The Forrest City times., 1891-09-18
H0RU IAClNH PARsON.
pAeipoR AMY CT MICHIGAN PUT rnRovoH HIS PAcEA
me RroaeAsr Maintained That There ls Nothing wrong in Horss
 Racing Well Conducted

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich, Sept 14.-The Michigan Methodist conference to-day put the Rev. J.W. Arney, of Saranac, the horso-race parson, through his paces and finally referred him to 8 committee for investigation. Mir. Arney swells his meager income by buying promising young colts, devel- oping their speed and then selling them. Last year he gave trotting matinee at Saranac, and for this in- discretion he was hauled over the coals by the conference. He promised to quit and his offense was condoned, but it is now claimed he has been backsliding. l4a
 To-day he appeared as . candidate for promotion to full elders orders and everything seemed to be in his favor. He had passed his examination with credit and his presiding elder strongly recommended him, when tho Rev. J. A. Eldred, superanuated parson now serving as chaplain of the Ionia House of Correction accused him of alleged delinquencies and demanded m in- vestigation.
 Bishop Newman observed that the Methodist parsons of tho early days were, according to history, pretty fond of rapid horses, and that ho saw nothing wrong in this himself, but perhaps it would be as well to give Brother Arney an examlnation.
 The Rev. Mir. Arney, in response to questions, said that Ae materially i'm creased his income by buying and sell ing horses, which was no worse than buying village lots and un- loading them at an advanced price. that he had not entered his horse in snv race since the last conference, and that he did not believe in racing horses for money. He admitted. however, that he did attend the race at Three Rivers last spring, but went to observe the good points of a horse and see him make record and did not think there was anything wrong about it. Brecd- ing and speeding horses had come to be . legitimate business; breeding was certainly legitimate and horses value was often determined by its speed and a record could be gained only by race on a track.
 Elder Moore of Arney's district was asked what effect the horse jockey business had on the brothers work and the elder replied that Arney's work would best answer that question:; that during the last year Arney had brought 250 souls to the mercy seat; that his own church had been increased nearly 100 in membership, and that the col lections were far ahead of that amount apportioned to the church
 The Rev. Mir. Eldred protested that MT. Arney's good works should be no excuse for his delinquencies. and in sisted that the church should not sanction horse racing by approving Arney's course. A special committee was formally appointed to act on his case
 Tho following delegates were elect cd to the general conference: James H. Potts, Detroit; Elder Levi Master, Niles district; De. w. l. Cogshall, kal- amazoo; Elder George s. Hickey. Lan- sing district: NJ, NJ. Callen, Jackson; Elder D. w. Parsons, Big Rapids dis trict and Elder \. Bray, Coldwater district. The lay electoral conference elected lay delegates to the general conference Dickey of Albion, H. E. Staple of Whitehall. Altemater E. Swarthout of Grand Rapids and w. w. COOper of St. JoSeph