Wilmington daily commercial. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1866-1877, 1872-10-17
DOMESTIC NEWS.
THE MATHEWS CLERICAL SCANDAL
Evidence Taken BY the Presby.
tery's Committee.
UNANIMOUS DECISION THAT 1T DOES NOT
JUSTIFY CHARGES AGAINST HIM.
Detailed Summary Ofthe Testimony

| OF ElktOni hBalnst rev. Henry MatneWs min
lister formerly residing in that town, made its
report, yesterday, to the Presbytery, in session
In this city. The testimony taken is very volu-
minous, mere summary Of it covering twenty
pages OF cap paper.
The statement of the girl was made to the
| Committee on September Both. She declared /:
/ Rev. Henry Matthews IL the father of my child.
| He never had to do with me but three timee.
/ Am positive to this. She here specifies these
minutely, az to time and place, saying the first
was in October OF last year, and the last in Nov
| ember.) The child WIS born on Aug. 30th. lived
with Mr.. Matthews three years before that, two
| years and nine months with DIR. Wallace of
| ElktoD was raised in Reuben Jamar's family
was %. last May went to Baltimore Co., with
| Mr. Matthews, to stay till they could get fixed
| up came away on August 10th MIR. Matthews
brought me to Baltimore in his carriage. and
sent my trunk in the coach the trunk was left
| on the coach while we were looking for board
| ing place; we walked met cOlored man who
| showed us where boarding could be had Mr..
| Matthews had the trunk sent to the house on a
| wheel-barrow by a middle-hized, midde-aged
coored man while l asked at the house. for
board, Mr.. M. stood around the corner house
was in Calvert street. kept by Mr. Gil
lard got there a little before o'clock ;
| Mr. Matthews returned during the afternoon,
| saw him in the vestibule; he gave me two
| letters, one addressed to Mrs. Mathews and
sealed the other an empty envelope addressed
|
all was right he also gave me S25 in five dollar
notes. and said my boarding would not cost me
| anything sent the letter to Mrs. Matthews on
| Friday afternoon never sent letter to MIR. Nj 4,
because l could not get rid of the child (made
| further statements about payments OF money y
| went by the name of Mary Howard, while at
| Gibard's said came from Virginia stayed at
| Gilbard's only two days went TO Samuel Hines
| to board. on Saturday evening paid the mid
| wife, Sophie Hines, 1915, and my board was
/ bfl weak tried a yet rid Of tla child at the
Philadelphia depot when came away, but the
| hack. driver would not let me got off the cars
at North East, to leave the child, and put it be-
mud bush, but two men saw me told young
man formerly living in Elkton, who was the
| father. this was the first time had told any one
| my friends i'll Elkton advised me to swear the
child on Mr. Matthews, and not to so back of
| what l said at first | was in the habit of walk
ing out in the evenings sometimes with my
mother, or girls, or gentleman, but mostly by
| my myself Jacob Morgan came to see me, when
1 lived at Wallace's, aud at Matthews turned
him away for improper advances.
| Upon Mr.. Matthews cross-examination, the
girl admitted there had been bad reports" about
her one in reference to Clayton Manly and one
| about Rev Mr.. Williams of the COored M Z.
church at Elkton ard asserted that the Grim
inal intercourse with Mr. Mathews had continued
| two years.
ibis examination of the girl the Committee
state, occupied three hours Her statement was
then sworn to, before Justice.
REV. MIR, MATTHEWS DENIAL.
The following is the formal denial;
To all loltOm may concern
First Be it known that the charge brought
| by one Maria Salisbury, mulattO, of Elkton,
Md, accusing me of being the father of the ills-
| gitmate child, to which she gave birth on or
| about the Both of August last, is a most infa-
| nous slander, and most malicious calumny on
| my character;
Secondly And be il known that l. the accused
Henry Matthew'S calling to witness that God
who knoweth the secrets of every life and heart,
and before whose bar Of Justice shall one day
| be judged, do most sincerely and solemnly
| without the least mental reservation, prevari-
cation, swear and declare that the above-sald
charge is utterly false, and of it l stand abso-
| lutey innocent;
Thirdly And l, the said Henry Mathews, dc
further make OATH in the same manner, that
have never had carnal intercourse with the sale
Maria Salisbury. HENRY MATHEWS.
The above was sworn to before Esquire How
ard, of Elkton, on September Both.
MR. MATHEWS STATEMENT.
Following this denial is Rev. Mr. Mathews
statement, sworn to in Baltimore, October list,
| before Joshua NJ Staylor j. 7. He states thai
home i'll ElktOn, as he had promised to send hel
home, when she removed with Ills family to Bal
timOre Coz paid her $40, it being the balance o.
her wages, and s2 over for her fare to ElktOn
than tins $40 put her trunk in charge
OF a drayman at the Western Hotel
and bid her goodbye, she following him
down the street as to the letter and envelope
which Maria says he gave her, the letter h'
never wrote; the envelope he may have so ad
dressed, as he sometimes did address envelopes
to himself, for his wife's use.
TESTIMONY TAKEN ON THE MATTER.
The evidence of over twenty witnesses follow
this.
Mrs Mathews. wife of the accused, states, un
der oath, that when Maria left, she said she wal
unwell; advised her to see DIR Mitchell, o
Elkton, and she said she would did not know
till ] received her letter, a week afterward tina
she had stopped in Baltimore; MIR. Mathew
took her to Baltimore because colored people
are not allowed to ride inside the stage sh
must have had over $40 when she left intended
to go with her. but sick; therefore aske
Mr. Nj. to show her some cheap stores Marl'
repeated to me various ISLANDERS about familie'
in which she had lived (witness detailed these
she was inveteTate night runner Clayton
Manly, of Elkton, sent her his photograph an
! wrote letters to her; there were bad report
about her (such as Maria speaks OF in her eyi
deDce
, Dr. Zollickoffer, of Baltimore, testified tha
Mr. Mathews was at his store on August 18th
in his carriage and Mr.. NJ. said he had brough
4 | Maria to Baltimore to go to Elkton; stated tn,
4 | time to be Just before o'clock, ut being the
D hour, when as Maria declares Mr.. NJ. was witt
her at Gillards,) He said he was going to max
| various purchases of groceries, &c Has know
the accused intimately, since before he was o
age and never knew a more corrct and pur
man.
Mrs. Zollickofrer, (wife of above witness, an
u sister to accused testi6es that he came to the
j, | house, on his way home, about 3 or 80 wit
packages of goods, &C., in his carriage, AM
!, stayed till Lear 4.
Il Sophia Hines. (colored) testified to Maria
n coming to her house, from Gllliard's about dar
- of August 18th was to pay her 50 as midwife
!, and ~ 80 per week board stayed three weel
- but paid only So for board. because she said s
4 hadn't enough to see her through called hersel
Mrs. Howard said she had husband in Wig
% MIA said she came to Giliards in hack, pay
= ing the driver 81, out of 20 note. Levi Dntto
took her to the depot in his hack, and on his n
turn told us how much money he saw she had
felt she had deceived us.
Mrs. Henrietta Hines, (colored) testified sui
n stantially the same. repeating also what Mari
said about coming to Billiards in a hack.
Levi Dutton, (colored) testified that about th
10 middle of August, he took Maria from the Phi
adelphia depot in hack, to Gilliard's Che d.
If tails at length the circumstances of his meett
her, her inquiries for a boarding place, and viii
ar took place at Gilliard's on their arrival y 81
paid him 81 he saw no white maH about wit
N her witness took her about three weeks afte
W from Hines to the Philadelphia depot, with
baby recognized her as the same woman.
Mrs Gilard and ary Il Gilliard, her daugl
70 ter, testified to Maras coming to their houi
q in the manner aud under the circumstances d
Ia scribed by Dutton. After dinner, about o'cloc
J (the time when Maria says Mr.. Matthews 7