Daily Republican., 1882-06-06
A Missouri Clergyman Repudtates
any Connection with or Eul0Gy
OF the Dead Bandit,

The Rev. DR.. Samson presided at the
Ministers Conference Of the Baptist
Church, New York, yesterday. Sever.
al ministers of the West, who came
here to attend the missionary anniver-
sary, were introduced and made ad-
dresses. The Rev. Mr.. First, of Chi.
cago, begged that in future all pastors
sent West be men "with sanctifed
common sense, and not geniuses, who
require to have the brakes put on them
every now and then."
The Rev. William Harris, of St. Jo-
sepb, Mo-, defended the Baptists of that
State from the aspersions put on them
by the Eastern public generally in ref
erence to the Jesse James case.
"When the notorious bandit was
killed in st. Joseph" said Mr.. Harris,
"Mrs. James sent for me. went to
the county prosecutors office and saw
her, but l found she did not want
religious consolation, and l felt as if /
could not give il. The Baptist cause
has received such blow in the State
that deem it my duty to make state
ment In the matter to set us straight
with you, as Baptist ministers, and with
the public generally. As a citizen of
Missouri and as Baptist minister, l
desire to say that the people of Missouri
look upon the removal of Jesse James,
the notorious bandit. as a blessing.
The people of Missouri have never said
and do not now say anything in ad.
miration of the man or in condemnation
of or regret at his removal. The COM
denim alton of the Ford boys for tho
manner in which they killed him has
been wrongfully construed into an ap.
proval of the bandit.
1t has gone forth that Jesse James
was member of the Baptist Church at
the time of his death, that the Baptists
of Missouri regret his death, that many
of them wept ut his funeral and that q
Baptist minister delivered funeral
GRAFTON eulogizing the dead robber.
Jesse James was mott a member of any
church. Baptists did not weep at his
funeral, and a Baptist minister did not
eulogize the man. declined perform.
ing any religious service over the re-.
mains at St. Joseph, but religious ger.
vices were held in the Baptist Church
at Kearney, Clay County, Mo. in obedi-
ence to the earnest request Of Mrs.
Samuels, the mother of Jesse James,
who is a Baptist. The minister, one of
the most talented and discreet in the
State-the Rev. j. M. z. Martin-did
not mention the name of Jesse James
or refer to him or his career, but made a
strong, earnest and solemn appeal to
the persons present to prepare for
death.
All that has been said in the public
press representing the Baptists Of Mis-.
souri, as in sympathy with the man
Jesse James is not only undignitied,
but positively untrue, and as Baptist
minister, living in the city where he
was killed, and knowing whereof l
speak, l have this to say: that no peo.
pie in this Union held Jesse James in
greater detestation than the Baptists of
Missouri, and that their dignity as an
aggressive, earnest and cultured people
is compromised by such aspersions as
have been attempted to he cast upon
them.
The Rev. K. l.. Scofield read the essay
of the day, entitled "the work and doc
trines of the Church, as illustrating the
life and teachings Of our Lord the
scope and handling of which ELECTED
general commepdation in the discus
sion which followed it. The Confer
ence closed with an animated address
from Rev. Father StiDson, of Kansas,
formerly of New York, in which he de.
picted the GLORIOUS effect of the pro
hibition law in that State.