cal Association. During the time the building was under con-

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1881

EXTENDING THE BORDERS

struction the beloved pastor met with an accident which terminated
his useful career upon earth. While engaged in his ministerial
work his team of horses became frightened, ran away, throwing
him out of the buggy, by which he received fatal injury. Sud-
denly this dear brother was taken from his life work which seemed
so far from being finished, and left his flock bowed in sorrow
without a shepherd. Brother E. E. Evans took charge of the
work and served the same until Conference session in March,
1885.

In 1885 Leonardville was taken from Big Blue Circuit and
formed into a mission, which was supplied with T. R. Nanninga
as pastor. About this time a Sunday-school was organized with
Derk Buss as superintendent, however Father Nanninga and Fa-
ther Buss used to gather the children for Bible study long before
this time. German school was also conducted by those brethren
for their children. In this year a class was also organized at Mill
Creek. The following year one was organized with 11 members
in Manhattan, which was, however, discontinued three years later.

J. H. TOBIAS

The following interesting and inspiring incident is related
hy Rev. J. H. Tobias: "I attended my first camp-meeting in Kan-
sas at Alida in the summer of 1879. This was a blessed meeting.
On Monday morning, the last day of the meeting, a sister testified
.as follows : This will be a happy day for me, my husband will be
converted.' Her husband was not present at the time as he had
not yet returned from his lodging place. This sister and her
husband had come 40 miles to attend the camp-meeting. The
forenoon and afternoon services closed with no sign of conviction
upon the husband for whom the wife had been praying so much
and so earnestly. Just a little before sunset several ministers were
conversing when I saw this man coming out of a thicket of under-
brush with a beaming countenance almost running toward us,
saying: "I am converted!" I asked him when he got converted,
and he answered, "Just now, down there in the brush." He then
went on to explain : "This afternoon, at the close of the meeting,
a great fear came upon me all at once. I got frightened and started
to leave the camp ground. When I got into the brush yonder I
fell down and could not get up any more. Then I began to pray
to God for forgiveness of my many sins. God heard my prayer
and saved me. Glory! glory! I am saved." An old-fashioned

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1881

FIFTY YEARS IN THE KANSAS CONFERENCE

camp-meeting- shout followed this scene. Now the secret of it all
was revealed. His wife spent all of Sunday night under a tree
back of the tent until four o'clock in the morning in prayer for the
conversion of her husband, until she got the assurance from God
that her prayer would be answered and her husband converted that
day, hence she arose in the meeting that morning stating so pos-
itively that he would be saved today.

"This man was addicted to the use of strong drink, and his
wife prevailed upon him to take her to the camp-meeting, but
back of it all was the design to get him converted. So she held
on to God in prayer like Jacob of old until she got the answer.
The next day they went home a happy family."

Brother Tobias was the great camp-meeting enthusiast of
the Conference and had a variety of experiences along the line of
soul saving. Many of those meetings were seasons of wonderful
power and victory which resulted in great demonstrations of God's
grace.

A great part of the summer was spent in holding camp-meet-
ings when Brother Tobias was serving in the office of presiding
elder. These services would sometimes last until late in the night,
and in some instances even all night, when God's power came down
upon the meetings and the "Durchbruch" occurred. Sometimes
the meetings would reach such a stage that they were beyond
human control, and God's people would stand still and behold
the salvation of the Lord. While the altar was filled with seek-
ers who were praying for pardon, the shout of the young convert,
mingled with the notes of triumph from the lips of the Chris-
tians, often struck conviction to the heart of sinners who came
to the meetings out of curiosity, sometimes to scoff. Cold formal-
ism and ecclesiasticism were not spared on those occasions, and
many lost what religion they supposed they had, after which they
were in a proper attitude to get something better. The positive
and fearless method of Brother Tobias in conducting his meet-
ings added much to his success and results. Endowed with a
strong body, a voice which could be heard in the far distance
even when holding out-door meetings, an optimistic disposition,
a great degree of magnetism, coupled with a strong faith in the
doctrine of full salvation, and a consecrated heart and life, emi-
nently fitted him for this particular line of work in which he was
very successful.

The following is a description of his first camp-meeting:

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1881

EXTENDING THE BORDERS

"My first camp-meeting, held on my own work, was on Car-
thage Mission in 1880. In making preparations for the meeting I
appointed a committee on arrangements. I instructed the com-
mittee to make an altar or, as it was called, a 'mourners' bench.'
One member of the committee objected, saying there will be no
mourners' bench arranged. When I returned and found the same
missing I called the committee together and told them we could
not hold an Evangelical camp-meeting without an altar, and in-
sisted that the same be made. This brother, who had erected
a tent for himself, threatened to remove his tent and go home.
His good wife prevailed on him to remain. The second day of
the meeting he was sitting in front of his tent which was near
the altar, when the invitation was given for seekers to come for-
ward. Conviction fell upon him, he cried out, 'I am lost,' and
rushed to the altar. He was the first one to be converted at the
despised bench which he refused to make for the meeting. Three
families came sixty miles in wagons and tented at this meeting.
Many souls were converted, and what was best of all, many of
the church members got saved."

C. BRANDT

Brother C. Brandt, who served Hanover Mission in 1880, re-
lates the following of his many .experiences :

"I served this mission under Wm. Heiser, who also had charge
of Big Blue Circuit, and lived in Washington in a log cabin with
two small rooms. The first time the presiding elder came to visit
me he bumped his head against the joists overhead, when I gently
reminded him that while tarrying among us he must look after
those things which are above and remain humble. On July 27, I
started on my first trip to find and visit the village of Haddam
in the north part of Washington County, where I heard there
were a number of German families. I missed the right road and
got lost among the hills. When night set in I was a wanderer
indeed, not knowing whither to go. At last I succeeded in find-
ing a small dugout where I called for information, but could not
get an answer. I concluded, however, that I would go no farther,
so dismounting I staked my pony out for the night. When I went
to the dugout again I heard some one within. I called, and a man
came to the door. After telling him who I was and what had
happened to me, he received me cordially and assured me that I
could stay with him all night.

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1881
FIFTY YEARS IN THE KANSAS CONFERENCE

"Entering his door I discovered an odor which was exceed-
ingly offensive, and when he lighted a lamp I was shocked. Be-
fore me stood a man with blood-shot eyes, long, greasy hair hang-
ing down over his shoulders, his face covered with heavy black
untrimmed beard, and his body clad in rags and filth. Every-
thing in the house, the bed included, compared with his personal
appearance. I could not make up my mind to tarry at this place
all night, but what to do? He now proceeded to make corn frit-
ters for my supper, but the odor of the rancid lard used in the
baking turned my stomach, and I excused myself from eating on
the ground that I was not hungry. But now I was confronted by
another proposition. I felt certain that the bed was preoccupied
by the "pestilence that walketh in darkness," and dreaded the
thought of exposing myself to the mighty force. At last my host
consented that I might sleep in a straw stack near the house if
I preferred. During the night a heavy rain came up which drove
me to the fateful dugout after all, and I spent the rest of the
night in deadly combat with the innumerable host in the under-
ground region. The next morning the remaining corn cakes were
served for breakfast, but I again I tried to convince my host that
my appetite had not yet returned. So after a conversation with
him about his personal salvation, reading out of my Bible to him,
and praying, I proceeded on my way to Hacldam. I soon reached
this place and found a German blacksmith who kindly received
me while his good wife prepared me a dinner which tasted exceed-
ingly fine after a fast of thirty hours. Here I took up an appoint-
ment, and in a short time six persons were converted ; among the
number was my former host of the dugout.

"On September 27, my quarterly meeting was to be held in
the Leusler school house, south of Washington. Both my presid-
ing elder and my preacher in charge were detained at home on
account of sickness, so that the preaching devolved upon me. On
Saturday afternoon, while preaching, my attention was attracted
by a man in the congregation who was unusually attentive to the
Word. After the service I extended to him my hand and asked
him who he was, when he laughed aloud and said: 'Don't you
know Charly B. any more?' Indeed he was my dugout host, but
what a change ! His hair was cut, his beard trimmed, his face
washed, his clothes cleaned, so that I did not know him any
more. Soap and water accomplished on the outside what the
grace of God had effected on the inside, and the man was clean."

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1881
EXTENDING THE BORDERS

"On October 10, 1879, I passed a school house about 4.00 P. M.
when the children were starting home from school. Observing
that some of them spoke German, I inquired after their name,
and invited them into the buggy to take them home. Arriving, the
mother was not a little surprised to see a stranger accompanying
her children, but when she learned that I was a minister of the
Gospel she received me very cordially. In a short time her hus-
band returned from his work in the field, and he, too, seemed
pleased to meet me. After supper we determined to visit another
German family in the neighborhood, consisting of parents and two
grownup sons. They also seemed glad for a pastoral call. In a
short time the table was cleared and a game of cards was begun,
in which I was invited to participate. I excused myself on the
ground that I could not play cards, when the gentleman of the
house told how their pastor in Germany excelled in card playing.
'Oh, yes,' I remarked, 'but not all the pastors in Germany could play
cards, and I am one of that class.' Thereupon wine was brought and
offered. In order to not rudely offend them I took a little of the
wine in a glass and filled the same with water as I drank it, re-
marking that wine makes people raging. After they had finished
playing cards I spoke to them about their salvation. To this my
friend retorted that he was an unbeliever, and man had no soul,
besides, the Bible was only a collection of lies. I turned to him
and demanded that he prove his assertion, or retract his state-
ment, as I would not remain with him over night unless he did,
since he had called my heavenly Father a liar. When he saw my
Bible from which I read he declared that it was an Evangelical
Bible, and not a Lutheran Bible, but when I showed him the name
of Dr. M. Luther on the fly leaf he yielded the point and apologized.

"I then read further to them while they listened attentively,
and also prayed with them. Later I preached in the home of those
card-players and found them ready to receive the truth.

"In this same neighborhood I found a family which had the
small-pox. Seven children were already buried in the garden,
while the parents and two smaller surviving children were down
with the disease. I cleaned up the rooms in which they were,
rearranged their beds, gave them something to eat, after which
I read to them out of the Bible and prayed with them. I then
went to the neighbors and entreated them to look after the afflicted
family, as my duties called me on my way. They recovered from
their sickness and were later converted."

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1882
FIFTY YEARS IN THE KANSAS CONFERENCE

1882
EIGHTEENTH SESSION

March 16, 1882, Conference met at Captain Creek, Douglas
County, Kansas, to hold her 18th session. Bishop T. Bowman pre-
sided and appointed C. Berner secretary. Ex-Bishop R. Yeakel
was present in the capacity of agent for Union Biblical Institute
and North-Western College.

P. H. Rischel, J. S. Seip and S. Weber withdrew from the
church during the year.

S. B. Brown had credentials voted him, and the brethren J.
Kurtz, C. Ehrhardt, C. Linge, E. J. Troyer and A. W. Kramer
were reported as in part physically disabled for active work. L.
Schneider died during the year.

M. L. Wahlte received license to preach. H. R. Price and M.
W. Weaver were enrolled as local preachers, having moved into
the bounds of the Conference.

E. Evans and A. Brunner were received into the itinerancy.

The following brethren received elders' orders: Peter Schu-
mann, C. F. Erffmeyer, S. H. Dunkelberger, A. J. Voegelein and C.
Brandt.

NORTH-WESTERN COLLEGE

Action was taken to enter into the North-Western College
compact with the understanding that Conference be spared from
the visit of a collector for said institution until such a time as the
financial condition would permit, and, further, that she would not
obligate herself for any of the old indebtedness of the school. A
collection was ordered taken, however, on the various fields for the
institution. L. C. Schnacke was then elected trustee of North-
Western College, becoming the first representative of the Confer-
ence to said institutions.

Since a limited fund had been in the hands of Conference since
1876 to assist such young men who wish to educate themselves
in North-Western College or Union Biblical Institute for work in
the Kansas Conference, this was placed into the hands of a com-
mittee of three, appointed by the Chair, who should disburse the
same on the following plan : The money shall be loaned for a lim-
ited time without interest, should, however, the money be de-
sired for a longer period of time, then a low per cent of interest
shall be charged which shall flow into the treasury of the fund and
be applied in the same way. Said committee shall report annually

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1882

EXTENDING THE BORDERS

to the Conference. It was further resolved to bring this mat-
ter to the notice of the congregations and endeavor to increase
the fund through additional contributions. The following breth-
ren were appointed as committee: H. Mattill, C. Berner and Wm.
Meier.

H. Mattill was elected Conference trustee for five years and
J. G. Pfeifer for a period of three years.

BOUNDARIES

Holton District

a. The appointments Camp Creek, Upper Independence and
Wolf River shall be taken from Atchison Mission and formed into
Wolf River Circuit.

Missouri District

a. The appointments north of the Jasper County line shall
be taken from Carthage Mission and formed into Virgil Mis-
sion. The remainder of the mission shall be called Carthage Cir-
cuit.

b. A new mission shall be located in Jackson County, Mo.,
which shall be called Jackson Mission.

Southwest District

a. Carthage Mission shall be transferred to Missouri Dis-
trict.

b. Humboldt shall be divided. The appointments west of De-
fiance shall be taken from Humboldt and formed into a new cir-
cuit which shall be called Yates Center Circuit. The remaining
appointments shall constitute Humboldt Circuit.

c. The appointments Egle and Emporia shall be taken from
Osage Mission and added to Americus Mission.

d. Osage, Peterton and Hartford shall be taken from Amer-
icus Mission and added to Osage Mission.

e. Mulberry of Salina Mission, and Steenbock appointment
of Rice Mission shall be added to Wilson Mission.

f. Salina and Dickinson Missions shall be served together.

g. The English appointments at Cedron shall be taken from
Wilson Mission and added to Osborne Circuit.

h. Newton and Marion shall be served together.

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1882
FIFTY YEARS IN THE KANSAS CONFERENCE

MISSIONS

The amount of $2,101.90 was raised for missions in the Kan-
sas Conference the past year, and $4,920.00 was appropriated for
the ensuing year. H. Mattill was elected delegate to the Board
of Missions, and the Missionary Society reorganized by electing the
old Board to serve another year.

STATISTICS

Conversions, 551; accessions, 853; membership, 3,512; itine-
rant preachers, 39; local preachers, 35; churches, 36; parsonages,
21; Sunday-schools, 64; officers and teachers, 655; scholars, 2,993;
catechetical classes, 30; catechumens, 398; Botschafters, 720;
Messengers, 357 ; Magazins, 310 ; Epistles, 48. Total for missions,
$3,366.98.

APPOINTMENTS

Holton District — L. Wenger, P. E. Jackson, to be supplied.

** , t ^ td-p - p Warrensburg, C. W. Snyder.

Nemaha, J G Pfeifer. Clinton, C. Ehrhardt.

Lawrence, F Harder. Glasgow, P. Schumann.

g°lt°n> J- Wuerth. vi n Cit A j V oegelein.

Wolf River C B ™ ndt - Sheridan, to be supplied.
Hiawatha, L. C. Schnacke. ' *^

?i- g v? 1Ue, M- F; SC M ei n r =' ^o.^ South-west District-P. Fricker, P.

Atchison Mission, M. Dissinger. ^ '

Leavenworth, J. Schmidli.

Hanover, D. R. Zellner. Humboldt, H. Toedman.

Red Vermillion, W. Daeschner. Yates Center, H. Koepsel.

Marion and Newton, J. H. Kiplinger.

Missouri District— H. Mattill, P. E. Jewell, T. W. Serf.

Osborne, D. F. Honstedt.

Oregon, E. Evans. Parsons, C. Linge.

Platte River, W. Meier. Wichita, C. Geiser.

Bloomington, C. Linder. Rice. J. M. Dreisbach.

Carthage, J. H. Tobias. Dickinson and Salina, W. Heiser.

St. Jospeh, C. Berner. Americus, C. F. Erffmeyer.

Kansas City, J. Kurtz. Osage, S. H. Dunkelberger.

Denver, F. J. Shafer. Wilson, A. Brunner.

Winston, H. S. Bower. Offerle, to be supplied.

MEMORIAL

Lewis Snyder

Death for the first time invaded the ranks of the ministry
of the Conference, calling away Brother Lewis Snyder. Brother
Snyder came to Kansas from the East Pennsylvania Conference in
1879, and was stationed on Offerle Mission. The following year
he was assigned to Marion Mission, where he was serving his
second year when he was called from labor to reward. A me-

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1882

EXTENDING THE BORDERS

morial service was held during the Conference session, on which
occasion Bishop Bowman, R. Yeakel, W. Yost and L. Wenger made
appropriate remarks to the memory of the departed brother. The
three former speakers had an intimate acquaintance with the de-
ceased before he entered the ranks of the Kansas Conference.
Brother Snyder was survived by a son who was serving in the
Conference at the time of the death of his father.

ST. JOSEPH

During the past year the church at St. Joseph proved to be
too small and inadequate for the rapidly growing city, so the
building was sold and a lot purchased at the corner of Lafayette
and 12th Streets for $450.00, on which a church and parsonage
were built. The church costing $2,460.00, and the parsonage
$1,335.00. The church was dedicated by Bishop J. J. Esher. C.
Berner was pastor. Even this location later proved to be unfortu-
nate, was a constant expense to the society and Conference for
street grading, paving, building retaining walls and the lowering
of the building site, so that in 1909 the congregation sold the prop-
erty and located at 16th and Locust Streets.

J. H. TOBIAS

During the past year Brother Tobias had a thrilling experi-
ence with the ruffian element on the Carthage work. This element
was not lacking in disposition to injure the cause of Christ, and
even his servants, in order to reach their end. A man whose ill-
will Brother Tobias incurred threatened to kill the preacher, and
sent word to him to this effect. The circuit rider was not to be
bluffed in this manner and served notice that he was ready to die
at any time on a week day or Sunday.

On a week day evening Brother Tobias held a meeting in the
Emmanuel Church. There were not many people out that even-
ing, but among those present was one man whom Brother Tobias
suspected as the one who threatened him. In passing out of the
church this man stood in the vestibule of the building but said
nothing to Brother Tobias as he passed out and left the church
in company with several brethren. He had not gone far when he
observed some one riding up behind him on a horse; he stepped
aside to let him pass when the rider struck him a severe blow
upon the head, throwing him to the ground. The miscreant, evi-

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1882

FIFTY YEARS IN THE KANSAS CONFERENCE

dently thinking he had made good his threat, applied the spurs to
his horse and disappeared in the darkness. Brother Tobias rose
to his feet with the blood trickling down over his face and walked
a half mile to a home where he received attention. Undoubtedly
his injury would have been much worse had not his hat protected
him from the full force of the blow. Those were days when law
enforcement was lax, and outlaws and ruffians reigned in their
dominion of brute force.

On one occasion an official threw off his coat and wanted to
fight the presiding elder in Quarterly Conference because he dif-
fered with him in deciding a question relative to the business
matters. In some communities the fickleness of the people was
great, and the throng which would shout "Hosanna" at one time
might shout "Crucify him" shortly after if they became offended.
Stale eggs and even clubs were resorted to in order to execute
vengeance. Lack of proper training, educational facilities, and
Gospel enlightenment were at the bottom of those conditions.

C. BRANDT

"In 1880, while supplying Cawker Mision, which was served
in connection with Osborne Circuit, I had charge of the German
appointments and D. F. Honstedt the English appointment. I
had a class of 13 members who held their services in a dugout
school house five miles north of Downs at a point called Twelve
Mile. I found a cabin one mile north of the school house, the only
available building for my family, which was built of rough stone
and was infested with snakes and bedbugs. I paid $1.50 per month
rent, and my salary for the year was $175.00. At the close of the
year I had a charge which required 400 miles driving to complete
one round. I preached in Osborne, Smith, Philipps, Norton and
Rooks Counties, with a few German families scattered here and
there, who received the truth gladly.

"The streams being unbridged, I was frequently in danger of
losing my life in fording them. Once I was in peril on the ice
which began to break under my weight. The people were very
poor. Both they and we subsisted principally on corn meal, but
when the price for corn advanced to $1.00 per bushel we would
have suffered hunger if the government had not graciously sent in
aid. Our stock of clothing was reduced to two calico dresses a
piece for each of my three daughters and wife, which they wore
one for Sunday and one for week days. Here the tempter became

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1883

EXTENDING THE BORDERS

active to discourage me and I had determined to quit the work,
go East and engage in a secular pursuit. Before leaving the work
I determined to make one more round which should be final. Start-
ing on this last round, at Glen Elder, where I had an appointment,
I had occasion to go through Downs, where I called for mail at the
post-office and received a letter which I found, upon opening, con-
tained an order for $25.00 for my own use from a brother who
enclosed a note, stating that he felt constrained to send me the
amount. He read about the poverty in the West and believed that
we, too, were in need. He further stated that he had frequently
been in need, and the Lord had always come to the rescue, therefore
I should only continue upon my post of duty.

"I felt ashamed of my conduct and asked God to forgive me
for doubting as I proceeded to fill my appointments, but not in
the sense of making my final round. The matter of quitting the
ministry was now decided. The sender of the $25.00 was Brother