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My father
now became possessed with a strong desire to go to Baldock, the scene of his troubles,
awakening and conviction. He had played his fiddle in the public-houses there
for years. He felt he had done great mischief, and
that now it was his duty to do what he could to repair that harm. He and his
two brothers started for |
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"Who
are you?" my father asked. |
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"I am
a policeman, and I have come to take you into custody." |
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"Why?"
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"There
is a law made that if any gipsies are found stopping on the road for twelve
miles round they are to be taken up without a summons or a warrant." |
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"You
must take care," said my father, "what you do with me, because I am
a King's son!" |
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When my
father got up and dressed himself he found that there were four policemen
awaiting the brothers. They were handcuffed like felons and marched off to
the lock-up, a mile and a half distant. All the way the three converted
gipsies preached to the policemen and told them that God would bring them to
judgment if they neglected Him, that they would be witnesses against them at
the great day, and would then declare in the presence of the Lord Jesus
Christ that they had faithfully warned them to flee from the wrath to come.
The officers made no reply and marched on. It is very certain that they had
never had such prisoners before, and had never heard such a lengthy discourse
as they did that night. For my father preached to them a sermon a mile and a
half long. In the cells the gipsies fell on their knees in prayer and asked
God to touch the hearts of the policemen. Then they sang - |
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"He
breaks the power of cancelled sin, |
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He sets
the prisoner free." |
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The keeper
said that they must not make such a noise. The gipsies asked him if he had
read of Paul and Silas having been put into prison, and he said,
"Yes." Then they inquired of the policemen whether they knew what
Paul and Silas did. They answered, "They sang praises to God."
"And so will we," said the gipsies; and they began to sing again - |
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"His
blood can make the vilest clean; |
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His blood
avails for me." |
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The keeper
gave them rugs to keep them warm, and his wife brought them hot coffee and
bread and butter. My father gave her a little tract, entitled, "The
blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin," and told her the story of
our Lord's death for sinners. She drank in every word, and there and then
trusted Christ as her Saviour. In the morning the brothers were brought
before the magistrates and fined 25s. each, or in
default they must go to prison for fourteen days. They had no money, but
their fines were paid - by whom they never knew. |
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When the
three gipsy brothers got to Baldock they told the people that they had been
locked up at |
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From:
Gypsy Smith (1860-1947) His Life & Work By Himself |
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First
Printed in 1901 in |
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