The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-08-30
MORE Observation-Disclosures

MORE BEECHERCONKLINGISM
, \ spccial reporter of the Chicago Times ha'
| been nosing around Grand Rapids, Michigan
: and rot scent Of case OF nest-hiding tina
G promises to equal in nastiness and attain al
the proportions of the great Tilton BeecheI
scandal The principal character involved Il
! the well known Rev. DR.. Joseph Parrish
q Thompson, for twenty sevcn years the pastor o
tine old Broadway Tabernacle in New York
and hardly second IN fame, popularity and Ell
oqucnce to the great Beecher himself. DIR
% Thompson enjoys not only wide fame as {
great pulpleI, but Is known rs a prolific au
thor, some of his books occupying prominent
: places IN every theological library, suchas his
. EGYPT, Past and Present" Love and Penal
Ity," Man in Genesis and Geology" &c.
The story runs somewhat in this wise, There
is employed as pressman in the Office of the
G,a,,d RupidS Democrat man named Hooker
A. De Land, 80 or 40 years old, well.dresscd, OF
rather swarthy complexion but strong and
manly features. He had served four years in
the war and risen from private to the rank OF
Mich, where some twelve years ago he met
Sarah Bailey, poor sewing girl, whom he
married They lived happily together FOL
about three years, when they moved to Grand
Rapids, Mr.. DeLand accepting the foremanship
of the press room IN the Democrat Office which
he still retains. About this time, the wife be
came possessed Of the idea that she had fine
voice and being urged thereto by friends, com
mcnced taking lessons in vocal music from a
local German teacher In a year or two, her
voice having developed splendIdly, she was adj
vlSed that the only way to perfect her musical
studies was to 90 to Berlin, and the husband
had no peace until he allowed her to 80 there,
and for five or more years the poor man, ON an
income of SO or $50 month, has been starry
ing himself and daughter at home to enable
the wife to live in style" and pursue her stud
les in the gay Prussian capital.
In Berlin also now livcd-and still lives
the very Rev. DR., Joseph Parrish Thompson,
who had surrendered his pastorship of the
Broadway Tabernacle five or six years ago and
moved to Berlin to be within reach of better
libraries and other appliances needful in his
literary pursuits than he could find in this
country. The Rev. J. Morgan Smith, of Grand
Rapids happened to be acquainted with DR..
Thompson and cognoscent OF his residence IN
Berlin, and knowing all about De Land and
his wife, volunteered with the husbands per
mission, to send to the wife in Berlin letter
OF introduction to Dr. Thompson, recommend
ing her to his consideration and soliciting his
friendly interest IN her welfare That letter
was the death-warrant to the happiness of hus,
band and wife. DR.. Thompson soon found the
lady, and as she was comely of person, lntelli-
gent and vivacious he seems Immediately to
have become enamoured of her and set about
to accomplish her ruin, in which he was abun-
dainty successful. Living over two years IN
dallance with this "rcvcred" rOue IN Berlin,
the wife at last, after an absence Of five years.
during which she had no other communication
with her husband than to draw on HIM pitiless
ly for more money, she returned home, but not
to the loving arms of the long waiting, eagerly
expectant husband, but to inform him that she
could not now be wife to him-that he must
not even lay hands on her-that her delicate
vocal organs would be dcranged thereby, be
ing attuned to slch tension that the slightest
jar would produce dscord
The husband, being a practical man, saw at
once that all this was, as he says d non
sense" but though he had observed enough
beforehand to know that something was wrong
and to suspect there was man in the case, he
had no real light on the subject until lie got
hold of his wlte's trunk. Though strictly for
hidden to touch ii, he broke 1t open and there,
securely slowed away in one corner, he found
package Of letters from DR.. Thompson that
revealed all Their revelations were even ten
times worse than the worst he had expected
On confronting the wretched woman with the
letters she admitted her guilt, but offered to do
anything-cven to live with De Land again as
his wife--if he would destroy the letters and
save her and her paramount from exposure To
this the husband refused to assent, and the
wife, several months ago, left for New York,
where, through the influence of DIR. Thompson
and his friends, she has obtained a situation at
| fair wages in an arlstocratic church choir
Meantime the husband is in correspondence
with Dr. Thompson, demanding OF HIM con
fessions, apologies and money-Dr. Thompson
is rich-as the price of more diretul prosecu
tons, exposure, &c.
Bob Ingersoll denies the impeachment that
he threatened, if Hayes didn't pardon Bennett
of the n. Y. Truth Seeker, who is IN the Al
bany penitentiary for circulating obscene doc
uments through the mail, he would stump
Ohio for the democrats; but he admits that he
| is beart and soul in the movement to organize