Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-08-23
THE SALVATION ARMY TROUBLES.
Serious Charges against the Cadet and
the Captain.
Two Salts at Law - One Settled and
the Other Dismissed.
4 Fierce Fistic Encounter

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4 Fierce FiStic Encounter.
The campaign of the Salvation Army
in Mineral Point was quite successful
until about week ago. The author
! tiles gave them the freedom of the city
and endeavored to protect their meet
ings and parades from outside distur-
bance. the attempts at which were not
frequent. The people of the town
being quite religious were inclined to
look with favor upon any movement
having for its object the conversion Of
men from a spirit of Indifference to a
spirit of quicked religious zeal The
meetings were invariably well at
tended, many recruits We're secured
and money was freely subscribed to
aid in 1.-The salvation of the masses
While numerous other towns were
having trouble with the Salyationists.
Mineral Point was getting along with
them in comparatively easy manner.
This was the state of affairs on Thurs
day evening OF last week, when the
town was set all agog with excitement
by numerous rumors in regard to an
occurrence which took place at the
Army barracks that afternoon in which
Cadet John S. Johnson, Capt William
Moody and Mrs. Elizabeth Harris We're
the actors. The story ran that, at the
request of Cadet Johnson, Mrs. Harris !
went to the barracks to sweep or do |
some work about them, and was |
assaulted or treated in an indecent |
mo Inv in no Of
Capt. Moody, and that Mrs. Harris |
left the barracks and informed her |
husband, Harry Harris, of the insult. |
1t was further said that Moody and |
Johnson tried to excuse their conduct |
by saying that reports against the
woman's character had come to their
ears, and that they endeayored to find !
out whether she was yirtuous or not,
so that they might depose her from
the army if the accusations proved
true. This disgusting explanation
served but to give currency and ere
denee to the reports, and increased the
interest in the affair.
On Friday evening meeting was
opened as usual at the Presbyterian
church building; but as sufficient |
order could not be maintained to hold
even a halleluia service, the meeting
was shortly adjourned.
On Saturday morning Cadet John
son and Capt. Moody were arrested
and brought before Mayor LaMalle, on
the charge of assaulting, beating and
wounding Mrs. Harris. The case came
up for trial at about II o'clock, and
the defendants pleaded not guilty,
and asked for a continuance until
Monday morning. The court granted
the continuance as requested. But
Maj. Whatmore arrived on the noon
train, and was DESTROYS of keeping the
matter out of the courts. Steps were
accordingly taken to effect settle
ment with Mr.. and Mrs. Harris; and
it was thought that the matter would
be dropped, through the failure of the
complaining witness to appear and
prosecute.
On Sunday night, however, another
warrant was sworn out, and the defen-
dantS were again arrested; but this
time upon the grave charge of at
tempting to commit rape. They Sc
cured bail and were released until
Monday morning, when the district
attorney, Richard Carter, came in from
Dodgeville, and prosecuted the case
before Justice John w. Horn, Hon. J.
Montgomery Smith appearing for the
defense. The examination was held
in the City Hall on Monday and Tues
day, and was private, the court very
sensibly excluding from the room all
but the interested parties, the lawyers
and the witnesses. The examination
was concluded on Tuesday afternoon;
but Justice Horn reserved his decision
until Wednesday morning, when he
announced it as follows:
after hearing the evidence and the able ar
guments for and against the accused, the court
is satisfied that a crime has been committed,
but that the evidence is not strong enough to
circuit court for the charge made in the COM
plaint so the defendants, John s. Johnson and
William Moody, are hereby discharged by the
court on the charge OF attempt to commit rape"
The testimony of the defendants on
the hearing was about the same as
the explanation which they at first
offered as an excuse for their conduct.
And taking their story as true, it |
would seem that they ought rather to
be placed under the care of guardian
or within an institute for the care of |
the weak-minded, than to be given the
leadership of an organization designed
for the salvation of the masses.
Shortly after the decision of the case |
in the justice court was announced, |
and just as the interest in it was sub
siding, when a fierce encounter occurred |
in Henry Osbornes store been two |
Salvation Army ladies and Tom Coad
1t seems that Coad was in the store
buying some groceries when they en-
tered and one of them called him !
d" Anti-Christ," and upbraided him for
an alleged insult offered them some
time previously. He roughly denied
the charge, and they threatened to
slap his face, and he defied them. |
Whereupon one of them did slap him
when he struck out and hit his assail- |
ant a severe blow in the face
The occurrences of the past week in |
Mineral Point furnish strong evidence |
that the good which results from the |
noisy and boiSterOuS work of the Sal !
walton Army is far more than offset |
by its demoralizing influences. 1t is
the greatest folly imaginable for good,
pious christians to blindly follow the
leadership of men of whose character
they scarcely know anything except |
that they wear outlandish uniforms |
and shout, halleluia! and, glory to
God!
1t is not likely that any of the lands