The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-12-16
porsou Bates and His Divorced wife.

HER DEFENCE OF CHARGES MADE AdAlNST
UER--ABDUCTs HER DAUGHTER AND BUNS
OFF TO CHICAGO.
Mrs. Julia Bates, wife OF the Rev. II. o..
Bates, pastor OF the Baptist church al
sodus. n. Y, who was charged with an
attempt to abduct his daughter, Minnie,
from the church on Sunday evening, has
created sensation by letter giving her
side Of the story. She says the Chicago
divorce that Mr.. Bates claims to have OBJ
tanned will be set aside, as abe never ap-
reared. As 10 the custody OF the child, 1t
was awarded to Mr.. and Mrs. Alexander
Sands, of Lakeside, New York, and Mr.
Bates himself abducted her from her legal
guardians. Hearing OF this, she travelled
from Chicago TO see the child, and
went TO church for that purpose only.
She entered the church, and seating her
self beside the child, kissed her. 1t was
then that Mr.. Bates saw her and raised
an cutlery and demanded her removal,
which followed. She declares that for fiji
teen years she supported her family, in-
Guiding her husband, who refused 10 work,
and that finally, on getting clerkship in a
store i'm Welland, he was arrested for steal
ing money from his employer. They went
back to Chicago, and were supported by
an aid society. Then Bates went to Bufla-
10 and opened saloon, but soon failed.
She received a legacy OF $1,000, which he
invested and lost in saloon in Chicago,
after which he said he had call to preach.
lie talked much of the big salary OF Henry
Ward Beechcr, and said lie had no doubt
he would be more popular and get bigger
nav than Beecher. In pursuit OF this idea
she says, he abandoned his family and COM
menced to travel about the country. IL is
asserted that church council, called for
the examination and ordination OF Mr..
Bates, decided not to grant ordination on
account OF the doubtful character OF his
theology and standing. The community
is in great commotiOn about the affair.
CARRIES OFF THE CHILD.
The sequence Of the above is told in a
special to Yesterdays New York Herald,
dated Rochester, the nth instant:
Early yesterday morning well-drcssed,
good-looking lady and little girl eleven
years old hastily alightcd from train that
arrived at the Rochester depot o. the New
York Central railroad and hurricdly pur-
chased tickets direct to Chicago. They
then took the next train for the West. The
woman was Mrs. Julia Bates, the divorced
wife Of the Rev. Henry o. Bates, Baptist
minister OF Sodus, n. y. In the afternoon
Mr.. Bates air we'd in the city in pursuit OF
the woman and his child. His story is
that he discovered while living i'm Chi
cago, in 1869, that his wife was unfaith-
ful, and that he removed 10 Sodus a year
ago, after having obtained a divorce in
Chicago from his wife on the ground OF
marital infdelity. On November Goth the
divorced wife came on TO SOdus and stopped
at the place in which the little girl, Minnie,
was taken care OF by Mrs. Sands, a hall
sister OF Dir. Bates. In the latter part Of
November Mrs. Bates attempted TO take the
child surrcptitiously from the Sodus church
duringa sermon by it, father, which created
great sensation, and on which occasion
she struck 4 man in the face. Since then
MIR. Bates, who has legal guardianship OF
the little girl, watched her carefully, and
gave Mrs. Sands orders not TO LET the child
20 ont of her sight. Yesterday Mrs. Bates
told Mrs. Sands that she wanted 10 bring
the child 10 this city 10 be photographed.
Mrs. Sands consented, and Mrs. Bates went
of 10 Chicago, rs stated. Air. Bates intends
10 follow his divorced wife to Chicago on
the inst train Tomorrow