The New York herald., 1879-03-26
TALMAGE UNDER FIRE.
First Broadside from the Brook
lyn Presbytery.
A SEVERE ARRANGEMENT
Exciting Scenes in the Clinton
Street Church.

By twos and threes. and often in parties of five
or six the devoted Presbyterians of Brooklyn
ocked to the Clinton Street Church yesterday after
noon Under any circumstances DR.. Talnage is sure
of audience. At tea party he would be ga strong
card but at trial his attractiveness is beyond es-
timation The ediice even more crowded than
on the first day. People wedged themselves into al
most impossible places and took possession of the
very pulpit itself All this required some sacrifice;
for Presbyterian pulpit, though it be carpeted IS
by no means easy thing to sit on. The
people of the Tabernacle the earli-
est to arrive, and they crowded as near
rs possible to the neighDorhood of their accused
pastor Perhaps three-fourths of the attendance
was COMPOSED OF ladies' nearly all of whom were Of
the fashionable circle. The Presbyters came in.
mostly gray haired and stern, and took their seats
by the centre aisle. Then Dr. Talmage came. and,
after seating his wife, shook hands with everybody
reach and down to await tho attack which the
day was expected to bring. BY his side were his
counsel, Drs. Spear and Millard, and his faithful
deacon. Corwin. The prosecuting officers. Drs.
Crosby and Mccullough. full of business. not
ten feet away.
GETTING WORK.
The Moderator, DR.. Ludlow, offered prayer, and
Clerk Greene after roll CALL read the minutes Of the
previous session. They approved, and DIR.
Spear arose to submit three propositions affecting
the method of trial. would have done so had they
been adopted. He asked them because great injus-
tice might temporarily be done DR.. Talmase by per-
mitting evidence tina. might be presented against
him to remain unanswered even FOR Gay.
DIR. Crosby, for the prosecution said be
regretted they could not comply with the
request. it would dsarrange tho order OF pro-
cedure and Inconvenience their witnesses. many Of
whom came from distance DR.. Spear was ready
then to strike out the second proposition and
slightly modify the third, so that the evidence
might be brought into some orderly and tangible
shape He. however put his original proposition i'll
the form of motion for the Presbytery to decide.
DR.. Mccullough. tor the prosecution; presented
his favorite argument that this whole
thing had been gone over by the Presbytery
at the early part of the trial" Dr. Millard who
makes it his particular province take the wind
this respect, and then after much more ecclesiasti
cal sparring DIR. Spear withdrew his motion and
said he would trust to the honor OF the prosecution.
AUDIENCE DANGER.
All this having been settled Clerk Greene read .
witnesses against DR.. Talmage. the same having
been published in the HERALD of yesterday. There
was an effort at applause. which the Moderator
checked.
DIR. Crosby said sententiously :-"An the witnesses
are unwilling Witnesses myself am an unwilling
prosecutor.
His speech was greeted with derisive laughter from
the good people of the Tabernacle who appeared to
be in the majority. The Moderator repressed them
promptly, but not very effectively.
DR.. Halsey "a digniied presby ter)I desire to know
if side is be made the subject OF ridicule at
every convenient OCCASION during these proceedings.
If SO shall consider myself under the necessity of
moving according to our rules that all excepting the
members of the Presbytery and reporters be
cluded.
Dr. McClelland the blind pastor of the Fort Greene
Chrrch)-And shall consider myself under the
necessity of seconding such motion If the demon
Btratons not discontinued.
The Moderator-I must request the spectators to
heed this admonition shall be compelled to
clude them. 1t is allowable to laugh when anything
OF funny nature occurs, but beyond this hope
the audience will repress themselves.
Dr. Crosby-Do understand that the spectators
are to be allowed to indulge in loud laughter?
The Moderator with meaning smilei-That is o
very difficult point to decide. 1t would depend
largely upon the mrthfulness of the counsels re-
DR.. Crosby after a momentary confusion said he
should ask that the point might be determined then
Dr. Spear said he knew where the sympathies of
the audience and where the sympathy OF the entire
city lay. But in serio-comic style he asked that the
audience would endeavor to keep their respiratory
organs under such control rs not to produce the vi
bratory motion resulting in sound
So that ended and DIR. Crosby proceeded to
move that Messrs. +. d. Cogswell, Warren S. Sill
cocks. Daniel Talinage, Alexander Pearson Robert $.
Hobbs and John l.. Talma2e, whose were
signed to the letter declining to testify, be served
with second citations, and. II they aid not answer.
the Presbyterian Church. provided by the Church
ru es. som body suggested that it would be well to
rians before taking this step; but it concluded
to send the second citations anyway.
THE FIRsr GUN.
Now came the opening for the prosecution. At
word from the Moderator, the youthful DR.. Crosby
arose and read from a manuscript AS follows-
What we propose to show Is that during o
series of years DR.. Talmage, in various circum-
stances and in relation to different OF men,
been acting in decetiul and double faced manner
aud repeatedly spoken untruthfuily in order to
gain his ends or 20 cover his tracks Weput upon the
stand of uninpeachablc veracity. who will tell
you that Dr. Talmage in the autumn of 1876 when he
wished to retire from the edtorship OF the CrstGa
al Work and transfer his services to the Adcdnce,
insteai of making the change in straightforward
and honest manner, went to the Office the
former paper in the evening, under cover OF dark
ness. and there surrcptitiously and without the
knowledge his of the proprictors of
the paper TO be inserted in the paper which
osns wae y ray o D 's Of he asan ths h
took with him also, and caused 10 be inserted,
elaborate advertisements OF the idrance which also
announced his transfer 10 that paper; that lie then
proceeded to the press rooms and gave orders that
the presses should be run all night. in order
that this changed edition OF the paper
changed with the deliberate purpose OF ill.,
juring the Cplsiian al Ho,k Company,
In whose employ he was, changed in the interest OF
his new employers might be struck of before the
proprietors should know that their property
being tampered with; and. in order ssi further to
secure this base and dishonorabe end, he
made arrangements that copies OF the paper as it
originally prepared before he decetiully changed
of the managing editor in the morning. by which
trick they deceived into the bcer that the pa
per being issued in its original, proper and inno
cent form; and all this done although but
few months before he had signed agreement that
he would not withdraw from the paper without Civ
ing thirty days notice.
THINGS USDoSE
Under specification we shall provo that many
times. through different years, Dr. Talmsee pro-
claimed from his pulpit that the church
freei that the pews were not rented;
that they were assigned to those who wished
to become regular attendants without the
dollar question. Indeed that lie in the habit of
using expressions which were intended to and did
give the impression that there connection
between the subscriptions which all were expected
TO give toward the support OF the church aud the
occupancy of the pews. In other words. he do
cared that the pews free and the subscriptions
voluntary, yet at the very timo hc was making these
charge Ot the assignment OF pows or OF the collcc
tion of subscriptions were refusing to assign pcws
tu those who. applied for them unless they also
subscribed and 10 those who did subscribe they
Unsigned seats according 20 the amount OF tlicir
subscription those who paid much having good
soats, those who paid little having comparatively
poor ones. and some instances persons com-
PEELED 90 give up their because they could not
or would not pay as much as II was thought their
seats should bring. Ana shall show that Dr.