Читать книгу Mennonites in the World War - Jonas Smucker Hartzler - Страница 35

Among those who passed through some of these trials was Christian Good, later a faithful minister of the Gospel and bishop in the Mennonite Church, but now gone to his reward. He had promised his widowed mother that he would never fire a gun at any one. In the first battle he was discovered and reported to the higher officer and charged with disobedience to orders. He was sent back with a court-martial and death threat hanging over him if the act was repeated. Battles followed in rapid succession but he would not shoot. Others seeing his courage also withheld fire. He was again brought before the officers with the charge of not firing his gun when commanded to do so. He told the officers that his gun would never be fired at his fellowmen, even if his position cost him his own life; that his widowed mother expected him to be true to his promise. He was later exempted on the payment of five hundred dollars. Quite a number of others had similar experiences. The Church paid these exemptions, but Brother Good worked two years on the farm to pay his part back.