The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-10
THE PULPIT.
An Auburn Clergyman Apollo
gizes for Unbridled Speech.
OR. PARKHuRsT STILL REvlLiNc.
He Attacks Superintendent Byrnes fog
Not SURPRISING "Hellholes"-
Smiths Acqufttal Possible.

AusuRS. y. Y, Dec. a-The sensational case
Of the People VS.. Rev. Levi Bird came to sud-
den ending in the court of sessions this morn
ing. The clergyman was under indictment for
criminal libel in having preached q sermon in
the pulpit OF Trinity Methodist Episcopal
church charging the aldermen and o her city
ofhcias with having gone on . Sunday
excursion on lake in drunken debauch
Il happened that two of the officials men
toned by their titles. the city Judge and
chief of police did not accompany the excur.
Eionisrs. They gave defendant q chance to pub
licly retract, but he replied that he would go to
fail first His Indictment for criminal libel fol-
lowed, and the case was called ct the opening
OF the session this morning
Birds lawyer made an address, in which he
said that his client was clearly Of diseased
mind. an imputation which Bird did not resent
Counsel made an AFFECT apology on behalf of
his client, who agreed to drop the matter and
not preach the sermon as announced for next
Sunday on the same subject The matter was
thereupon dismissed.
NEW YORK. Dec. o.-The clash between Park
hurst and superintendent of Police Byrnes has
worked itself down to an open and decidedly
vrathy debate. Parkhurst gave out q caustic
reply to Byrnes tonight In il he says in part:
The gospel requires us to deal leniently with
sinners Byrnes deals leniently with sin, which
b quite another matter. His business is to take
tDiqulty and make IL excusaDe In police estl-
nation, which is exactly what he Is doing.
He says he has raided and closed
40 houses of Ill fame Granted. And yet
be knows that there has never been
. time during the past ten months
when the social vice has been practised more
asgrsutiy than during the three weeks su bse-
ousnt TO the November election. He cannot
have an effective department till the animating
head of ii il a moral inspiration to the force.
Just try to conceive, now, of Byrnes moral
inspiration. He says: "Hide evil from the pub
lie view, where it cannot corrupt the morals Of
the youth" Why does he hide ii from the pub
lie? He says he can show me the weil-trodden
path that leads from the very door OF
nv church, as 1t were, 70 brothel
hardly q gunshot away. You acknowledge
then, do you, Mr.. Byrnes, that there Is a brothel
near my church that you know of, ard that
young men in great numbers are fiocking to it?
How is that for moral purpose? loathe the
man with unutterable contempt, who, occupy
ing the position of splendid authority which
Byrnes does, dares come out and publicly
confess he is permitting, which is an
other way of saying he 10 sustaining. one
OF these hell holes. ] demand OF you, Mr.
Byrnes, that you put you official hand on that
brothei and crush It For the LORDS sake, Mr.
Byrnes, when you quote, don't eulogizs the
Gospel In the same vile breath with which you
make this damning self-incrimination. Your
case is the strongest when you say the least
You had better quit the hou1ily business and
attend to your legitimate concerns.