Daily Republican., 1886-01-05

Il The Rev. DR. George X. Bristor, Pro
hibitionist, whose l6-year old servant, Ids
Downs, accused him OF eriminally assault
ling her, received three persons into tht
Ispring Valley Methodist Church yester
dAy. and administered the communion
Iservice. Before the sermon he said
think this Il htting time for me u
Iveniure 10 remind you OF two things.ir
Iconne :tion with the evil that has come
upon me First, that the presiding elder
has declined 10 hold an investiR alton, In
spite Of my urgent request that he should
do 90. Second, that I have protested
against the action Of the Official board oil
this church in refusing TO undertake an
Investigation into the charges made
against me.
I" beg you TO remember that you are
christians, and 10 keep calm and quiet
until this matter shall be settled. II my
actions are not such 40 you would wish
me 70 take, II do things you think
fought not 70 do, or take steps that seem
70 you unAdvised, ] want you 10 under
stand that am entirely In the hands Of
one wiser than myself, and Am acting on
the advice OF counsel more experienced
than myself, because what has happened
has made me uncertain what course To-
pursue At the reques. of friends went
yesterday n consult with Judge Fullerton.
Any steps take will be under his direc-
ton. Let US now forget all the unpleas
ant things that have happened, and get
our minds at 'uned To enter hear lily intol
the spirit Of the services"
DR.. Brlstor's sermon was on the text,
And they crueifed Him"
Presiding Elder j A. Craik went tol
Spring NAlleynon Friday, and After hear
ling the story and privately examining the
girl Ida Downs, decided 70 make no In
Iyestigatlon. Justice Gemmel, who Is DR..
Bristor's neArest neighbor and is . strong
Republican, proposes 10 bind DIR Bristor
over for the grand jury after Ida Downs
Examination 10 morrow, n Ida Downs
sticks to her story. She has made two
retractions The first one was written on
Tuesday last, the day after the charges
first became public II rcsd az follows ::
Dc. 29th, lss5-Dear Friend ! take
| II all back. / was not ruined by DIR.
bristor, as said. II Is not true. think
was worried and fre:ted, which made
me tell the story did. win be al obed-
lent girl.
Yours truly, IDA DowNs.
This letter was witnessed by Mrs. Bris-
tor, Mrs Wood, TO whom the girl had
made the charges, and by Mrs. Scott.
The girl made . second retractiou on
the evening Of Thursday, December 3lst,
before Theodore T. Heade, Schuyler Yves
tervelt, and Jackson Rose, members Of
Pastor Bristor's church.
IN this sworn retraction Ida Downs
denies that Dr. Bristor was ever unduly
intimate with her. She says that all her
charges are lies. II appears that Mrs.
Bristor had had trouble with 4 servant,
Hannah Slattery, an old woman. Ida
Downs says she had q dream, and told
Hannah aboutIi. Hannah said sue could
interpret dreams, and teid Ida, 30 Ida
says, that her dream meant that Dr.
Brtstor had assaulted her, and hadn't she
better 20 over and tell Mrs Gemmel, the
Justices wife, about II. Ida says that she
did so, and Mrs. Gemmel said 10 her,
Then 1t must b. true, for he had bad
reputation when he came here" ida
denies that her previous retrAction was
extracted from her, and says that she was
not shut up In room and threatened
In this retraction Ida accuses Justice
Gemmel Of having kissed her. When
DR.. Bristor charged the Justice with hav.
lnR dOu1 80, that gentleman called him a |
liar few minutes Afterward, however,
be admitted that he had kissed Ida, but
said that he had done so 10 reassure her.
Members Of Nj. Bristor's church do |
not hesitate 70 say that politics and the |
defeat OF Davenport by the Prohibition
vote are At the bottom OF the trouble. |
HArbor- Master Rdsall and Justice Gem
mel are ardent Republicans, but they say
that social purity is what they are after
now.