The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-02-13
The Sturgls Matter.

A few weeks ago, much to the surprise
Of religious circles of Richmond, Va,
and especially those of the Methodist
denomination, the Rev. J. R. Sturgis,
pastor of Trinity Methodist Church in
that city, was arrested by his presiding
elder, and upon an investigation by a
committee of ministers of the charge
against him temporarily suspended.
The offense was that Mr. Sturgis wrote
letter to a well known married lady of
his congregation which offended the re-
cipient and her husband. Heretofore all
the persons interested have considered
it best to withhold the letter until Sat-
urday, when it was made public through
the Daily State. 1t was delivered to
the lady by the Rev. Mr.. Sturgis on the
evening of December 12 when he took
tea at her house. 1t reads as follows:
81 hope you will forgive this and des-
troy it after reading. know you would
forgive it if you could know how sad l
have been made, how keenly l have
suffered within the past few weeks. l
do not know what has caused the change
in you. [ blush with shame to know
that | have felt it so deeply; that, against
what l know to be right, care so much
for you, so much more than l have the
right to care. Why from the first time
your eyes met mine | should have felt
their attractive power l cannot under
stand. My saddest thought is, have
not acted so as to lead you to Christ.
Had / left here, the fact of leaving you
out of the church would have been the
most bitter thought next to leaving you
In all my life Il have never had an
T
were sick and called you did not ask me
to remain longer nor to come again, and
you seemed anxious to hurry the open
ing of the door at my exit therefrom. l
could not sleep that night. have felt,
just before and since that day, that |
am annoying you. Forgive meif have.
Forgive me for a love which has grown
upon me, and horrifies me when l allow
myself to think of it as l ought. Pray
for me, that | may overcome it, and
believe me when [ promise to try to
avoid giving you annoyance.
| have refrained from going where
we met this morning, at your time of
going, for fear of annoying you in that
way, but l could not help going this
morning in the hope of seeing you.
Again pray you to forgive this and de-
stroy it at once. know | am wrong,
but have suffered SO much.''
On furnishing this letter to the press
the husband of the lady in note says:
"Since so much has been said in cOnnec-
ton with the matter. and as the public
has never been informed as to the con-
tents of the letter of Mr.. j. Sturgis to
my wife, | conceive 1t to be my duty to
allow the publication of this remarkable
letter in order that the public may fully
understand the true nature OF the case"
Accompanying this correspondence fur
nished for publication is this certificate
from Mr.. Sturgis:
II certify that in my letter to Mrs -
when | used the words 1 have refrained
from going where we met this morning,
at your time of going, for fear of annoy
ing you in that way, my explicit and
only meaning as to the place of meeting
at her husbands store J. K. STURGIS''
At subsequent investigation by the
committee of ministers, Mr.. Sturgis was
declared to have been mentally irrespon-
sible at the time he wrote the letter, anil
was restored to his charge. A few days
ago Mr.. Sturgis resigned and his success
sor has been named.
The Richmond Dispatch of last week
published long statement from Rev
Mr.. Sturgis. in which the name of
the lady in the case is Withheld. He says:
81 have known the lady since June.
married the couple There has been
the utmost degree of intimacy between
her husband and myself but none be-
tween the lady and myself, and no op-
portunity for cultivating an intimate
acquaintance. Indeed, felt condemned
for not having paid her more pastoral
attention, and when l felt that l was
chargeable with seeming discourtesy to
her, in my endeavor to show her that
she was not unappreciated l evidently
1ftQmntInp
showed too much appreciation in my
hastily written letter" He says now
that the husband has seen fit to publish
his letter he feels relieved, and is salts
fled to submit the whole matter to the
judgment of the public.
Epoch.
The transition from long, lingering
and painful sickness to robust health