Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-02-13
That Breach of Promise Case.

I
AS there seems to be a difference Of
opinion prevailing in the community
as to the proprieiy of my sister bring.
ing Mr.. Lyle before the Presbytery OF
st. Clairsville for trial for u breach OF
promise of marriage made in 4. D.,
1859, wfhave thought proper to make
public the reasons that induced her to
do so. We were we'll advised in the
matter before we took the responsible
! step. We counseled Revs. Nehafiey,
Crawford and Armstrong, and they
all advised us to do as We did, assur-
ing us if we procured the services OF
Rev. Ferguson IS prosecution, tnat
they would aid him with ali their
might, and that there was no reasona-
bic doubt but Presbytery would re-
woke the license OF Lyle as = just pud-
ishment for his base conduct toward
us. Crawford told our dying fatner
that he would do all he could for us,
and that Presbytery could not help ta-
king his license from him, for i was a
base and imprudent act. Therefore
we, as members of the Presbyterian
church. did not wish to belong TO a.
church that permitted L man like Lyle,
who thus lied and deceived US, to
handle the elnblems o: Christ.
Rev. Mehaffey wrote the form of the
letter tnat we sent TO the Presbytery
last spring, protesting against the IL !!
censure ofLyle, which letter, although
addressed to the Moderator, was taken |
from the Office and opened by Rev. !
Alexander OF st. Clairsville. He see
ing wnat The lei5er contained, made it |
l. 10 hs,.e .Nf
tefy, viz: Revs. Grimes, Milligan and
Armstrong. Lyle being present, they
held u secret meeting and Lyle max
ing sacred promises that he would do
what was right in the case, the letter
was smuggled or pocketed by Moder-
atoc, and not allowed to come before
and so PreSbytery WAS left
to license Lyle, which was wrong and |
the world looks On it as Shame and
disgrace 10 the st. Clairsville Presby-
.ery, such as time will not soon erase.
He-e Lyle betrayed the trust that these
ministers secretly placed in him.
Their confidence in him however, still
remained mistaken, although he had
lied 10 them for the purpose of being
licensed. Armstrong voted "admoni-
tion," but Grimes kept his seat, which
was an honor TO him and the Christian
church, and God viii reward him for
his silence, wnen he could not main
tain the right, he being q relative of
Lyle. Having thus, by the advice Of
those whom we then regarded as wise
and good men, put our hands to the
plOW, we could not turn back, and so
went on with the prosecution, prompt |
ed in so doing by tine most solemn as
from Me5srs. Mehaffey, Craw-
ford and Armstrong, to ourselves and
our dying father, that 3Ue qCeTe doing
right, and would be approved OF by |
both God and man. But, o. our dis
when we found ourselves
betrayed at Antrim by the very men
who fostered the cause and qcho aLO:.e
are responsible for it eUer coming 5efo G
the p,t5i;c. Who would have thought /
that DR.. Crawford would have acted az
he did at Antrim, after promising what
he did to us that he would stand by
US TO the last? He and others thus
themselves up in their sell
tishhess, and finding out the particu-
lars OF the case, that they might betray
my poor sister the more successfully, |
when Rev. Ferguson in the prosecu-
ton at Antrim would attempt to speak
in our favor, Mr.. Crawford would call
him to order. and say: "Lyle must
have defender" and at the same time
he knew that he was 20 be Lyle's at
torney if the trial had proceeded. Rev.
as Moderator, was to ''ad-
Lyle. Instead of admonjtion,
he gave him fathefIy advice of the
easiest kind of, which Lyle went home
not Smarting, for he expect
ed as he said ''to lose his license" and
hen said he ~ intended, to peddle the
were just three voted
or "admonish." Ferguson voted no."
regarding admonition as too slight
punishment for so great au oifeDse,
which was an honor to him and the +,
church. He is man Of truth; he said :,
le would do all in his power for US,
md he did it nobiy. We fully appre-
late his services, and may GOD bless
lin for the part he took in defending
n orphan girl, VINO was imposed on
" heartiess deceiver.
THOMAS SMITH. (
We publish the above at the earnest =
olicitation OF friends of the young lady /
afnrrad tn ohox-o --TFn j