| OCR Text |
Show 'I - 161 - of t ho se .. ;'tiormon ·· p reachers . He rep lied t ha t he ':Jas . Tl ey o rde e d h im to go into t he wood . l e supposed they inte nded to whip im wi tn hickory s.vi tc nes . fi fte r going i nto tne fo .rest a bou t fifty y a rds e ha"lted a·nd dec ined to go any furt er . Ht this juncture one of t ue bruta l fellows kicked him , causing him to f all forward upon his a nds . .Jhile he wa s do ~n ~nd helples3, tinother o f t e cona rdly ruffi ans kicked h i m h eavily in t he lower port of the left side , caus_ i ng a painful . and- severe ~ntern · 1 in jury . He l ay bre a thless and helplesa for se veral moments , a1d a s soon ~ she recovered so as to be -able to move, he rega i ned his feet and a imed a blov with his fist at tlie f ellov who kicked hi_m, _but miss ed him . They then ordered h im to proceed about one hundred and fif t y ya rds urt1er i nto the forest . a fter going that distance he stopped and declined to go any fu rther, the brave fello ~ ay i ng, "If I am go i ng to die , · I would just as soon die here as anywhere . " _ . They asked him if he had anyt hing to say before his deat h . He replied by a sking t heir re a son for wishing to murder h i m. Us ing a l asphemous expression, t hey s a id, "If we don ' t kill you you ' ll come back again . If you ha ve a nyth i ng· to s ay , s ay it qui ckly . " He q;plied, "If I mus t die , I will offer a fev words of praye r, .. whi ch he t hen did , while the weapons of ·the m~n were le ~ eled upon hi~ . As soon as he concluded his prayer Brother Alexander closed his eyes and folded his arms , feeling t hat his l ast moment had a rr ived and perfe ctly resi gned to ~ha t appe a r ed to be h is - inevit able f a te . a t "the s ame time tha t he _assumed this a ttitude , the t hree fired simultane ously, and he ins ~a ntly fell a ~d - bec am e insens ible . . hen he recovered consciousness he got upon his ha nds and knees ~n d looked about , but his as · a ilant s had depared , no one being ne a r. He made his way to the road, and f inally reached the house o f Brother Lafayette Reed, but ha rdly knew 1ow he got t he r e . 'v/hen he .. re a ched it he fell do m exl ousted . One bullet passed through the crown of his a t , whi ch be i ng lo ,v- cro vned , his esc ape f r om de a t h was a p a re11tly by a ha irsbre adth . Anot1er ba l l , app arently a imed at his heart , p assed close to t ha t organ, going throug his clotn i ng and out to Ha rds t e bac k, on t '1.e left side . Hi s ceo lp anion, Elder ' ilson, re ached him the same ni ght , and p r oceeded next norning to a ywood branc to inform Elder Pa r ris of wha t had occurred . T e injured mLn was conveyed to Haywood in a carria e by a lo cal brother na med Bt rber and Elder Pa rri s h . AS he r a dually bec Lme we r ker a fter t ~ o days • sta t here , he was t aken to Cha tt a nooga , by Elde r Pa rrish, v1here he st opped until a dvic e r eceived f rom Elder J organ to le ave for h ome . e stood the trip ve ry fa irly, and to- day fe els som ewh~ t imp roved, being , bl e to sit up . He r es ides i n the 15th vla rd. ~ he ide ntity of the mobbers wes neve r as certa i ned . |
