The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-01-10
DOWN AND OUT.
The ErTing Elder Gives Up the Fight
and Writes His Resignation.
It IS Accepted by His Church and the Sentinel
is Thus Completely indicated.

The result which the Sentinel has con-
fdently expected from the first outbreak Of
the unsavry Black scandal has arrived, and
the position consistently assumed and con-
sistently maintained by this paper from
the earliest moment has been triumphantly
justified. The shepherd steps down and out
In the face OF a convinced and indignant
flock and the pulpit that once knew his
rOtund presence shall know il
no more forever at the end
OF long and stormy session OF
his church council he has written his resig-
nation. giving q finsy pretext. and the
church has accepted upon grounds equally
Irrelevant His resignation is practical
expulsiOn-s substantial conviction-and
however its naked harshness is toned down
by decent veil of conventional forms. the
action OF the church will be generally &C
cepted as establishing his guilt and
lusufying the journal which
hsd the boldness and enterprise
to be the first TO tear the mask from the
secret deeds from which all shrink with hor-
ror when exposed. To go into details of the
church proceedings: 1t is known that
committee of the elders, consisting of
Messrs Wallace, GrOoms and Benton, was
sent to St. Louis to make personal examina-
ton into the testimony against Mr.. Black
This committee was in no way unfavorable
to Black, bat went TO st. Louis in the strict
interest o. truth and justice, and il con-
Quoted its inquiry at St. Louis as an original
investigation wholly without aid or consul
tatiOn with the original exposers of the
eScapade which formed the basis OF the
charge against Mr.. Black. The precise
result of this journey remains I'M
published, but it is certain that il led
to change of heart in the COM
mittee. No sooner had they returned than
the rumor found credeHce that thew were
unanimously convinced Of the truth of the
charge and would so report--a rurnor which
the event confirms.
The COUNCIL LAST SIGHT
Upon their return from st. Louis this
committee proved extremely reticent
as 10 their probable course. re-
serving their decision for council
OF the elders. Such council was held last
night at the house of William Wallace when
an improvised ecclesiastical court-assembled
to bear the report of the committee and
finally adiudicate upon his case.
The session Was secret. Representatives
OF the press were excluded with the utmost
care, and correspondents and reporters
lowered. shivering about Mr. Nallaces
ordinarily hospitable, but now severely re-
Pellant doors and windows, like visit
fui Peris abOut the gates of paradise
Just how the information to be
given 70 the world this morning reached the
ears of the patient LINGERIE would not be
iEteliigible to the average reader-perhaps
the carefully kept secrets diffused them
selves through the chilly air-perhaps
some eager journalistic ear approached
Inadvertently to near some. inving crevice.
Suffice il that the substantial result of the
declarations is not Only published in the
local journals OF tn o morning, but was
telegraphed to some dozen foreign
papers Briefly, the result was this:
The session was protracted and stormy,
Discussion and argument ran high; arraign-
ments, protestations and appeals rapidly
succeeded each other. Elder Black was the
chief speaker. his earnest, agitated voice
making itself heard beyond the limits of
the room. As final result of the whole
matter, when it appeared that anything
like satisfying the brethren of his innocence
was out OF the question Mr.. Black wrote
the letter which goes to the world as his
resignation, but which will be
more generally accepted as the
mark OF bis substantial expulsion and
merited disgrace. The letter offers his res
ignation a. pastor of the Christian chapel
for the stated reaeon that he wishes to leave
the church at liberty to carry on any need
ful investigations or prosecutions. The
resignation was promptly accepted. The
church, taking its cue from the pastor,
framed its answer to accept the res
ignation in or der to leave the pastor free to
prosecute his defense and overcome his al
legged maligpers in his turn. The dispo-
kfilon shown to deal tenderly with the
dpe shepherd. and to let his fall be as
q q and painless as the circumstances