The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1881-08-11
CHE JEST COULDN'T HELP IT.n
The Old Town of Bladensburg Wakes
UP to Scandal.

Bladensburg is perhaps one of the Sleep
lest and dullest towns in the country, but
like all other hamlets, at times awakens
from its lethargy and sends forth to the
world u scandal. The parties to the little
transaction about to be mentioned are all
colored people and members of Ebenezer
Methodist Church. VIM. Beckett is coal
black man about so years of age with
wife and two married daughters. He lives
in Bladensburg. but drives one of Cartoons
meal wagons this city. He is u class
leader in the church above named, and is
looked upon by his brethren and sisters as
an upright christian, but at the same time
possessing an overweening fondness for the
girls-cspecially members of his church.
Beckett's wife has had reasons of late to be-
lieve that her liegc lord was paying too
much attention to one Sallie Butler, n
robust 30 year-old woman, who Is also mar
ried, and member in good standing of old
Ebenezer Church, and of Brother Beckett's
class. Mrs. Beckett frequently at class
meeting would rise and protest theoretically
against her husband grinning and making
eyes, at Sallie, but to no avail, as the sly old
fellow, as he expressed it, "just couldn't
help it,
On Sunday night last Mrs. Beckett COM
planned of feeling unwell, aud said that she
This was only ruse on her part to catch
the old man. Beckett left for church all
alone. His brethren and sisters noticed that
he was In better franc of mind than usual,
but 1t, of course, could not be attributed to
his wife's illness. Sallie was there arrayed
in all her glory. Her costume was simply
killing. Brother Beckett took seat beside
her, and then there was long siege of unin-
terrupted tete-a-teteing. Sallie was particu-
larly demonstrative in her ove-making,
and would frequently go so far as to take
the old mans hand in hers and almost rev.
erently squeeze 1t. This was too much for
Brother Beckett, and he then and there
arranged for q meeting. When the services
were about half through, Mrs. Beckett and
one of her daughters armed themselves with
large jack-knife and went to the woods
and cut down two young sapplings. Care
lessly throwing the miniature trees over
their shoulders they took up the march
for the church. Peeping through the
church window they observed the husband
and father sitting beside the dusky Sallic
Several times the old woman threatened to
go into church and annihilate her truant
husband and his paramount but she was dis.
suaded from this course by her daughter
who insisted that they should wait until
the pair came out and then deliver the
castigation. When church let out Beckett
and Sallie, by some means, escaped the no.
tice of the watchers and started on dowr
the road. Finding that the truants had
escaped, Mrs. Reckett and her daughter
followed and soon overlook them. Ther
followed n scene. Mrs. Beckett gave til,
old man lick over the back with tn,
sappling, which nearly felled him to tn,
ground, and then catching him by the neck
proceeded to give him sound thrashing
The daughter took charge of Sallie ant
whipped her until she was nearly ex
haustcd. The cries of the woman attracted
the attention of the preacher, who live
near by, and he after much trouble, sue
ceeded in quieting the wronged wife ant
daughter.
Last night the parties were haulded. III
before committee of the church on th,
charge of conduct unbecoming Christians
The witnesses to the affair were all heard
and the committee retired for consultation
They were only out few minutes, whei
they returned, and the chairman of tn
committee read the verdict, which. was t,
the effect that Brother Beckett and Siste
Butler were guilty of an indiscretion simply
and had not done anything against til
peace and dignity of the church, and tn
committee dismissed the case