The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-04-28
Our Minister'S Trial.
By REV. W. H. HAYWARD.


A good man was our pastor, Rev. Thorn
ton Haven, and one of no common elo-
quence. Our best-L had almost written
| good-church members loved him. | am
sorry to say that few, thorned by the words
which fell from his lips when he endeayored
| to excite his brethren and sisters to
| --..- "a closer walk with God" -
regarded him with other emotions than the
fruits of the spirit. I.-.......
Like all other good men he was carefully
watched by those who would have been
transported with fiend- like delight could they
| have found flaw in his conduct,
"WelI! WelI!" said Mrs Monroe, the
wheelwright's wife, to her husband, as they
sat at the breakfast table one morning, sup
pose Mr.. Haven did kiss Fannie LAYTON
She was almost one of the family-what in
| the world was the harm Pr d !9.'
''But," said the wheelright, Il don't be-
| lieve that he did kiss her."
'.Fanny herself said that he did," replied
the wife.
This seemed to be a clincher to Mr.. Mon
roe He deliberately wiped his face with
his handkerchief, and with downcast tho't-
full look, and a.much slower pace than usual,
went to his work.
He had hardly taken his shave in his hand,
and begun to ply it on an unfinished spoke,
before Deacon Brown came in. The Dea-
con stood awhile, chewing a small fragment
of a shaving and talking about this, that
and nothing. Suddenly he said:
''Brother Monroe, have you heard about
our minister ?"
eyes," replied the brother.
1 4 - l.
several minutes The wheelwright Justify
worked on the spoke-the Deacon looked
out of the window - ~
At length Mr.. Monroe asked in low
| tone of voice:
"What's to be doneP"
Something must" was the Deacon's an
swer, or the cause will suffer"
And then he walked rapidly up the street
"What's this story about Mr.. Ravens i'm
proper treatment of young ladies? ?" asked
the cynical lawyer Thompson of Woodward,
| the tavern-keeper.
''Why," said the mixer of sherry cobblers
and drawer Of strong beer, 'the parson is no
better than Others"
''Have you heard of the sanity priest Ha-
ven's fall p was the question Of one inhdel
| to another
eyes; just as thought it would be-ha,
ha, ha."
Something must be DONE" were the
words of Deacon Brown, ''and that soon,"
he thought, but did not speak
| So from the wheelwright's he went to the
house of another Decentralization Johnson
| He had heard the story, and, being an enc
my, believed it, and was determined to deal
with the offender
The deacons called on the minister. Dea-
con johnson was spokesman. The story III
| full was that Mrs. Barnard, grass widow
| that is, woman whose husband had gone
| off because he could not live with her-had
heard, as she was passing the parsonage,
Fannie Lawton say to one of the children,
''you lost kiss from your father by not be-
| ing iii the house when he he got home this
afternoon from the village, and [ got it.
Mr. Haven denied ever having kissed the
girl, and suggested that the deacons should
write to Fannie, who was teaching school
about twenty miles distant, and get at the
truth Of the matter.
The deacons did. They stepped into the
minister's study and wrote In few days
there came the reply: l.-...
/ ''You ask me if on one occasion Rev. Mr..
Haven gave me kiss-where we were and
who were present. In answer state Rev.
! Mr. Haven did one afternoon, while | was
staying at his house, and in the sitting-room,
give me kiss. No persons but ourselves
were present.
| Deacon johnson was elated, and immedi-
ately wrote to his wife's cousin, yong can
ddate, that there would soon be a vacant
parish where he, no doubt, could receive a
| call.
| Deacon Brown was thunderstruck and dis
appointed. Fanny Lawton's word was not
to be doubted-it was so plain matter that
there could be no mistake. MIR. Haven, at
ter all, was wolf in sleeps clothing. Still
the minister denied the charge. He could
not do such a thing without being aware of
| it, and knew that he had never kissed the
girl Or any other girl but his wife, before
his marriage or since, in his life
Deacon johnson brought the entire mat
ter before the church. He was excellent on
such cases. The charge contained two dis
tinct allegations;
|. Rev Thornton Haven had been guilty
of great improperly, which rendered it ex-
pedient that he should be dismissed from
the pastorate.
IL. He had lied in the matter.
church called together Rev. Scion Dick
inson, the pastor of a nsighboring church,
was present to moderate the meeting. The
meeting house was filled to overAowing.-
Every member of the church but old bed-rid-
deem Polly Stearns, was present. The tav-
ern was well represented. All the scofers
and scorners,. who were within half a
score Of miles, who could get there, were in
attendance.
The church meeting was duly opened
| Then Deacon johnson brought forward his
| charges .-
Fanny was called to testify. Her testi-
mony was:
'One afternoon-I think it must have
been early in March-three of Mr.. Ravens
children and myself were alone in the sit
ting-room their mother had gone to the
sewing circle. Mr.. Haven came iuto the
house, from the other village; the children
met him at the door that opens into the sit
ting room from the hall !; as he came in they
went out, and he gave each, as they met
him, kiss-then coming in, gave me one"
A painful silence followed Miss Lawtons
testimony. At length, Deacon johnson
put the question;
''Did he close the door before he came in
to the sitting room p
/ The answer was:
81 think he did,
Had a pin fallen on the ground, it would
have been heard in any part of our large
and beautiful sanctuary.
Then Mr.. Haven rose up and said:
''Miss. Lawton, what did you do with
that kiss gave your"
''Here it is" said Fannie, holding up a
specimen of confectionery sometimes called
a kiss. ~
Then there was another pause, and 81
lence that was oppressive. All were too much
amazed, and either too gratifed or morti
fed and disappointed to move. Most O
those present held their breaths.
Fanny" said our blessed minister, ''diC
/ I ever kiss Won p