Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1859-05-13
Breaking up of a n. z. Conference in
Texasv

The committee appointed by the savehold-
ers of Fannin county, Texas, to notify the
Methodist ministers in conference at Timber
Greek to break up their meeting and lea7e the
county on pain of Lynch law, duly and char
acteristically performed their mission. The
following statement is an account of the affair
On the Sabbath, the great day of the CON
ference Bishop James was in the pulpit, and
the Introductory services were in progress,
when from the windows of the church, far
away on the level plain, might be seen some
homsemen approaching. The house was about
two-thirds full, when they knelt in prayer; on
arising, the horsemen had arrived, tied their
horses, and crowded into every open place in
| the house. As the Bishop arose to announce his
text, the leader of the mob, about three feet
t,nsn the Bishop before him exclaimed "I have
some business, sir, rather unpleasant to me,
and more so to you; we have resolved in pub
lie meeting that you shall not preach or hold
meetings in these regions The Bishop re-
piled that it was not his place to decline to
preach, it was for the society living there and
owning the house to decide whether it could
be occupied that morning according to ap-
pointment, and unless the trustees or proper
authorities forbade him, he must preach The
leader OF the mob replied threateningly, declar-
ing that in all that region Methodist societies
should no longer be tolerated. The frmness
of Bishop james enabled him to finish his ser
mon.
The Conference resolved to disperse rather
than provoke such breach of peace. The
New Orleans Christian Advocate speaks in
the following strain of this gross outrage upon
a body of Christian ministers, and of its own
denomination too:
ave regret to chronicle such things but the
truth requires it. The Northern Methodist
Church has been trying "to press Southwark
into Arkansas and Texas For years they
have had few scattered and insignificant peo-
pie, and few men called preachers in \ orthern
Texas and parts of ARKANSAS, which shey cal
led the Arkansas Conference" 1t was a
name which showed well in papers, but has
been, all the time, aro3thless and hopeless IN
Uestment of center. A conference was held
there several years since, Bishop Simpson pre-
siding Recently another conference has been
held at Timber, in the same vicinity, Bishop
James presiding; and the results which might
hare been expected from the first have at length
been developed. This calamity has been inuok-
ed by them, and rot by any means through the
influence of Southern Methodists."
while the South" comments the Pitts
Gazette, sis thus showing its entire disregard
of law, decency, religion, and the vested rights
of the people, it is clamorng for rigid en-
forcenlent of the Fugitive Slave Law in the
North, and the National Administration is do
ing its best to oblige them. Bishop james and
his clerical brethren are driven out of Texas,
for exercising their constitutional rights, and
Rev. Mr.. Peck and his christian brethren are
immured at Cleveland for obeying the dictates
Of humanity and religion. The one is done in
defiance of law the other under cloak of it;
but both ere done because Slavery commands
it. The law is to be respected only when it is
upon its side"