Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-01-11
WHO OCCUPIES DAT PULPIT


Trouble In the African Baptist church
| --COIored Brethren at War-Too
Many Pastors.
Readers of the daily papers of ROCK
Island are aware Of the fact that an In
ternecine warfare is raging in certain
church parish in this city. The church
of the Second Baptist (colored) congre-
cation in this city is at war With itself
the difficulty being fight between the
past and present pastors for the occu'
pancy of the pulpit. Something like q
year ago rumors arising as to the moral
conduct OF Rev, Ed. Wilson the then pas
tor, the congregation made investigations
member OF the flock, alleging that Wilson
had made indecent proposals to her. the
right hand of fellowship was withdrawn
| from him ard he was dismissed, Rev. j
w. Washington succeeding him as pas
tor. Recently Wilson returned and
caused to be published letters rejecting
upon the character of the aforementioned
Miss Brown, setting forth that she was I'M
worthy of belief and was disreputable, and
in the face of these facts. which Wilson
claimed "God had worked out for him,
Wilson claimed that the congregation re-
scinded its action and extended the hand
of fellowship to him again.
This declaration on the part of the dis
missed pastor aroused the ire of the pres
ent occupant of the pulpit, and the latter
prepared and handed in for publication a
communication in which he claimed that
"a lie would travel around the world while
the truth was putting on its boots" and
that his dusky brother in Israel was not
only frabricator but a forger, and that
the church had never voted TO reinstate
Wilson. Furthermore, Washington said to
a reporter Monday evening, I'VE give Will
son chance to prove his innocence and
he don't do it, hence he is guilty. This
man Wilson amt got no good reputation
anyhow. He left Cedar Rapids, Mar
shalltown, Des Moines and Peoria with
a record Just like the one he made here
He got into just such scrape in Daven
port. / was one of the preachers who
had him excluded from the Iowa Baptist
association for immoral and dishonorable
conduct, and he is getting up all this
stuff so TO get back into the church, and
he can't do it. He better look out for
Brown, too; If Wilson meets that man
Brown. be won't find it very pleasant, for
Brown is going to settle with him for
slandering his daughter"
Yesterday Brother Wilson made ans
other statement in support of his side
of the case. He said:
Truth crushed to earth shall rise
again. Therefore wish to let the pubs
lie know that the falsehood was not in
my statement of the LIST inst, but is IN
the statement made by j. w. Washing-
| ton on the 7th inst. The motion for re.
consideration was made by Deacon Tar
yer, and second by ex. Deacon John Coop
er. The Rev. j. W. Washington de
clares in his statement that no such
motion was made, although he was pre-
siding over the meeting at the same time;
and the first time the motion was put, |
! had one majority and he was not salts
| fed, and had the motion put again, and
after he made few brief remarks l
gained one more vote, and the ma jority
of the church is in my favor. Now who
has told the falsehood? He also declares
that the church took no such actions, but
am glad do not have to declare TO a
falsehood to clear myself"
Verify there is blood on the moon, and
before the angel of peace settles over this
uneasy little church and it is decided
whether the Rev Ed. Wilson or the Rev.
j. W. Washington shall occupy the pull
pit, there is likely to be trouble, and that
OF very sensational character.