Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 2, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 March 1859 — A Camp Meeting Scene. [ARTICLE]

A Camp Meeting Scene.

In the summer of 1838 a camp-meeting was held near Noblesville, Hamilton county Ind. Mr. Havens, who was then in the prime of lite, and regarded as the great campmeeting exhorter of the West, had an invitation to be present, and had determined to accept of it. Previous to h : s leaving home he was informed by a couple of younjr friends that he might expect to see them there before the close of the meeting, as they had business to attend to at Andersontown and at Indianapolis, and the camp ground laid in their way between those two points. As these younj gentlemen were a little wild, Mr. Havens was somewhat anxious that they should attend the meeting, and therefore gave them a warm invitation to be present. With the promise that they would meet him there Mr. Haven left h me, and on the Saturday following the opening ol the meeting they, arrived at Noblesville. The Court i House at that place was then in course of i 1 I erection, and there was a large number of [workmen boarding at the hotel where our ■ young friends stopped to refresh themselves. There were also some sporting gentlemen fram Ohio present, who seemed very anxious to get up a horse race, and, in the course of an hour or two, th"y succeeded. The company turned out en masse to witness the sport. Of course our two young adventurers could not withstand tho temptation, so they hud their horses brought out and followed the crowd down to the ban - ot \\ hite River, where the race took place. It so happened that, one ol our friends, the wildest of the two by far, rode a horse that could run pretty well, and as soon as the first race

was over he challenged an acquaintance present for a race, stakes: one gallon of whisky! His challenge was accepted, the race run,and his horse gained the victory. They soon after returned to tho hotel, where they were soon carousing over the spoils. Our young friend, greatly elated over her success, soon became very noisy, and greatly annoyed the landlord, who was a pious member of the Methodist church. It was his first adventure in this line, and he did not know how to conduct himself with proper dignity. The company was very noisy during the greater part of the night, and the landlord was truly glad when the two Rushville gentlemen took their leave the next morning, which was Sabbath. 'The camp ground was about five miles distant from Noblesville, and they arrived there just in time for the ten o’clock service. On the way they had been overtaken by their Landlord, who rode furward and informed Mr. Haven of their approach, told him of their conduct on the night previous, and added that he supposed they were coming there to internpt the n eeting. While he was yet conversing with Mr. Havens the young gentlemenmade their appearance directly in front of the stand, where they quietly to->k their seats. They were pointed out to Mr. Havens, who at once recognized them, and he dismissed his friend with tha assurance that he would attend to them. At the close of the service he approached his young friend.-, shook them cordially by the hand, enquired alter the welfare of the people at home, and finally invited them to go and take dinner with him. They accepted, and he led them to a large tent, which was occtipie'd by the ministers and their familie--. Taking them in an I calling the occupa .ts of the tent around him, he said:

“Brothers and sisters, allow me to introduce you to my friends, a couple of blacklegs from Rushville! They are old acquaintances of mine, a little wild, by the wav, and have be n .;ut upon a gambling expedition! However they are botii gentleinen, and I can vouch for their good behavior so long as they may see proper to remain here.” The reader can fancy how he might have felt under like circumstances. Under ordinary circumstances the blow would have been a severe one, but, to one of the young men, it was doubly so, for he was then paying his attentions to one of Mr. Havens’ daughters. He afterwards married her. He is yet living and often laughs over the anecdote, yet he Was in anything else than a laughing mood when he received the stunning introduction. Il is needless to say that both were cured of their sporting propensities. One of the young men afterwar 1 moved to. Jasper county, where he served several terms in the Legislature from that county. The other is yet a resident of Rush county. — Rushville Republican. Who was the’young man that moved to Jasper county!