Envoy Darkie Hutton

From Sawiki

Darkie Hutton is his prison clothes

After being released from jail at the end of a six month sentence for theft, Darkie Huttton was blackmailed into joining the infamous criminal group The Brotherhood of the Red Hand. Darkie had been a thief from the age of eight when he stole from his tobacconist employer. While still a child he ran away to sea. Twice he was court martialed and, still in his teens, was drummed out of the navy. Shortly afterwards he became a pupil of the notorious villain Charles Peace. Theft, housebreaking, and armed robbery all played their part in Darkie's catalogue of crime. His first job for the Brotherhood of the Red Hand ended in disaster. Whilst making his getaway from a jewelry robbery in Reading the police pounced on Darkie and caught him in possession of £20,000 worth of jewels. The result was a long stretch in Dartmoor.

Upon release Darkie resumed his life of crime. Soon he was leader of the Brotherhood of the Red Hand, deriving great pleasure from the notoriety and prestige that this offered him.

It was Salvation Army Captain Tom Watts who persuaded Darkie to attend his first Army meeting. Darkie listened to testimonies of converted drunkards, criminals and the like. Twenty three years of prison, chains and leg irons had changed nothing. He reasoned that if the Lord could change the lives of the men at the meeting that there was hope for him yet.

Darkie Hutton in Salvation Army uniform

From his first visit to the Mercy Seat onward Darkie's life began to change. A week later his wife came to a meeting and she too was saved. By special permission of Home Secretary Herbert Gladstone, Darkie would wear his prison clothes and chains to lead Army meetings.

Undercliffe corps was the first at which he conducted special meetings and soon ex-convict and drunkard, Darkie Hutton was preaching all over the country with spectacular success. Requests for him to 'special' flooded in from corps everywhere.

Darkie remained faithful to the end, conducting many great soul-saving campaigns until his promotion to Glory in 1921. He was never proud of the exploits of his past life but told them with such a sense of shame that he could have sunk so low, yet with rejoicing that God had shown him that there was a better way for all who would accept His Salvation.

Salvation 14:42, 30 January 2007 (GMT)

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