Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 23.djvu/223



describe there was one general cry "the shout of a king in the camp" Awakened sinners crying for mercy, happy believers rejoicing in God, New born souls for the first time praising the Saviour, and many a hypocritical sinner striving to conceal and cloak over his deep convictions with affected indifference, but in vain the conversion of a man named Jeffrey & his daughter excited universal interest he was past middle age and when God spake peace to his soul was so overwhelmed with a sence of the divine condesension in plucking him as a brand from the burning that his expressions of praise and gratitude were most effecting his daughter aged 14 shared in the same shower of mercy with many others and when I retired early as my recent illness and general habits required the voice of praise and prays was still assending and at the hour of midnight and dawn of day it had not ceased. That camp ground is a holy place, 22 persons were converted and 16 joined on probation. The work of God is revived the unhappy predudice between Western and Eastern brethren is about annihilated and an impression made on the public mind favourable to piety. Our brethren the Presbyterians held a Camp meeting on the Twality plains. It was a good meeting and several were converted. It was held near the residence & under the superintendance of Broth H. Clark whith whose wife Broth Wilber was acquainted in the States He is a very estimable minister of Christ (The somewhat notorious Mr. Griffin 6 who in a letter to the States some time since accused the M. E. Church in Oregon of coming out openly in favor of adultery lives near this place He dare not deny that he wrote such a letter nor will he exactly confess it nor will he make any amends for it whatever. The basis of his Slander is this. Some years ago several white men servants of the H. B. Co. came into this valley with native women as wives from Red River some of them became serious they had been united to these women according to the usages of the country where they had lived when they came within the bounds of civilization they were desired to be married (or be re-married, if you please) according to civilized usages this some of them were slow to do. Our ministers took some part in the buisiness and married many of them. So did other ministers but the zeal of Mr Griffin knew

6 Rev. J. S. Griffin, an independent missionary, manifesting many fanatical tendencies.