The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1879-01-25
BseCher to be Sued for $4,000.

The New York Sun Of Sunday says:-
Henry Ward Beecher has got into trouble
with number of leading residents of Cumber.
land, Nd, aud unless he settles claim which
they are pressing against him ii is probable
that he will have to trudge into court again.
The Agricultural Society of Allegany county,
Md, arranged last fall for a grand fair, and
the hnest stations, oxen, cows, sheep, bulls
and chickens were entered for exhibition.
The president of the Agricultural Society,
Mr.. Lloyd Lowndes, who is also the president
of n national bank in that place, thought that
Beecher would make feature of the exhibi.
ton, and having arranged for Hayes and Sher-
man to come en- one day, in order to draw a
crowd, he determined TO engage Beecher for
another day. He had some doubt about
Beecher's record; but fellow townsman, Mr..
Semmes, the nephew Of the famous Admiral
Raphael Semmes, urged him to get the Ply
mouth pastor as an attraction.
Accordingly, as q money making device,
Mr.. Lowndes wrote to Mr.. Beecheris Boston
agents to secure him, and they entered into a
contract for him TO make an address in Cum.
berland on October 20. The Agricultural
Society was to pay him $500 for his services.
Beecher was widely advertised as one OF
the features of the show Posters were sent
everywhere in that part of Maryland, with his
name alongside Of the names OF famous ami.
mails from the prize farms Of the State.
President Lowndes had several hundred extra
seats put up in the fair grounds for the accom-
mediation Of the expected throng, aud he made
every arrangement to reap the $4,000 har.
vest which he thought was sure to follow the
presence Of Beecher in the fair.
After he had diligently worked up the pop.
ulace to the tip.toe Of expectation, he was
surprised and disguised on October %, the
day before the advertised date OF the lecture
by receiving dispatch from Beecher's agents
caneelling the engagement. No reason was
given for the act, and Mr.. Lowndes telegraph.
ed back that Mr.. Beecher must come without
fail. The agent replied that it was impossible
for him to come. Thon Mr. Beecher was
telegraphed to at length and urged to fulfill
his contract, and to relieve innocent persons
from the responsibility of disappointing the
great multitude that expected him. He tele.
graphed back that he would accept all the
responsibility Of breaking the engagement
No further Subtraction could be obtained.
The contract was broken too late for prom.
err notice to be given 10 those who had arrali.
ged to visit the fair TO see Beecher, and on
the next day, Oct. %, when the throng poured
into the town from many miles distant, there
was much indignation expressed over the dis.
appointment, and many returned without Wis.
ting the fair, The disappointment led to
diminished throng on Oct. "a, when Hayes
and Sherman were 10 be the attractions, for
the promise Of their being on exhibition was
distrusted; nevertheless they kept their word.
In settling up the affairs of the exhibition,
the Agricultural Society determined to dc.
mand damages from Mr.. Beeeher for breach
of contract, and in the last Of November a
ember of the society was sent North to de.
mand satisfaction. The agent told him that
Mr.. Beecher had ordered them to cancel the
engagement, and they did so. They referred
the committeeman to Mr., Beecher, and he
referred them to his agents; but as the dele.
gate was persistent, and began to threaten to
make things warm, Mr.. Beecher said that
when he made the engagement he expected
to have engagements in Baltimore and Wash.
ington which he could fill ON the same trip,
and thus make the journey profitable but
failing to secure these other engagements he
could not afford to take three days trip for
$500.
This explanation was by no means satisfac.
tory, and the society has made demand on
Mr.. Beecher for $4,000 damages Ifhe fails
to satisfactorily arrange the difficulty suit
for that amount is TO begun.