The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-03-21
DISPUTING OVER SSO,OOO.
TJyO BlPTIsT CHURCHES IN THE LIVE
LIEsT KIND or 4 QUIRREL-
The Controversy that Followed the oliver
street thurch's tuion with the M"d's"n
Avenue FoIk.-A Fourteen Years Fight.


There was great rejoicing among the Oil
yer Street Baptist Church folks at their prayer
meeting Inst evening in eirtemporary church
in Fifty-third street. II was believed that inc
Court OF Appeals had decided in their favor In
fourteen years litigation with the Madison Ave-
nue. Baptist Church. and had awarded them
about ssO0OO Curously enough. there
WIS likewise n prayer meeting in the Madison
Avenue Baptist Church. whore the opinion was
EXPRESSED that the litigation was by no means
ended and 1t would be II long time before the
Oliver street folks get their $4,000.
The two churches that have been In this liti-
CATION costing about 100000. united 30 far as
was possible in 1862. The Oliver Street Church.
according to their story. owned considerable
property. and the Madison Avenue Church was
in debt. and. II Is said feared that they
would lose their fine edifire. The Oliver street
folks sold all their property and put in fsO.OOO.
taking a deed OF the Madison avenue church.
and the two churches united under the name
Of the Madison Avenue Baptist Church. with
the understanding that three trustees
should bo elected on each side. The Oliver
street members say that the defeat of one OF the
Madison avenue candidates for trustees was the
cause of the first difficulty; that the defeated
man set himself to work to have the deed de-
| carcd null and void, which was done. ana the
/ Oliver Street Gnurrn WIS N'NpOSSfsStu
/ turned out. minus their sSOOOO. linen Deshh
| the litgatian for the fsOh'W.
Madison avenue member snld tnnt lmme-
diately after the union disrord arose oetwefn
the memberships. me pan 2i union ,n ne
said. provided that three OF the Oliver
street trustees should resign and three OF
| our trustees should be named by us Tor their
| places. A ticket was agreed upon iy INC
| leading men OF tho two churches. " tn the mn
| derstnnding on the part Of the Madison avenue
| people that there was TO be only one ticket But
| when the time for voting came. we found that
they had taken of two Of the names OF our sldc.
| That led to vehement remonstrnnc" ana gr'h'
| heartburnings, and. AS IL was believer thht they
| had the titls to the property, our people
began to drift away. Counsel advised us tha'
| the title OF the property was still vested IN US
| and that the deed WAS Illegal. We requested
| the Oliver street people 20 vacate the premises
| The few thousand dollars which they then hhd
| paid we rendered back. They refused 10 accept t.
| On application OF the trustees OF the OliveI
Street Church, an Injunction was granted DS
Judge Barnard forbi ding the trustees OF tht
Madison Avenue Church from taking any
measures TO recover their property. Judg'
Clerke. however. dismissed the Injunction; W,
then sued for the eJeetment ot the Ollver stree
Church and the recovery OF the property.
The Court of Appeals decided ia 1871. unani
| mously that the title WIS with US. but Orderct
an accounting. Judge Sedgewick then ORDERED
| n reference which determined that the OhNe
| Street Church should be held accountable
for the rental value Of this property. IN
Judge Sedg.wick's decision was sustained b
the General Term. which woult have made IN
Oliver street people owe US $4,000. That de
cision however, has been overruled by tn
Court Of Appeals. The accounting whicl
is ordered by this last decision. II
| takes as long the last one. VIII requlr
| five years. The decision which the Court make
is precisely what W. offered them in 1854. unde
which we were willing to pay them abou
$4,000. Instead OF taking that they went I
|, law