Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-01-13
CITY AND DISTRICT.
a TALK WByls FOREMAN CRANE.
He Denies that His Health. Is Being
Injured by R;s Service on the Star
Route Jnry-s;rowing stout Under
His Responsibilities rs a JurOr-A
Denial OF the story that He f. a Fol-
lower of ingersOll. &c.

Denial OF the story that He f. q Fol-
lower of ingersOll. &c.
The Philadelphia Press a few days ago pub
lished the following dispatch from Washington
Foreman Crane. of the route jury, IS showing
signs OF nervousness and mental prostitution and ii
wuud not be surprising If he should break down at any
time Col Ingerso emphatcally denies the story that
be If try Ing influence Crane. who with Inger
soils indei opinions. They because he is inf
DEL remarked Inersoi that he Will vote for my client.
Well consolation IS that who is not afraid OF
God Almighty win be frightened By q few ne, ypa
per writer's"
Mr. Crane smiled v hen spoken to about this
publication by STAR reporter. That about
my showing nervousness and signs of prostra-
ton Is absurd. | was never better. / weigh.
seven pounds more now than did at the be-
ginning of the trial. When the trial began
weighed leo pounds After reading that article
i went to the scales out of curiosity and
found that weighed nearly les pounds. That
doesnt lo1k much like breaking down, Goes it?
SUPP ose, continued Mr.. Crane, that some
one thinks | an frightened because am on the
jury. | have been In controversy all my life
Before the war was several times mobbed for
being an abOiitiGnist The first year Of the war
my lie WHS threatened In the streets of this CITY
for branding Piracy the kidnapping OF fugi-
tive slave in front of my store. | have stood by
my convictions when 1t was a dangerous thing
to do SO. and am not frightened ROW because
am on the star route Jury"
"WhGt foundation is here" asked the re-
porter. lin the publication concerning your
Fellowship with ingersollt
There is nothing To Justify that statement. ~
said Mr. Crane. - don't know how the story
Started 1t must have come from the same
source n the article published the other nor
n1ng. SAVING that the prosecution and court in
tended 10 discharge the jury. ! am not 9 fol-
lower OF iDgersol. Ike to read bis writings :
like to hear him talk bat in many things
don't agree with him. He believes. uhder-
stand. shat there is no future. believe there
Is future. Ny acquaintance with Col Inger-
soil has extended no further than that | net
MIN AT a few meetings III regard to District al
lars held some Years ago. ! have never spoken
TO him since. have passed him on the street,
but ii Is rare that te has even bow ed to me or /
to him; though would consider it AZ honor to
have his acquaintance and friendship. Since
the trial REGAIN he has not spohen TO me and
Certainly if he wanted to influence me he would
have spoken to NE. think. Mr. Merrick and
Mr. her have spoken to me-; but of course they
have said nothing about the trial. | have not
Ind Il word with any lawyer of the defense eX-
cept Gen Henkle. and added Mr. Crane, with a
twinkle in his eye "he Is q Methodist, be-
heye"
at is said that You are an inideI. How about
that :: asked the reporter.
With regard to that Charge" said Mr. Crane
81 believe every word of truth that is contained
between the lids of the Bible i believe it. not
because IL is in the Bible. but because il is the
truth. and IL would be Just as welcome TO nv
mind II found in any other book. Truth though
spoken by Socrates. Jesus or Thomas Payne.
accept not because they uttered it, but because
1tcs truth 1t seems to me this is good logic as
well as common sense. | believe in doing as we
agree, and IN protecting every human being In
the right 10 get an honest living and to enjoy
the comforts and luxUries of life as like to ell
JOY them. i believe in so living that when we
la OIL these forms We inhabit we can teel that
this world is better for our having lived In it,
Ii that is infidelty then plead guilty to the
charge" ='-E
s-. Our reporter tifen asked Mr.. Crane il in view
OF the fact that it has been published far and
Wide tlat the foreman of the star-rOute Jury is
an lnfdei and an atheist, he had any objection
10 giving his religious views, and to what church.
If any. he belongs
Il never" answered Mr. Crane 'sioined any
Church or belonged to any secret order except
the Union League OF America. In my life When
about eight years of are, W in New HAMPSHIRE
got aWtui!y frightened at a revival meeting. j
1ef that was dreadful wicked and that if
did not repent and be baptised would 90 to
hell sure But about that time an aboiitiOnst
came 'sion- and attempted to plead the cause of
TIE slave IN the very church where the revival
>. took place He was arrested as disturber of
: the peace locked ap AID fined. The grass has
been growing over his grave for many years.
but anti-slavery is popular In that church to-
DAY, aud the man who n 1885 was imprisoned
as an incendiary by men il good and regular
standing in the orthodox church, is TO-DAY erio-
bers OF the same church
Does the church CT Christ reject and accer,
truth III that way? Other prosecutions anG ar
rests followed. which excited my wonder as
Wei as indignation. and. though boy | began
to reason upon the subject. and to ask myself
the question If an organization that locked its
. doors against the truth and imprisoned the
kindest and best OF men for denouncing the
buyin@ and selling of women and children on
the auction block could be the church of Christ.
and II 1t could be possible that God of Infinite
goodness and love would condemn ne to end
less torment for not joining such an Organiza-
tion- was not long in reaching conclusion,
and took my position on the outside of the
American church. | subscribed to VIM Lloyd
1arTisonS Ltbtr1t0r, and became a constant
reader OF it for the last twenty years of It's
publication. 1t is To the teachings of this great
and good man. OF whom the American nation
was not worthy. that an Indebted more t. an
To any other person for that S-if-rcliance and
discrimination requisite to igdse men and Or
PLANTATIONS ~ what they really are, instead of
what they profess. | do not take the ground
that there is no good in the churches There ia
much good liz them all. which recognize among
the Catholics as well as among Pedestrians.
Ihey number among them some of nv
best ana most respected friends | regard the
ministers OF all denominatio-.s as among the
best OF men Like our depe -tment clerks they
speak out as brayely as they can afford to ami
Keep their PAGES. bU. they are not pioneers.
They never lead of in any great movement that
requires sacrifice. Slavery IS dead. Ii REQUIRES no
Courage TO denounce it now Tire pulpit O, to-
day that brands 1t as piracy only echos the SEN
tlinents OF the pews. But where stands the
ehurch IN regard &c the great questions of tie
hour: ti.e questions of labor and capital for in
stance that are just looming above the horizon?
IL Is almost everywhere silent Blu. 100 Years
hence, when the great battle that is now crImi-
hating between stolen wealth and honest indus
Try snail have been fought and won, az ! believe
II VII. be- on the side Of Justice; when the hung
~. to'.!nT masses OF this world by the power of
education. shall have become eInancipated from
The shack!es Oh the money power; when bloody
Loci shall have Worn the road smooth, and lis
prosperous to be just then tie church viii be
boid III Gehouncing moHopoiists and other great
wrongs under which the people today are
groaAiGg. Having satisfied myself early in life
that what Is popularity called the American
church. 10y its treatment of the slavery question
proved Itself TO be selfish, worldly organize,
ton. ana that its doctrine Of he'll IS sham and
deiusi0n. have managed to get along without
H. nave. for thirty years. padded my own re-
hgio0s canoe, and feel confident that [ will be
able 10 20 through on that line
regard Col Ingersoil as a pioneer in the
great field of thought, a sort Of moral and intel
ieetnai columbus, who has had the courage to
launch mis- bark and boldly sail ont intn tha