A Tale Of Missionary Persecution

Readers of the Tribune will doubtless recall the fact - which made a great stir at the time - that seyeral months ago Rev. Mr. Joiner, a citizen of England applied to the British minister at Washington for protection against the people in Alabama, who interrupted his work among the negroes and even threatenec his life. Mrs. Joiner was a nurse during the late war, and she applied for a pension a large number of Michigan soldiers testified to her courage, energy, kindness and efficiency. Largely through Congressrnan O'Doiinell she obtained her pension. Mr. O'Donnell has a letter from Mrs. Joiner, dated at Stockboro, Ala., Feb. 6, 1891, in which this brave woman tells how dangerous it is to give help to the negroes in that state. She writes : "Mr. Joiner has just returned from our annual conference. We are to remain here another year. I think that you will agree with me that sorne help is needed from some source, when I teil you we have only 55 cents, sometimes 75 cents, occasionally $1.30 and once only 16 cents paid us by the church to live off of for a whole week. Yet such is the fact. So you know we are not having inany luxuries. " One good thing - we have not had to buy any clothes since we came here. Now I have a subscription school and shall get something from that, so we shall get on nicely. One night about three weeks ago I was at [the home of] one of our colored friends sitting up with a sick lady. Mr. Joiner was at home by himself. About 10 o'clock, someone called. He was asleep. At first he thought I had come home. Then he concluded that it was someone from the sick friend's, as they kept calling to him. He then got up and went to the door. On the piazza were three men, with two or three others just behind thera. They said they were a committee come to warn him to leave here in 24 ïours or he must take the consequences. They said they did not like the work he was doing, and bis associating with niggers : that they were 100 strong, etc. " Mr. Joiner asked their names, but they would not give them. 'A brave set you are,' he said, '100 to attack an old nan and his wife ! ' 'O, yes,' they said, 'your gray hairs alone 'have thus ar protected you.' " Üur friends thonght it best for us to eave the parsonage for a few nights. We did so and stayed with one of our nembere, and we have heard nothing urther froni them. The least noise itartles me more tlian I like. We had ïoped that the white people had become convinced that are only object was o do good, and so would not trouble us. Ve ank God to shield us and go on with our work as usual. ' ' The weather is delightful ; some ain, no suow at all. We are thinking of gardening before long." This is as brave a letter as ever came rom an Indian jungle. The mortificaion for every American must be that in a free country, so-called, there is a spot where the gospel cannot safely be reached to those who most need to ïear its message.