The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-05-07
REVENGE.
A Disappointed Lover slanders
his Successful Rival.
The Latter a Minister and a Tenn
perance Advocate.
Results Of the Investigation ordered
by the Church.
REVENGE.

| WASHINGTON, MAY 6.-The sleepy vii
lage of Manassas, out on the Virginia
Midland road, some twenty miles from this
city, is in the full enjoyment of that choic-
est of all sensations, church scandal in
voIving the reputation of a talented Young
pastor and beautiful young lady of his
flock: The denizens of the historic place
have not been under such pressure of ex-
ment since the guns of two great contend
ing armies in the early days of the civil
war resOunded about the neighboring val
| ley Of Bull Run. The young pastor whose
name is brought into such unenviabe no
| torietv is we'll and favorable known in
| Washington. He was a member of the
Presbytery that lately tried Brother Rams
| dell, of the North Presbyterian church, for
! alleged unchristian conduct in selecting a
Catholic lady for his life-partner, and
on that occasion preached the open
ing sermon, conceded by all to be
! mastery effort. Manassas, with
its seven hundred and fifty inhabitants, has
three churches, one of them of the strict
| est Presbyterian cast. Some four years
ago Rev. Francis NJ Todd, of New Jersey
accepted call, and since then he has zeal
ouslv labored in the Lords vineyard, with
marked manifestations of success. One
| of the most Jealous members of the church
is Deacon Trimmer, who runs a sawmill,
and has pretty daughter, Miss Kate with
the glow of twenty odd summers on her
fair head. Miss Kate was
AN EARNEST FRIEND
of her pastor and a constant visitor at his
| house. Both, too, were enthusiastic mem
| bers of Good Templar lodge that has
| long been an eyesore to the tipplers of the
| village. An ardent admirer of Miss Kate
resides in the village but he did not
meet with marked success in his wooing-
| W. c. Gains, jeweler by trade, hailing,
| from Mississippi, and crawling up in the
| forties in age. On the evening of the 10Th
of last month. about 10 o'clock Mr.. Todd
escorted Miss Trimmer from the lodge
meeting to her home, along the main street
of the village. The next day Gains circu-
lated the story that he had overheard the
parson making improper proposals to the
young lady, to which, after an emphatic
refusal she had consented. The gossips
were happy and the rumOr was widely
spread The good and pious elders of the
church heard it, and promptly called
session" to investigate as to the reliability
or the runner The session continued for
three nights. Mr. Gains was first called to
the witness stand. He testified that on
the night in question he had gone to the
town we'll after Water-the well was across
the street from Deacon Trimmer's house a
distance of seventy-five feet-and that he saw
Mr. Todd and the lady at her fathers gate,
just returned from the lodge. They seemed
to avoid observation. He heard them in
earnest conversation. Todd wanted her to
do something; she refused, but after CON
siderable entreaty consented. He heard
her say, Meet me at the back gate" Then
he accidentally coughed and had to make
tracks to avoid detection. On crOss-exan-
nation he admitted that he loved Kate,
and had been courting her, but without re-
ceiving much encouragement. He gave
the names of twenty or thirty residents,
mostly young men, to prove TOdd's inn
morality.
JUST FOR FUN.
The session sent for these men. Some
would not come forward, and of those who
testified only two said anything disparag
ing to the pastors reputation. One
said, 1--WE used to tell Gaines that
Todd was sweet on Kate, just to make
him mad" On the second night of the
session Gaines pulled out revolver ard
threatened to shoot Todd, but the weapon
was wrenched from him. The next even
ing he apologiZed for this action, and said
it was inexcusable. Miss Trimmer was
called TO the stand. She affirmed that
nothing of an improper nature not even
an improper word, had passed between her
and her pastor; On the night in question
he was urging her to consent to the use of
a certain sum of money, raised by the
Mite Society, for the purchase of new or
gan instead of church bell, as intended.
She wanted the bell, but finally, after much
urging, consented to the organ proposition.
She earnestly denied the statement that she
had said to Todd, Meet me at the back
Ils,vI
Then Rev. Nr. Todd was call |
ed, and put in solemn denial of any
immoral or unclerical conduct with
the lady in question, or with any other fe-
male in Manassas or elsewhere. Then, il |
is said, Gaines voluntarily came before the /
session and admitted that he stood convict !
ed of having brought charges against the |
preacher that he could not sustain; that |
Todd had explained to him some things |
that were dark, but other things he feared /
would ever remain dark. AS to the lady |
he had perfect confidence in her virtue and
honor. He complained that the witnesses
he had called had gone back on their
statements to him. The session then /
brought in a verdict that they found |
nothing in the rumors against the Christian |
character of Rev. Mr. Todd or Miss Kate |
Trimmer, except a possible imprudence /
that gave the devil a chance to talk
IN ROUGH WATER.
In the examination another lady's name
was brought into the scandal, by witness
who said that he had seen a young lady |
with her head on the pastors lap, while /
the two were beside the deathbed of the Ia |
dy's uncle, but this charge the session pro-
nounced not sustained. Another witness /
said that Todd was a drinking man, that
he had seen him 90 into saloon in Alex
andria and drink glass of beer. Mr.. Todd
admitted th3 fact, and said that when away
from home and his usual medical care he
would occasionally take glass of beer;
that he had for years been suffering from
nervous prostration, and his physician had
advised him to this course. The charge
against the pastor will be investigated by
the Good Templar lodge.
Though sustained by the members of his /
church. with few exceptions, and gener
ally by the good people of the town, Rev.
Mr. Todd is still in rough water. Gaines