The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-06-21

zHE INzzN ~ x1n
church, on retiring from that denomination
to another must surrender his credentials.
This have done, as my letter of resigna-
ton viii show-given to my presiding ell
der at the time I gave up my parchments.
For five years, preached in the pulpit of
the NJ E. church, and surely if investiga-
ton were necessary, ample time was given.
I do not fear the most searching scrutiny
of any of my deeds. My life has been as
open and unconcealed as the Skies a fact
which, by the way, has given my enemies
some reason to misconstrue me and place
me in false light before the public.
2. Your columns state that / am guilty
of impurity was exceedingly gratified
to learn that had succeeded in capturing
the affections of the ladies. especially
those of maturer years. It believe it is
Solomon, or some other fellow who says,
1T is days that speak, and multitude of
years that teach wisdom, and as my con-
quests were ladies of advanced years, it is
conclusive that their superior wisdom saw
something In me worthy of their regard.
have profound respect for the ladies.
Among them have many warm, trusty
friends. Ever since stood at the bedside
of diving mother and, with breaking
heart, kissed her eyelids down in death,
honor and revere and worship the
lady whose life is noble sacrifice for the
good of others. So far as any impurity
on my part is concerned, boldly challenge
investigation, and here and now | ask any
lady to state whether have in her presence
done or said anything that could be con-
strued, by most far-fetched methods, into
anything that savored of impurity At a
mothers knee-that saintliest of altars-I
faa 10 In I
to-day.
8. Your columns state that am guilty
of intoxication. That means | suppose,
that | am in the habit of using stimu-
lating drinks and have, at times, been I'M
der their influence. Well, | do drink
coffee, tea, chocolate, water (undiluted),
and occasionally little Vichy and Sara
toga. And here and now confess that,
under my physicians prescription, | have
drank glass of beer, on one occasion
little whisky with an egg in it (which al
most strangled me), and | remember also
drinking tumbler of mustard to bring to
the surface a brass button which | had
inadvertently swallowed. The only drink
| ever owned, was gwen to me when suf
fering from severe attack of nervous
prostration. 1t was little cask of Ca
taw ba. Half Of it flew out when l tried
to put faucet in it, and the other half
soured because improperly preserved, and
thus was cheated out of my Catawba. 1
sighed awfully. But, to get down to bust
less. Your specific charge is that on the
evening of Garfield's nomination I present
ed myself at the house of somebody in a
state of ''beastly intoxication." Well, on
that evening, l was in the company of
Henry Gray, Esq, one of your best citi-
zens. He stood by my side on the balcony
of the Peoria house when the crowd called
me out to address them, and arm in arm
with him l went to his home, where I spent
the night. If | was intoxicated, it was
over the fact that Garfield was nominated
and Peoria Republicans had honored me
by calling me out for a speech. You
know, | suppose, that such an event would
be very intoxicating? All this talk about
my drinking; except when ordered to do
so for medicinal purposes, is false from
beginning to end.
Your columns charge me with some ho
tel escapade at Rock Island. Well, I've
been in that town on several occasions, and
have stopped at two places-the Harper
house aud the Rock Island house. The
registers of these hotels will acquaint the
curious of the dates of my visits there;
and whatever may be the suspicious enter
ence to my Rock Island visits, l challenge
any person to say that heknoaos 0fnay Grim
5n0ltty Unfortunate as the circumstances
may be which led to this scandal, calm,
just cool headed investigation win con-
vince any refined, intelligent person that
no impurity can be gotten out of it; and l
desire to add that I deal only with intelli-
gence aed refinement. have no explana-
ton to make to scandal-mongers.
Now am through. If anything further
is to be published, L ask that the party or
parties who authorize the publication, shall
sign their names and that their names be
in print. This matter does not end here;
mean fight, For years l have been the
target for envy's poisoned arrows, and I
propose that not only the ecclesiastical, but
also the civil courts, shall determine wheth
er or not human iends shall be permitted
to scoop the very sewers of hell for filth to
pile upon man whose highest ambition
is to do good to others and attend strictly
to his own business. The end is not yet.
GEO. F. MEREDITH.