Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-02-15
THE SCANDAL
Which is Now Moving the Northern
Methodist Church to lis Profound.
est Depths is the
Topic OF the Time in New York-New and
Startling AeeasatioDs-POwer OF
the Elders.

head men oil the cnurcn equally guilty. OF
bad faith. All sides are anxious to bring
out the worst features of the others weak
ness, and the result is batch OF fresh dis
closures.
ANOTHER "ETHIoPIAN IN THE FENCE"
A new and startling feature WAS added to
the case yesterday, and charges both verbal
and written were made against leading act
ors in the drama. Messrs Beach and Rus
sell are attorneys doing business at No. III
Broadway. The senior member, Mr..
Beach, is a con OF the Rev. DR.. Beach (pres-
dent of the Wesleyan University at Middle
town, n. Y, leading college in the denomi-
nation), and the grandson of Methodist
preacher. Mr.. Isaac F. Russell, his partner,
is a son of the Rev. w. Il. Russell, of Brook
lyu. He, also, claims a Methodist minister
for grandfather. u mention these rela-
tionships," said Mr.. Russell to Herald re-
porter, "to chow you BY what authority
can speak regarding the organization and
methods of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. The testimony which 1 wish to pre-
sent relates to branch of the unhappy sub
ject which has only been limited at and
which 1 believe ought to be thoroughly
aired, for think ii is the worst feature of
the whole case-I mean the base
and scandalous use which was made
Of the organization of our denomi-
our ministers TO put their hard.esrned
savings into this detestable swindle. / am
the possessor OF fifty shares of the Globe
City stock" continued Mr.. Russell, exhibit
| ing certificate No. $50, emitting Isaac F.
| Russell as trustee" to that number of shares
| in the common stock OF the Globe City
Mining Company, $50 you see speak feel.
| ingly. Ny special information consists OF
my familiarity with the methods by which
4 Al Ill LII q h.
| clergy in this vicinity. While ha We no de-
sire to enter into any controversy, my part
| ner and myself feel that it is my duty to lay
| bare the disgr aceful facts which are in my
possession. In order TO make plain the in
| fuences which know 10 have boon used, it
| ia necessary to explain the organization of
our Church. The form of government OF the
Methodist Episcopal Church invests the pre-
| siding elders with terrihie power over the
destinies OF large majority of the preach
ers. 1t is, practically, form OF serszH-
ment ss despotic as that OF Russia.
] In each conference the bishop, with three
| OF four of th3 presiding elders, forms
what is. called the cabinet The ell
ders advise the bishop on points of dis
cipline, etc. The appointments to pastorates,
which are made at stated intervals by the
| cabinet, usually follow out the recommended
tions OF the presiding elders, each furnishing
de bishop with 'slste' for his own district.
| 1t is a regular political machine, and The
| presiding elders are the bosses and have
the distribution of the patronage. If the ell
| ders are not honest youjcan see what fright
full power they WELD. Nineteen-twentieths
| of the preachers do not know whether the
next appointment will take them to a fat
pastorate with a $500 salary and parson age
thrown in, or send them out 10 Murderer's
Glen or Skunk's Hsllow e. = salary Of $3.50
year. Salaries rs low as this are paid 10
hundreds. The fashionable preachers in
the cities, of course, care very little for the
presiding elders. Their churches are pow
erful, and have no trouble in perauading the
bishops 10 retain them term after term. IL
is the rank and file to which desire to call
attention, and they are the ones, poor fell
lows, who are the chief sufferers by that out
rageous swindle, the Emma Mine.
AaUEsTIoN OF RESPONSIBILITY.
CT hno,r sks Rsv. Ne. GssVes no had an
interview in Wednesdays Herald" continued
Mr.. Russell. "He was for four years pre-
siding elder in the New York East Confer
ence. He was very active in placing the lisa.
bella stock on the market. He says 10 the
Herald that he would not like to take the re-
sponsibility OF DR.. Fowler in the premises
For my part, i should not want TO assume the
responsibility of Mr. Graves. / know per.
sonally that while presiding elder Mr. Graves
advised several of the preachers in his dis.
trict 10 purchase Isabella stock. He did il
in this way: He practically go recommended
the stock, affecting perfect familiarity with
the workings OF the company, that by per-
sonal appeals for subscriptions or for loans
to him, without any security except his own
unipdorsed notes, he placed many of the rank
and file OF the clergy of his district in the
awkward dilemma of either acquiescing in
his proposition or by refusing to do so run
ming the risk of meeting his vindictiyeness
in the cabinet OF course he did not say Rev
MIR. So .and-so, you must take some stock or
You must lend me money II was, INV
dear brother, this is a verv worthy object
Bishop Simpson and DR.. Newman and all
the leading men of the Church are taking
stock in order to help along the cause oil
that dear institution in the South, and il
seems to me as if we ought to do something
} | am credibly infor med that the investment
} is safe one and promises large profits
Mr.. Council, Mr.. Stout and Gen. Fisk are
wsrm indorsers of the enterprise, and if you
we're 10 put few hundred dollars into the
enterprise, know you would not regret it..
: That was the style of his approach"
"Were Messrs. Fisk, Stout and Cornell in.
terested in the Isabella?" inquired The re.
porter.
81 cannot say as to that. Their names
were very freely used in order to facilitate
the sale of the stock"
"As l said, this was the dilemma in which
Mr.. Graves placed these men. To my Ger
tain knowledge many felt themselves in just
the predicament l have mentioned, and sue
cumbed to the inevitable. A political as
sessment,' SO to speak, was levied upon the
. 5000 or $500 they had managed to save Out
of the pittances OF salaries which had beer
paid them. Mr.. Graves declares that
he paid SIS per share for some of the stock
What did he pay for the rest? He sold it al
$6 and more. Our professional advice ha,
been solicited by more than one reverend
victim touching their remedy against Mr.
Graves"
as Mr.. Graves presiding elder at the pres
ent time?"
"No. He was removed some time ago."
SIS there any quarrel between him and DR.
Fowlerw
81 do not know of any, though his remark
would imply that there has been one. How
ever, do not care to chronicle my surmises
but simply to tell what know"
WHEN THE ARMY CAME.
81 know the Rev. ]. F. Spence" con
tinued Mr.. Russell. "He has called fire.
quently at our Offices. He referred me tc
Mr.. Angle for credentials. He said he had
an Office with Angle on Broadway. Angle
spoke of him and his enterprise with marked
contempt. He said that DR.. Spence had LEFT
with him lot of truck, for which he pro-
posed TO charge storage. He pointed to 8
bundle lying in a corner, and said: 'Helr
yourself. You can have the whole of it fol-
nothing. You can sell it for junk This
Junk was certificates in the Isabella, signed
by the supposed officers, but otherwise moi
filled out. DR.. Spence also made to me al
sorts of representations as to his university
and to his familiar acquaintance with
prominent Methodist. do not know any
thing regarding the character of Mr.. Angle
81 zee your certificate is No. 450. Thai
means at least 450 victims of the scheme,
said the reporter.
-Four hundred and fftyr' exclaimed Mr..
Russell. "My dear sir, that number doesn'
begin to count them. They are legion.
was among the FIRST purchasers. A whole