New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-05-28
A NARROW ESCAPE.

One Of our uptown churches has jus
missed affording the public a first class
sensation. There has been q good dea
of gossip and seeming on cold trail
but nothing worth recording has trans.
PRED, except the employment of a false
shepherd and his precipitate retreat upon
the first whisper of suspicion.
1t appears that the Second Street Bap-
fist Church found itself without pastor,
and the elders went into the market to
secure the services of suitable pound
text. Character and ability seem to have
been no object, as no inquiries were made.
The formula employed by clearinghouse
proprietors, references exchanged, was
omitted, and recourse was had to a
| Northern directory to find some one
| who is in the habit of prefxing REV "
to his name, to whom the vacant pulpit
and perquisites were to be offered. The
drag net thus thrown out succeeded in
catching an adventurer, who for the time
being wrote his name as Rev. W. E. Cope
land. He was sent for, duly installed,
and began his min istry with more Or less
acceptation to the pious elders. But i'll
luck soon followed the new person. He
had visited Baltimore among other places,
and there behaved himself almost as badly
as though he had been regularly Or
dained Brooklyn minister. Somehow his
pranks among the fair sex leaked out, and
the sad tale reached New Orleans On the
viewless wings of electricity. One of our
papers sent reporter to interview the
tainted shepherd, but the wool was so
completely pulled over the eyes of the
young man that he published the case, in
a long column, as clear one of mistaken
identity, and the inquiry came near being
terminated with an unqualified verdict of
acquittal. But the elders finally woke up
and sent more astute men after their i'm
ported spiritual adviser. The develop
ments resulted in establishing his status
as no minister Of the gospel, with some
thing more than a suspicion affecting his
private character, that he is not worthy
to be one. He found his game was up,
and very prudently stepped down and out.
The only peccadillo alleged against
Copeland during his sojourn here is that
he officiated at the nuptials of happy
couple who desired to be made one. This |
is, of course an offense in the eyes Of the |
law, but as the parties most nearly inter-
ested have been married over again by a |
sure enough minister, no serious harm has |
been DONE
The detectives were creditably yigilant
in working up the case" SO far as az
resting Copeland was concerned; but
when they brought him to the station
confessed they had no charge to make
against him, and he was suffered to 90
bis way. Finally, he was so obliging as
to run away altogether, which was, be-
yond doubt, the very best solution of the
matter that was possible under the very
thin circumstances.
The elders of the church are the parties
chiefly to blame in the matter. They re-
,eived total stranger into their conf
lence, and placed him in charge Of the
most sacred and delicate affairs of human
Existence without knowing anything at all
bout him. In their private business,
hese gentlemen would hardly employ a
,orter under such circumstances. They
hould have been more circumspect in
ischarging the higher trust reposed in
hem. They have had narrow escape
nd we hope the warning may be useful to
hem.