ay to your house now to kill you. I must not be seen with
you. Go! Make haste!" This was all said in one breath, and before the
colored man could recover from his astonishment to ask a question the
white one was gone. Down the street a cloud of dust rose before the
colored minister's eyes. The bandits were only a few blocks away. There
was not even time to return to his home. He hastened down Walnut street,
crossed Red Cross into Campbell, and made for the woods. The bandits
rode up to the minister's house, dismounted and surrounded it, but the
quarry was gone. From the frightened wife and little ones they could
glean no information as to the whereabouts of the minister. They were
about to satisfy their vengeance by subjecting the helpless woman to
revolting indignities, when a boy ran up to inform them of the direction
in which the man had fled. The mob mounted their horses and made a dash
for Oak Dale Cemetery. The colored people in the neighborhood, afraid to
approach to offer protection to poor Mrs. Silkirk, now gathered about
her. All were unanimous in the belief that the bandits would return
should they fail to find the minister, and not only molest her, but
shoot into the houses of others as well. So they decided to take her to
the church, yea, gather the whole neighborhood in there. "Sho, dey won't
shoot in de house er God," said an old lady. "Le'us git dar an' pray; we
kin do nuth'n better. Le' us ask de Lawd wot it all means?"

When Rev. Silkirk reached a secluded spot in the woods he was wet, sore
and exhausted from wading through marshes and being scratched by briars.
Night had set in. He lay down beneath a clump of bushes to rest; but
there was no rest for this poor innocent wretch, outlawed by ruffians
and compelled to leave his wife and little ones, and be hunted as a wild
beast in the forest. This is the fate of many a Negro who had committed
no more offense against law and order. But this, to such characters as
Rev. Silkirk, was no evidence of God's displeasure. Men more righteous
than he had been compelled to flee for their lives; yea, suffer death
for truth's sake; men of whom the world was not worthy. He pillowed his
head upon a tuft of wire grass, and gazed upward towards the spangled
skies. "Lord, we cannot tell why this, thy people, are so severely
tried; yet we believe that all things work together for good to them
that trust in Thee. Strengthen our faith, Lord. Save our wives and
little ones from