Test Oath.
“The following is a mere sample of numerous other indictments against me for preaching without taking the Missouri test oath:
“‘Know all men, by these presents, that we, B. H. Spencer, as principal, and Thomas Kemble and A. Bigelow, as securities, are held and firmly bound unto the State of Missouri in the sum of one thousand dollars, the payment whereof, well and truly to be made, we bind ourselves, our heirs, administrators and executors, firmly by these presents. The conditions of the above bond are, that whereas B. H. Spencer has been indicted by the Grand Jury of Montgomery county for preaching without taking the oath; Now, if the said B. H. Spencer shall personally appear before the Judge of our Circuit Court on the first day of the next term of said Court, said term of said Court to be held at the court house in the town of Danville, in and for said county, on the fourth Monday of next May, and answer to said indictment, and not depart therefrom without the leave of said Court, then said bond to be void, otherwise to remain in full force and effect. Witness our signatures this the 18th day of May, A. D. 1866.
“‘B. H. Spencer,
“‘Thomas Kemble,
“‘Abner Bigelow.’
“My refusing to take this oath was not the result of an unwillingness to obey the constitution and laws of the State of Missouri, for I had already taken the ‘Convention oath,’ the ‘Halleck oath’ and the ‘Rosecrans oath,’ and had sworn fealty to the State as often, and in as many ways as reason, conscience and loyalty would allow. And hence, when civil authority came between me and my Divine Master, and virtually said, I will allow you to obey your Master if you will swear fealty to me first, I believed it to be wicked thus to surrender the claims of Christ to the demands of Cæsar, and resolved, at the hazard of fines and imprisonments, yea, even of life itself, that I would refuse compliance with this unrighteous requirement. I believed they had as much right to say what should be preached as to say who should preach it! Hence I refused, and numerous indictments were the result.
“Having scarcely commenced the recital of my persecutions as a Southern Methodist preacher, I find this article already too long, and therefore close, with the kindest wishes for all my persecutors, and an earnest prayer for their salvation.
“I am, truly and fraternally,
“B. H. Spencer.”
CHAPTER XXII.
REVS. D. B. COOPER, H. N. WATTS AND THOS. GLANVILLE.
Rev. D. B. Cooper—Attempt Made to Ride him on a Rail—Defeated by the Timely Appearance of Soldiers—Particulars Furnished by Dr. N. W. Harris—Rev. H. N. Watts—A Native of Missouri—Efforts Made to Place the Old Ministers under Disability or Run them out of the State—Mr. Watts Arrested—Silenced—Correspondence with Provost-Marshals Reid and Sanderson—“Test Oath”—Rev. Thos. Glanville—An Englishman by Birth—Early Life—Peculiar Trials—Manner of Life as a Citizen and a Minister—Driven from Home in 1863—Returns and Obtains Written Permission to Preach—Warned not to fill his Appointment on Sabbath, September 20, 1863—Remains at Home—That Night he is Shot Through his Window—Shot a Second and Third Time, and Expires Praying for his Murderers—His Eldest Son Shot and Killed the Same Night—Details Furnished by J. H. Ross and Rev. John Monroe—Conclusion.