The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-03-28
The lleople:; 4 ol"'''''
The Wilmington Conference Trials.

To tie Edit01' Of The CecU HhIy,
iStr:-The newspapers lave strangely
members of the Wilmington Conference,
and the findings in the several cases ad-
Indicated. win you do justice to the
conference and all concerned by publish
ing the following plain statement:
Z. P. Aldre1 withdrew, under the
charge of gross immortality, which, un-
der Methodist l.w is considered equiva
lent to an acknowledgment of guilt.
A. w. Lightbourn was accused of the
same crime as Mr.. AIdred, and also as
being accessory after the fact to Aldred' 5
guilt. All the evidence as to the above
charges SO completely eXOnerated him
that the counsel for the church aban =
charges against him We're for lying; vio-
lating l. 5. postal law, and leaving his
work without permission. In the first
and second of these charges there was
absolutely no evidence on which to base
an honest suspicion, and he was trium-
phantly indicated by vote OF 109 TO l..
Gu the charge of "IeavIng his work
without permission of the conference and
treating the church and its authority
with dlsrespect." he was convicted by u
vote of % to &c. For this offence the
discipline fixes two grades of culpability,
and two corresponding penalties:
l. immortality, with expulsion or sps-
pension.
2. Improper conduct with reprmand
or adm0niticn.
In the Judgment OF the conference Mr..
| bightbourn was so nearly excusahle for
! leaving his work that his offence was put
| in the second grade, and he was Ucither
reprimanded nor admonished. The con-
| ference, by resolution, invented a punish
ment to suit the case, and required Bish-
op Merrell to counsel him, which
counsel was so gently given, if given at
all, that |, as Nj. Lightbourn's counsel,
| failed to discover it III the Bishops re-
marks.
In Mr.. w. Z. Tomkinson's case, the
charge was for lying The specitca-
tiuns on which the charge was based
were sustained. That is the conference
| was satisfied that Mr.. Tomkinson had
| made statements that were untrue, but
| the circum stances revealed a condition OF
| confusion aud excitement that showed no
| malicious intention on his part, aud he
was convicted of ''improper words and
tempers," and subjected to the penalty
| of having that fact announced to him BY
| the Bishop.
| In the case of Mr.. ]. Z. Mowbray, the
| newspaper correspondents seem to have
been engaged, or somehow influenced, to
misrepresent the case from beginning TO
end.
He was charged with ''sermon stsal-
ing" and with lying" both of which
charges were sustained by the vote OF
| the conference. His Presiding Elder,
Rev. Mr.. Milby, and Rev. J. S. Willis,
| then made such earnest and pathetic
pleas for mercy, and such prophecies for
| the future of the convicted brother that
| the conference conaehted to waive lex
| pulsion or suspension" and instructed
the Bishop to publicly reprimand him.
make these statements for the addition
al reason that local and other
| newspapers have strongly intimated that
| Mr.. Mowbray was exonerated, aud the
witnesses against him impeaehed or con-
victed of out-and ont lying. "Charity
hopeth all things, endureth all things. =
Il. w. ToDD.