USA > Kansas > A history of Methodism in northwest Kansas > Part 5
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There were but thirteen persons present; but we had a good meeting. God's Spirit was in the hearts of the few who were there. From this meeting, the gos- pel spread as the people came West, to get homes. They settled mostly along the streams; and the call come and hold meetings for us, came from different places.
The next place visited was the home of Thomas Cox, five miles west of Kirwin. The next was five miles further west at Mr. Schecklers' place. This was called the Kildeer Class. Mr. Enyart next went to Bow Creek, and held a two weeks meeting, preaching at night and hunting buffalo during the day. The slaugh- tered buffalo were divided among the settlers along the creek.
God's Spirit was present at all the meetings, there being conversions nearly every night. From Bow Creek, the preacher went to the North Fork of the Solomon, to the home of Mr. Potts, near Glade, for- merly called Marvin. This was called the Solomon Class. A three weeks meeting was held here, and there were thirty-five conversions.
The people were eager to hear the gospel. They came twenty, even thirty miles; and some had only oxen. He next went to Phillipsburg, then north on Big Creek. From there to Long Island and along the
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Prairie Dog. Next to Norton, Lenora, Logan and Big Bend (Speed). The farthest point west reached on this tour, was the head of the Sappa at Mr. Aberna- tha's. Later there was an Indian raid here, and six were killed.
In the fall of 1873 Mr. Enyart invited a Mr. Wur- ley, a local preacher, to help him hold a camp meet- ing in a grove, on Deer Creek, owned by Mr. Truesdale. The preachers first went to the Solomon and killed two young buffalo to supply the campers with meat. Five families camped on the ground. Others came from different directions. I never saw a more gracious out- pouring of the Holy Spirit. There were seventy-five conversions and many accessions to the church. A Mr. Homan, a Baptist minister, and Mr. Kernz, a United Brethren, also assisted in the meeting.
This was the beginning of these churches, as neither of them had an organization previously.
Three preachers stood on the platform and Mr. Enyart said, "If you want to join the United Breth- ren church give Brother Kernz your hand, if the Bap- tist give Brother Homan your hand, if the Methodist give it to me."
They worked harmoniously together trying to save souls, and not trying to see which could get the most members.
In those days people were not afraid to shout when they were filled with the Spirit.
Financially the times were hard, but the people were kind to us and divided what they had with us. When people met, religion and the saving of souls was the principal theme. Meetings were held in sod houses, dugouts and groves. Hunting buffalo and freighting and gathering buffalo bones, were the only means of getting a living.
James Lawrence, of Topeka, was the first Elder to hold a Quarterly Meeting. At Mr. Enyart's request,
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he came to a grove meeting on Plotner Creek near Phillipsburg. The Conference was held in Mr. Kidd's dugout near Glade. W. H. Mitchell was the first Pre- siding Elder, sent to this territory. This was the Ker- win Circuit, and the Beloit District. Mr. Enyart worked under six different Elders, Lawrence, Mitchell, Caruthers, Breed, Green and Bull.
We had many Indian scares but the massacres were farther west. The Indians with whom we came in contact, were from the reservations and were partly civilized.
Our work in N. W. Kansas closed in May, 1896, and we moved to Montrose, Colo. The territory over which we labored during those years, planting the seeds of Methodism, covers hundreds of miles. I am glad I lived in those days, and by the grace of God was able to be a help to my husband, in his efforts to save souls, and establish the church. The work was prosecuted during the summer's heat and winters' cold, in spite of cyclones, drouths, grasshoppers, Indian scares and various other hardships, which only a pioneer minis- ter's wife knows.
Mr. Enyart continued his work in Colorado, organ- izing churches and Sunday Schools in different min- ing towns.
He did not join the Conference because he felt he could do more good by being free to go where he felt he was most needed, than to be subject to the appointment of another.
He was ordained Deacon by Bishop Walden at Kir- win, in 1886. He was not a college man, but was a great reader, and came to be well informed; and being a fluent talker came to be quite a popular speaker.
W. R. Allen was a pioneer in Smith County, coming there with his family, and two cousins and their fami- lies, in wagons from lowa in the year 1871.
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The following spring other settlers swelled their number so that they were able to organize the county. Brother Allen was elected the first county clerk. They soon felt the need of religious services. There was no suitable place in which to hold them, so the Allen home, a one-room residence cut in the bank and faced with logs, was opened and services were held from time to time. Here as at other places local preachers were found who preached to them. At first J. T. Stone, from Missouri, who had a homestead near the Ne- braska line, was their preacher. Later L. M. Bonnett preached for them, and still later J. C. Dana, whom Allen styled their patiarch saint, preached a number of times.
Brother Allen was licensed as an exhorter and held services in the absence of a licensed preacher. When in 1876, W. J. Mitchell was appointed Presiding Elder of Beloit District, Smith Center Class was organized, and Allen was licensed as a local preacher.
In 1879 Dr. Caruthers, Presiding Elder of the Kir- win District, prevailed on Allen to take an appoint- ment in that District. At the close of the Conference session he wrote him saying: "I have left Graham Center for you. Do not know whether there is any- thing there or not. Go and see." Here Allen may tell his own story. He says: "Leaving my family on the homestead, I started for the new and unknown country. After driving one hundred miles, following Bow Creek from Kirwin, I came to the home of Broth- er John Walton, where I received a cordial welcome. I found him to be a zealous Methodist. On inquiry I learned there was no such place as Graham Center, but that there were three small villages near the cen- ter of the county, each of which was striving for the county seat when the county should be organized. I found these to be Gettysburg, where were four little houses and an unfinished livery barn; Hill City, where
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were a few dugouts, with one frame building used for a store, and postoffice; and the third, Millbrook.
I arranged to hold a service in the barn at Gettys- burg, Sunday morning, and in a 12 by 14 dugout at Hill City at three in the afternoon and at Millbrook Sunday night.
I returned to Walton's and after conferring with him, decided to file on a claim about five miles up the creek from his place. Here I constructed a real dugout. I filled my appointments at the three villages the next Sunday, holding the first service ever held at either of them. I then returned home and placing our few goods in the covered wagon, my family and I started for the new home.
After three and a half days travel we arrived at noon Saturday at the dugout. By working till nearly midnight we succeeded in getting our goods stored in the dugout and sank to rest so weary that we slept soundly till morning. As I had fourteen miles to travel to my morning service I had to hurry. And as I did not wish to leave my family alone after night, I preached twice and returned home. My mission em- braced all the country between Wakeeney and Norton and as far west as the settlements extended. At the close of that year I had nine appointments and preached three times each Sunday. Often when re- turning home at night after the evening service, I lost the trail and was only able to guide myself by the stars or the wind.
As there was no mission organized when I went there, I received nothing from the mission fund and only twenty dollars from the charge. In 1880 I was returned to the mission and received twenty-five dol- lars from the missionary society.
The drowth that year was so severe that many of the settlers were compelled to leave their families and return east to obtain work in order to enable them to
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live. I also left my family and my charge and drove north into Nebraska till I reached the village of North Platte at the junction of the Platte rivers. I found work making hay on a large cattle ranch. After a month's absence I returned to my home and again took up the work of my mission.
At one of my appointments my congregation was almost all cowboys but they welcomed me gladly and entertained me royally. Once when preaching to them a young fellow who had become intoxicated was sitting on the ground with his head resting against one of his companions. While I was preaching he suddenly raised his head and said, "I know better than that." The boy against whom he was leaning shook him and told him to keep still. He was quiet for some minutes when he again sat up and said, "I know that ain't so.' Immediately three of the boys sprang to their feet, gathered hold of him and quickly dragged him from the tent. After the services were over the boys came to me and said, "Parson, don't you mind them drunk galoots. You just go on with your preachin' and we will take care of them."
At the close of this second year I asked the Elder what he thought would be done with the mission the next year. He replied, "send you back to continue it." I said to him, "I have been here two years, wouldn't it be better to send some one else?" He looked at me a moment and said, "We have no other man that can starve as you can." I was returned for a third year.
The drought was more severe, if possible, than the preceding year. So discouraging was the prospect and so great the destitution that fully one-half of the peo- ple abandoned their claims and left the country. We labored as best we could under these discouragements and the Lord blessed our work. At the close of the third year we had eight classes organized and more than one hundred members. Our sixth child was born
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during this year, making eight of us in the family.
I received during the three years a salary, all told of less than one hundred and fifty dollars. Often we were compelled to live on the most meager fare, but we ate it with thankfulness, receiving it as a pledge from the Lord that he would not permit us to starve. At the Conference of 1882 I was appointed to Pleas- ant Plains and Aurora. During those years of priva- tion and hardships we were blessed with health and strength for the work and were thankful that we had some humble part in founding the church in western Kansas. We truly rejoice as we see what God has wrought."
James Boicourt was admitted on trial into the Kansas Conference in 1872. For four years his work was in the eastern part of the state. In 1876 the Con- ference met at Lawrence, Bishop Peck presiding. At this session Boicourt was assigned to the Smith Cen- ter Circuit. The Circuit, developed and enlarged by the new pastor, consisted of Smith Center, Twelve Mile, Crystal Plains, Reamsville, Lane, Gaylord, Por- tis and Cedarville.
A parsonage was built at Smith Center the first year. To accomplish it, wheat was solicited from the farmers, and three men with teams gathered it up and hauled it to Hastings, Nebraska. a distance of eighty- five miles, where it was exchanged for lumber.
On the way to Hastings, the farmers were heading for a large barn, where they hoped to lodge for the night. A short time before reaching it, they saw a tongue of flame leap from the top window. The barn burned and seventeen horses were roasted in it. The three farmers were thankful they were not their horses.
Trustees were appointed at several points. At Smith Center, A. B. Cordry, Watson and Walker; at Portis, J. Cross, W. C. Smith, A. M. Jeffers and Jas.
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McDowell; at Twelve Mile, A. D. Benjamin, George Tompkins and Wm. McNeely. A sod church was built here and another at Reamsville,-Trustees, A. J. Rob- erts, J. H. Brown, L. A. Fairchild and A. Jennings.
The year 1880 was very dry. In addition to that, there was a second visitation of grass hoppers. That year Boicourt was sent to Phillipsburg. The people were greatly discouraged and some sold their home- steads for less than two hundred dollars. Boicourt says of it, "Preachers stampeded, and for a year I had nearly the whole country. I had one appointment twenty-five miles northeast, and one fifteen miles south. Marvin was the only town on the circuit, ex- cept Phillipsburg.
His next appointment was Gaylord. Here he pur- chased eighty acres of land and made a home, in which he lived while he served at Gaylord, Portis and Mar- vin with outlying points at each place; and for six years while he served as Presiding Elder of the Os- borne District.
A remarkable revival occured at a point not con- nected with the charge, during the first year of his pastorate at Gaylord. On a Sunday morning the pas- tor preached from the text, "Go ye into all the world and preach." At the close of the service a stranger came to him and said: "I came here this morning to try and persuade you to obey the text you have just used. We have no preaching in our neighborhood, and we are in the world. There are six Christians in our community, and we have prayer meeting and a Sunday School." Boicourt replied : "I have no vacant hour on Sunday, but I will preach for you on Thursday night." Thursday night the house was full. At the close of the sermon opportunity was given for Christians to tes- tify. They responded promptly. Afterward they were asked if there were any present who wanted to be Christians. Three men arose, the husbands of three
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women who had testified. All were converted that night.
The congregation was asked how many would like for the meeting to continue. Everyone in the house arose. Service was announced for the next night. That was early in January. The meeting closed only in time for the pastor to make preparation for Con- ference in March.
One remarkable conversion was witnessed. An infi- del of some notoriety lived near the school house. Some years before he had hailed the pastor and stopped him in the public road, to tell him what a fool he was to believe in Christianity. A short time before the meet- ing began, this infidel had driven his son from home and forbidden him to enter the house again. The young man was boarding in the neighborhood and attended school in the house where the meeting was held, and naturally attended the services. His father also at- tended. In the testimony meeting one night, some- one said he thanked God for praying parents. The young man was so stirred with emotion, he was unable to control himself, but said in a loud tone, "I never heard my parents pray, but I am going to pray, and I am going to begin now"; and forthwith standing, for there was no room to sit or kneel, he turned his face upward and poured out his soul in earnest prayer. He had not prayed long until his prayer was turned to praise. His father was in the house and some feared he would make trouble, but the Holy Spirit had touched his heart, and pushing his way through the crowd till he reached his son, grasped his hand and said : "Ed, come go home with us." This was on a Fri- day night. No meeting was announced till Sunday night. On Sunday the infidel father was converted at home. On March 16, 1916, Brother Boicourt wrote me saying: "Old as I am, I would willingly walk twenty miles to hear such testimony and to witness
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such a meeting as there was that night." The new convert took the meeting out of the preacher's hands and directed it to his own liking, to the delight of the preacher.
The young man was very gifted in prayer and speech, and many thought of him as a coming preacher; but his health failed, and he sank into an early grave. The father constituted himself a mission- ary to his fellow infidels, and was very zealous in tell- ing them that Christianity was true.
While the revival was in progress, the pastor had a different kind of experience. Let Boicourt tell it. "There was no railroad to Smith Center. Brother Breed, the Presiding Elder, came to Gaylord Friday night and I was to take him to Smith Center Sat- urday for the quarterly meeting. It snowed all Fri- day night. Then came a sudden thaw. The whole face of the earth was covered with water and snow. In crossing one of the draws, we struck it where there was a hole much deeper on the right side than on the other. I dropped off on my feet and it was deep enough to wet my collar. Brother Breed being on the upper side was thrown clear over me, and went head first into the water and snow and disappeared. We went on to Smith Center. When we arrived the Quarterly Conference had convened, and the Presiding Elder went through the business before changing his clothes.
I returned to my school house and closed the re- vival and received quite a number into the church."
In 1886 Boicourt was appointed to the Osborne Dis- trict. In November, 1886, Dr. J. H. Lockwood wrote him advising that he secure the services of a band of the Salvation Army workers, who had been very suc- cessful on the Salina District. At first there was strong opposition to it, both in the church and the com- munity. But the Presiding Elder refused to be dis- suaded. He told them there had never been a revival
HISTORY OF METHODISM
in Gaylord, and he was going to have his way. The band proved to be discreet in their conduct and wise in their management, and soon won their way. There were six in the band of workers; and people said he could not find places for them to board. Sister Boi- court said, "Bring them on, I will board all of them," which she did at first; but soon there were more invi- tations than they could accept. The church was 30 by 50 and had never been more than half full at a preaching service. Soon it was crowded to overflow- ing. A skating rink 40 by 110 had been built. This was opened for the meeting and seated. A platform was put in sufficient to seat sixty people. One hundred and fifty were converted in two weeks. The workers from the Army went to different places in the District and had remarkable success wherever they went. Bands were organized at Gaylord that visited different points. They reported over a hundred converts at these several places. Twelve hundred conversions were reported that year on the Osborne district; and the Presiding Elder said: "half of them was the result of the earnest work of the Salvation Army."
Reuben Bisbee was admitted into the Kansas Con- ference in 1879, but previous to his admission he had lead a very unique career as an exleorter and local preacher. He was converted in 1875 through the efforts of his father, a member of the British Wesleyan Church, who followed his son from Canada to the northwest part of Norton, Coreuty, Kansas.
During one of a series of meetings which were be- ing held in the community, by a Methodist minister from Nebraska, Bisbee made known his feeling that God had called him to preach.
By the unanimous request of those present, at the meeting the minister gave him an appointment for the next Sunday, and so he began his ministry without even having had an opportunity to join the church.
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His nearest appointment being thirty-five miles away.
In 1876 he was given an exhorter's license by R. H. Seymour, who had been appointed to the Norton cir- cuit, by the Kansas Conference; and the next year he was given a Local Preacher's license by W. J. Mitchell, the Presiding Elder. After faithful service for two years on the circuit which consisted of Devizes, Ober- lin, Jennings, Clayton, Spring City, Langford and Shields, he was recommended to the traveling connec- tion and admitted into the Kansas Conference.
During these years of earnest faithful work, the people of Western Kansas suffered greatly from drouth and grasshoppers. Bisbee gives an interesting example of the privation through which he lived in the following story :
"In February, 1879, I started from the eastern part of Smith County to drive to the Conference at Leavenworth. I picked up Brother E. G. Cary, and we spent Sunday in Atchison at the home of a Brother Waterson. They were dedicating the M. E. Church there that day and Brother Waterson invited a num- ber of ministers from the district to dinner.
"While we were eating dinner, Brother Gray, who had been serving a charge in the Atchison district, told about how poorly the people had to live where he had been. Then Bro. E. R. Brown, who had been at Cawker City that year, said, 'Here is Bro. Bisbee, the farthest preacher west, out among the coyotes and cowboys, maybee he could tell us something about hard times.' I replied, 'I was just thinking that you did not know anything about hard times.' 'Well,' said Bro. Gray, 'What do you call hard times?' I said, 'When a man walks five miles to borrow a pork rind to grease the bread pan with.' A good Christian woman with nine children told me that she had walked three miles in a foot of snow, there and back, before breakfast, to borrow a pork rind to grease her bread pan, so
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she could get the corn bread out of the pan. But in spite of his privations Bro. Bisbee continued his min- istry and in 1880, he served with a Bro. Graham on a circuit, which was composed of three appointments in Norton County and all of Sheridan county, where he had organized six classes the previous year. Dur- ing this year I think I am safe in saying that three- fourths of the settlers in Sheridan County left the country. Dr. Caruthers, the Presiding Elder, sent the following statement to the Central Christian Advo- cate: In June he had driven 500 miles and all the green vegetation he had seen could have been held in one hand at one time. The editor of the Chicago Inter- Ocean, reprinted the statement, and styled it false.
I wrote to that editor and offered to pay his ex- penses to and from Norton, and to take him over the same trip; if it were untrue; if true, he was to pay his own expenses, but he never showed up."
After having served the Long Island Circuit for three years Bisbee was sent to the Marvin charge, where he found an unfinished church, whose bare walls of stone had stood the weather for four years. He filled all of the appointments, and raised $600, and hoped to finish the church the next year, but obligingly consented to be transferred, in order that Bro. Dalton might have Marvin, which appointment he could reach from his homestead on which he wanted to prove up.
Then followed a year at Bull City, now Alton, after which he was sent to the Norcatur Circuit, which com- prised a territory of about 20 by 30 miles, where he served for two years.
The next three years were spent at Portis, which he describes as being the best of his whole life. Let him tell of his work there.
We finished the church that was in course of erec- tion and held a camp meeting in August. In the fall W. H. Sweet dedicated our new church out of debt,
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and we had a splendid revival, about sixty or sixty- five being converted, and added to the church. I was returned to Portis in 1888 for the second year, and we had a splendid year all through, notwithstanding the fact that there were no crops worth mentioning.
We had a District Conference meeting at Crystal Plains with M. L. Haney and Aura Smith, evangelists, and that country has not gotten over that meeting to this day.
In December Chaplain McCabe, who was mission- ary secretary, wrote me to urge the collections for mis- sions. I wrote him on this wise, that I had been at Portis for twenty months and it had not rained enough during that time scarcely to wet a man't shirt, and that crops had failed almost entirely, and most of my members were paying 3 per cent a month on money with which to buy bread. I had told my official board at the first Quarterly Conference, when they were esti- mating the salary, that if they would pay me five cents a meal for each one of my family I would get through on that, but I had failed to get one-quarter of that clear, so far. I told the chaplain, further, that I had ridden two days to raise $40 to relieve a mortgage that was on my team, and had failed and aswed him what I was to do.
He wrote me telling me to stand my ground, that I had a big church back of me, and it would see me through, and to emphasize what he wrote, he sent me a personal check for $25 and a draft on the contingent fund for $66. Besides this he published my letter in the church papers in the country, and I got substan- tial help from many quarters.
Again Bro. Bisbee tells of the trials through which he built a church at Agra. The school house was nearly a mile from town, and the Methodists had rented the Congregational church, part of the time. I advised the Brethren to build a church and they
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