The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-02-20
THE GREAT CHURCH TRIAL
THE REV. MR., CONYERSE'S DE.
MURRRR CONTINUED.
DR.. Daniels Mastery Effort In Reply
Intense Excitement Over
the Matter.
ESPECIAL TO rHE LPrEAL.I

LOUISVILLE, NY, February lH.-Ihe
Rev. Il. T.. Converse continued his
demurrer to the indictment on the
charges against him at the presbytery
trial this morning. He reiterated his
assertion that they were vague and in
definite, and said they should be dis
missed because there was n lack OF
anything which would substantially
show a crime had been committed;
that the prosecutors had not shown
they were deeply interested in the
result, and that the spirit in which the
charges were made was litigious and
not in keeping with the spirit of the
law.
DIR. DANIELS REspOSsR
was a mastery effort. He said il the
defendants will allow this indictment,
with its twenty-five specifications, 10
go before the church with an affidavit
that it is so indefinite that they cannot
say whether they are guilty or not,
then he would drop the prosecution
Immediately. Continuing, DIR. Daniel
said it was the first time in the history OF
a church trial that defendant had
demurred TO an indictment, so far as
he had heard. The charge was spe-
cific, that of falsehood was sub
stantiated by names and dates. The
Converses were not proper persons to
throw barrier in the way of the prose-
cution; the best thing they could do
would be to plead not guilty and let
the trial go on.
DIR. MORRIsOH
moved that COnverse's objections to
indictment be overruled, and this mo-
ton was carried.
THR CoNvERsEs
were then allowed to plead guilty or
not guilty, and amid intense excite
ment they plead not guilty under GER
tain conditions. 1t was then discOv-
cred that an important point in the
proceedings had been overlooked, and
its whole action of the afternoon was
declared void, and at the close of the
days session the matter reverted to
the motion of Morrison to overrule
the demurrer.
AT THE NIGHT SESSION
the Messrs. Converse filed their writ
ten answer, which was as follows:
We are ready to put in our answer,
We wish to say first that we are not at
all insensible to the taunts put on us
for our delay; in delaying we sought
the welfare of the church. We be-
lieved that in the Indictment there il
such rubbish as will delaS the
trial. We tried to remove
that rubbish. We now plead
with the impossibility OF any
certainty of calling the right
witnesses. In answer to the charge
and specifications the defeneants
would remind the presbytery that we
are not called To account by the
court, but we have called for the trial
and investigation of the assertions
which have been made upon ourselves
through the secular press. We except
to the decision of the court in overrul-
ing the objections that have been
presented. In making the 1lsa
which from the beginning We
announced our intention TO make,
we do not hereby waive any
right belonging to us or any right to
insist upon rectifcation of any error
that the court may have committed.
We plead to the charge, not guilty,
and most Indignantly and emphati-
cally deny anything that reflects on
our truthfulness and Christian char
acter.
I. Il. CONVERSE.
+. b. CONVERSE.
It was then announced that the
witnesses were not present, and after
some wrangling a motion to postpone