Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-07-11

BE said that he sometimes felt lonely
and deSOlate, as il be did not have a friend
in the world. Miss PaTalee remarked: eDr.
Hammer, you ought not to think and feel so:
everybody that knows you thinks a great
deal of you and would do anything they
could TO make you comfortable and happy.
know that would" As the words tcOm-
Portable and happy" are used in the first
letter in some way or other, Miss Paralee's
brother-in-laW thinks that DR.. Hammer
quoted them from the above remark.
The affair, strange 20 say, has been kept
very secret at FOsterville where the young
lady lives. There is nothing said about il
there at all except among the family and a
few others who have been made
acquainted with the facts but
in MurfreesbOrO it is Just
the reverse. 1t IS upon everybOdy's tongue.
Crowds assembled around the church Fri
day morning and evening, and some re-
manned there until IL o'clock at night, al
which time the committee adjourned, wait
ing TO see if they could not hear something
in addition 10 what they had already heaUd.
In the afternoon DR.. Hammer was ex-
amlned, after which he was allowed to
make his defense. lie finished a little af-
ter Z O'Clock, when the committee took a
recess until $50 =. NJ. DR.. Hammer did
not return to the night meeting, but
remained at the residence Of Gen. ID. III. &.
! Spence, where he makes his headquarters
when not travelling on his circuit. He was
said, by paIties who saw him, and con-
versed with him, TO be in a very sad and
gloomy state of mild; and he remarked to
one that the writing Of that letter was the
I most fnniiah fhfrfrr lnn 1fH frsh 1aF.s
He was suffering a great deal from mental
agony, and one Of the party who saw him
informed our reporter that the Doctor had
| slept scarcely an hour since this affair was
first made public.
Our reporter, in mingling with the
crowds of people who had collected on the
street corners, or in some Office or store, to
| discuss the scandal heard many differences
Of opinion expressed, some believing that
| the aged minister could not have been
| guilty of such indiscretiOn, while others,
| sympathizing with the young lady, were
Of the contrary opinion. One old gentle
man, who had come eighteen or twenty
miles 10 hear something about the matter,
was strongly Of the opinion that a minister
who had been endorsed by
Methodist Conference for forty
years, as a man highly respected and hon
ored by bis church, could not stOOp 50 low
as 10 attempt to ruin a Chaste and respecta.
| bic young lady, and be would not be con-
vinced that Dr.. Hammer ever wrote such a
| letter.
The officers Of the church, ard even one
Of the Methodist ministers who was visit
| ing some relative there, were not permitted
to enter the church where tile court Of en-
| quiry was prosecuting the investigation.
| Sometimes the reporter would see one OF
two Of these sad looking people held inyeTy
| close proximity 10 each other and their
mouths cautiously muttering something that
no one could hear but themselves. As soon
as one Ofthem would take his departure,
the other would be approached by some
| one anxious to hear something, and the old
deacon or elder, as it might be, would be
questioned and CrOss-questiOned, but not
the slightest hint Of news could be OBJ
/ tanned.
The committee remained in session az
night until after IL o'clock, and adjourned
until s o'clock yesterday morning without
having arrived at any decision.
Our correspondent at MUrfreesbOrO fIrl-
\ iShes Us the following facts in regard to the
first letter written by DR.. Hammer to Miss
NailOr:
"The letter is said TO cOutaina regret that
/ she should show confusion and eInbarIaSs-
ment every time they met. lie complains
/ Of her not having met him according 10 ap-
| pOintment upon several occasions, and re-
I quests that she will LEI him know if she III
/ tends to meet him at al; if 50, he could
/ stop of at FOsterville either on the Ith Of
July or the 18th, as he was going TO or
/ coming from Shelbyville. He refers to =
meeting, either Of the past or future, at
Smyrna, and speaks Of having played a
game Of crOguet. He refers to SOlOmon's
SOnss, chapters Z and 81
Our correspondent further say that the
NailoT family deny that the young lady
/ had any previous engagement with Dr..
/ Hammer, and he says further that sit is re-
ported that some days previous DR.. Han
| ner, in company with several ladies', went
| from Mrs. FraZier's house in a carriage,
and stopped at Henry NsilOr's gate to leave
a dress. DIR. Hammer insisted on leaving
the dress ON the gate-pOst, instead OF walt
| ing for Miss NailOr to CUme after il, but
/ the ladies OveTruled him. and when Miss
| Nai!O- came out TO The gate, she
is said TO have shown much
confusion and embarrassment. This
fact and the fac that when DR.. Hammer
staid all night at Majors, Miss Nail0r,
who usually occupies a loom or the
first floor next TO the room assigned
to DIR. Hauner, left her room and occupied
/ one with her siSleT-iu-laW mp stairs, is
/ given by DR.. Hammer, it is said, as the
| reason for referring 10 her confusion and
| embarrassment mentioned in the letter
| The committee sealed the letter and other
| documents Of the trial, TO remain 50 till
| Conference, when final action VIII be taken.
| The reader doubtless has a general idea Of
| the contents Of the letter, however, from
what is said above. We have it upon good
| authority that deCeuCy would forbid the
publication Of the whole Of iJ if We had il
entire, and that the 9TH chapter aud I'd
verse Of the Sth chapter embrace the scrip
ture quoted in the epistle.
| Although the representatives Of the press
were excluded from the investigation, they
| were furnished, when the commission rC-
turned last night, with the following
OFFICIAL REPORT!
| The COMMITTEE of Investigation, called
by Bishop McTyeiTe in the case Of Rev. J.
/ W. Hammer, Sr., met in Murfreesbor0, al
| 10 A. NJ, July Q, in the Methodist ChUfch.
| Committee, Rev.R. II. Rivers, DID; Revs.
| L. G. Dryden, W. II. Hughes, j. Il. Plum
mer, J. D. Barcee.
! The witnesses were examined, after
which the accused was given opportunity
to speak for himself, and to explain an
| anonymous letter, the authorship Of which
| was attributed to him, said letter being the
basis Of the charge OF immortality.
The Committee deliberated until 10
| o'clock r. NJ, Friday, and resumed their
| session at A. II. Saturday; and al l.
o',lock they reached and signed their coll
! clusiOn, Of which the following is the sum;
The committee called in the case Of j.
| w. Hammer, Sr., have investigated the same
| with painful and conscientious diligence,
and with pTayerful reference to their re-
| spOnsibilities TO God and his church. They
have not been unmindful Of the eccentrici-
| ties that have marked the accused for some
years, but which have not been deemed Of
sufficient gravity and significance 10 call for
formal discipline. His pecUliari les have
been considered in explanation and miti-
| CATION, and are not without weight i'm esti-
mating some things said and done Jy him.
| The frankness and honesty Of his COnfss-
sions and explanations before the commit
tee duly impressed their minds and hearts.
Important evidence was given BY the ac-
cused against himself, while be protests his
innocence Of certain Intentions, and R=slld
have certain things explained as qu'zSng
and enigmatical only.
- "A NHnHH