On This Day: William Van Schaick, captain of the steamship General Slocum which caught fire... (1912)

On December 19, 1912: William Van Schaick, captain of the steamship General Slocum which caught fire and killed over one thousand people, is pardoned by U.S. President William Howard Taft after .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}3+1⁄2 years in Sing Sing prison.

This historical event can serve as a powerful sermon illustration about God's mercy reflected in human acts of compassion. Consider using it when preaching about mercy, leadership, forgiveness.