The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-10-18
4 MINISTER'S CRIME
Rev. R. ]. Cantine Seduces a
Member Of His Congregation
THE GIRLS STORY OF HER SHAME
She desired to Reform, but he Desired She
shouidn't-He Thinks Her Long Slnce
Dead when She Appears.

ISpecialto TIE HERAbD-Examlner Dispatch. ]
CHICAGO, Oct. 17-'Heavenly father. what
in the devil are you doing here: I thought that
you were dead"
Strange words to come from minister's lips
and addressed to Il woman yet if what was this
evening related in Chicago is true they were
uttered in frenzy OF fear and astonishm mt By
one CT the foremost Methodist Clergymen on the
Pacific coast, one who is an honored delegate
from California to the great Ecumeuical council
no" sitting at the national capital, and who,
attec his return west, 1t Is SAID here proposes
TO establish new church in the most aristo
cratic portion OF tie Fort Hill district in San
Francisco.
The minister is the Rev r. j. Cantine, D. D.,
until scarcely fortnight or more ago the pas
lor Oh the most prominent Methodist Episcopal
CHURCH IN Los Angeles. The woman in the
case Is here IL Chicago, Where the Rev. Or.
canine some time ago mad az his charge the
wealthy Oak Park Methodist Episcopal congre-
8atl? n, one of tde choicest places, from q
cleilcal standpoint, to be had in the Unled
StaJeS. Sac possesses a strkingly handsome
HsuFe probably not artistcalIy peif feet yet AN
instant reminder il modern ATTIRE OF the gener-
Gus prop rt,on5 ana rounded Ii es Of the Venus
le MILO. Unlike the famous marble
IN another respect her face while IN
ueLIabiy attractive and refined, cannot be
called beautiful. A brthmark on one cheek
makes the counJenance at ines seem almost
plaza, I'LL relieved by q habitualIy pathetic eX-
press on. mutely telling OF mental anguish long
undergone. 3he is married, about thirty years
OF age, Light compleXionsd, and extremely
mous5tappearlng both in demeauor and dress.
IN conversation she iuprtSSes one as being OF
an intensely religious temperament, and rot
wIthstandlng her fearful experiences and her
apparent BELIEF that she has acquired worldly
wisdom, seems still 10 large extent naturally
unsophislieaied
Peculiar rumors reaching this city of a sensa-
uonal meeting between her ana the Rev Dr.
Cantne at Los Angeles led 10 inquiries concern
ing her and Ell cited the information that her
story was known to the Rev DR.. j. NJ Caldwell
pastor OF the South Park Avenue Methodist
episcopal church. Dr. Caldwell is one OF the
pest known Methodists In Chicago: he has
preached here Tor nearly seventeen years Con
siderable diplomacy was necessary to induce
nun 20 speak freely and he did SO only on con-
ultlon tnat the name of the woman who he said
rightly possesses the esteem of her neighbors
and acqua!ntances, should not be d4Vulged
me extraordinary narrative related by DR..
aloWell III the cosy study of his massive stone
cnurch this evening reads like parallel to
daWthorne'S Scarlet Letter"
DE. CALDWELL, slowly pushing back his iron
gray locks, and speaking with much elaboration
as though feeling that under the circumstances
his disclosures were in the nature OF a solemn
public duty, said
When this woman was little girl, her
mother was member of my church and a
more thoroughly excellent Christian | haVa
never met. Later on from 1873 to 1881. while I
was in charge of the Western Avenue church
inc daughter also was member of my congre-
CATION Two years ago. in November 1853, when
L was pastor OF the Oakland Methodist E,pisco-
pa! church, and she was living at the time on
Inlrty- fifth rect gentleman came TO me one
nlght IN great haste, saying woman was dy-
tug ana desired TO make statement to me be-
fore she passed away. l went at once ana found
tne woman 10 be she whom had known pre-
Ylously as an unmarried girl. This was the
nrsL time had seen her since ner marriage
she told me-" continued the doctor, that he
nad a guilty secret which she could not carry
with her to the other world, which she had told
her husband and which she desired to tell some
one connected with the church, some one in
Whom she had confidence before she died She
mad every appearance OF being very near death
al the time, gasplng at the rate of
twenty 10 forty times minute. The physician
mad told her that morning that she
PROBABLY would not live twenty-four hours
she mad pneumonia. With death thus close at
mana she told me, bit by bit, as she could that
DE-. Cantine, now Of California who had been
her pastor at Oak Park had seduced her and
maintained with her criminal relations for sew
eral months In consequence OF which she be-
came pregnant and Went TO her home 100 miles
from Chicago While there DR.. Cantine con-
Iluued 10 correspond with her, using the name
OF Charles Montgomery, by which name she adj
dressed him. Also that while there she was
delivered of a Still born child prematurely She
returned 10 the city determined not to let Dr.
Cantlne know OF her return or resume her reia-
tons wi b him. She went to work at Wood
mans restaurant. 80 Washington street be-
coming cashier. DR.. Cantine there again net
her at noon, ostensiply going to the restaurant
Tor lunch. mat evening when, her duties ended
she stepped out of the restaurant Dr. Cantine
emerged from an alley where he had been in
hiding and induced her to go to hotel and
their relations were resumed and
continued until near the time OF her marriage.
All this time Dr. Cdntine was the pastor of the
wealthy and influential Oak Park Methodist
Episcopal congregation, including number OF
Leading families. church in which the mis-
sionaIy contributions exceed those Of any
church in Chicaso. He had been married
twenty years and had a daughter at the time as
old as this young woman.
That you may know that am TELLING Won
the truth, said She, continued DR.. Caldwell
" and that my mind is also perfectly clear |
Will tell you what would never have known If
my relations with Mr.. Cantine had not bee1
namely, that during the Rockford
conference you told Can inc that you believed
he was lbertine. Cantine came back from
conference and told me what you had said to
him. ~
DIR. Caldwell here remarked that he had told
DR.. Cantine exactly that. 1t had been when n
one else but Dr. Cantine was present. and he
(Dr. CaldwelD had never told anyone else of it.
After receiving this beath-bed statement
said DR.. Caldwell 81 returned to nv study in
the church and wrote DR.. Canine telling him
what she had said. that | believed she stated
the truth and that also, | believed she would
be deau before he received the
letter. Though he spoke of having received INV
letter to one OF his friends. as | afterwards
learned. he never answered it, nor did he allIde
10 II when met him three tunes in London the
1olloWlng June, when we happened to meet
there at Spurgeons church, Westminster
Abbey and the Young Mems Christian Associ-
alton rooms
Resuming his statement, Dr. Caldwell added
some significant details. Said he: The oak
Park church Is n great church to raise mission
airy money. My informant said that DR.. Cantine
when pastor, sent her out among the parisbon-
efs IKE number OF other girls and ladies to
collect for the mtsSio IS. When she came back
to make her report she had brought more
money and more subscriptions than any b DIV
else brought. Cantine looked over her book
ana money and appeared much pleased saying:
Y Gu are the best collector 1 ever had the best
helper ever had. in fact love you better than
my wife and # wasn't married I'd marry Won
i knew he did wrong she said, but my vanity
was battered From that time he began to be
more and more free with me and on n subse.
quent occasion when [ brought in a missionary
report he seduced me-. The unfortunate girl
was at the time living at the residence of Mr.
Q. d. Simmons, land commissioner OF the
Chicago s. Northwestern railway, as com
panion for his wife.
I'm writing to DR.. Cantine," said DR. Cald-
well in conclusion, Il stated that if he were a
penitent man. should expect q respectful re
ply, and in that case the matter would die with
me- but if he We're still the same man and there
was no reply, 1 should inevitably make the
facts public if ever properly cal ed
upor to do so. Now I wish to
add that as to that poor woman
have never heard single word against her
except in connection with this matter. She
herself told me that this was the first and onIy
time she had gone astray, and fully believe il.
Apparently she is a happily married
woman. She and her husband are both quiet,
nnobtrusive people, aud seem exemplary in ali
their relations at church"
A visit to the neat home of the couple brought
put recital in some particulars even more
startling than that gwen by DR.. Caldwell
Letter From Prof. Israel Russell.
Especial to THE HERALD-Examlner Dispatch.
WASHINGTON, Oct. IA letter was received