The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-10-28
West and South.

REV. DIR. THOMAS appeared before the Rock
River (nL) NJ. E. Conference on the 18th and
in reply to the resolutions passed by that
body requesting him to withdraw, read q
paper giving his reasons for refusing to COM
ply with the request. He recites his long
fellowship with the Methodist Church: his
labors for quarter of a century in the pull
pit; his "un4uestioning faith in God, in the
diYiRS Of Gerif q the IT, shd ffS SYM 1ne
pathy with, the spiritual doctrines of the
Church-the doctrines of prayer, of repent
ance, of regeneration, of the witness of the
Spirit and of the holiness of the heart and
life: his belief in the doctrines of the atone
ment, and in the inspiration of the Script
ures:" reiterates that he holds to the "mor-
all and not to the "penar' theory of the
atonement; that he cannot accept the doc
trne Of a hell of material fire, and claiming
that some of the brethren have said they also
did not believe it; and charging the Confer
ence with unjustly assuming that he is not in
accord with the church and "no longer of
It," The Doctor says there are personal
rights that he cannot feel it duty to sur
render. 81 have not" he says, "worked
all these years without sincerity and
deep conviction. I have an interest, and a
have rights in the church to which l have
given the labor of my life that I don't feel
called upon to surrender, and cannot now
walk of and leave the church at your bidding,
and especially with improved censures hang
ing over me-" After the letter was read, on
motion of Rev. s. A. w. Jewett, committee
of five was appointed to consider the paper
presented by DR.. Thomas, and to prepare a
reply to be submitted for the action of the
Conference.
THE recent gale on Lake Michigan is pro-
nounced by old lake mariners to have been
the severest storm ever experienced by them
on the lake. The destruction to shipping was
very great. The most serious disaster was
that which befel the steamer Alpena, which
left Grand Haven, Mich, on the night of the
18th, for Chicago. She had on board thirty
five passengers and q crew of thirty. The
vessel was lost in the storm, and all on board
persisted On the 10Th the Michigan shore of
the lake was covered with wreckage known
to have belonged to the Alpena, and the body
of one of the Passengers known to have
been aboard of her came ashore n ear Holland,
Mich.
In the Rock River Qll) Conference on the
10Th the committee to whom was referred the
paper of DR.. H. w. Thomas made report, to
the effect that the issues between DR.. Thorn
as and the Church are not fairly stated in
such paper; that they (the committee) dis
claimed certain views put forth in a recent
sermon by DR.. Thomas as though they were
teachings of the M. E. Church; that DR..
Thomas is essentially out of harmony with
the doctrines of the Church, and that
this will appear whenever the issues may
be fairly tested, and that such issues
should now be made. The committee recon-
mended that the case be referred to the Pre-
siding Elder in whose district DR.. Thomas
resided After debate, and at the request Of
DR.. Thomas, Drs. Jewett and Hatfield were
appointed q committee to investigate the
matter and prefer charges. After the trans
action of some other business the Conference
adjourned to meet at Sycamore next October.
1t was understood that the committee to pre-
fer charges would do SO in three or four
weeks. and that the trial would take place ct
the Centenary Church, Chicago, Of which
church the Doctor still desired to remain .
memUer.
EDWARD G. RYAN, Chief-Justice Of the
Wisconsin Supreme Court, died in the City
of Madison on the morning Of the 18th, aged
seventy years.
PRESIDENT HAYES and party returned to
San Francisco on the morning of the 10Th,
from their excursion through Oregon and
Washington Territory, and left on the after
noon of the same day for the Yosemite
THE celebration at Baltimore of the one
hundred and fiftieth anniversary of that city
was concluded on the night of the 10th with
ageneral and brilliant illumination Of the
city commemorative Of the ninety-ninth an
niversary of the surrender Of Yorktown.
On the 2Oth fire broke out in the shoddy
factory OF Benjamin Hay, in Cincinnati, and
when the flames were extinguished It was
found that five women had been burned to
death.
In consequence Of collision on the Gin
cinnati, Hamilton q Dayton Railroad ct
Jones' Station, Ohio, on the 20th. fifteen per
sons were badly injured. An accommodation
train was pulling into the side track when ne