The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-07-01
EVIL REPORTS OF MIR. FIFE.
ii Is Friends Exonerate Him From
All Blame, and Think That Be-
cause of His Work for Christ the
Devil Instfgnted the SIander.

Devil Instignted the SInnder.
GREENWOOD. $. c., June %, 1891.
| Editor Press and Banner.
The people OF Greenwood have been In
tensely interested In the base and slanderous
charges brought against evangelist w. z
| Fife. There are so few readers OF your paper
who take tn daily papers wi hlch have exhon
Grated Mr.. Fife. his friends here desire thai
you publish the enclosed clippings from the
Mac" In last weeks issue of the Press and
Banner, says: ut turns out that Rev. w. r
Fife is not the pe1ieet man that he ne was
are not alone, that the cause of Christianity
| is suffering from plague of so.called evan
gelists." The above comment Of MAC" Is an
Illustration of the mistake of exercising
facts facts on Both sides. When we are already
set against a cause 1t is difficult for us TO see
anything that is good in II.
| The Shelby Aurora OF June rs. says: Three
weeks ago the editor of the Aurora heard OF
cruel and false rumors rejecting upon the
character of the successful evangelist, w. P.
Fife and charging him with the paternity Of
an illegltimate child, born last week in II
nelghboring town. On that same day we
met prominent citizen of - at the depot
and In reply to our guarded questions he an
swered promptly, "The report is true as 10
her downfall, she Is enciente, but Fife is limo
cent. The charge against him Is false. The
| time OF CESSATION proves that he Is not the
father" Others affirmed his innocence and
| SUBSEQUENT evidence, alSO TWO COluu tA-
ulpate this evangelist.
This charge does great injustice against
| Rev. Fife and we regret that editors should
give currency to this charge OF infdelity,
| when 1t Is positively known that another
man. who resides in the same town in which
she lives is declared by her 10 be the father
of the child and her statement Is corrob.
grated by other circumstances.
! She told several that Mr.. M was the
father of the child and each and every time
declared Fife innocent, and that Fife was
guilty OF NO such immortality with her; The n
has convusions and we wish not to add 10
her cup OF sorrow and shame. She In her
youthful passion met tempter, she listened,
| listened and-fell. Shall 1t be TO rise no
more? Cruel society with its shams says
mo-" and makes cruel law against woman S
sin and condones and smiles at the same sin
in the betrayer. God makes the same law
for both sexes and declares both equally
guilty, but society declares she is "unclean,
while in man ats only youthful indiscre-
tion."
| Mr.. Fife was in Lncolnton ten months ago
August 1890, when he held revival there
and she professed religion. Next week she
was at Morganton where he was holding a
quest OF Mrs. Fife she was the guest Of Rev
and Mrs. Fife. This unfortunate visit alone
gave slight foundation to the false charge,
| which committee from Charlotte inyestiga-
ted and proved to be false. Last week this
| rumor reached Greensboro and committee
there again exonerates Rev. Fife.
| No man saw any improper conduct OF
heard anything improper or criminal be-
tween this woman and Rev. Fife, both de.
I clare he Is innocent. 1t is cruel thus to
wrong a minister and impair his useful
ness.
The Charlotte Chronicle of last Wednesday
| says.
i EVANGELIST FIFE EXONERATED.
/ Under this head the Raleigh correspondent
of the Times, yesterday has the following:.
| prnfnun6 intprpgt hnS rpntprpd here In the
past day or two in the reports which have
been circulated affecting the Christian char
acter Of Rev. w. P. Fife, the drummer evan,
gelist. Mr.. Fife has on two occasions held
revival meetings In Raleigh, and has been
held in high regard by q large number OF the
Raleigh public, and this increased the inter
h est and concern felt In the rnm9r regarding
thorough investigation Of the charges has
been held, and that he has been completely
exonerated OF the charges against him.
Il Greensboro, and the committee In charge
hearing Of the rumors against him several
days ago notified him to come to Greensboro
in order that the matter might be thoroughly
meetings. He arrived there on Friday and
| appeared before the committee with the re-
suit OF vindicatlng his character TO their sat
lsfaction. He procured and produced before
!, the committee letter from the young lady
whose name was involved In the affair, and
also letters from her parents and from Others
VINO laQ KnOWleuBc COuCeTllliB IL, WulCL
completely exonerated him.
. l received letter to-day from citizen OF
Greenwood. now visiting points, In North
> Carolina, in which he says "that he Is con
vinced that these sIanderous reports against
Mr.. Fife al @ false, and that they were cir
culated against him by designing persons II
linJure his evangelistc work"
The devil still goeth obout as roaring lion
, and when he comes across man like Mr
, Fife he roars long and loud. Mr.. Fife is
; doing too much good to 60 unmolested. il
he continues TO use money as he now uses IT.
we hope he will be "mOre concerned about
the collections" than he was ut Greenwood.
He Is glyine $3ON to the State \. M. G. A., o
. North Curolina. He is aiding In the educn
: tion OF poor worthy young men. He gave SlU
Of the money he received here to young man
who Is studying for the ministry. He is dona
E ting money to Religious institutions through
out the State of North Carolina. AT an early
day he proposes to support three candidates
. for the ministry in this State, one In the Pres
byterlan, Methodist and Baptist denomina
tions each. He is the means of thousands q
l souls coming to Christ. The devil could moi
afford TO allow him to accomplish so much
unassailed.
After his meeting here, false reports were
started and generally circulated. A letter
was written to a neighboring town to have
nothing TO do with Fife-and review OF the
meeting here casting reflections upon him
his work, and his converts was pubshed IN
, religious newspaper: IL now turns svnn, on,
that he Is completely eXonerated. Wha'
next? Justice.
3 New things In millinery still coming In
s Haddons.