The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-11-20
THEPIrrsRURaH scAN, IlIAt,....

tae CFlmes Laid to HIS Charge, but
AeknoEledgeS TO Having Been n
Proud MRn.---The Petition of his
wife, IN Fan, for DIVOrce--Inhu.
li1nhd lHFeafment ChaFffetI Against
the Rev. Gentleman.
From Gte PlSbi5gh Dispateh.
AT the Second United Presbyterian
Chq1cR Sixth street, {Dr.James Prest-
ley 81 yesterday morning, the services
We're conducted by the Rev. s. B. Reed.
Ihere was large attendance, and after
the regular morning services, and be-
fore the lbenedietion had been pro-
pounced DR.. Prestley assembled the pull
pit and made a short address to his
congregation, in substances as follows /:
There was, he said, a matter of great
importance, to himself and to the con-
gregation, which he knew thev were all
apl:xIi GUS to hear. DR.. Prestley then re-
4 capttQlated the charges which had been
made against him before the PresbVte-
ry, and stated that, u after a trial upon
| them, he had been found guilty. He
had no complaint to make as to the ac-
I eVer' acted from p0SitiOe testimony OF
only three persons, and they were in
terested parties. He could only pro.
duce testimony of a Negative character,
which, although yoluminous, aVailed
nothing. The testimony of an aged
ltather, of g kind brother, and of affec-
ttonate children, to his uniform kind
ness t., his family was of no avail. He
Fdeied'i the world to instance. by
proof, that he had ever been
guilty OF using Indecent and vulgar
language. he abhorred it above all
things. He thanked God that he had
not been found guilty of adulterya He
stated that the sentence of suspension
did not affect his. relation as Pastor OF
the church; that any dissolution of the
Erelatton must be at the request Tof the
congregation, and he asked them not 10
act hastily, but thoughtfully and
prayerfully. When he appealed to his
eonsetenee, he felt that this calamity
was q ajpdgmept from God he knew he
was a proud IMAM and this was his
| punishment for that. He hoped that
God IN his providence would open up a
| way Tor him to continue In the minis
Try, ii not in this city, in some other.
But he prayed to God that he might be
allowed to remain here olive down the
calumnyl and bitter reproach which
was now heaped upon him, and that he
might be able to show his friends that
he was not what he has been made to
appear. He knew he could throw him
self upon the kind consideration of
those who had for SO many years been
It5 members Of his church. He believed
tney still retained love and affection for
him. and he was sure that the members
of. the Presbytery still retained their
ahectton, and had not lost their conf
dence in him.. As illustrating this, he
related the manner in which they treat
ed him, taking him by, the hand, en-
DTaclng him and weeping over him.
This would be his last appearance in
the pulpit until the suspension was re-
moved by the esbyterY. .il!..
During the short address of DIR, Prest-
ley many persons in the congregation
were affected to tears. At its conclu-
sion, ReY. Reed gave notice that after
the afternoon service, .heawould report
the action Of the PTesbytery.
In the afternoon the services were
conducted by the Rev. Reed, as before.
Or. Rrestley was present, and took a
seat IN front on the right of the pulpit.
AT the conclusion of the services Rev.
Reed stated that 1t was with a heavy
heart that he had to announce the ac-
tlon OF the Presbytery of the Mononga-
hela in the case of the pastor of the
church. The gentleman then recited
each charge that had been made against
him, and stated that DIR. PrestIey had
been found guilty of each. He was
glad to say that no:charge of adultery
had been made, and that, DIR. Prestley
had not been found guilty of that. He
then stated the sentence that had been
pronounced upon the pastor. The men,
bers of the Presbytery all loved and.
sympathized with their pastor, but did
their duty, and they prayed God to help
him through his difficulties. "'Tis good
for US to be afflicted" He counselled
haYe charity for the fall of a great one,
lest You also stumble and fall. Al
though he has fallen, he Is not lost.
Mr.. Reed announced that a report of
the case would be published in the
United PFe8byter' Of this week. Du-
action of the Presbytery, DR.. Prestley
sat with bowed head and was very
much affected.
THE PETITION IN DIVORCE.
The following Is the petition in di-
yorce which Mrs. Mary w. Prestley has
filed, and which will come before the
civil court in, due time. The petition
embraces the main specifications Of the
three several charges of which DIR.
Prestley was convicted before the Pres
To the Honorable, the JUDGES of the
Court of Common Pleas of thei. County of
Allegheny I: The petition of Mary w.
Prestleys by her next friend, William
g. Warden, respectfully shoWeth: That
on the 20th day of March, a. D., 1858,
she was lawfully Joined in marriage
Doctor of Divinity, her present hus-
band,, and from that time until the 4th
day of September, 1856, lived and Co
habited with him, and hath in all re-
spects demeaned herself as kind and
atectionate Wifei and although by the
laws of God, as well as by the mutual
vows plighted to each other, they were
bound to that uniform constancy and
regard which ought to be inseparable
from the marriage state. yet so It is that
the parties being at the time domiciled
within the Commonwealth of Pennsyl-
vania, the said James Prestley, hath
offered such indignities to the person of
your petitioner, as to render her condi-
tton intolerable, and her life burden
some and thereby forced her to with
draw from his house; such indignities
consisting, among others, in the follow
mR:0, e n CET q tFt
~ Fhe'sAid Reverend James Prestley,
Doctor of Divinity, did from their mar
rfage until she Withdrew from his
house, require your petitioner to per-
form for him services OF a menial in
answering his bell when he rang, al
though there were servants and chill.
dren in the family who could attend
what householder other duties She may
at the time have been engaged, nor how
inconvenfent 1t may have been to her;
he did require her and would not per-
NIT the servants in his family, to cook
and take to him each morning in his
room, his breakfast, and to prepare for
him and have ready at a late hour at
night q a,Gustard and other rrefreshmentss
before he could go to bed. He did fre-t
Quently, between the above dates, be-
causewhat. she had cooked and thus
prepared for him, at his command, was
not pleasing to him, use violent and