The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-04-03
A.SrRANGa sLaI.
lstt-f
A Man Sues a Church for Alien-
y sttTn x VAC Al<c tsHss - u e gsS-'NRiGe
and ReGeiyes, e25OO Damages

BFy "a tOI1t ikxchs q 2t'S = e iHct 9+tt ;.
u j AN linIeresting ease.lIas just beennlosed
!. jnf the. Gsgrt OF Gppmnn Pleas of this
couafy. The case involved. the question
Of the Authority IT Church 6r State '79
20 mr. IL 'ehTy ibroiIght suit gAihst
john E4old,4n IN and others in $40; 900 for
epticiug has wife u abstain from, martial
Relations with him. 1t, appears from the
evidence iii It MI the parties were mem
bers IF fhG 'den6thfnat7on He'd Church
of God,a''a branch ef the Mennohites. In
May, 1879 she s.s0ciaty of which. John
Liohty aud his wife were members, for
divers reasons not shown in court, ex-
communicated him and placed him under
the ban termed" avoidance" Tins means
that the remaining members shall shun
and avoid the erriDg ami eXeommuni-
Gated brother until he repents and is
again received into the church. 1t makes
it the duty Of1the wife, she being a mem
Der, not to eat at the same table with
her husband, nor talk with him, except
when of absolute necessity; or hold any
communication with him whatsoever,
under penalty of being expelled from the
church ami being forever lost for disobe-
dience> :, She could, however, keep house
FIR. him. aud family, which consisted of
four children. This she did for year,
he in the meantime patiently and kindly
trying t6 induce her TO act the wifeiy part
with 4iIn.i But on different occasions,
when he had nearly succeeded in winning
her back to him, these. preachers or
teachers would step in and warn her that
She could not take such a step without
the consent Of the church, and that if she
did her, soulawould be forever lost. . He
then rented his farm. and moved away,
to be from under this influence, thinking
his wife would 60 with him. but this in
fiuence was brought to bear, upor her,
and SHE we uld not leave the society
- Thus did these men on the one hand
seize. upon the. strongest cord of the hui
man heart, religious zeal and faith, to
keep this wife from her husband, and
they might, ON the other hand, grasp the
cords of human affection. and love to
make a man bow to- the. church in which
he did not worship. They, were willing
to break up family which had been
maintained In peace and love for sixteen
years" to compel this man to do "their
bidding. go They made their OWN defense
in court, not believing in lawyers, The
Bible was their Iaw-book, from which
they read in parts from numbers to
Revelation. Simon Mennil, of Holland,
who lived in the sixteenth century, was
their. commentator BY the Bible they
sought to justify their course, and,
under the plea, of religious tolerance,
guaranteed by the constitution, claimed
a verdict in their favor. 1t is, perhaps,
safe to say that such a people and such a
defense was never before seen OF. heard,
in the courts of this country. 1t was the
sixteenth and the nineteenth century
flee TO face. The testimony being all
in, and arguments. having been. made,
the case went to the jury, whoA soon
brought IN a verdict giving S250O dam
ages to the plaintiff. The case has ex
cited much interest.