Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-11-03
NEW JERsEY's nrBnE HArEn.
Conviction for Blasphemy Under
the state Constitution.
I az he Nefo YORK Ysrgio

F,om The Eeio York Hsrald.
The appearance. OF Col. Bob Ingersoll in
a New Jersey court at Morristown yes.
terday was sensa tion for the rural spec
tators. Every seat and all the space clear
up alaroppd the Judges bench was Oc-
cupied. "Pll swear TO gosh. eff every man
IN the county haint here to-day" SAID the
man IN, charge OF the door as he passed his
Plug tobacco to the constable.
The case announced for trial was the
mucn talked about "charge" of blasphemy
against Charles b. Reynolds. 1t may lie
remem hered that Reynolds preached his
antl-Bloie doctrines from a tent in Boon
ton early in the autumn. He also distrl.
outed tracts ridlculing the Bible and the
cuurches or every denomination, which
greatly lncensed the orthodox citlzena of
ooohtpn. 1t was generally understood
that Mr.. Reynolds visited Boonton in re-
ponse TO an invitation from several resi-
uent Tree thinkers of that charming town,
put this TACT did not mitigate his otfsuse
AT last the demonstrations on the part of
MI reynolds became 50 pronounced that
local lawyers were engaged to study up
The OIasphemy laws on the statute books,
which date away back into the early is
tory OF the state, long before the present
constitution was revised.
INGERSOLL voICELEss,
When Col. lngersoll entered court
there was scarcely room enough for a pin
to drop. The Public Prosecutor, address,
ing the court, said that he was ready for
trial and moved that the case proceed
without delay.
Then Col. lngersoll arose. and seemed to
be spe King, bu his voice was scarcely
ABOVE whisper. He said tc Judge Cnllds,
presiding, that his physician had forbid
den his speaking, but as ne had under
stood that the case was not to be post
poneG he had engaged counsel to assist
p4m. However, too late to remedy it, the
gentleman had been called away TO attend
TO another case. Accordingly Judge Childs
postponed the hearing until the third
Tuesday in January next.
luis said that alter the first dtfiulty with
ReJ noldS the aggri5Yed citizens OF Boon
ton would not have begun proceedings
against him had he not have added a
"olasphemous" picture to his pamphlet
ridlculing The Bible and the Saviour.
SAMPLES OF BLASPHEMY.
The following extract from the pam
phlet, which appeared IN the indictment,
Will form the basis OF the charges against
Reynolds:
Alls blOle describes GOd as so loving
that he drowned the whole world in his
mad fury because it was so much worse
than he knowing all things?) ever sup
posed 1t could be. An ail-wise, unchange-
able God, who got out of patience with a
world which was just what his own
stu id laundering mad made it, and knew
no better way out of the muddle than to
destroy 1t by drowning!
Now reader, take time and calmly think
it over. A Jewish girl becomes the
mother of God Almighty-the mother of
your God. The onIld of this young jew
ess was God. Christ is God. God cried
and screamed, squealed and kicked; God
flung about his little arms; God made
simless dasbes into space with his little
fists; God stared foOllshly at his own lit.
tie toes; God smiled when he was com.
Portable and howled wnen prIcked by q
nasty pin; God lay in a cradle and was
rocked to sleep; God was quite
sick when cutting his little
teeth; God caught the measles
mumps, whooping cough and scarlet
fever; God learned TO walk and often
tumbled down, bumped his forehead and
made bis little nose bleed; God was
spanked when he was naughty.
the Public Prosecutor SAID last evening
thatin his opinion the laws against bias
phemy would stand, as the cOnstltutiO
mad not been changed in that respect,