Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 66, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 November 1914 — Not Down on the Program. [ARTICLE]

Not Down on the Program.

During the Sunday morning services at the .VI. E. church, soon after Rev. Curnick had begun his sermon, a lady by the name of Mrs. Amanda Kernahan, 48 years old, of Freeport, 111., came into the church and after quite a little difficulty was had in getting her seated, she soon left her seat and went up to the front of the church, and sat down. The woman acted very peculiar, to say the least, and soon changed her seat near the rear of the church, and finally went out into the vestibule. While in the church room Rev. Curnick asked her what she wanted, and telling her she was disturbing the services, but received no answer, and after she had gone to the vestibule, W. F. Shesler, city marshal, got her to go into one of the class rooms and remain until church was over, when she was taken to the jail. It was thought she was intoxicated, or was a drug fiend.

When she first arrived here she went out to the Mgnnett school and asked to see little “Dottie” Kernaihan, a girl aged 9 years, who is attending school there, sent to school by her father, who is separated from hig wife, and who is a missionary preacher in Chicago. The father of the child had already notified the school authorities to be on the lookout for the girl’s mother, as it was feared that she would try to take her child away from the school, and when she inquired for the child, Mias Ball, the deaconess in charge, told her she could see the child in company with others, but not alone. And it was from there that she went to the church, where the children all were. In the evening she was taken to the school by Sheriff Hoover to see the child and later he accompanied her to the depot, where it was supposed she returned to her home, though she had no ticket, saying she had lost it. Her peculiar actions in the church practically broke up the services there,