The Portland daily press., 1880-05-14
"Final Vindication Of DR.. B. F. Tefft ,

To the Editor Of the Bangor Commercials
DEAR SIR: Soon after the publications in
several newspapers of this State, of serious
charges against the business character and
good name of the Rev. DR.. B. f. Tefft, that
gentleman requested an examination of them
at the hands of the Bangor District Conference
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which
he was then and is now member of long and
honorable standing. Consequently bill of
charges and specifications, covering all the
complaints, was made out; and one of the
ablest men of our body, a gentleman abundant.
ly qualified to perform with vigor the disagree
able duty, was appointed prosecutor, In his
opening at the trial. the prosecutor declared
with emphasis, and with manifest Sincerity
that "the evidence in his hands was enough to
crush any ten men,"
In this spirit the examination was beoun
Nearly two whole days were given to the case
and every scrap of adverse testimony. gathered
from two States, was carefully listened to and
candidly considered The defence, conducted
by Dr. Tefft himself, occupied a little more
than half of the second day; and before it was
half finished, all the charges ard specifications
founded on the Rigby matter, were so conn
pletely overthrown, by oral and documentary
testimony, that they were withdrawn as I'M
worthy OF further notice.. and at the end of the
investigation 1t was equally clear that the New
York affair had been as badly misrepresented
and perverted. Thus the charges and snecifi-
cations were, in the Clear intelligent and gen
eral judgment of the Conference, voted down
as mot sustained" A more thorough. trium-
plant or satisfactory standardization was. per-
haps, never witnessed in any Conferences. II
is doubted, II case so clear, in its attestation
of innocence, and just demand in right. for &C.
quittal, can be found in the records of our
courts
The undersigned, as secretary of the Con-
ference, was authorized and instructed to write
out statement for publication; and this dutv
would long since have been attended to. had
not the publication been objected to by DR.
Tefft. He did not wish anypublications in his
favor, while there was possibility of the
charges being tried in court. Now that thew
are all nolle-prossed, however, and out of court.
IN ootn States, there remains no reason WIN
this statement OF DR.. Tefft's perfect yindics.
tions should not be made and published. for
his reputation is the property, not of himseIf
only, but OF the entire Methodist Church of
United States, as well as of other countries
IN which he is very widely known: and If is
hoped that all the newspapers in the Stata
and out of it, which gave publicity to any M vt
OF the accusations, will see the Justice of NH
fishing this account of a most comnlete d.
Tense. f wv
We found Ill brief no "crookedness,, in Dr
lent, put that all the transactions complained
OF, by interested parties, were both honorahIe
and just; and if l may speak for inyseIf ,Dbat
believe to have been the unanimous oo;nion
am certain that no body of candid men No
class OF rational citizens, if furnished with ali
the evidence of the Doctors innocence that
we had before us, quite enough of il for bis
vlndlcation i'll the handwriting of his accusers
could have come to any different result.
am truly, yours,
w. l.. BROWN,
Secretary of the Conference