ed, though his body had lost the power to recuperate. He died
on the 30th of September, the first Moravian to "fall asleep" in the
United States, though others had given up their lives for the mission
work in the West Indies. His spiritual condition had at times caused
much concern to Toeltschig, who was especially charged with the
religious welfare of the first company, many of whom had been under his
care in Germany, but in the main he had been an earnest man, a willing
and industrious partaker in the common toil, and his death caused much
regret. The burial customs in Savannah included the ringing of bells,
a funeral sermon, and a volley of musketry, but learning that these
ceremonies were not obligatory the Moravians declined the offer of the
citizens to so honor their Brother, and laid him to rest in the Savannah
cemetery with a simple service of hymns and prayer.

As they were robing Riedel for his burial, a young man came to the
door, and asked if he could not make them some pewter spoons. In
the conversations that followed it developed that he was a native of
Switzerland, the son of a physician, and after his father's death he
had sailed for Pennsylvania, intending there to begin the practice of
medicine. But his fellow-passengers stole his books and everything he
had, he was unable to pay for his transportation, and forced to sell his
service for seven years as a redemptioner. At the end of five years he
had become quite ill, and his master, having waited six months for his
recovery, heartlessly turned him out, to live or die as the case might
be. Instead of dying, his strength returned, and then his former master
demanded 10 Pounds Pennsylvania currency, for his unexpired term,
although only 5 Pounds had been paid for him, and he had served five
years. The young man was obliged to promise to pay this, and Spangenberg
encouraged him to push his spoon-making, in order to do it as speedily
as possible. Meanwhile the Moravians were so much pleased with his
appearance and speech, that they agreed to receive him into their
company for as long as he chose to stay, and John Regnier soon became an
important factor in their comfort. Spiritually he was somewhat at sea.
At one time he had desired to be a hermit, and then he had drifted from
one sect to another, seeking something which he could not find, but
acquiring a medley of odd customs. Spangenberg advised him to turn his
thoughts from men to God, learning from Him "w