SUNDAY LAW IN MISSISSIPPI.
By Editor
HAVING been indicted by the grand jury for working on Sunday, Brother George E. Case, elder of the church at Fort Bayou, and his brother, were brought before the court at Scranton, Miss., May 9. They had requested the churches in the conference to make their case a subject of prayer, and were encouraged by a visit from Brethren S. B. Horton (president of Louisiana Conference) and F. R. Shaeffer. A subsequent letter to Brother Shaeffer tells the outcome. We give the following extract: "Court was called at 2 o'clock. The judge began the work of selecting jurors, and then instructed them in regard to Sunday laws. At first I thought we were going to have a hard time. The judge said to the jury: 'Now I want you to understand that we are not here to make laws, but to enforce them; and if the laws are wrong, then let those who made them change them. But we are here to enforce them while they are on the statute books.' "He said a good deal about breaking the Sunday law in hunting, fishing, playing base-ball, opening saloons, etc.; but said nothing about ordinary labor. Finally a few cases were heard, and the jurors were given a recess for the rest of the day. "I went to the judge, and asked permission to speak to him, and he granted me a hearing. I told him we had a case before the court, and asked him if he could not dispose of it, as we were anxious to go home, and take care of our crops. He asked what the charge was, and I told him, 'Working on Sunday.' "He said, 'All right, I will look it up in a few minutes. So I thanked him, and waited. In about fifteen minutes he called the case, and the crier called for the witness. Only the one witness who had made the charge was present; the other one kept out of the way. The charge was read, and the judge said: 'Working on Sunday, eh? A man ought to be commended for working in this country;' and the audience laughed. "Then a lawyer took the witness into the anteroom, and when they came back the charge was read again, and there was another laugh. A lawyer, Mr. Ford, volunteered to defend the case free of charge, but the judge said that we were free to go home. We had not said a word after the case was called, and it did not cost us a cent, excepting our personal expenses. We attribute it all to the providence of God, in answer to the prayers of the brethren and sisters of Mississippi."