The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-02-23
A DISGUSTED PASTOR.
Rev. Belts, of Trinity Church,
INDUCES i'm q Tilt With
Bishop Robertson.
The Formers Remarks at the JAR
dine Funeral Causes
the Trouble.
Belts Will Probably Leave st.
Louis and Accept a Call
at Louisville.


Belts affair is still the one topic of discus
sion i'm church circles, and the following
additional details of the trouble will be in
teresting: When Rev. George G Belts ar
rived home last evening from Louisville,
where he had gone To see about a call he
had received from n church in that city, he
found an echo of the Jardine suicide at his
residence. Believing that the reverbera
tons of that famous case had died out, he
was surprised to find the echo. But he ex-
amined il carefully, and found that it was
letter sent to him through the vestry of
Trinity Episcopal church by Bishop Rob
ertson. This letter alluded to Father Belts
eulogy over the body of Rev. Henry ID.
Jardine, at Kansas City few weeks ago,
and referred to the existence in that
funeral sermon .of certain reflections
on the head of the diocese which
could not be tolerated. The bishop also ad-
verted to the intention of Mr.. Belts to pre-
sent class for confirmation during the
coming Lenten season, and the expectation
that the bishop would confirm that class.
Then Mr.. Belts was called to account for
using in his Kansas City sermon this SEN
tence "Priestly hands are STEPPED In his
(Jardine's) blood" and the bishop closed
his communication by saying that he
would not confirm the class at Trinity I'M
less a retraction was made.
The letter, which promises to take its
place among the most important archives
of this celebrated religious controversy, had
reached Mr. Belts from a member of the
vestry, and it is this indirect communica-
ton with the head of the parish that has
given rise to the recriminatiOns that have
found expression. 1t appears that Bishop
Robertson took this letter To Mr.. William
III. Thomson, cashier of the BOatmens'
bank, with the statement that it was for
his rector. Mr.. Thomson at once forward
ed it to Mr.. Belts residence, where the
clergyman found il as above stated. Faith
er Belts is generally known as an energetic
man, and he fully sustained his reputation,
for by the early morning mail to-day re-
ply was on its way to the bishop. In this
answer Mr.. Belts took the dignifed posi-
ton that he had been nisconstrued and
put In a false light. After saying that
much he closed by fatty refusing to make
any apology, inasmuch as he had said
nothing against the bis op personally.
The sentence about Hpriestly hands being
STEPPED in blood" he quoted in return, and
intimated that the bishop was going out of
his way to make it apply to himself. As
the relations of Mr. Bets and The bishop
have been strained to a high degree OF
tension for some months past the reply of
the minister to his ecclesiastical superior
was couched in rather stiff and formal
language.
FATHER" BETS TALKS.
The matter stood thus when your cor
respondent called on Father Belts this
morning. After referring TO his call to the
Louisville church, which he had not de-
cided about, as the vestry had had no meet
ing since his return, he said: "This letter
was indeed q surprise to me-"
Had you announced any date for your
confirmation
"None whatever I had simply an
nounced that candidates for confirmation
might present themselves at the Wednes-
day evening meetings"
"Do you think the bishop should have
sent his communication through the YES
try~
''No, do not. am the spiritual head
of the parish. and to me it should have
been sent directly"
1t is considered not unlikely that, owing
to the present unpleasantness between him
self and the head of the diocese, Father
Belts will take advantage of his call to
Louisville, and remove TO that city.