Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-03
An Army Officers Statement,
Fron the Neto OrlsaNs Pieaptlne.

From the Net0 Orleans PicdDttns.
In the Picdyuhe OF Nov. l appeared a
special dispatch from Ell PasO. Tex, in
which reiernce was made TO a report that
Lieut.. Day and DR.. Birmingham, of the
army, had behaved IN a disOrderly man.
ner at church services conducted at Ell
Paso by q sensational revival preacher
named Ditzler. An elaborate dispatch of
the same story sent to California paper
caused Lieut.. Day to make a statement
by letter TO his father who is now In New
Orleans connected with the exposition.
Matthias W. Day is First Lieutenant of
the Ninth Cavalry, U. S. Army. He was
appointed from Ohio, aud graduated from
the Military Academy in March, 1878, and
has had as much hard service and Indian
fighting as any subaltern of his years in
service. To bis father he says, writing
from Fort Bowie, Ariz., Nov. A.
"Dr. Birmingham ard have been the
victims OF a malicOusly false. SANDER
Gus, llbelOus article in the San Francisco
Chronicle of Nov. l. l have written the
editor demanding the name of the cores
pendent, and have also written the Adiu-
tant General, Division of the Pacific, re-
questing suit 10 be entered against the
paper for libel. If the article was of
military nature, and reflection on any
military action, l would Ignore it; but it
having shametully in church in Ell Paso,
assaulting the preacher in church after
services and being put out by force. The
article was undoubtedly written by some
of my enemies in FL Paso, as it was an
Ell Paso dispatch. l will have no difficult
~ in disprOUng the charge and winning
the suit, as the whole congregation are
my witnesses. The whole affair was this:
One Of the ladies was somewhat i'll, and
| ~. Na.1 As,I- -, -
so. After they left the preacher, who had
been preaching against dancing, said
that, in substance, the same sensual
pleasure was gratihed in the ball room
that was gra'ifed in the bagnio: the
bagnio was recruited from the ball room
that any fair-minded woman would ac-
knowledge that in dancing she would
feel unnOly desires, etc, and wound up
with:
al have preached and lectured about
10000 times in my lie, and in all my
career this is the first time woman has
publicly acknowledged how hard she was
hit by leaving the house,
"This created no little merriment, and
many turned to see how we took it.
waited patiently ii after church, and
/ then taking my lady home, got the doctor
and returned. About 80 people we're
present, talking TO the preacher. Doctor
and walked quietly forward to the rail-
ing. The preacher put out his hand, and
| said TO me:
"'I am very glad to see you come back
TO extend your congratulations
without taking his hand | remarked:
81 come for another purpose, sir. You
took occasion in your remaks to cast re-
Elections on lady 0t our party
'Dr. Birmingham then said:
1.-The lady whom | accompanied had
good and suite ent reasons for leaving the
house, and my friend tells me you took oc-
casiOn TO say thus, and So
"The preacher fatty denied it, and
looked and acted badly stampeded. One
man said he didu't hear il. | told him
quietly that l believed MIN, but that he
probably was not paying close attention
at the time; but that as the remark had
created no little merriment in the audi
ence az the time. / would appeal TO the la
dies now present. and all OF these gentle
men 10 say whether or not told the truth.
The preacher looked all around, but not
soul would support his denial. The doc
tor then quietly said:
81 believe my friend and l will now
tell you that your action was unbecOm-
ing gentleman and a man OF your
cloth.
"We then quietly left the church. There
was no semblance OF an assault on our
part Of theirs, and the language used
Was gentlemunly, as we had talked the
matter over cOOlly and knew that IL was
bound 20 come 20 the ears OF our imme-
date supeuors, and only went in wnen
we decided that as gentlemen we would
not let a lady under our protection receive
a public insult without rebuke. Had il
not been that the preacher was going
away on the night train We would have
turned the affair over 20 her relatives, who
lived az a distance from Town. We NAV
have done wrong, but don't ( ell guilty,
ard II "A mnn we're TO insult my sister as
this lady WAS insulted. would thrash him
in the pulpit. / remained M El paso live
days afterwards, and far from hearing
any Indignation against MS. we were t0ld
repeatedly that the man had received
rebuke tnnt would do him good. Nun.
bers said that had 10 been their affair inc
man would have received good thraeh-
inn. Gen. Crook thinks we were infia-
Greet; but did not do wrong. and through
has aide ADVISED me 20 prosecute the
Chronicle, sending through tho Admtnnt
Gen. 1 regret the affair only on account
OF the libelous account which has been
eukVu brouUnugtW