The Church Revival Gang
A group of young men terrorized a River Park church with indecent songs and laughter, leading to a showdown with a determined pastor.
There has come a crisis in the affairs of the Shaw Methodist Episcopal church of River Park, and the new pastor, Rev. Sprague Davis, has arisen to the occasion. He says it is now a question of whether the law-abiding members of his congregation shall conduct their revival meetings according to their own ideas or give up to the annoying tactics adopted by a gang of young men who have gone so far as to sing indecent songs at the same time the congregation is singing gospel hymns. Yesterday morning Deputy Sheriff Jack McDonald arrested Nathan McNatt and brought him before Justice McElwain, charged, in connection with Edward Shay, with being the leader of the gang and disturbing a religious meeting. The Justice held McNatt in $100 bond for his examination. Jack McDonald was unable to locate Shay yesterday but expects to do so in time to bring him into court today. Every resident of River Park knows the troubles of the Shaw Methodist church with the gang of young men, who, up to the present time, seem to have held the winning hand, owing to the disinclination of the church people to seek redress in the courts.
“He says it is now a question of whether the law-abiding members of his congregation shall conduct their revival meetings according to their own ideas or give up to the annoying tactics adopted by a gang of young men.”
This story highlights the long-standing tension between public order and the behavior of youth in Seattle's developing neighborhoods. While the setting is a 19th-century revival, the conflict over 'nuisance' behavior in community spaces remains a recurring theme in Seattle's civic discourse.
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