went
on our way with thankful hearts for our Lord's protecting care.
IN JAIL.
I have several times been arrested for holding services in the open
air, but have been taken to prison but twice--once in Glasgow,
Scotland, as related elsewhere, and once in Belleville, Illinois.
In 1889, Sister Anna Kinne wrote me from Belleville that they were
holding meetings at that place, but had seen but little stir, that it
seemed to be a hard field, and that she believed the Lord wanted me to
come and help them in the meetings. I was, at the time, in
Mississippi, but after praying over the matter I felt that I should
go to Belleville in answer to her request.
The first Sabbath after reaching there I tried to hold services in the
open air, but was stopped by policemen. I tried again with the same
results. Then I went to the mayor, but was refused permission to hold
any such meetings. When I asked him if he would take the
responsibility on the day of judgment, he said, "Yes." I then went to
the jail and held services, and the sheriff kindly inquired about my
work and showed considerable interest, and took down some notes. I
then asked him for permission to hold meetings on the court house
steps. This was readily granted, and I took Sister Kinne with me. The
marshal of the town had bitterly opposed my work, and while we were
singing he very rudely and unceremoniously came and took me by the arm
and dragged me down from the steps.
I told him that the sheriff had given me permission to hold services,
but he was very angry and refused to let me go on.
I said to those who had gathered, "We will have no open air meeting,
but come to Buchanan Hall to-night, and we will have a meeting there."
I think it was the following night that I was impressed just before
the opening of our services, to sing a hymn, standing in the mission
door. I spoke to Sister Kinne of this and she said, "God bless you,
Sister Wheaton, I will pray for you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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