The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-22
DEACON HOPKINS'S FALL.
THE SIN ron WHICH HE WIS EXPELLED
FROM 4 B1PTISr CHURCH.


Publicly Disgrnced ut the Age OF a. Years
= Scandal that has been Recently InvestI-
gated In CarmeI-A Word In his Defense.
Deacon Ira Hopkins Of Carmel, in Putnam
County. having been born in tho year 1903 is
now IS years OF agc. They still call him Dca-
con. although yesterday he was formally cx-
communicated by n synod of tho Baptist
Church, Of which for many years he has boon
member He is man whom you would take to
be much younger than he is. feet inches in
height. stouty built. with dark hair and sdo
whiskers only slightly mixed with gray. u clear
eye. full face moderately rosy. cheerful coun-
tenance. and scarcely perceptbe stoop in
his ample shoulders. He married his Sec
ond wife. maiden lady. about eighteen
years ago. She was Miss Jennie L. Birch.
daughter OF Samuel and Maria Birch.
At present she Is woman OF 40. preposeessing
in appearance. stately in figure. with black hair
and pair Of worry piercing black eyes At tho
timo OF their marriage and for some years sub
sequently. he and she lived In the adjoining
township OF Paterson. II was only four years
ago that the pair moved into the limits OF Car
mel although for fifteen years. until yesterday
he had been deacon in the Baptist church Of
that place.
Deacon Hopkins and his wtc lived in a COM
| Portable house on a small farm about q quarter
OF n mile northward from tho centre Of tho viii
lagc They were not rich but they were emi-
nently respectable. coming both Of good fami-
lies in the country. and he. the eldest dc aeon in
the Baptist church. was for many years pointed
ont as tho model Of q Christian man. BY his
| present wife Deacon Hopkins had no children:
| by former wife no had two sons.
who nre grown and married. and who live away
| from their fathers home. Bcsdesnthemseves
the, household Of the couple Included only
| girl. niece OF tho Deacons wife, She IL n
| native Of Carmel. and familiar 10 nl the people
Of the town: When Deacon HOPKINS and his
She Is at present ls years, OF age. light,
Srp With dark n9 brown SoRT RSr bncsR R eTSy RT
| eyes about feet inches in height. plump and
wo Ss s ~ oyer & bt 9st anu nSI
| ably might he termed simplicity. For somc
! time after heradogtion by tho Deacon she went
| 30 school She called her new parents uncle"
aud aunt" SIZE was sprlghiv She joined
the Baptist church in Carmel about five years
nso. was received by all the people in Carmel ms
| tho Deacons own daughter. and she roamed
about with absolute freedom, any other girl
About a year and half ago. however. the
| habits OF the girl changed completely. She loft
school. She was seldom seen In tho street. and
| when sho was seen people noticed. or say that
| nor IL Mas AZ this time that whispers first
arose " a scandal, Ia which she and the yener-
! able deacon were the parties concerned But
! the scandal was then vague. 1t took q definite
came apparent that the girl was about TO become
| n mother. A little later child was born. and
| AAfu ANN iphbt4sA NHuANh VI NAAiAfl ApbA tue
4 committee was appointed to question the
| deacon aud the girl. but tho deacon refused 10
| say anything and the cir, WAS not 10 bc seen.
| Since the birth OF her child. which Is now about
| one month old. she has not been out of tho
| house. and no one has seen her. Visitors,
| whether from the Church Committee or other
Wise nhVe lnyarlnoy bccn l9nled admlssion 70
| tain any eNrlanation from the deacon. and fail-
ing IN every effort To- see the, girl. reported I?
| tho church that. by all the evidence they could
| collect. the deacon and his adopted daughter
| bad heen guilty, ani TINT he was the father of
| succinl meeting uf church memtrrs Yesterday.
The pastor ot the church, the Rev. Mr. Clnpp.
| pres ',lcd over the meeting. Tho Committee num-
| lcred seven members. all much younger than
the venerable deacon Thorc was not much
work for them io DO. Tho deacon had been
cited o. appnar bat he paid no heed 10 the sum-
mons, and the chnrees against him We're sus-
tained because there was nobody TO dcny thcm.
| After short sitting hv "a resolution he vcnara-
| hls deacon WAS expelled irr m the fellowship of
the church, and his name was erased from the
\ resolution was next offered to the efYrcr that
m" same Committee Wnirh had disposed 81 the
case oi the man should whit upon tho rirl and
! demand an explanation from her. That was
Immediately done. the Committee visiting tho
and. the Committee returning. q second resolu-
ton was adopted hy which she also WAS eX-
'Th" pt6tle u Ctrm@i ars divi,loi in Heir
opinion concerning the action of the church in
this cgse, Although nearly everybody believes
Deacon iouSin- euliy,ine pruoi against MIN
Is considered ycry insuill 'ient. and bis oNpul-
sion from TIE rhur'h lS dcomc1 over nasty. As
10 the sitl. IL the deacon. as alleged Is her par
amour there are plenty who say that he doubt
less imposed upon her with preiexts which his
seem plausible 70 her. and that her eXpul-
sion from the church IS cruel. and constitutes
| o h,UNy handicap for her 20 boar through
ne. \ fw say Tint another is guilty Of tho
charge which is brought against tho deacon.
and that ho keeps silent in order not o. betrny
| th.,tc vino BETRAYED tho gifl. Bui moro sly
That the old man Is guilty, and that he keeps his
tongue quiet and serludes tho girl only bc muse
90
%; no M a, 20 hiia. and would only make his
| e.llne The l.AInur.