The Rock Island Argus., 1881-10-05
Expulsion Of Meredith from
the M. E. Church.
The Appointments and other
Church Items.
THE EXPULSION.

on six different charges. The first, to
which there was twelve specifications, was
that of criminal falsehood. The remaining
five charges. with numerous specifications,
included profanity, criminal cond;:ct du-
plicity. drunkenness and immortality.
The trial of this Reverend rascal COM
menced last Wednesday and concluded
yesterday. with his expulsion.
The ecclesiastical jury was composed of
William Merriam, @. @. Woodruff. S. s..
Gruber, j Ferguson, A. Calkins, I'll. Tiff
fany, c. Springer, w. Watson, 7. R.
Henry. C. b. Couch, J. w. Coe, A. Fisher,
b. v. Denning, ;. Kern and J. Rogers.
Bishop Foster, the president of the confer
ence, appointed A. McGee chairman of
the committee, and w. M. Collins secre-
tarJ. The conference was represented by
j. G. Evans, who preferred the charges
and the Rev. J. W. Haney, of Hale chapel,
was recognized as the council of the ac-
cused. f. os
CRIMINAL FALsEHooD.
The following specifications were then
submitted all of which were backed by YER
bal or documentary testimony:
Specification /. In saying in the resi-
dence of Isaac Thomas, in Wyoming,
Illinois, in October 1880, that he Meredith
had furnished Rev. w, Fl. Hunter as many
as four hundred cigars, which statement
was untrue. E ao
Specification Q. In saying to Rev.
Stephen Brink, in Monmouth. Illinois, in
October 1879, that DR.. W. H. Hunter, then
his presiding elder, told him to take the
pledge required of him by the Central
Illinois conference, then in session, with
reference to the use of tobacco, and at the
pledge. representing Dr. w. III, Hunter as
using the following language: George,
they want you to come in and promise,
and will come around to your quarterly
meeting, and we will have a quiet smoke, p
was untrue
Specification 8. In writing to DR.. w.
FL. Hunter that he lMeredith) had never
made the statement as alleged IN specifica-
ton 2, of charge 1, which declaration made
by letter to DR.. w. FL. Hunter was untrue.
Specification 4. In saying to Chas. T.
Lambert, reporter for the Peoria Journal,
on the nth day of June, 1881, that his
bills at Kewanee for clothes and cigars
were all paid the previous month, the bal
lance being all settled, which statement
was untrue as to his bills for clothing.
AT ROCK ISLAND.
The fifth specification was as follows ;
In saying to DIR. w, FL. Hunter, on the
10th day of July, 1881, that when he was
at Rock Island on the 10 of March, 1881,
he did not see Mr., Harper, but that he left
the Harper house that night voluntarily,
which statement was. untrue.
Specification 6. In saying in Kansas
City, Mo-, about the 9th of May, 1881,
that he was not at Rock Island at all on
the 18th of March, but from information
he had received, he believed his brother
had impersonated him, when in fact he
was at Rock Island himself on that date.
Specification z. In saying to ]. w.
Haney that he did not see Mr.. Harper on
the evening of March is, 1881, at the Har-
per House, in Rock Island, ILL.,, which
statement is untrue. f-
Rev. ]. W. Haney refused to testify as
he was counsel for the defense. He
demanded that Bishop Foster be
called in to give decision of
the ruling of the chairman, which
required DR.. Laney and himself to
testify against the accused. The bishop
ruled that tie silence of the witness was
equivalent to an answer conricting the &C
cused, and the committee could give it what
weight they saw fit. In explanation of this
decision the bishop said This is one of
the difficulties that grows out of the differ
courts. In the civil court the counsel is ex
pected to clear his client. In the ecclesias
tical court the counsel is simply expected
to get at the facts in the case, and no broth
er has a right to continue as counsel when
the facts of the clients guilt are made
known to him." Haney's refusal to testify
was then stricken from the record, and he
stated that Meredith never denied being at
the Harper House on March 10, or of hav-
ing seen Harper as he didn't know Har-
per, and couldn't say whether he saw him
or not.
HE SAID DAMN IT.'
Specification /. In using the expression
Damn it, in the presence of ]. c. Cole,
about August 18th. 1881. -
J @, Cole testified that during conver-
sation with Meredith, Meredith had stated
that the whole investigation was damn
fraud. " VIA #8H
The charge of drunkenness included the
following specifications:
Specification In being intoxicated at
the Harper House, in Rock Island, on the
night of March 10th, 1881.
Specification 2. In being intoxicated on
or about the 27th of May, 1881, in Kansas
City Missouri a
The immortality charge was as follows:
Specification 1. In being found on the |
night of March 18th. 1881. at the Harper
House, in Rock Island, Illinois, in room
with woman, whose name appears on |
the register of the said Harper House as
F~,w L. = -. \