“At the Sunday evening service, December 18, 1912, Mr. Wheeler said:
'When I was in charge of religious work at the United States jail some
years ago, one Sunday, after service, I went round, as was my custom, to
shake hands with the men behind the bars. I came to a fine-looking man,
to whom I said, “Why are you here? I have often seen you on the street,
and I have thought of you as a good citizen.” “O Mr. Wheeler, I have
been a good citizen. My wife and I have a little store in Georgetown,
where we sell oysters in the winter and ice cream in the summer. My wife
gave me $65 to settle our bill with the wholesale oyster man, and I took
a number of drinks, and finally went into the marble saloon and took a
drink with some strangers, and as surely as I tell you I do not remember
another thing until I found myself in a cell at the station house.”'
“On further inquiry Mr. Wheeler found that the prisoner was charged with
passing counterfeit money. It appeared that after he came out of the
saloon a Jew was crying clothing on D Street. This man went into the
Jew's clothing store, bought a suit of clothes, for which he offered a
$50 bill in payment. The Jew could not make change, so took it to a
neighbor, who assured him the bill was bad, and the man's arrest
immediately followed.
“Mr. Wheeler went often to the cell to pray with and for the poor
prisoner, who devoted his time to the study of the Gospels. He was
soundly converted. Mr. Wheeler said, 'Do not trust alone to your lawyer.
Appeal to Jesus Christ now to clear you, for, as far as I can see, man
cannot.'
“His lawyer told Mr. Wheeler that the court would surely send the
prisoner to the penitentiary. On the morning of the trial several
Christian men met together and prayed over the case. The court convened
at 10 A.M., and the case was immediately called. A stranger asked to be
sworn as a witness. He said about this: 'I was in Washington on the day
this affair occurred. I do not often take a drink, but I happened to be
in the saloon when this man came in. He took a drink with two young
fellows who happened to be there, and the liquor made him drunk at once,
when one of the young fellows said, “It is my turn to treat, and I will,
if any of you can change a $50 bill.” This man brought out lots of
money, and got the $50 bill in exchange. I left Washington the next day,
that is how I was fortunate enough to remember the date. I got back
yesterday, and happened to see a statement of this case in the evening's
paper, and I felt simply compelled to come and give my testimony.'”
The prisoner was reprimanded (which was unnecessary, as he was a new
creature in Christ Jesus), but the case against him was dismissed, as it
was apparent there was no intent to defraud the Jew. His family nearly
smothered him with kisses and embraces, and he walked out a free man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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