The Portland daily press., 1876-02-14
Mr.. Reecher's Denial.

At the adjourned annual meeting of Ply
mouth church Friday night the clerk read the
report of the examining committee, detailing
the several meetings between it and Bowen.
When the reading was concluded, S. V. White
offered a resolution, which, after several amend
ments, was adopted as follows:
ReSolUed, That the whole matter of insInua-
tons or accusations of Henry c. Bowen against
the pastor of the church be referred back to
the examining committee, with instructions to
continue the investigation begun by them, and
that they be instructed to summon said Bowen
before them, having first given him ten days
notice of the time and place of their meeting,
and to notify him that he will be asked to state
any and every fact within his knowledge tend
ing to support the insinuatons or charges con-
tanned in his letter of the 4th Instant, and to
give the names of all witnesses known to him
by whom any of the facts within his personal
knowledge may be proved, and submit to such
other and further thorough and rigid examina-
ton as shall be necessary and proper to elicit
the fullest possible investigation.
Mr.. Beecher said he was far from feeling in
aspirited humor. A controversy between a
pastor and member of church was a very
sad thing. To have quarrel was to him in
the nature OF funeral service. Mr.. Bowen
was one of the Oldest members of the church !;
but he must not forget that Mr.. Bowers
threshold was the first he crossed in coming to
Brooklyn. He could not think of anything
more sad than to find man with whom he had
walked arm and arm, and with whom he had
taken sweet counsel, and of whose hospitality
he had shared, turned against him. Mr..
Beecher had, thus far, spoken very quietly and
sadly, but now he burst forth in laundering
tones, throwing into his words all the vehe-
mence possible to him. He said that if for the
last fifteen years or more Mr. Bowen had been
IN possession of these facts. and never brought
them before him or before an officer of
the church. he was guilty of breaking
his covenant with the church, and he
Dug bit to be expelled. If he 1.-THE speaker) was
out of the church long ago He was not gull
ty, and the allegations made by Mr. Bowen
were false. He would pronounce them so. He
referred sarcastically to the fact that Mr.. Bow
en- naa not had time to answer the questions,
but said that he had time to charge him with
being a criminal, the badness of which the
three epithets used by him could hardly COM
pass. There should be no secresy in the mat
ter II he could help it, and everything should
De sltted to the very bottom. Mr.. Beecher had
now allowed his voice to die down to one in
which were expressed mingled sadness and re-
proach, when suddenly bursting forth, with his
ioudest and most vehement tones, he said: "As
Tor myself, pronounce this allegation false,
Judgment l arraign him as slanderer and
liar. Then, as he sat down, was enacted a
scene which has never but twice before taken
place in the Plymouth church lecture room
GiaPping OF hands, stamping of feet and men
hallooiug plaudits at their pastor: while his
wife bowed her head upon her hands and wept
bitterly for some moments.
The meeting then adjourned at the call of the
chair.
The examining committee met Immediately
after the adjournment, and decided to summon
MI. Bowen to appear before them on the even
ing OF the I'D inst, at the residence of assist
ant pastor Halliday, and give proof of the ale
4th inst ~ '0