The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1881-04-14
A MISSING MINISTER.

"tfFsFN
The REV. o.. wIiboss and Miss ITO.
land Tnrn Up 10 charleston south
Carolina.
The Rev. q. r. wilbur, Of tho Baptist
church, who figured 80 consplciously and
unonviably here In 1876 with Miss Ella Ro-
land, who WAS of the Methodist faith, and
both of whom eloped together, has boon
heard from. The scandal Is sill green In
the memory Of the people of Dallas. II was
exploded by one of the papers OF this city
at the time, and the religious element de-
nounced the paper that published III an in
famous sheet, and the reporter who penned
tie facts us a 6end who ought not To be per-
mitted to live in u civilized community.
They 'bulldozed" the reporter AVID the mat
ter was hushed up for awhile. AT the time,
the Rev. Wilburn was principal of a school
here and Miss Roland was
his assistant. The principal and
assistant conducted themselves with such in
timacy toward each other that it set the
scholars to talking. When the matter was
published, but few, exceeding few, persons
were inclined to believe it, and they were
very careful as to how they expressed them-
selves. The Rev. Wilburn had before been
regarded as q cody man, while Miss Roland
was looked upon as q most devout christian,
and she took q leading part in conducting
prayer meetings, and her zeal at the camp
meetings which were in progress at i7st
time, brought her into prominence MS an u
firing worker in the vineyard of the L''h
People could not we'll believe ~.
of them, but there we're some who were not
50 credulous, and among them were some
prominent members of the Baptist church
who saw in the person of Wilbur a wolf in
sleeps clothing, and they had the manliness
to demand an Investigation of the matter by
the church. 1t was q very interesting trial.
Rev. Wilbur was indignant and defended
himself 10 such an able and earnest manner,
that there were those who raised the cry of
"prosecution" and it won, for he CANE clear.
Miss Roland then moved to Lam
caster, in this county,
where she taught a school. Rev. Wilburn
soon followed her and assisted her in her
duties. His wife and eight children he took
with him, for he was a married man. There
were still a great many people who believed
them innocent of the charges, but they soon
found out their mistake, for one fine morn
ing the Rev. Wilbur and Miss Roland were
not to be found, yet he was considerable
enough to leave a note to his wife, stating
that he could be happy alone with Miss
Roland. and another to his zealuos support
ers acknowledging his guilt through
out, and among other things in
this note he said "while you
we're yet upholding me, I was still perpetrat'
ing the crime of which l was accused" 1t
was "all eyes OPEN now, for there was the
confession. They went first to Salt Lake
City, but it appears that they we're not 80
well pleased with the city of polygamy, and
they soon afterwards moved to Charleston,
South Carolina, where they sailed under the
nam of Rev. G. S. Wellows and wife. Pro-
fessin ing to be solicitous as to the spiritual
welfare of the colored people,, he soon got
charge as pastor of the Calvary Baptist church
in Charleston, which position he held for
some six months, when his congregation be.
gan to inquire as to who he was, where he
came from, and above all, as TO what he had
done with his credentials. He failed to
answer these questions satisfactorily, and he
was boun ced out of the church. Inquiries
as to who he was were made, and letters
written from.there to the Baptist Herald here
give him and his woman away. Wilbur
came to this state from Georgia, and the wo.
man, Roland, came here in 1876 from Paris,
Kentucky. She is of good connection and a
highly educated woman.