Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-10-30
RAYS LIGHTBOURNEA AND ALDRED.
Some Particulars OF the Easton
mintutertat Scandal.

smyrDa Times z
The particulars In the case OF scandal
at Esston, Md, TO which we referred last
week, are these a young woman named
Mason, In th' employ Of Mr.. Light
bourne, the pastor Of Bastou station, waa
found to be enoiente. Her condition
being discovered about the same time
letter was found, signed 4. P. A., ad-
dressed to her, aud as she had been
living in Mr. Aidred's houss, II was
Inferred that he was the author Of the
letter; and upon its presentation to the
young woman, she made q confession
accusing him OF having ruined her.
Mr.. Lightbourne Immediately sent the
girl TO house for fhllep women In Phila-
delphia, and wrote to Mr.. Alfred st stquaint-
ing him with the facts In his possession.
In his reply to the letter he did not fully
confess the crime but did mot positively
deny 1t. Indeed he admitted that his
o,nduct toward the girl had been i'm
proper, aud he begged Mr.. Liehtbourne
not to expose him, especially as the
immediate trouble WAS not chargeable to
him, but to another person.
Willing to shield Mr.. Aldred from ex-
posure, and intending to quit the minis
terial calling, Mr.. LiRhtb1urne resolved
that hs would not say anything about II.
But in q little while the Basson COM
munity were discussing the whole affair
freely, and as Mr. Aldrsd had stood very
high In the confidence Of the church and
the other bad not been so highly es.
teemsed fol religions character, many
believed Mr.. L was the real offender.
However, the matter was duly investi-
gated at Hillsboro, Md, on last Thursday
the 18th instant, the Rev. DR.. Caldwell,
the elder, presiding. The COMMITTEES
consisted Of the follow ng ministers,
members of the Wilmington conference
c. W. PrettymaD, J. o. Sypherd, Alfred
Smith, Thomas Z. Terry, ]. P. Otis, N.
McQusy, N. M. Browne, R.H. Adams and
R. K. Stephenson. We understand the
iesult was Mr.. Aldred's suspension from
all ministerial services AID obuToh privi-
leg,s until the ensuing annual confer
enoe, at which his case will be fully con-
sided and determined.
The reports, as far ss they Affected the
Rev. A. W. Lightbourne, we're slno inves-
tiRated ou the following day. He was en-
tirely exonerated from any mplaint Of
immortality; but was nevertheless sus-
pended for "refusing to attend to the
work assigned him IN tue interim Of the
annual conferences" The action in both
cAses, it is said, was uuspimous on the
part OF the committee.
IL will bs seen by the above account
that Mr.. Aldrrd sufisrs tie tuss If sup
port for hlmsel, snd family. His feputA-
sion is blasted, AID a good name, won by
yeirs OF devoted toll in his calling, is
or baby gone forever. He Is Temporarily
,ut OF the ministry and ont Of the church,
With the certainty that, unless the pre-
sumption Of his guilt can be removed his
suspension will be followed with expulsion
az the next session Of the Wilmington
Conference. A sad ending to q career
which, until this offsnse, was one Of
great honor and credit. Mr.. Aldred left
Chesteriown to-day with his family (who
have the strongest sympathy Of the
people of Chestertown) to visit friends in
Psnnsylvania and mature plans for the
future, the probability being that he will
take up his abode in some western state
in secular business.
Mr.. ALDRED's SIDE OF THR STORY.
Baltimore Morning Herald.
Mr.. Aldred has written letter to the
people, in which he says that the girl
came to him when she was 16 years Of
age and grew up as one Of the family.
She had been trested more like q friend
than rs domestic. He also Gays that
she left them about II months ago, since
which time neither he nor any one Of his
family have seen or heard directly from
her. Through friends In Esston they
learned, some 10 months ago, that she
was residing in the family Of the Rev.
A. W. LiRhtbourne. A few weeks ago
the latter wrote him In the proioundest
confidence that the girl was In trouble
and disgrace, and in this condition OF
shame had mtde statements charging
Mr.. Aldred, not with this disgrace, but
with criminal intimacy during her
residence with them. In the same spirit
CT confidence he replied, oonscientlously
desiring to conceal nothing that was
truthful concerning their relations. He
confessed familiarity as she grew to
womanhood unbeooniing Christian
minister, of which folly he sincerely
repented aud felt forgiven; but that he
there or elsewhere ever admitted
criminal intimacy beyond this the most
positively denies, whatever construction
may be put on the language he used.
The Interpretation put upon this letter,as
also brief confidential letter he wrote
her, warning her against the very danger
that WAS brought upon her in the present
disgrAcs, formed the basis Of the testimony
sgHinst him, abe having received the
latter note while in trouble and preserved
1t az a possible confirmation OF her false
charges against him The family Of Mr.
Aldred have much sympathy in Chester
town.