St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-04
OUSTED THE PASTOR.
Result Of the Investigation
of Westminster Church
Affairs.
Blame Attached to Miss Fer
guSon and Rev. w. D.
Roberts.
Seathing Review Of Causes
Which Led to the
RumpuS.
Another Minister Chosen by
the Presbytery to Fill
the Pulpit.

The beginning of the end was wit
messed yesterday in connection with
Pastor Roberts troubles at Westminster
Presbyterian church.
There was meeting in the afternoon
of the st. Paul presbytery, held in the
school room of the Central Presbyterian
church, the object of which was to re-
ceive report from a committee ap-
pointed to investigate Rev. William D.
Roberts pastoral relations with West,
Minister church on the West side
There was large attendance of the
presbyterY, which includes the churches
of st. Paul and Minneapolis, Duluth,
Red Wing and the intermediate district
Rev. w. d. Roberts was present, seated
at the rear of the room and surrounded
by male members of his side of the con-
gregatiOn of Westminster church. He
Is short in stature, thickly built, with
fairly rounded features but of sallOW
complexion, and looks about thirty-twO
years old. A heavy mOustache is promi.
nent on the upper lip, and, to make q
comparison, his appearance is a marked
resemblance of Lord Randolph Church,
Ill. the brother of the Duke of MARI
borough. To the left of Pastor Roberts
sat the female element of the congrega-
ton
| WHO ESPoUSED HIS CAUSE,
ana prominent among these were the
Misses Ferguson, who played so i'm
pOrtant part in the horsewhipping
| episode on the West side To the right,
and facing the Misses Ferguson, was j.
NJ. Hawthorne, their victim, who was
backed by the applicants for a dissolu-
ton OF Mr.. Roberts pastorate. notice
able among them being Asahel e..
Wedge and George Shickling.
Rev. w. q. Anderson, the moderator.
quickly transacted several incidental
matters which required the sanction of
the presbytery, and called upon the
committee of vestrymen to make their
report on Westminster church.
L. Cochran, Jr., chairman of the
committee, performed this duty and
read an exhaustive report. This set
forth that the petitioners for a dissolu-
ton of Mr.. Roberts pastoral relations
claimed the church to be in lament
able condition of turmoil, discord
and unrest, its financial affairs
continually becoming more serious, i'm
! pecuniOus and straitened." This
paper was signed by thirty-three mem
bers of the church. There were two
more documents placed before the COM
mlttee-one from the session of West
minister church and another signed by
ninety-fOur members and adherents of
the church. The latter stated that they
were ''aware that certain insinuations
are in circulation against the Christian
and pastoral reputation of our pastor,
Rev. w. ID. Roberts. We are aggrieved
that this is so, but believe that they
have their origin only in the brain of
EYIL-MINDED PERSONS.
we respectfully ask your reverend body
to consider this petition, and earnestly
request that Mr.. Roberts may be con-
tinued among us as pastor. We are
still prepared to uphold and sustain
him, and here express our mistaken
confidence in his Christian integrity as
a minister of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ" Pastor Roberts also placed a
statement before the committee, calling
for an investigation into matters which
seriously affected his Christian and
ministerial reputation" 1t was the
| only judicial court to which he could
apply, as he had failed to ascertain the
| party, or parties, who circulated SLAM
| derous statements concerning him. The
committee took evidence the whole of
Wednesday and Thursday, and occu-
pied Saturday in making up this report.
The questions at issue very early in the
investigation divided themselves into
two groups: W The remarks affecting
the reputation of the pastor and charg-
| ing him with immoral conduct with one
of the young women of his congrega-
ton; and % the irregularity i'm con-
Quoting the spiritual government and
affairs of the church. ''With regard to
the first" the report stated, 1--WE declare
at once, and emphatically, that no di-
rect charges to this intent have been
made by any one appearing before the
committee, and no evidence whatever
has been adduced to prove immoral or
sinful conduct Oh the part either of the
pastor or of the other person whose
name has been mentioned in this con-
nection. This report then exonerates
them both, and distinctly in this regard.
But we wish to mark, as expressed
AS THIS ENUMERATION
| is on the one hand, our condemnation on
the other of the f0olishness and indis-
erection which all parties have been
guilty of. Every rumor on this subject,
traced to its source, is found to have
had its birth in the indiscreet and care
less talk of the young woman herself.
Aggrieved at the repetition of lnsinua-
tons and ISLANDERS which had grown
| from seed unguardedly dropped by her.
self. she is finally led to an act of un-
| juStitiable violence against a ruling
elder of the church of which they are
both members. She adds to her wrong
doing by persuading other young
women, all members of the
same church, to join in the
assault; and by the whole
sad proceeding damages the very repu-
tatiOnS she then seeks to vindicate /:
commits an unwomanly, lawless and
| WlchFu ACT, anu oIluSS IepredcH anu
disgrace upon the cause of Christ. She
has not, however, been alone in her in
discretion. We believe that had these
evil remarks been treated at the very
start either with conSiderate and Chris
tian silence on the part of church
officers who heard them, or with frank
and searching official investigation,
they would have been found, as we have
found them, groundless and false.
There has been lack of Christian
SYMPATHY AND KINDNESS
together with spirit of unnecessary
and unkind criticism on the part of some
of those now placed in opposition to the