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Aimee Semple McPherson
MIRACLE WOMAN COMING TO A. C.
LOCAL PEOPLE SEE HER CURE THE CRIPPLED
Mrs. McPherson Produced Sensation at Wichita Last Night.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 12, 1922.
A party of Arkansas City people, Rev. J. J. Carroll, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Carlton, Mrs. W. H. Lonnekohl, Mrs. W. H. Lusk, Mrs. Ray Williams, and Mrs. W. M. Gardner attended the meeting of Mrs. Aimee Sample McPherson, the healer, in Wichita last night. They reported some wonderful scenes and some marvelous cures. Mrs. Lusk has been in Wichita since Tuesday and told the others from here of the wonderful cures she had witnessed. The chamber of commerce and other civic organizations are being urged to get her to come to Arkansas City to hold two meetings here on the date that the forum at Wichita will not be available.
Sensation at Wichita
A big scene at Wichita last night was when the gypsies chief Mark Dewey with his wife and tribe went on the platform. The members of the tribe present numbered about 200. The chief and others were healed at one of Mrs. McPherson’s Denver meetings.
“A young gypsy girl carried to the platform lame last night, ran off,” one of the party, Mrs. Wm. Gardner, said.
“Another girl whose arm hung by her side helpless left the platform with her arm cured.
“A gypsy man who was lame in his feet was cured and almost danced for joy when he came off the platform.
“Since the cure of the gypsy chief there has been quite a revival among the gypsies all over the country, and the different gypsy tribes know where Mrs. McPherson is, follow her from the Atlantic to the Pacific.” continued Mrs. Gardner.
Chief Donates $500
Mrs. Gardner stated the following.
“It was a wonderful sight last night to see all these people so much in earnest. A chief of the Miller gypsy tribe who was on the platform gave $500 to put a window in the new tabernacle being built for Mrs. McPherson’s meetings in California. This tabernacle is to be dedicated on the first of January. Many of the gypsies gave $25 each to be used in this new building.
“Yesterday those gypsies brought beautiful potted and cut flowers to decorate the platform from end to the other. The gypsies made a beautiful adornment with their gifts.”
Cured of Stammering
Continuing, Mrs. Gardner said: “A wonderful cure was the case of a Wichita minister who was cured of stammering speech. He has been handicapped for thirty-four years, and was cured yesterday. We saw him. He walked up the aisle to the platform and cried in agony that his handicap might be removed. He told us as he walked up there, he saw no one save Jesus only. He said, ‘I stand as a monument of God’s healing. Praise God.’ “Another wonderful cure yesterday was the case of a girl whose crutches were thrown aside. She had been a cripple for nine years and for some years past could only walk around the house with the help of crutches. She walked fifteen blocks yesterday.
“Another remarkable case was that of a woman with a goitre. She left the platform with a hollow in her neck where the goitre had been. On Sabbath evening she will tell her story of her life and one of the newspapers in Wichita is preparing to broadcast it from the Forum by radio.”
Sick To Be Healed At Wilson Park
By One Of Devine Power
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Arkansas City Traveler, May 13, 1922.
All day long the telephone at the residence of Rev. and Mrs. William Gardner has been ringing with calls from the sick and interested people in the coming to Arkansas City of the “Miracle” woman, Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson, from Wichita, where she is now causing great excitement by her marvelous and almost unbelievable cures.
Late yesterday a telegram was sent to Mrs. McPherson signed by the press, Chamber of Commerce, and civic organizations of the city urging her to come here for a meeting.
Her reply says:
“Mrs. McPherson joyfully accepts the invitation to come to Arkansas City. Tomorrow she will be able to state the date. She wants a delegate to come to Wichita from Arkansas City to confer with her in regard to arrangements for the meeting.”
Mrs. Gardner and the other people from here who saw the remarkable cures accomplished by Mrs. McPherson at Wichita a few days ago, rejoiced over the message. A delegate will be selected at a meeting of the Ministerial Alliance Monday to go to Wichita and arrange with Mrs. McPherson for her visit to Arkansas City.
“Will she do healing here?” Mrs. Gardner was asked.
Mrs. Gardner responded: “Undoubtedly she will. That is a part of her meetings. I am glad the people here will have the opportunity to see and hear her and witness her wonderful work.”
Arrangements will be made for the meeting in Wilson park, the date to be announced later. The woman healer has been taking Wichita by storm. One woman with a large goitre walked upon the platform to be treated and walked away with her affliction having entirely “melted” away. Cripples threw away their crutches! One preacher who had been bothered by stammering for years talked as well as anyone, and others suffering from various diseases declared they had been made well and strong by Mrs. McPherson.
In discussing the invitation to come here at Wichita, the mother of Mrs. McPherson said: “How could we resist an appeal like that? Just say that we are going.”
“Why bless their dear hearts, Yes.” added Mrs. McPherson, whose charm of personality is as great as her wonderful gift in healing the sick.
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Carlton, Mr. and Mrs. H. S. Gibson, and Mrs. G. W. Martin went to Wichita today to see Mrs. McPherson.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 15, 1922.
“Do you believe in fairies?” Maude Adams used to ask the audience when she was playing “Peter Pan.” Invariably the audience did believe in fairies, and sedate men and women waved their arms and shouted: “Yes.”
Do you believe that Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson, who is coming to Arkansas City to heal the sick and afflicted at Wilson Park, is possessed of divine power?
Ask Mrs. W. E. Miller, 207 North C street, and scores of others in Arkansas City, who have seen this “Miracle Woman” perform in the forum at Wichita.
They will say: “Yes.”
The Cure of Mrs. Miller
Mrs. Miller, an invalid for seven years, barely able to walk with the aid of others, got up from her wheel chair at the forum yesterday morning and pushed her conveyance to the home of her brothers in that city. “You remember how Paul told the sick man to pick up his bed and walk?” asked Mrs. McPherson. “Yes, I do.” said Mrs. Miller. “Well, you were wheeled up here in that chair. You can get up and wheel the chair home by yourself. You have faith in God and that is all that is necessary to cure you.”
Mrs. Miller sat in her chair for just a moment. Several thousand people in the forum watched her intently. Slowly she rose to her feet, just a bit unsteady at first. Confidence in herself to walk grew stonger and stronger. Presently she took a step, and then another step. She walked unaided across the platform. She came back and pushed the chair along in front of her. The vast audience sat in breathless silence. Another miracle had been wrought by the woman whose performances in Wichita have been nothing short of a sensation.
Able to Walk on Street
“It was the most wonderful sight I ever hope to see.” exclaimed her son, Orion, who had wheeled his mother to the stage. “Mother is able to walk on the street again after 7 years of virtual isolation in a house. I could never believe that such a thing could happen if I did not see it with my own eyes. She walked to her brother’s home, pushing the wheel chair without the assistance of anyone of us. It was all due to her great faith. I was there and believe me, it made a believer out of me.”
The husband, W. E. Miller, returned from Wichita with his son last night. He said Mrs. Miller “was unable to eat, or sleep in peace for the last seven years, since she had an affliction of her lower limbs which practically rendered them useless. She can now eat and sleep as well as anyone. I bought her a big porterhouse steak after she was cured by Mrs. McPherson, and she ate all of it. She used to chew her meat for the juice, but could not eat the body of it. She ate it all this time. She slept soundly all night and awaoke feeling more refreshed than she had for years. I think Mrs. McPherson is surely a woman with divine power to heal. How could she do such things if she were not, and how can we help but believe our eyes when she does them right in front of us as she did in the case of my wife.”
Mr. and Mrs. Miller have lived in Arkansas City for 30 years and are widely known in this community.
Many Other Believers Here
Other strong believers in Mrs. McPherson are Mr. and Mrs. Walter Probst and Guy Hadley, who saw her healing power administered at the forum Sunday. Mr. Hadley said, “The forum was packed and two thousand people clamored for admittance outside. Some people rode all night to get there, we were told. I saw her cure an eleven year old boy of deafness and dumbness. I saw an aged man with palsey, who shook violently when he walked on the stage, come back to his seat with firm step and as steady nerve as any normal person. I saw a deaf and dumb woman carry on an animated conversation after Mrs. McPherson had prayed for her. All these miracles and more I saw her perform under my own eyes and I know they are not fakes.”
Mr. and Mrs. Probst confirmed the story of Mr. Hadley and were as greatly impressed by the miraculous cures effected through prayer by the woman healer.
Mrs. Rose Vedder, of 111 West Walnut Avenue, was in Wichita from Wednesday until last night. She only got to see Mrs. McPherson once. She is blind and she said that “while she was not made to see at this one meeting, she was not discouraged and expected to receive the healing power when Mrs. McPherson appears at Wilson Park after her engagement at Wichita is closed.”
At the Presbyterian church Sunday Dr. Wm. Gardner conducted a special prayer service for Mrs. A. P. Osborne, afflicted with rheumatism for a number of years, in connection with her visit to Wichita to see the healer and evangelist. She was taken to Wichita in a wheel chair.
Joe Moore Seeks Cure
On our desk yesterday we found a note from little Joe Moore, a crippled boy, who writes the sport and high school notes for the Traveler. It said: “I am going to Wichita to see Mrs. McPherson. I thought that maybe she might make me throw away my crutches. I will be back on the job Tuesday morning.”
All the force at the Traveler is trying its best to have the faith that Joe will be cured by the wonder woman. If he is cured, the Traveler will feel like taking off a day to offer up Thanksgiving.
Arrangements are now being made for the appearance at Wilson Park of Mrs. McPherson.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 15, 1922.
By a majority vote this morning, the Arkansas City Ministerial association passed a motion inviting Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson to visit Arkansas City for one day. Those voting for the motion were: Captain McCullah of the Salvation Army, Rev. Amos Frazee of the Church of God, Rev. Carroll of the United Brethren church, R. H. Lane of the Y. M. C. A., and Rev. Tedford of the Congregational church, who presided at the meeting.
Dr. Wentworth of the Methodist church voted against the motion, saying that he was opposed to such things, and Rev. William Gardner declined to vote on the grounds that he had not been active in the association for the past year.
The meeting was held this morning in the study of the First Methodist church, and all members were present with the exception of Rev. D. Everett Smith of the United Presbyterian church, who is out of the city. The subject for discussion was in regard to the proposed coming of Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson to this city, and the invitation which the ministerial association is reported to have extended to her.
According to the discussion at the meeting this morning, the claim was made that the invitation that had been extended was not official; those sending it assumed that the association would be in favor of it.
After considerable discussion a motion was made that the ministerial association of this city extends an invitation to Mrs. McPherson to visit Arkansas City for one day. The motion was seconded and carried. In accordance with this action, an official invitation will be extended to Mrs. McPherson to visit our city for one day in the near future.
LIFE PLEDGED TO GOD
Admit Miracles Are Performed by M’Pherson
Arkansas City Traveler, May 16, 1922.
[Wichita - By W. R. Waggoner.]
That Aimee Semple McPherson, woman evangelist who reached the peak of her success in a three weeks Wichita campaign, Sunday, has been the medium through which miracles have been performed, pretty generally is admitted here. However, there are scoffers who maintain that there is some feature of black art, or hocus pokus in the procedure.
Although but few of the local ministers have endorsed her to the extent of lending their presence, many of the leading laymen have joined the throng of religious workers that grow larger with each succeeding day.
Far Ahead of Billy Sunday
Mrs. McPherson is beginning to be recognized as a revivalist without a parallel in the country. Comparing her with Billy Sunday, whose famous saw dust trail was trodden by many Wichitans, those who have heard them both say the woman’s power over a congregation far surpasses those of the baseball evangelist. Whatever may be said of her powers through which divine healing is invoked, it must be admitted that she is able to reach out and garner in sorrowing souls by the score.
There is no count of the number of conversions to her credit, but it is believed that it will run as high as 1,500 and possibly to a greater figure. At the Sunday morning prayer service for the afflicted alone, 800 hands were raised when Mrs. McPherson asked for an outward sign from all those who desired the prayers of Christian people. During the afternoon and night gatherings, hundreds swarmed to the altar when the call was extended.
Sunday night’s discourse was the first half of the story of her life, “From a Milk Pail on a Canadian Farm to a World Pulpit.” The evangelist led her audience from the conversion of her mother to the time of her second marriage and there broke off with a packed Forum in breathless expectancy, announcing that she would complete the narrative Monday night.
Prophesy Proves True
She described the mountain tops and the valleys to which she had ascended and into which she had descended, after seeing the gospel light. They were the mountain tops of happiness and visions of the New Jerusalem and the valleys of suffering and sorrow, where she saw her Gethsemanaes and Golgothas. Her previous warning that kerchiefs would be necessary, proved to be prophetic.
Eighteen thousand persons heard the evangelist at the three Sunday services, while more than this number were turned away, it is estimated. At each, the doors were locked prior to the hour set for the beginnings and at night, the Forum was jammed before 6 o’clock.
As to the healing of the sick and afflicted, I have seen with my own eyes some of the most amazing and unbelievable sights of my 35 years’ career in journalism. I stood near where I could see distinctly and hear — even a whisper, and witnessed disappearance of a goiter from each of two women’s necks. I have seen the lame discard crutches and walk; the epileptic and palsied grow calm; the totally blind receive their vision; the deaf restored to hearing; children afflicted with infantile paralysis, grow stronger; and numerous cases of disease grow better, according to attestations of those for whom prayers were offered.
Sunday night, in company with others, I walked away from the Forum with a young woman — the first to receive ministrations Thursday, on which the first prayers for healing were given. She reiterated her previous statement that she had not walked for nine years, and that during the last three years had occupied an invalid’s chair. She affirms that she walked 12 blocks on Friday, the day following her delivery, and that she is continuing her daily pedestrian exercises, continually growing stronger.
Saturday night, I witnessed another woman, the third to receive prayerful consideration, walking about with ordinary alacrity, although she testified that she had been paralyzed from the hips down for a period of two and one half years, had been carried about, or moved in a chair.
Mrs. Gertrude LeUnes of Arkansas City drove to Wichita Sunday afternoon and gave testimony to the fact that she had banished a tumor, the estimated weight of which was 89 pounds. She said, following Mrs. McPherson’s prayers, she grew better, but had not surrendered herself entirely to God and that she became worse again. Finally on a particular night when six surgeons said she would not survive until morning, she asked in earnest for divine deliverance and it came.
Cures Four Ministers
The Rev. Horsch, pastor of an Evangelical church at Western, Nebraska, openly testified that he had been cured of an embarrassing stammer of a life time. I heard him attempt to speak before he came before the evangelist and heard him talk without a falter several times subsequently. He left Saturday to fill his home pulpit Sunday, declaring that he expects to apply healing prayers in his own church. Three other ministers afflicted with different diseases, attest they have been made whole.
It is a low estimate when I say that I have heard 30 blind and as many deaf, assert that they either could see, or hear, following prayers.
I saw an agonized mother carry a helpless child to Mrs. McPherson. Her heartaches, as revealed by her lamentations, were likened unto those of the Savior in Gethsemanae, as she sobbed out her story, which was to the effect that her child had neither walked nor talked. Its malady was paralysis. After two minutes of the most earnest prayer I ever heard, there came a sudden transformation. With the evangelist on one side and the now happy mother on the other, each holding the child by the tips of its fingers, they led it several times across the stage. Its steps were those of the babe just learning to walk, but it laughed in glee, while the congregation broke into a fervor of thanksgiving.
Hundreds are Helped
“I have seen literally hundreds seek divine help from Mrs. McPherson. Many had not surrendered and were not helped. But many have been, and whether it is the divine touch of Providence, or whether it is some other power, I am willing to attest that Mrs. McPherson has achieved marvelous good, both for physically and spiritually ill persons during her first week in Wichita and when she visits Arkansas City for a day, I am confident that you will witness some of these demonstrations.
“I have, in the capacity of a newspaper man, ‘done’ many revivals and have witnessed many religious demonstrations, but am here to attest that I have never seen any revivalist expounder of the gospel who comes as nearly approaching the divinity, as does this unselfish, praying, marvelous woman of God, whose heart is overflowing with compassion for the world of afflicted, and who never has an unkind word for those who attempt to malign her. I make these statements as a man who does not affiliate with any church and attends the meetings only as a reporter, seeking to print the truth.”
LIFE OF DAUGHTER WAS DEDICATED TO GOD BEFORE BIRTH
Arkansas City Traveler, May 16, 1922.
“I promised God before the birth of my daughter that if she was a girl, I would dedicate her life to His work.” said the mother of Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson, whose remarkable demonstrations in healing at Wichita have attracted state-wide attention.
“When she was five years old,” the mother continued, “she could quote scripture like the flappers of today can tell the names of movie stars.”
“That’s right,” said Mrs. McPherson, who is 31 years old and a very fascinating woman, “but I nearly missed my calling. When I went to high school, I mingled with a set that liked dancing and materialistic pleasures. I became one of them and shared in their worldly pleasures until one day we went to a mission church to have fun. I laughed at the people crying amen and joked with my companions until the preacher with long black hair stepped up to the pulpit. It seemed that his sermon was directed at me. I went home and asked mother how that minister knew so much about me, and she said he only knew what the Lord had told him about me. I went back to that church a number of times and changed my mode of living. I was married to that pastor and went to China, where he died in a few months. I came back to America with a baby. I was married again, but my second husband left me because I am engaged in evangelistic work. I have two children in school. I am absorbed by my work and with my children and I am happy because I know that I am helping many poor people to have faith in God who can cure their ills and make them happy.”
HUNDREDS TRY TO REACH THE WOMAN HEALER
BY JOE MOORE
Arkansas City Traveler, May 16, 1922.
Anyone who sees the cures effected through the prayer of Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson, evangelist and “miracle woman,” at Wichita, cannot help but have faith in the power of the Lord to heal the crippled, sick, blind, and any form of disease or affliction.
I sat in the large forum and watched this wonderful woman perform her miracles. I went there to see if she could make me throw away my crutches; but on account of the jam, I was unable to have her treat me. I shall go back Wednesday and try to see her. I found out that the healing services that were to be held Monday morning would be for Gypsies only.
300 Gypsies Converted
Anyone was allowed to go and see the services. There were 300 Gypsies present, presenting a very picturesque sight in their bright, colored costumes. Everyone of them came forward and confessed Christ as their savior. Many were maimed and wanted to be healed. Just taking a few, for example, there was a man who could not raise his arm in any way, who after the healing, was able to walk over and pick up a chair with perfect ease. There was a young man who could not walk, and after being healed, he could walk straight and as steady as anyone.
This same thing goes on every day before a large and amazed audience that assembles two hours before every service in order to get seats. Cards are handed out to those seeking cures. These persons are not picked from the audience, but are received in the order their cards are filed.
The card says:
“Give your name and address. Are you a Christian? Are you a church member? What church? What disease? How long af-
flicted? Are you in medical care? Have you faith that Jesus will heal you now, and will your life and healing be for the glory of God?”
Hundreds Try To See Her
There are so many people seeking a cure that it is almost impossible for her to see each one. She receives a flood of telegrams daily from people in every part of the country telling her that they will arrive on a certain day and begging her to remain until they come.
It is difficult to believe the things that are done by Mrs. McPherson, but you cannot disbelieve them when they are seen by your own eyes. She claims no credit for healing anyone. She says it is faith in Jesus Christ that causes the cures.
Mrs. Auda E. Parks, Mrs. John LeUnes, Mrs. William Gardner, and I motored to Wichita with Mrs. Harry Collinson, and we will all probably go again tomorrow.
Wants Official Invitation
Mrs. Wm. Gardner has returned home from Wichita, where she has been witnessing the McPherson meeting. She was with Mrs. McPherson when the telegram came from Arkansas City, inviting Mrs. McPherson to visit this city and which purposed to be from the Arkansas City Ministerial association.
The first question that Mrs. McPherson asked Mrs. Gardner was: “Is this telegram official?” She was told that it was not, but that Rev. Gardner and Rev. Tedford would be there today to present the official invitation.
She informed Mrs. Gardner then that it would be impossible for her to say whether she would come to Arkansas City, until after meeting the delegation from this city, and she would await the arrival of Rev. Gardner and Rev. Tedford.
Will Discuss Divine Healing
Arkansas City Traveler, May 16, 1922.
Is it part of the work of the church today through faith and prayer to preach and practice healing? This will be the subject to be discussed at the prayer meeting in the First Presby-terian church next Wednesday evening. The service begins at eight o’clock, come and let us learn the truth by finding out what the Bible says upon this subject. Healing of the body is a blessing that is conditioned. A great many people do not understand this. They want to be healed, but they are totally ignorant of what God requires before he can heal them.
— W. M. Gardner, pastor.
MIRACLE WOMAN WILL COME TO THIS CITY ON MAY 29, SHE SAYS.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 17, 1922.
Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson will come to Arkansas City for one service only, on the night of May 29.
This was the definite result obtained by the two local ministers, Rev. W. M. Gardner of the Presbyterian church, and Rev. J. E. Tedford, of the Congregational church, who visited Mrs. McPherson in Wichita yesterday as the official representatives of the Ministerial Alliance of this city.
Mrs. McPherson will close her Wichita meetings on Sunday, May 28. Between that date and her next engagement she has but little time, as she has to make a trip to Rochester, New York, before going to Denver. But she acceded to the earnest request of the Ministerial Alliance and the many other requests that have gone up from here to the extent of consenting to come here for one service.
She will arrive in this city on Santa Fe train No. 15 due here at 4:10 p.m., on Monday, May 29, and will return on No. 12 at 11:05 p.m. The service here will be held in Wilson park and will begin at 7 p.m.
JOE MOORE CASTS CRUTCHES ASIDE
PRAYERS OF WOMEN OF A. C. PLAY BIG PART IN
THE HEALING OF YOUTH
Arkansas City Traveler, May 19, 1922.
Joe Moore, sport writer for the Traveler, walked without his crutches yesterday afternoon for the first time since nine years ago.
Joe was healed at a meeting of Mrs. Aimee McPherson, evangelist, and “Miracle Woman,” in the Forum at Wichita, yesterday. He returned to his work at the Traveler office this morning, walking into the office as well as any normal person and with his face illuminated with joy.
The Traveler telephone rang all morning with inquiries about Joe. Many people came to the office to see him walk without his crutches. Friends swarmed about him on the street. To all of them he said: “Prayer and my faith in God cured me. I shall continue to get better until my short leg will be as long as the other and the hump on back is entirely gone.”
BY JOE MOORE.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 19, 1922.
I don’t know hardly how to tell it. My heart is so full of joy and my whole being so overflowing with gratitude that I feel like I am living in a new world since I cast aside my crutches at Wichita yesterday.
I have been forced to walk with crutches since nine years ago when I suffered an accident that rendered one leg shorter than the other. My short leg has not had the strength to help support me when I am walking.
Today I can walk as well as anyone. It happened this way:
I went to Wichita yesterday to have Mrs. McPherson pray for me. The healing services began at 10:30 a.m. There were close to 1,000 afflicted persons holding cards to see Mrs. McPherson.
Disappointed At First.
Through the influence of Mrs. William Gardner and Mrs. John LeUnes, of this city, I was allowed to pass under the rope and was the third person for whom Mrs. McPherson offered a healing prayer. She placed one hand on my shoulder and her other hand on the shoulder of a woman next to me, and prayed for us both at the same time. This was a disappointment to me for I wanted her to pray for me alone. I was so depressed over the incident that I cried, and after she walked away, I sobbed until I thought my heart would break.
Mrs. Gardner and Mrs. LeUnes came to me. They knelt beside me and prayed. I prayed with them. Mrs. Kennedy, mother of Mrs. McPherson joined us in prayer. A strange feeling came over me. I know my face must have worn a beatific expression. I felt like a man born again. My whole being surged with confidence.
Walked Down The Aisle.
Mrs. Gardner said to me: “Now, Joe, you can get up and walk. Don’t pay any attention to your crutches. They are just unbelief.” I looked over where I had left my crutches and they were gone. It seemed like they had been spirited away because I wouldn’t need them anymore. I rose to my feet and was astonished when I found that I could stand so well without my crutches. My short leg seemed as strong as my other leg. I started out to walk and it was just as easy as if I had been walking that way all my life. I started up the aisle. I walked the length of the forum with that vast crowd watching me. I did not know that the hump on my back had been reduced until I reached the seat where Mrs. Collinson and Mrs. Parks were seated. I noticed they were looking at my back instead of at my leg.
Then they told me that my back was straigher than before, and that my coat, which generally fit me tight, was wrinkled and looser. I was not aware of this transformation because I was overjoyed at being able to walk unaided by crutches.
Couldn’t Stay Seated.
I sat down but I couldn’t keep still. I got up and strutted all around. I wanted everyone to see what had happened to me. At this time, there were hundreds of afflicted persons crushing forward to receive the healing prayers of Mrs. McPherson. Many were healed and some were not. Mrs. McPherson said she could not do anything for a person who did not have the love of God in his heart and faith in his healing power. The meeting did not end until 2 o’clock in the afternoon and she still did not get to pray for all who had cards. I walked uptown for dinner and returned for the next service without my crutches. Scores of people, white and colored, shook my hand and rejoiced with me.
The last time I saw my crutches, Anthony Carlton was going up the street carrying them and I was walking along behind him. When I got out of bed this morning, it was the natural thing for me to look over at the stand table for my crutches, but they were not there. They were in Wichita and I was in Arkansas City. So I started out on another day without them. Although I limp some I will get better as time goes by, and some day I will be as well as anyone. I am going to have my shoe on my short leg built up so that I can walk with more ease. I can testify to the healing power of God if any afflicted persons in Arkansas City will only have faith in his teachings and practice them.
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Mrs. LeUnes said today that Mrs. McPherson promised to be here one night only, May 29. She does not ask for any guarantee, said Mrs. LeUnes. “Mrs. McPherson earns her way by selling her books. I have brought some of these books to Arkansas City to sell for her,” continued Mrs. LeUnes. “I am selling them out of gratitude for her coming here and for what she has done for me, as I was healed by the prayer of Mrs. McPherson. These books are as follows: “Divine Healing Sermons,” one dollar each; “Second Coming of Christ,” one dollar each; “This is That,” in which she tells her life story and testimonials of healings all over the
U. S., $3.50 each; the “Bridal Call monthly magazine,” 15 cents a copy or $1.50 a year. Anyone may buy any of these books from me at the New Home Restaurant. I also have souvenir chairs which Mrs. McPherson gives to anyone buying a $25 chair to go into the new tabernacle being constructed at Los Angeles. The name of a person buying a chair is put on it before it is installed in the tabernacle.”
Arkansas City Traveler, May 22, 1922.
Mrs. Van C. Secord, of 214 North A Street, attended the Christian Science church yesterday without the aid of her crutch, which she had been using for a long time. She attended the McPherson meetings in Wichita and was the subject of special prayer by the evangelist and others. She was injured several years ago while a piano in her home was being moved, when her hip was thrown out of joint. Her husband is the well known retired Santa Fe engineer. Mrs. Secord’s many friends will be glad to learn of her good fortune in being able to discard her crutch.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 23, 1922.
Invitations have been extended to Mrs. V. C. Secord, Mrs. J. LeUnes, and Joe Moore to give testimony at the First Presbyterian church Wednesday night at 8 o’clock of how they were healed through the prayers of Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson. Invitations are also extended to anyone wishing to testify that they were healed by the prayers of Mrs. McPherson or that they were healed at their homes through prayer. Mrs. McPherson will be at Wilson park, May 29, at 7:30 o’clock.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 23, 1922.
The special prayer meeting called to meet at the residence of Mrs. Anthony Carlton, 905 North Second street, at 9 o’clock this morning, was attended by a large crowd, the house being well filled. The meeting was opened by prayer by Rev. W. M. Gardner, who also made a talk on divine healing. The particular object of the meeting was to promote this teaching in the Bible, and to pray for afflicted ones who make application and for those who are known to be afflicted and seek relief through belief and faith, and by living in harmony with God. It was voted at this meeting to continue these prayer meetings throughout the year, and Mrs. Ray Williams and Mrs. Anthony Carlton were appointed as a committee to make arrangements for the next meeting. The Presbyterian church is arranging to hold regular meetings once each week to pray for the sick. These prayer meetings are not private and are open to anyone who desires to attend.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 26, 1922.
The following statements were made by Mrs. LeUnes today.
“Rumors are afloat that I have denied having a surgical operation performed upon me during my illness in February, 1922.
“I want to correct this impression. I was operated upon last February 13. The doctors removed a tumor weighing 89 pounds and no hope was held for my recovery at that time.
“I have a statement from Dr. Jickling, of Flint, Michigan, where I had the operation performed, stating that my recovery is nothing short of a miracle. Anyone wishing to see this statement may do so by calling at the New Home restaurant.
“Prayer is the only thing that saved my life, in my opinion, but I do not wish to deprive the surgeon of any credit for the operation performed upon me. Both the attending physicians declared that my case was considered hopeless and that they believed my faith in God and the prayers that were said for me contributed in a large measure toward my complete recovery.”
Arkansas City Traveler, May 27, 1922.
Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson, evangelist and “miracle woman,” will arrive in Arkansas City from Wichita Monday to hold a meeting at Wilson Park.
Arkansas City people are now familiar with the miraculous cures effected through prayer by Mrs. McPherson for the afflicted. Joe Moore, local youth, cast aside his crutches after using them for nine years, following his attendance at one of the meetings in Wichita. Mrs. W. E. Miller pushed her wheel chair from the forum to the hotel where she was stopping after having been unable to walk without aid for several years. Mrs. Van Secord threw away a crutch that she had been using for several months after prayer was said for her by Mrs. McPherson.
Here One Night Only
Other people from Arkanss City were cured at the McPherson meeting in Wichita. This wonder woman will be here one night only. She will hold a meeting at the park at 7 o’clock. She does not claim to be a healer or to have any strange power. She says God answers her prayers and that the sick are cured by his omnipotent power.
Her prayers have attracted people to Wichita from twenty-six states. Telegrams have been showered upon her from all over the United States, beseeching her to remain in Wichita until they can get there to see her.
From one to two thousand afflicted people daily have at-tended the meetings at the forum. She is the most discussed woman in the southwest.
Extra seats are being placed at the park to accommodate the crowd and decorations will also be arranged. A choir will sing prior to the address of Mrs. McPherson.
In the event it rains Monday night, the meeting will be held at the First Presbyterian church, Mrs. John LeUnes announced.
Prayer Service Held
The prayer service held last night in the United Brethren church, preparatory to the meeting to be conducted here by Mrs. McPherson, was attended by about 200 people. It was conducted by Rev. J. J. Carroll. There were prayers and testimonies given and the principal addresses were made by Dr. Gardner and Rev. Carroll. The former told of some of the meetings of Mrs. McPherson at Wichita and of the healing services held there. There was great enthusiasm among the audience and many fervent prayers were offered for the success of the meeting here Monday night.
Mrs. Ray Williams was the leader last night and Edgar Shumaker led the singing. Mrs. Lloyd Wilkers was at the piano. Mr. and Mrs. Shumaker sang a duet and there was also some congregational singing. The possibility of organizaing a permanent society for prayer service among all the churches was discussed, but no official action was taken. Rev. Carroll gave the closing prayer.
PARK FILLED TO HEAR EVANGELIST
HUNDREDS RUSH TO ROTUNDA FOR CHOICE SEATS
Supper Carried to Park by Scores of People This Afternoon.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 29, 1922.
Late this afternoon Wilson Park presented the appearance of a baseball park, during a world’s series.
Several hundred people had gathered at the park to get choice seats for the meeting of Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson, evangelist, whose prayers have healed scores of people at
Wichita. The meeting will begin at 7 o’clock.
A large number of the persons who crowded into the park beginning shortly after noon carried their supper baskets and were prepared to stay until the meeting is closed tonight.
Arouses Great Interest Here
Nothing has created more of a sensation here than the coming to Arkansas City of Mrs. McPherson, who was due to arrive late this afternoon from Wichita, via the Augusta oil fields. The healing of Joe Moore, Mrs. W. E. Miller, Mrs. Van Secord, and other well-known local people at the meetings of Mrs. McPherson in Wichita have aroused community wide interest in the “Mirracle Woman.”
Arrangements have been made for roping off the first two rows of seats for the afflicted, old and young, and to allow reservations for wheel chairs and cots. Children under 5 years old will have to be held on laps of parents, and Mrs. McPherson has sent word that the meeting is for adults as she will only be here tonight. She has asked that the crowd not be selfish and to give the sick and aged the choicest seats.
Extra Seats Provided
A large number of seats have been moved from Paris park to Wilson park, under direction of Mayor McIntosh, who has been assisting the local women in charge of the meeting. The undertakers have furnished 350 extra seats.
Guy Curfman will direct the choir service at the meeting. Mrs. McPherson will be taken to the home of Mrs. Anthony Carlton, where accommodations will be provided for her and her mother during their brief stay in the city. Mrs. Carlton said Mrs. McPherson has expressed the wish that people do not call her on the phone because she will need all the rest she can get after her trip from Wichita, and following her meeting at Wilson Park.
Mrs. Carlton said: “I think it was a perfectly wonderful thing to be able to get Mrs. McPherson to come here and I am sure the public will show her every courtesy and consideration, and be thoughtful enough not to burden her with calls or personal solicitations after she has so kindly consented to hold a public meeting in Arkansas City on the only night that she has had the opportunity to get a rest since she opened her meetings in Wichita several weeks ago.”
To Pray For Afflicted
Mrs. McPherson will be asked by Mrs. John LeUnes, also one of those healed through the prayer of the evangelist, to offer up a prayer for all the afflicted at one time if she is unable to give personal attention to each case. At 3:30 o’clock Mrs. McPherson had not arrived in the city, but assurances had been given Mrs. Carlton that she would be here before the hour for the meeting to begin.
FIVE HEALED AT PARK LAST NIGHT
Arkansas City Traveler, May 30, 1922.
Five persons were healed at Wilson park last night, after Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson, evangelist and “Miracle Woman,” had left the stage and was taken to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Carlton.
The healed are:
Mrs. Adaline Marsh, 206 North Summit street, of partial blindness caused from cataracts;
Roy Buckles, 12, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Buckles of Oklahoma, formerly of East Poplar avenue, this city, of stammering; a sick baby; one man of deafness in one ear, and Mrs. Charles Shuster, 617 South F street, of a nervous breakdown. She has suffered for three years and been confined to a wheel chair. A week ago Dr. and Mrs. Wm. Gardner called at her home and prayed. She was relieved and last night she was wheeled to the park. She got up from the chair and walked to the south end of the rotunda from the north end with fingertips on her husband’s shoulder. She walked about the house last night and is bright and happy today. She feels a little weak from three years’ inactivity but is confident her strength and health will return.
More than 5,000 people saw and heard Mrs. McPherson. She said: “I am so delighted with the people of Arkansas City that I am going to try and come back here next year on a trans-continental trip for eight days.”
Sick Remain in Park
After the McPherson meeting had closed, people still remained in the tabernacle. There were the afflicted, sick at heart because Mrs. McPherson had not offered a special prayer for them. Tears flowed down the cheeks of many of the sick. Three persons stopped beside a woman in a wheel chair to pray. Along came H. W. Lewis, of Springfield, Ill., an evangelist, who is stopping at the Osage hotel. He paused to pray for the woman. He was asked to pray for another person. Remnants of the large audience crowded around. It was a case of a stammering boy. The evangelist prayed for the boy. Mr. Lewis said: “Now you can talk as well as any one, my boy. Say, Praise the Lord.” The boy, about 12 years old, said: “Praise the Lord.” The small group of people were thunderstruck. Then Mr. Lewis asked the boy to say: “I came to this meeting tonight to be healed.” The boy repeated the words after the evangelist. He shouted, “I’ve found my voice. I can talk as well as anyone.” His cheeks were stained with tears and his eyes glistened with joy.
Mr. Lewis stopped at the side of Mrs. Adaline Marsh. She could barely see him. He prayed for her. Others joined in the prayer. Mrs. Marsh raised her head and opened her eyes. She shouted, “Why, I can see. I couldn’t see when I cam here tonight. I can see now. Praise the Lord, I can see.”
Another case was that of a small baby who had been ill since birth several months ago. It was healed by prayer. A man was healed of deafness.
Mrs. Minnie Kennedy, mother of Mrs. McPherson, asked the caretaker of Wilson Park, Charles Gilliland, to put out the lights. She said, “Mrs. McPherson doesn’t want to go until the lights are extinguished.” Mr. Gilliland replied: “Madam, this is a public park and I don’t like to put out the lights until all the people have gone.” Mrs. Kennedy walked over to Mr. Lewis and said, “You must go now. The meeting is over.” Mr. Lewis replied: “All right, Madam, I will go as soon as I finish this testimonial I am giving. Mrs. Kennedy declared: “You must go now. You have followed us to spoil our meeting and to take credit from us.” He responded: “I was here before you came, Madam. Mrs. McPherson surely cannot take offense if I use some of the Holy Ghost she brought here to help these poor people. Some of these people have come here from a long distance to have prayer said for them. Mrs. McPherson delivered an excellent address, but she offered no special prayer for these sick people. See their saddened faces. Some of them are crying because of their disappointment.
Here is a man who has driven 25 miles to bring his wife, who lost three sons in the war, and whose suffering has unbalanced her mind. We prayed for her and her face cleared. Her husband says she looks better than anytime since the great sorrow fell upon her, but we are going, Mrs. Kennedy.”
“Tex” Jones of Wichita, who had brought Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. McPherson to Arkansas City, declared: “Why don’t you hire a hall to tell about it?” Mr. Lewis made no retort. The crowd stood by without comment, but the sick continued to sob.
A bright faced young woman said: “O, I wish Mrs. McPherson would pray for me. I have tuberculosis and my heart is so weak that I could hardly come tonight.” She pulled at the sleeve of the famous evangelist, but others hurried Mrs. McPherson into a waiting automobile and she was whisked away.
Mrs. McPherson and Mrs. Kennedy declared that they had no objection to anyone using divine healing power, but that they did not consider it fair to operate in an audience that was gathered to hear Mrs. McPherson for the reason that if the sick were disappointed over not being helped in that manner, the blame usually rested upon Mrs. McPherson.
The first two rows at the park were filled with those who had bodily ills. They had begun gathering at the park at noon to get seats up front which had been reserved for them. In their faces were reflected the hunger for a word from Mrs. McPherson, but it did not come except in her general talk. These afflicted people were sorely disappointed. They had suffered pain to hear her. They had braved the elements to attend her meeting. They knew not and could not appreciate that Mrs. McPherson was worn out by constant work with the ill for many weeks. They knew not that she had only promised to preach and not to heal. They had come from afar hoping that she would give them a personal blessing for their ills. They listened to her address with rapt attention. They smiled through the pain when she described the healing power of Jesus and prayed for the return of the old fashioned religion.
See Rain Stopped
They watched her pray for the Lord to dispel the rain which deluged the park. They saw the clouds roll by and the stars shine again as Mrs. McPherson lifted her voice to God for cessation of the rain that these people might hear the message from Him that night. They marveled at the power of this little, white-clad woman, with a face lit up with tenderness and love for all humanity. They saw in her a chosen disciple of God come to heal the sick and to cleanse the soul of evil. They believed. Oh, yes, they believed. None could look at that sea of faces and be a scoffer. The magnetic power of this little woman was instilled into the hearts of that great audience. It responded to every word that dropped from her lips. She breathed the spirit of the Holy Master.
The minds of the people were enthralled with her sincere and earnest talk. Their eyes were enraptured with the shining beauty of her face. An understanding shone from her eyes that God does and can heal today as he did yesterday and will do tomorrrow. The sick waited for the moment when she would pray for them alone. Five hundred people raised their arms for her prayer to make them love Jesus Christ and become Christians. Still the sick waited for the personal word, for the little attention that would be bestowed upon that two rows of suffering humanity whose hearts were filled with the love of Christ and whose faith seemed only to need the magic touch, the healing prayer of Mrs. McPherson. And still it did not come.
Sick Are Disappointed
Mrs. McPherson ended her discourse and turned to go away. Over the faces of the sick unfolded an expression that would have aroused the sympathy of a stone hearted person. They looked stunned at first. Then here and there a frame shook with sobs. Tears flowed down the cheeks of the aged and the young. One old woman, who has been a sufferer from partial paralysis for years, almost collapsed with her poignant grief. She cried aloud for prayer. It was then that Christian people in the audience knelt upon the ground and prayed for her. It was at this time that Mr. Lewis appeared and led the praying. He is a gray haired medium sized man with an expression of reverence. He looks like he might be about 50 years of age. He said: “I had no intention to trespass upon the meeting of Mrs. McPherson. I saw those people suffering and praying for Divine Power to heal them. I cannot understand why Mrs. Kennedy should think that Mrs. McPherson is the only person who holds the power to heal through prayer when she says in her own sermons that others can do the same if they give themselves to the Lord. I assisted Mrs. McPherson at her meeting in Wichita and she did not complain of my help. I think Mrs. McPherson is a wonderfully gifted woman, and with a charm of personality that endears to her everyone who meets and talks to her. Undoubtedly the blessing she left upon that large crowd last night was in a large measure responsible for the healing power that was demonstrated after she had left the park. I saw her perform miracles in California. She is truly a sincere and earnest woman whose work among the sick is marvelous if one does not understand the mercy and power of Jesus. I have marveled at the cures that have been effected through the prayer of this beloved woman, and I have known that calls have come for her from all over America and from many places across the ocean. She is a good woman and I wish her all the power that can be bestowed upon her by God. I do think, however, that her mother is spoiling her. Mrs. Kennedy does not have the vision of her daughter nor the sympathy and compassion for the sick.”
There was a crash of thunder that startled thousands of persons, many of whom on the outside of the tabernacle were drenched to the skin by a torrential rain which began falling a few minutes before Mrs. McPherson appeared. Then Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson, evangelist and “Miracle Woman,” stepped to the front of the platform. In less than five minutes a deluge of rain lapsed into a drizzle and in ten minutes, the stars were shining.
She prayed, “Oh, Lord, stay this rain and this storm. You can hold it in the hollow of your hand, Lord. These people have come from miles around to hear your message tonight. We don’t mind going home in the rain, dear Lord, but if it is thy will, stay it and if the land hath need of it, let it fall after the message has been delivered to these hungry souls.”
Prior to the prayer offered by Mrs. McPherson and the singing of the vast audience to let the clouds roll by, all the ministers of Arkansas City excepting Dr. Charles Wentworth of the First M. E. church were seated on the stage. They were endeavoring to make preliminary addresses, but their voices were inaudible to those beyond the pale of a narrow circle. It was not until Mrs. McPherson sprang forward and petitioned God to suspend the moisture that the rain ceased falling and her voice was heard by the people on the outside of the tabernacle.
Expectant persons marveled when there was an instantaneous cessation of the downpour and the sky cleared. The circle of faces widened until a sea of faces appeared back of the seats and the evangelist continued with the services. Mrs. McPherson is 31 years old. She was dressed in a plain, attractive white ankle length dress. Standing in the midst of a bank of flowers with her face alight with divine love and inspiration, she seemed like an angel sent from heaven to speak the word of God. Her voice, just before she began speaking, was so hoarse that she could be heard with difficulty. It grew in volume as she preached and it was full and strong before she had talked five minutes.
Wears No Halo About Head
Mrs. McPherson wears no halo about her head, but in a voice sweetened by love and sympathy for the sinner as well as the Christian, she carries a message that holds the audience in rapt and devout attention. Scanning faces in the assemblage, it was plain to see the religious fervor aroused by Mrs. McPherson has not been equalled by any evangelist who has ever visited Arkansas City. Tenderly and lovingly she smiled at the audience. She prayed for them. She implored divine blessing for them.
She declared: “What we need is the old time religion.” She announced her text would be from the fourth chapter of Luke, 18th verse. She continued: “Jesus is the same today and tomorrow as he has always been. The world is hungry for the old fashioned religion. Let’s put more fire into the pulpit instead of in the stove in the basement to cook oysters.
“Let’s win back the old power of the disciples of Christ and make our homes Bible homes instead of a stage for card parties and jazz music. Jesus gave us sunshine and gladness in the beginning and it was Satan that put sin in the world. Take Peter as an example of the power of the Lord. He was a lowly and uneducated fisherman. He grew to be a tower of strength and power in preaching the word of God. Would that we had kept that power. Would that we could all say the Spirit of the Lord is upon us. I feel that the Spirit of the Lord is upon me tonight. I feel that the Lord is among us tonight, and that his power is with us as it was with the poor people to whom he preached. One of the first things that the church did was to lose that mighty power of preaching of Jesus.
Great Reform Sweeping World
“A great reformation is beginning. Many have the form of Godliness but deny the power thereof. Hitting the trail, shaking hands is not enough. We need the old time religion so that every ministger and every evangelist could say ‘I feel the spirit of the Lord is upon me.’ We need a return of the old power of the gospel in the church and the mighty faith that the people once had in the Lord to cure their bodily ills and their sins.
“I recall when I gave my heart to Jesus, 14 years ago. I was a young high school girl, 17 years old. I attended a meeting of an evangelist that had the Spirit of the Lord upon him. When I heard him preach, I could hear the Lord whisper in my ear. ‘You are a poor, lost miserable sinner.’ It troubled my mind so much that I stayed away from the meetings for three days. I could not endure it any longer. I heard the call to my heart as I was riding home from school one night. I cried to the Lord: Be merciful to me. I am a sinner. The light fell over me. The joybells sang in my heart. I was born again. Such happiness swept over me as I had never known before.
“My first case of healing happened in Florida. I was standing outside my revival tent when a young man came along with his arm in a sling. I saw that he was dejected. I spoke to him and asked why he looked so said. He said, ‘I am ready to give up. I am going to end it all.’ I remonstrated with him for talking of committing suicide. You are a young man and can be happy if you will let Jesus into your heart. He said, ‘My dear young lady, you do not know what has happened to me. My arm is broken in three places and I have a dislocated wrist. My wife and babies are in Georgia. They need all the money I can send them to live. My wife is proud and will not beg. I have lost hope.’ Just then the chorus inside began to sing: ‘Have a Little Talk With Jesus and Everything will be All Right.’ Do you hear, I cried. Come inside and have a little talk with Jesus, and all will be all right. The young man said, ‘I believe I will try it.’ We knelt at the altar, and prayed.
When we finished praying we rose to our feet. Do you know I believe Jesus can heal your arm, I told him. Do you believe He can? He declared: ‘Yes, I do believe.’ I noticed then that all the others had ceased talking and praying and were looking at us. I felt panic stricken. It was the supreme test. I thought what a catastrophe it would be if the Lord did not hear my prayer to heal the young man. And then I remembered that the Lord was the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I prayed. We all prayed that the Lord would heal this youth who needed him so badly. When he finished praying the youth exclaimed: ‘See, I can move my fingers. I could not do that before.’ Then he patted his arm and there was no pain. He unwrapped the bandages and removed the splints. He raised his arm in the air. There were bumps on it, but they seemed to disappear as we watched them. He fell upon his knees and implored forgiveness for his sins and offered thanksgiving to the Lord for healing him. With him was a son of a minister, an infidel. He was stunned by the revelation of the power of God over his friend. He gave his heart to Jesus too.
“When I gave myself to Jesus and pledged my life to winning souls, there were many doubts in my mind. One day I knelt upon the floor in my bedroom and prayed for the power that Peter had to heal the sick through Divine aid. I told God I wished I were a man and then I would win souls for him. I prayed with a quilt wrapped around me. It was cold in that little home in Canada. Suddenly it seemed I heard Jesus whisper in my year. ‘You can win souls for me, little woman. All you need to have is the faith and Jesus Christ in your heart.’ I felt the gales from heaven sweeping over me. I was ablaze with joy. I knew I could go out and win souls. I consecrated my life to God from that moment and I have never wavered since.
“God can remove the chains of habit, sin, and appetite from you as he did for me. I burned my novels and divorced myself from worldly things. The things I had loved, I hated; and the things I had hated, I loved.
“At one of my first revival meetings, we had considerable trouble from complaints of annoying people. On one side was a printing office. On another side was a bank. On another side was a photographer. The printer said: ‘How can I get out a paper when everytime my printer sets a line of type, some of your people shout: ‘Praise the Lord, and my printer pies the line.’ The photographer said: ‘Just when I get a person posed correctly, one of your people shouts: ‘Glory Halleluja.’ I then lose a plate.’ The banker said: ‘How can my bookkeeper audit the books when someone in your tent hollers ‘Amen’ when he is adding up a row of figures?’”
The floral offerings that banked the stage were very beautiful and Mrs. McPherson asked the Traveler to express her pleasure with the splendid hospitality and invitation received to come to Arkansas City and for the publicity that was given her to get the crowd. She was entertained at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Carlton.
Mrs. McPherson was brought to Arkansas City by “Tex” Jones. Mrs. Minnie Kennedy, her mother, Mrs. J. E. Fulston, Miss Ethel M. Breese, and an Eagle reporter also were occupants. Some 25 other cars started from Wichita, but were lost in the dust of the Jones’ car in the Butler county oil fields.
The Biggest News Break
Said W. R. Waggoner, Wichita Eagle reporter for the McPherson meetings. “The biggest news break that ever happened in Wichita was the McPherson meetings. Mrs. McPherson was in Wichita for just twenty-two days. She came on Sunday and closed her meetings last Sunday. For probably a week and a half the crowd was not very large, but after that the crowds were greater than could be taken care of. I am inclined to believe that the larger portion of the crowd was made up of visitors. There were visitors there from twenty-five different states at one time, besides some foreign countries. It is estimated that almost three hundred thousand dollars was spent in Wichita during the McPherson meetings by the visitors. Mrs. McPherson held two and one-half meetings each day while she was in Wichita, and the good that she did never can be fully told or outlived. Hundreds of people were healed and thousands were led in the right direction by the touching of the Christly garment which she presented to them.”
Could Hardly Get Away
The McPherson party started to leave Wichita Monday morning, at ten o’clock. It took the car containing Mrs. McPherson an hour and ten minutes to get out of Wichita. The people lined the streets to bid her goodby and God speed and it was almost impossible for her car to get through the streets.
Mrs. McPherson was at the Forum at 9 o’clock Monday morning to pray with and bid the people goodbye. At 10 o’clock the procession, for such it was, left the Forum and started for Arkansas City. There were fifty cars of people that left Wichita with Mrs. McPherson, and accompanied her through the oil fields of Butler county.
“Tex” Jones, prominent oil man and one of Mrs. McPherson’s staunch disciples, furnished his big Winton Six to bring Mrs. McPherson to this city. In his car were Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson; her mother, Mrs. Minnie Kennedy; Miss Ethel M. Breese, an assistant; Mrs. J. E. Foulston; and W. R. Waggoner, reporter of the Wichita Eagle.
The party got out of Wichita at 11 o’clock, drove to Augusta, took lunch there, and visited the big oil fields of Butler County, and then came to this city, arriving here at 4:30 o’clock, and going directly to the Osage hotel where Mrs. McPherson ate her dinner, dressed, and rested prior to the evening meeting.
Wichita, May 31.—Free will offerings given Aimee Semple McPherson on the last day off her work of evangelism in Wichita, amounts to approximately $1,850, according to Mrs. Minnie Kennedy, mother of the evangelist.
It is about an average, Mrs. Kennedy said, and is all that ws expected—and even more—considering the fact that the two women came without a guarantee and upon their own expenses. It is even more than satisfactory, Mrs. Kennedy said, because of the fact that Mrs. McPherson was a stranger in Wichita and in Kansas.
Subscribe to Chairs.
In addition to the plate offering Sunday, Mrs. Kennedy said that 75 persons have subscribed to chairs in the tabernacle being built in Los Angeles. It means, she says, that Wichita will have a section in the great building to be opened January 1, and that the seats will be at the disposal of the donors throughout their lifetimes. Chairs sell at $25 each, the price charged paying for the floor beneath and the ceiling above. The tabernacle will be dedicated to the Lord, Mrs. McPherson says.
Mrs. Kennedy said: “Many persons have asked us whether we would rather have subscriptions to chairs, or donations to Mrs. McPherson. We invariably tell them that we would rather have donations toward completion of the tabernacle, because that is the goal to which we aim. Whatever money we collect, after expenses are paid, invariably goes to the tabernacle fund, so we would prefer that the donations be made directly.”
Leave City Happy.
Mrs. Kennedy added: “We are happy in the thought that everything has gone well in Wichita. We have never left a city happier than we are leaving this one. We have never left a city in which there is a sweeter love among Christian people and especially the thousands of new ones who have come into the fold. We are carrying with us the love of the American hearts that beat so truly and stood by us throughout. There are no regrets—no shadows.”
Mrs. Kennedy said that her daughter has received an average of more than one hundred letters each day from persons residing outside of Wichita, who told of reading of the meetings in the Eagle and sent their blessings.
