Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-07-14
An Old and Distinguished Methodist
Minister, Of Nashville, Charged with
Grave IndiscretiOns.
Full Details OF the scanGal-Iniirect
Confession Of Guilt Before the
Church Commission,
He Is Adiudged Guilty of the Charges,
and suspended from the Church
by the Bishop


| circulation has been gained by report
| affecting the moral character OF one OF
| the most eminent Methodist preachers
| in the State, and one Of the ablest, intel
! lecIuaIly, in the Methodist Episcopal
| church, south, to-wit-Rev. John w.
| Hammer, sr., presiding elder of one OF the
Middle Tennessee districts. 1t original
| ed from q letter placed in the hands of
| the authorities Of the church in this city,
addressed to certain young lady IN
Rutherford county, and intercepted in
| its transmission. The existence Of the
! letter and gossip about its contents are
! now on the lips of thousands Of people,
even having been published in papers
outside the State--said publications do
| ing, by the way, serious Injustice to the
! young lady connected with the affair.
| It was o part of the original rumor that
! an investigation was to take place i'm
mediately and We were urgently request
| ed by leading members OF that church
| to await the result before making q
publication on tine subject. Out of
| consideration for the great denomi-
nation directly concerned, we yielded
seeing that they intended to put the
| accused upon trial at once, and estab-
/ lish his innocence or guilt, Friday hRv-
! ing been fixed as the time and Murfrees-
! bOrO IS the place for the investigation,
| special reporter was sent there, in order
| that full and authentic account might
| be laid before our readers st the earliest
moment. The reporter found that place
| all aglOW with excitement. The COM
! mittee, consisting of Bishop M'Tyeire,
| Rev. J. r. PlummeI, of GAINESVILLE;
| Rev. VIM. Hughes, of Lebanon; Rev.
J. B. Rarbee, of Murfreesb0ro; Rev. l..
| &. Bryant, of Mill Creek circuit, and
Rev. r. H. Rivers, president Of Martin
female institute of Pulaski, arrived and
began their session, with closed doors,
in the Methodist church, at half-psst ten
o'clock in the morning. They remained
in session until three O'clock, and exam
ined Miss Nsilor, Henry Nailor, J ohm J.
Nelly, who married Miss Majors sis
ter, and Rev. Sumner M'Ferrin, pastor
OF Fosterville and Bell Buckle. Miss
Nsilor was the young lady whose reputa-
ton was involved. The examination of
these witnesses resulted in her COM
plete vindication, she proving an excel
lent character. DR.. Banner, who was
present, admitted that what she stated
was in every respect the truth. Bishop
M'pyeire delivered the opinion Of the
committee, during which it is said that
many of the ministers shed tears freely.
The committee, little after three
o'clock, took recess until four O'Clock,
and the young lady and her brother and
bTOther-in-law soon thereafter left for
their homes on the accommodation train
that passed Murfreesboro at i've o'clock.
The young lady has an intelligent face,
but she is by no means beautiful. She
appeared to be about twenty years of
age, and is said to be very soGiable, af-
fectiOnate, ard kind in her disposition.
She is a member OF the Methodist
church, The only charge that our re-
porter could hear OF, was that DR.. Han
ner wrote very indiscreet letter to the
young lady, having references in it that
were somewhat out of the bonds of de-
oency- The reporter made dilligent ef-
fOrls to obtain copy OF the letter, but
his efforts were in vain. He learned
from one Of the witnesses, however, that
the letter was dated June 25th, at
Nashville, and was signed "Sad, but
True,n aud was Enclosed in one of the
Methodist publishing house envelopes,
and addressed to Miss Paralee Major.
The witness said the letter commenced
by calling the young lady "dear one;"
that the writer of the letter wrote that
as he had been disappointed so often,
and seeing her excitement and agitation
on the morning she came out to the
buggy to get an overskirt, he would
avoid the cause Of his trouble by writing
her that letter. The letter referred to a
chapter Of SOlOmOn's songs, which the
witness thought was either the seventh
or eighth, but could not exactly remem.
Der which. He asked her which she
preferred to play, game Of croquet or
70 nd FolNn 10 h
with him, to make an appointment and
he would be there; there would be no
failure on his part. He said that he
would be at Fosterville on the seventh,
Shelbyville on the tenth, and return to
Baskerville OF the thirteenth, and
named the last place as the best. Wit
ness did not know what this meant.
We give the above as the witness re-
peated it to our reporter. The letter ar
rived at FOsterville on the twentieth of
June, and Henry Nailor, who, in con-
nectiOn with his brother John, keeps
store at that place, seeing the Methodist
publishing house stamp upon the en-
velOpe, and thinking that it was dun
for subscription to the Christian AdUO-
cate, or a request for renewal, opened it
and read its contents. He Immediately
became very much enraged, and took
the letter to his sister Paralee, and after
telling her the contents, asked her what
it meant. She seemed to be almost
heart-brOken, and again and again
avOwed her innocence Of any knOwl-
edge of it, and continued to do so up to
her eXculpatiOn Friday. The enraged
man then took the letter to Rev. Sum-
ner M'Ferrin and showed it to him. He
retained the letter, land promised to have
the matter Investigated. Henry request
ed him not to say anything to DR.. Han
neT about it, but let him come to Union
vile and preach if he could. This was
deemed by some as threat
Mr.. M'Ferrin kept the letter few
day and then brought it to Nashville on
Monday, June 28th, and showed it to
Bishop M'Tyeire, and s. consultation
was held as to what steps should be
taken in regard to the matter Bishop
M'Vyeire went down to Fosterville
promptly and looked into the matter,
the result being the temporary suspen-
sion of DR.. Hammer, and fixing Friday,
the ninth Of July, as the day for trial.
1t is said that after DR.. Hammer learned
Of his suspension he Immediately wrote
8 letter OF apology to the young lady,
dated Tuesday, June 29th. and mailed
July LIST, at Nashville. There was no
signature to this letter, which was also
intercepted by Henry Nailor. One of
the witnesses told our reporter that he |
could not remember all the contents Of |
the letter, but that it was an apology for |
the first letter, and stated that the writer |
had not been able to sleep any at all |
since he wrote it.; that upon reflection |
he felt sorry for what he had done and J
asked her forgiveness. He said that |
the suggestion he had made was ter !
rible, and that he could not think of it |
without feeling q perfect sense of horror. |
Henry NailOr received a letter from |
DR.. Hammer last Saturday, dated at Muir !
freesbOrO, in which he said that il the |
first letter had been received by the one /
for whom it was intended, it would have |
been consigned to its proper destination, |
and none Of this trouble would have !
come up. The reporter YVES unable to |
get copies Of the letters, and hence had
to rely upon what little the witnesses
could tell him. 1t is thought that if they
were published in full they would shed
more light upon the subject, and would
be better understood than by giving q
mere synopsis. The young lady's rela-
tons say that she looked upon DR.. Han
ner as a father, and trested him in as
kind and cheerful manner as possible,
not thinking for q moment that this
kindly feeling would prompt him to take