The Life of Rev. George C. Haddock
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^^7—r*^*^ ft^* THE LIFE OF REV. GEORGE C. HADDOCK, BY FRANK C. HADDOCK FOT"K & WAGNALLS, Publishers. NEW YORK : LONDON: 100 -V 18 & 20 ASTOR PLACE. 44 FLEET STREET. PKEFACE. The death of a clergyman while engaged in maintaining a great reform, and under circumstances of the deepest atrocity, will vindicate the narration of his history. Espe- cially is this true in the present case. But no life is valu- able disconnected from valuable work. For these reasons, as well as from a desire to honor the memory of a man who was father, friend, and hero in one, and, if possible, to pro- ject his influence beyond his death, I have spoken with his words at every opportunity, and kept steadily in view the one subject of Prohibition. The work of the pastor has been sacrificed to the work of the temperance advocate. In endeavoring to portray the man growing up into the re- former, chronology has been subordinated to history, and at the last this has naturally developed into a single appeal to law. If- this book shall add anything to the cause for which he died, its writing will have been amply justified. The Author. LIST OF ILLUSTBATICXSTS. PAGE Geobge C. Haddock Frontispiece House where George C. Haddock was Born 26 Printing-Office where George 0. Haddock Learned his Trade.. 42 Mrs. George C. Haddock 46 George C. Haddock, Age 33 Years 125 Fac-simile of Sermon Notes 184 George C. Haddock, Age 41 Years 206 Scene of the Assault at Sheboygan Falls, "Wis 241 Racine M. E. Church 251 The Appleton Church 262 The Haddock Memorial Pledge 433 The Sioux City Church 457 Scene of Assassination 481 The Martyr's Last Service, and Interior of M. E. Church, Sioux City 486 Mound Cemetery, Racine, Wis 520 —— CONTENTS. PAGE SONNET, " G. C. H.," by Mrs. Maby A. P. Stansbuby 15 INTRODUCTION, by Rev. George M. Steele, D.D., President of Wesleyan Academy 17 PEOHIBITION SONG 23 CHAPTER I. Samuel Haddock, the " Learned Blacksmith"—A: Hundred Years of Methodism—Abolition Sentiments—Father and Sons in the War Temperance Proclivities —The Daughter of "Preacher Barnes" Anecdotes—Early Education—Dedicated to the Ministry 27 CHAPTER II. A Trio of Editors—The Minister's Wife—Wandering—Anecdotes Evil Men—Milwaukee—Newspaper Ventures—Sunday Frolics Father and Son—Conversion—Exhorting 44 CHAPTER III. Washington, Ohio—Doctrinal Difficulties—Reason and Theology Liberalism —Personal Beliefs—Creeds—Eesignation of a Pastorate —Again Wandering—A "Supply"—Anecdotes—Joins the Wis- consin Conference—Port Washington—War Sermons—A Literary Paper 63 CHAPTEE IV. Few Events—Waukesha—A Trait —Verses—Not a Wire-puller Methodism—A "Powerful Man"—A Fast-Day Discourse—Flor- ence Bishop Haddock 87 — xii CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. PAGE Desire to Enlist—Clinton Junction—The War and Providence- Preparation — Religious Struggles — Mental Characteristics — A Poem, " Autumn Leaves "—A Clairvoyant 109 CHAPTER VI. Oshkosh—Threats—Temperance—Anecdotes — Among the Young People—A Successful Pastorate—Revival Services—The Pastor's Wife—Camp-Meeting Incident—Practical Holiness—Home and Social Life—Recreation 125 CHAPTER VII. Poems 144 CHAPTER VIII. Appleton—Temperance Address—An Anecdote—A College Town —Made '* Master of Arts"— Temperance Politics " The Suicide" —Discussions—Spiritualism 162 CHAPTER IX. Sermons 183 CHAPTER X. Fond du Lac—Incidents—Temperance Resolutions— " The Temper- ance Worker"—A Sunday Picnic—Discourse on the Sabbath and Marriage—An Incident—Uses of the Pulpit—A Discussion on Universalism 206 CHAPTER XI. A Presiding Elder—A Temperance Wave— "The Blessings of Whiskey "—Conference Troubles— "Father, Thy Hand"—As- ' saulted—A Judicial Farce—The ' Iconoclast " 227 —— CONTENTS. xiii CHAPTER XII. PAGE The Law—The Alcoholic Ring—Remark of Logan—Racine—Death of Florence— " Up the Stairs" —Appleton—Lawrence University "Work and Play"—An Apostolic Watch—Politics—A Debate Shot at—Extracts from Sermon—Third-Party Preachers—Confer- ence Sermon 254 CHAPTER XIII. Algoma Street, Oshkosh—A Conference Trial—An Old Rumor Re- vived—Asbury, Milwaukee—The Church and the Masses—Labor and Capital , 276 CHAPTER XIV. Bay View—An Old Quarrel—Heroic Treatment—Future Punishment Again—A Book—Extracts from a Sermon 296 CHAPTER XV. Review—Transferred to Iowa Conference—Leaves the Republican Party—Reasons—Extracts from a Sermon—A Third-Party Prohi- bitionist 316 CHAPTER XVI. The Liquor Business—Not Necessary or Desirable—High License. 336 CHAPTER XVII. "Personal. Liberty"—A Sermon — The Prohibition Syllogism Rights of the State 356 CHAPTER XVIII. A Moderate Temperance Man—License vs. Prohibition 377 CHAPTER XIX. Practicability of Prohibitory Laws—Reasons for Alleged Failures The Rum Power— Opinions of the Martyred Pastor—The Iowa Amendment of 1882 394 — xiv CONTENTS. CHAPTER XX. PAGE Legal Aspects of Prohibition—Questions Eaised—Opinions of the Courts 416 CHAPTER XXI. Burlington, Iowa—Fort Dodge—Bible Wines—Violations of Law Duties of Citizenship—The Destiny of the Republic 434 CHAPTER XXII. Sioux City—The Iowa Law—Petition in Favor of Saloons —Licenses —The Pastor—Reasons for Entering the Work to Sustain the Law—Incidents—A Martyr's Words—His Faith and Courage—The Conspiracy—Assassinated 456 CHAPTER XXIII. Closing Scenes—At Rest—Memorial Services—Results 487 CHAPTER XXIV. Words Spoken of Him 521 — —— C6. <£>. 1$. BY MRS. MARY A. P. STANSBURY. §L fobiie robe for % sign of puritg, |leb, for tlje bloob bjs lopl blabe must sb^eb, |Uatk, for ib^at beat^ Ijje migjjt not flu or breab ©fjese foore t^e knight of olb —a mgstie ib/ee ; $$nt \z, fyt flobjer of nobler .c^ibalrg ©nr bauntless rljwf, is\a xtzbtx feareb or fob ^nts off all eartbjg bras to foear insieab &§m raiment glistening % ^ing fco^o see. §1 lion ijjeari tjjat neber tb/obbeb foitlj fear t get from bis strong tame sfoeetness — rare for all <<&\t foeak, f Ije lobe of little rfjilbren, anb |Utb grate of pitn mingling tear foitlj tear. IITo ! nob tlje life foljose loss \z fjelb so small ^or Cbwst, foreber fonnb at His rig^t |ranb t INTKODTJCTIOK GEOKGE C. HADDOCK. BY REV. GEORGE M. STEELE, D.D. , PRINCIPAL OF WESLEYAN ACADEMY. My acquaintance with Mr. Haddock began during his pastorate at Oshkosh, in 1865. I do not now remem- ber his age at that time, nor how long he had been in the ministry ; but he had not yet reached the acme of his power and effectiveness. He was regarded as a strong man, a growing man, with unusual ability as a public speaker, and with much promise for the future. After this, for two different terms, he was pastor of the church at Appleton, where I lived, so that, with my general acquaintance with him as a member of the Conference, I came to know him quite intimately, and to have a pretty thorough understanding of his character. He had unusually good natural endowments, and was especially qualified to be a public speaker. Physically he was about the medium size, well-proportioned, compact, vigorous, solid, and strong —a man that a bully or rowdy would not care to meet on equal terms, though I am not aware that this muscular 18 INTRODUCTION. Christianity was ever allowed to be called into exercise during any part of our friend's ministerial career. The " physical basis" was, at least, nearly all that could be de- sired for effective oratory. He did not have in his early life the opportunity for ex- tensive and protracted mental training, nor were his habits particularly scholarly ; but he had a somewhat extraor- dinary faculty of developing in his mind, out of a few* general principles of which he had laid hold with a clear comprehension and a firm grasp, a great variety of valuable, fresh, and interesting thought. He was not a man of wide reading, and this fact made it the more remarkable that he should be able to give so large a range and variety to his dis- courses and to so seldom repeat himself. He probably did not often manifest the highest power of an orator, but he never fell below a high level of pulpit and platform ability. 1 have seldom known a man—and never one who owed so little to artificial training—who would preach so many good sermons and so few poor ones in the regular and ordinary work of the ministry. He did not indulge in theological speculation to any noticeable extent ; indeed, my impression is that he knew comparatively little about technical theol- ogy, and cared less. He laid hold of the fundamental doc- trines everywhere prominent in the Scriptures, and from them developed whatever he deemed necessary as a doctrinal basis and this, ; too, without putting any great stress upon it as a system. He attacked sin as such, and trained all his 9 INTBOD TJQTION. 1 batteries to bear upon it wherever he could find it, and he did, regardless of individual fear or favor. He had an excellent command of language, and he knew how to handle it in a most effective manner. He was sel- dom at fault in the structure of his sentences, and his phraseology was remarkably apt. He had at times a power- ful, impetuous eloquence which was exceedingly effective. Of course it could hardly be otherwise than that, with such a temperament and with such convictions as charac- terized him, he should not have been at times extravagant, and that his hyperbole should not have been somewhat be- yond the limits of even rhetorical license. As a platform speaker he was possibly better than in the pulpit. As a debater he was not easily equalled, and he had scarcely more than a single drawback. Sometimes in a discussion where he was opposing a moral wrong against which his personal indignation was stirred, he would so un- mercifully flay his opponent that sheer pity for the latter would excite sympathy in his behalf and cause a damaging reaction.