MR. C. P. BOLLMAN—Dear Brother: Yours of the 6th received and read with much interest. I am trusting in the promises of God for grace and strength to do his will. I am fully assured that the blessed promise of my Saviour will not fail me in the time of trial in court. I can truly say that I love my neighbors and I love my God; and I am certain that I have not harmed anyone, nor disturbed anyone, nor hindered anybody from worshiping God as he believed.
I told my neighbors soon after coming here that my faith led me to work on the first day of the week, and that I did not work to defy the law or to show disrespect to them, but out of respect to God and his requirements. I also told them that I desired to live a neighbor in the fullest sense of the term—in sickness and every other way; and I have so lived and have done as I would wish to be done by.
My neighbors do not find any fault with me, only they think I ought to keep two days if I must keep Saturday. I have, however, made some good staunch friends here.
The work complained of has been common farm work. I hauled corn fodder one Sunday last fall. It was damp and just right to handle without breaking and wasting. I worked at clearing in the winter a few times on Sunday, but it was a long distance from anybody’s house or public road, at least from sixty to eighty rods, and surrounded almost entirely by a dense growth of timber and brush. I have plowed some in one field that could be seen from the public road, the work being about thirty rods from the road.
My nearest neighbor lived in sight of this field, but says he was not disturbed and did not know that I was in the field. All my work has been done in good faith that I was doing right according to the Bible, and did not disturb any of my nearest neighbors; at least they have so stated to me. However, some of my distant neighbors have complained, and said I ought to be whipped.
I also hauled wood from my clearing to my own yard, but it was not in sight of any house or road but my own. A neighbor came through our premises, and thereby saw me hauling and plowing, and visited and talked pleasantly with me.
Mr. Byron Freeman, whose name appears on the indictment as prosecutor, came to me a few days ago and said he did not know that his name was on the indictment as prosecutor. He said he did not want anything to do with it, and did not even want to appear against me as a witness, but could not help himself. Mr. J. L. Yearwood is the man that came through and saw me plowing and hauling wood at different times, and he has told me that he had to appear before the Grand Jury against his will; and when they asked him if he saw me hauling wood, he told them yes, but that it was no more than he had done on Sunday himself. So it appears that it is some of my distant neighbors that have made the complaint and caused me all this trouble.
But I am not troubled about it; Matt. 5: 10–12 is a consolation just now. The good Lord is giving me grace sufficient, so I praise his name, and rejoice in full assurance of the great reward that is promised to those that suffer for his sake. B. A. PHILPOTT.