The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-04-02
Mr.. CHAPMAN'S VHSTRY.
The Greenvil1e Church Row
Develops Into a Sur
prise Party.
HOT WORDS AT THE ELECTION
Good Political Work by the Pastor
Defeats his Foes-Will the
Church Split?

The animal meeting ofthe congregation
Of the Grace Protestant Episcopal Church.
Greenville, which was held last evening
at the church parlors, was a lively one.
The interest centered 10 the election OF
the vestrymen.
The readers of the JERSEY CITY NEWS
will remember that there has been con
siderable trouble between the rotor, the
Rev. c. d. Chapman, and the vestry, and
that the vestry tried to force Mr.. Chap
man to resign his position, but were un-
successful, owing to the interference of
Bishop Starkey. The vestrymen then
held a secret meeting, and decided. IL re-
elected, to reduce the rector's salary to one
dollar year. and thus force him 10 re-
sign.
SURPRISE PARTY.
Rector Chapman was not sleeping in
the meantime, however. II visited diff
ferent members of the church aud Sc
cured the consent of nine of them TO have
their names placed on an opposition
ticket Those who consented to serve il
elected. were J, j. Detwiller, G.. DeFor-
rest. J. Hoffman,, Samuel Ross, Joseph
Ross, A. Sedare, A. Peneston, J. Will
iams aud James Chapman. The names
on the vestry's ticket were as follows:-
A. Reed, G. McAneny, Reuben Simpson,
A. Julian, F. NJ. Lockwood, r. 4. Morse,
J. J. Detwiller and Williams.
j. j. Detwiller and j. Williams, whose
names were on both tickets, were MEM
bers of the kicking vestry. but as they had
not done as much kicking as the other
members, they were placed on Mr.. Chap
mans ticket.
Mr.. Chapman always insisted that be
had the support of the majority of the
oh ha rrrrrrs Nha - hara
hand were just as confident Of reelection
as was Mr.. Chapman Of having his ticket
elected. 1t was thought that Mr.. Chap
mans ticket wouldn't be In it, bus IL was,
and DR.. Chapman gained signal victory
over his enemies.
The election in many respects resembled
a circus. Mr.. Chapman presided, ana tie
first clash occurred when Mr.. Chapman
declared that only seven vestrymen were
TO De elected instead Of nine as heretofore.
Mr.. Chapman also announced tnat he was
the sole judge of the qualifications OF the
voters. The yestrymen made a vigorous
protest, but Mr.. Chapman refused to lis
ten to them and called them to order. He
would not even entertain an appeal from
his decision.
There was intense excitement when
Choirmaster Morse walked up to vote.
He was challenged on the ground that he
was not a subscriber to the church. 1t
him, aud that settled Mr.. Morse as far as
voting was concerned
VERY UNPARLIAMENTARY.
Mr.. Morse became excited and called
Rector Chapman a liar. There was great
confusion for a few moments. and the
voting had to be suspended.
Several ladies left the church, and it
looked as though there was 20 be no cleo
ton. Peace was finally restored and yot-
ing was resumed. 1t resulted in the cleo
tion of Mr.. Chapman's ticket BY vote of
25 to IS.
WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH MORSE.
Choirmaster Morse, whose vote was
challenged, has been a vestrymen for the
past ten years and this was the first time
his right to vote was questioned. Rector
Chapman few weeks ago requested Mr..
Morse to abandon the 0ffertories and solos
and eontine the attention of the choir to
the simple intonation of the psalms and
ordinary church hymns Mr.. Morse
thought be had the right to do as he
pleased and did not take very kindly to
Mr.. Chapman's request. He decided that
he would run the choir to suit himself.
He did so, and the result was that the
majority of the choir members resigned
and today the church is without choir.
It is thought that on account of this
trouble Mr.. Chapman wanted to get
square and challenged Mr.. Morse's vote.
Messrs. j. J. DeLwiller aud j. Williams
announced that they would not serve on
the new Vestry and that they would hand
in their designations before the end of the
week.
A protest was made against the cleo
ton, and it is now evident that there Will
be trouble over it. The matter will be
brought up before Bishop Starkey, and it
is thought that the fight will result in
4 6ar oh