The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-08-22

ours, for the heading of the article
should have been, "A Tissue of False
hoods, for such il was, root and branch.
might answer il by saying, " deny
the allegation and demand the proof,
for il is all made up of the former and
totally lacking i'm the latter. II w. ii.
Taylor had any reply 10 make, why did
he not seize the opportunity ut the
proper time and place, August 9Th, at
the opera house, when challenged any
one to reply To my statements and
proofs then and theres But, rs he has
rushed into print and thus gained,
largely, new audience, / will meet
him on his own chosen ground, with
his own weapons, and expose his falla-
cious statements and distortions of
truth, SO that the public, To whom he
appeals, may form its own judgment.
He claims that on August 5th made
bid for sympathy by putting on an air
of injured innocence. Nothing was
ever farther from the truth. l had an
air of righteous indignation, and only
cared to tell the truth about hypocrites,
sympathy or no sympathy, and he
knows it. have yet to learn that the
Baptist church ever took any action
with regard to barricading the doors
against me, concerning which the Van
Buren, County Democrat thus fittingly
comments: "When congregation goes
so far as to close the door against the
parson, it is about time the odd boy
establishes business right there. One
week ago last Sunday, the doors of the
Paw Paw Baptist church were barred
against Rev Edward Bell and, the fol-
lowing Sunday, he preached in the OPP
era house. Closed church doors and
church quarrels will never save sin
ner That kind of business makes the
devil grin and angels weep
March Goth, Deacons Wise and Eaton
called upon me, but not by request of
the church, and did not notify me of
any disaffection, and did not try to per-
suade me to resign, but simply told me
of the financial straits of the church,
and asked what | would advise, to
which | replied, Il have nothing to adj
troubles, in which was the chief suf-
the treasurer and finance committee,
for which | was not responsible.
The motion offered April 18th asking
me To resign on financial grounds was
opposed, as soon as il was made by
William H. Mason, and fair opportun-
ity WaS giUen to dispose of it, and the
vote called for. | did not declare it out
of order, as | ought To have done, but
allowed it to be discussed at least six
awaiting themselves of the privilege,
and finally acted upon, none voting for
it, but nearly all against it.
Yes, | wrote those resolutions accept
ing my resignation, which was written
two days before, and adopted May 31st,
and why? Simply because / was re-
quested so to do by Mr.. Eugene Cooley
To whom / had handed my resignation.
When | gave him the rough copy it was
with the understanding, not implied
but stated, that he was To confer with
Messrs. Mason and Taylor, and that
together they were to alter or amend
as they thought best, but they seemed
to be so well pleased with the compost
ton that but one word was added, and
that was the word Baptist" and these
resolutions were presented by the clerk,
w. III. Mason, in his own handwriting,
supposed To be his own composition,
and were adopted unanimously, with
one exception, when a larger number
of members than usual were pres
ent and voting. Later, the church
neCer officially notified me that my SER
vices were no longer desired, this fact
was made plain August 5th, neither has
il ever requested the trustees to lock
the doors against me. / have known
of no church action To submit to, and
if there had been any, it would have
been unwalranted and uncalled for,
consequently unrecognized.
The church meeting which was held
at my house July Both would have been
held i'm the church building, but the
doors were barricaded; this meeting
was properly and publicly called, and
those who attended were not induced
to do SO by any effort whatever but
came without solicitation, while others
who would have been present were in
duced by falsehoods and other discred-
liable means to absent themselves.
Ten, including the pastor, were pres
ent, legal quorum, all of whom voted
with two exceptions, and they did not
refrain from voting, excepting once,
and then only because they did not
thoroughly understand the effect of the
vote To be taken. That, with the meet
ing on the previous Thursday night
was the only legal meeting held in
July. The reason why desperate eff
fort was made To keep members away
was because they recognized its legal
ity and would destroy its effect by pre-
venting quorum from being present.
The balance of his effusion is made
up of pretended quotations from letters
and garbed newspaper statements,
which | will meet with bona tide proofs
from HUing men and Hving churches,
and not Pigments of the imagination
and half truths, which are the same as
lies. The statements he presents de-
stroy themselves, for they are too black
to be believed or even credited by any
one who knows me, or ever knew my
sainted and pure wife. Rev. ID. Henry
Miller, ID. d., pastor of the First Bap-
fist church of Norwich, Conn, who
knows me and my history better than
any man living, wrote to me under date
of March 10th, 1886, long letter from
which | Gull the following: Knowing
your former life, always felt that if at
the right moment the hand of brotherly
kindness had been extended towards
you, and the mantle of manly chris
tan charity had been thrown around
you all would have been well. knew
your honored father, one of the best of
men, "a good minister of Jesus Christ,
and knowing his solicitude and love for