Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1866-07-21
nR1E coNFnRENcn.
Thn EIal,sr case.


living in part the main testimony aud docu.
ments produced at tho trial
The verdict Of the Committee has closed up
this suamolous ase for tho present, which in
wolves more mystery than any which bss ever
before been adjudosted either by civil or &C.
cles ,ticsl couits
The case in brief Is ns follows: In last
November Rev e. J . L. Baker, Presiding FL
der Of the Erie District, was taken i'll and went
to his home in Wesfed New York. While
he was lying sick at home, Bishop o. o. Ba'
ker received letter at Concord, N. H., pur
porting to be dictated by e. j. L. Bskor, aud
written BY J. O. Clifford. Steward, which sta
ted that E l. Baker was very dangerously
| Ill, and even in case the sickpess was not IN.
to death, would not be able to resume his du
ties in the District. and requested the appoint
ment of Rev. l. o. Fisher, then in charge o
the church at Ashtabula, to the Presiding Ell.
dershp. The letter was dated at Westfeld
the home OF Baker but post msrked at Ashta.
bula, the home OF Fisher. Bishop Baker sent
a reply to ] L Baker, and letter to Fisher,
notifying him OF his Recommendation to the
charge OF the District by Baker. On the re-
ception of the Bishop's letter, Baker, who had
recovered from his sickness, wrote for an ex>
planatiop. Fisher replied to the Bishops note
10 q six page letter, giving his plan for the man
agement of the District should the Bishop see
ft to appoint him, and asking the Bishop 10 q
line at the close 70 send him the letter Of Ba-
ker which recommended him TO the post
The hand writing of the letter Of recommenda-
| - Ill q. Al. - n.
letter was strikiugly like that Of tho reply to
the nots, and as soon as the Bishop received
the reply from Baker, his suspicious fastened
at once upon Fisher, and further correspon-
dence made 1t necessary 10 prefer charges aud
hold the preliminary trial which. ss is we'll
known, resulted in his being cnlled before this
Conference for trial before the Conference Com
mittee. While the Conference was in session
in Brookvile. Pa iu 1859. letter was re-
a ceived by Bishop Simpson. presiding. purport-
g ing to be from Mr.. Harper. Recording Stew
, ard at North East, written in behalf Of the
Official Board Of that Charge and requesting
that Mr.. Fisher be appointed over them. The
. appointment was made, ealthough another
preacher had been selected. The people won.
, dered somewhat at this action, but Mr.. Fish
er served very scceptably and was much be-
loved. The iDvestiga Of the Baker Letter
led TO suspicious, and Bishop Simson 70 und
D among his papers, the original letter pnr-
, porting TO be from Mr.. Harper. which
wheu compared with the Baker letter, and
letters known 10 be in Fishers bandwri,-
ing, were found to bear uumistakAble marks
fo The same hand.
The third and last letter admitted al
evidence is the most peculiar and mysteri-
Gus OF ALL II was enclosed and sealed il
letter written in fus, back hand tC
Rev DR.. Hill, which claimed to be ron
d j. Thowbnrn, and stated that the enclosed
y letter contained confession OF the crime
2 unjustly charged against Fisher.
3 1t contained also paper which certi-
T. fed that the writer and three others hat
formed Mining Company, and we're tbsl
in some place in Kansas on their wey {,
the minss;-That Slighser Smith, the wri-
ter of the enclosed letter was dying Of n.y.
drophobia, and had requested his eomrade
d to forward the letter 10 DR.. Hill of tn
e Erie Conference. This certificate was sign
ed by three names and mark
= ! The enclosed letter covers eight pages o
> note Paper, and strongly resembles The Ba
e manship. 1t is signed by Slighier> Smith
really and TRULY Anderson, and confesse
s to series of prosecutions covering man,
! years, and acknowledges the writing Of tht
u said letters. The writer says that be ha,
: cherished design to rnln Fisher ever sine
\ his boyhood, ia revenge fer an indiguity ht
5 had offered 10 his sister on certain occa-
h sion. In addition to this he says that b.
made solemn pledge to avenge the wrong
J.. OF a. school master, " ho wss turned ont q
g the instance of Fisher, for consideration
9 After not succeeding in several petty un
/ noyances, he studied the customs of th
Methodist church, and copied two or thre,
6 letters be hid received from Fisher, t
:, learn the peculisrities of bis hsnd, so ss t
Il attact him 10 his church relations. Th,
It North east letter vas written for o doubl,
/. purpose, to fix the authorship of the latter
II upon him in case the forgery was discover
d ed, or ruin him By placing him in postiol
J. be was incompetent 10 lil, ii the appoint
ment was made. This failed as did seyera
" others. The Baker letter was more success
o fol, but when the writer saw how mucl
z trouble he had brought upon an innocent
q iA"o, Mo oouoSieuce hbu gwen ulu uo rest
y aad be had started for the mines. Now
at the point Of death, he made bis comics
o on. At the close he states that be hA
o written in the hand OF Fisher so much ths
Q it has become bis own. The letter wa
post marked Rege-sville, aud enclosed tw
: $40 compound interest notes
Several members of the Conference, VII
had become familiar with the peculiarly {
3 Fishers handwriting, testified that the
3 had no doubt the Baker, Northeast AG
. Kansae letters were written by him :
Others was quite ss positive that the doc
uments we're only close limitations, an
pointed out peculiarities which they thong
! precluded the idea that they were write
by Fisher. Tests which we're written b
several different persons in imitation Of th
letters OF Fisher we're introduced, an
J many Of the witnesses declared some of ih
!, closer iWitstions to be genuine. Ther
;. were some letters and peculiarites Of spe
! ling which were alike in the three letter
These we're, however, marked features
! the very ones an imltstor would adopt th
i most readily. The testimony on this poir
was too conflicting to. be conclusive.