Russell's George Washington Riker (1837-1916) was among that Lucas County city's most public free-thinker, demonstrating in public and in print little patience with the religious conventions of his day. Back in 1906, as Christmas approached, he had written a poem --- published in The Chariton Leader by his friend Henry Gittinger who identified him as Russell's "the Poet Agnostic" --- that included the lines:
Preachers seem an abomination
To the growth of civilization,
Their hatred and tantalization
Drive many men to desperation.
Now, Bless my life, what consolation,
That I am free from priestcraftication!
Six years later, George happened to on the square in Chariton of a Saturday morning during mid-July when he encountered Liberty Center's David Yoakam, in town on an impromptu evangelistic mission and preaching to the lost near the courthouse. George challenged him. Gittinger happened to be present (he was a Russell native and long-time friend of the Rikers). The following report of the encounter was published in The Leader of July 18, 1912.
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By chance, George Washington Riker, of Russell, and David Yoakam, of Liberty Center, met each other near the north entrance to the courthouse Saturday forenoon. Mr. Yoakam carried a Bible under his arm and was doing a little evangelistic work when Mr. Riker came onto the scene. In a moment it was apparent that their beliefs were at a variance, Mr. Yoakam being strong in the faith of sanctification and regeneration while Mr. Riker denies the inspiration of the scriptures.
As they talked, a crowd began to gather until about 200 were in the audience. David struck the Goliath many raps with his slingshots of faith, but with little or no avail until he proclaimed George to be about the hardest specimen he had ever tried to convince of his error and wanted to know why he didn't go and live with the heathen where he belonged and offered to pay his passenger fare to the darkest realm.
George Washington declined the favor and attacked the scriptures anew with the hatchet of his infidelity and accused David of being mentally deluded.
Thus for an hour and a half they wrestled, alternately hurling at each other the most cutting sarcasm possible to imagine, but personally in good nature. Yoakam now knows Riker and Riker now knows Yoakam --- they know each other. That was about the outcome of the meeting.
The crowd seemed to enjoy the pithy statements of each party. It was like two irresistible forces striking each other under full heads of steam.
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If you'd like to read more about George W. Riker, including the complete text of his pre-Christmas poem, follow this link to a post entitled, "Russell's Riker declares war on the clergy."
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