The Van Buren press., 1875-08-10
THE NATTER WITH HAMMER.
A Preacher, Wei! KAown In Arkansas,
Three Years Older than 1secher
who was Not Vindicsted.

I0feo I ears Ol0er then 6eeenor
who was Not Vindicated.
The Louisville Courier Journals NASH
vile Tenn, correspondence Of the 10th
inst, contains the following: A CON-
mission appointed by Bishop McTyeire,
OF the Methodist Episcopal church soath,
has been sitting at Murfreesboro the paat
two days, investigating the ministerial
conduct OF the Rev j. W. Hammer, sr.,
presiding elder of that district. He ad l.,
mitted having sent an anonymous letter
to a respectable young lady named Para
lee Nailor, conveying the idea Of desire
for close intimacy, and referring to the
seventeenth chapter Of the songs of Solo
mon and the second verse Of the eighth
chapter. The letter was incloscd in an
envelope with the lettcr.head Of the
Southern Methodist publishing house
Her brother, thinking it related to a mat
ter of business, opened it, and read its
contents. The commission completely
vindicated the character Of Miss Nailor.
Hammer is sixty five years old, and
gray headed. He has served in the min
istry forty years, and was one of the
most prominent as we'll as most eloquent,
men of his church The matter creates
n great deal of excitement throughout
the state
The commission rendered verdict
that John W. Hammer, sr., is not only
guilty Of what is improper and repro
hensible in the highest degree in a Chris
tian man and minister, but that his con
duct.in the affair deserves le formal yer.
dict that he is guilty Of immortality in
writing letter to young lady, dated
June %, apparently designed to corrupt
her and to seduee her from the path of
virtue. and couehed in terms intimating
a readiness to be the instrument of her
ruin.
Whereupon the bishop pronounced the
suspension of John w, Hammer sr., from
his ministerial office until the next ses.
sion Of the Tennessee annual conference
Suspension is the sentence fixed by law
after verdict Of guilty.
When The young lady whose name has
been SO unpleasantly connected with the
case finished her testimony. and left to
take the train home, the bishop took oc
casion to thank her for her attending his
summons at Inconvenience to herself,
and assured her that however the case
might result, he had no doubt that her
reputation for virtue and purity would be
untarnshed. and he believed that the
committee would be of the same mind
All the evidence taken in this case, and
the verdict returned, and the journal pro.
ceedings were sealed mp. and will be for
warded to the Tennessee annual confer
ence, which meets at Fayetteville next
October
John W. Hammer is one of the great
men of the Methodist church south. He
has no superior as biblical scholar in
America: is profound reasoner, an elo.
quent preacher, and energetic practical
little man, whose head is as white as
snow. He was not caught in this trap
without bait The women have many
winning ways and are real dick Nalors
when they put their heads to it. And
that's what's the matter with Hammer!
FARMERS WoN'T BELIEVE IT The far
mer upon one hundrcd acres, says an ex
change, who has few acres in wheat, a
few in corn, few in oats. and few in
potatoes roots, and then has liberal pas
ture and meadow, with four or five acre.
in apples, and as many more pears, peach
es. plums, quiuces. add cherries, keeping
half dozen cows, and perhaps twenty
five or thirty long wool grade sheep, vii
be likely to come out better, taking one
year with another, than one who devote,
the large number Of his acres to cotto
or some other leading crop II any on,
crop is failure. or sells too low to at
ford any profit, Others may yield prof
enough to prevent any serious loss.