After dinner, Mr. Elliott told me a story worth recording.  It was that of the heroic Mr. Richardson, who before the war was a teacher in that district—­a Northern man—­and, in the excited state of feeling in the South, was suspected of being an abolitionist.  He and his wife were driven from their home and work, but protected from personal violence by the prompt and energetic efforts of the Elliotts.  But as both Dr. Roy and Mr. Ryder have given the details to the public, I will not repeat them here.  I will only add that of the fifty persons who had signed the paper pledging themselves to “remove” Richardson, it would be difficult to find one now in Whittley County.  They are scattered or dead.  But in the little church at Rockhold, the name of Richardson is a sacred one, and the stranger always hears the story.

I took leave of this interesting family with great regret.  As I sat in the little grove in front of the house, with its carpet of myrtle, and looked off over the peaceful valley, I wished I might remain there and rest.

That horse had it pretty much his own way on the return seven miles, and when I thought nobody was looking I must confess to finding it a very pleasant thing to get both legs on the same side of the saddle.  But I am glad I went to Rockhold.  I would not lose the pictures I got there for a small sum and I hope and pray that the time may soon come when in some way a regular preacher may be provided for the people.

Church Work.
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Dedication Of A Church At Byron, Ga.
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Words fail to express the pleasant time we had at Byron, in dedicating our new house of worship to the service of God.  We had a very large attendance of people from Bibb, Houston, Taylor and Sumter counties.  Nearly two hundred people came from Andersonville, a large number came from Macon and quite a company from Rutland.  One brother was present from the Savannah church.  Altogether there were five of our Congregational churches represented by their members and several others were heard from.  I should think that there were nearly, if not quite, four hundred people on the grounds.  Of course the building could not hold them all.  Rev. J.R.  McLean preached the sermon, which was pronounced by a leading white man present, to be the best he ever heard.  Altogether the occasion was an inspiring one.  The hundreds of black faces so attentively listening to the words of truth, so orderly and quietly, could not fail to impress us deeply.  The occasion was one that brought four of our churches into a very close relationship, closer than they have ever been before; I mean, so many from each church meeting face to face and forming each other’s acquaintance.

It is our wish and prayer to do well the work that is committed to our hands.  We are not afraid of hard work, we want time and means to do all that we see is needed, and there is so much to be done.  I feel like going, going all the time with the message of God’s love to dying men.  The opportunities are constantly increasing for usefulness.