A Tennessee court, as we have before told our readers, sentenced to jail for 264 days a Christian man, J.W. Lewis, for the crime of doing common labor on Sunday, after observing the same Sabbath day that Jesus of Nazareth observed. The Lord wrought through Mr. Lewis in jail. Three of the prisoners were converted, and are keeping the same Sabbath that their Lord kept while on earth. Apparently to prevent more of this work (no reason is given by the authorities), his term of sentence is reduced to 141 days, expiring at the date of this writing, July 31.
Signs of the Times, August 6, 1896
However, the jail will not be without witness. As stated last week, three more criminals of the same stamp are immured in Tiptonville jail for the same crime. These men–W.S. Lowry, J.H. Dowdy, and Otto Wilson– will witness for their faith in the chain-gang; but this is not new; Tennessee has used it before to crush out faith and force conscience. The prosecuting attorney, Mr. J.H. Lewis, is reported as saying that he now proposed to drive Adventists into the Mississippi River. But he can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. The ultimate sufferers are always the persecutors. Therefore, while we remember these Christians in bonds, let us also pray for their persecutors.
