Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-06-04
LIBEL In THE PULPIT
REV. THOMAS DIXON WILL BE Ar
RESTED THIS MORNING.
Excise commiss1one Koch II the Com.
plainsnt. and the Clergyman IL Anx-
Ions TO Nest tho Issue.

The Rev. Thomas Dixon. Jr.. tho az
gressive pastor OF tho Twenty-third-Street
Baptist church, will be arrested this
morning at his home. No. 6l east Ninety
fourth street, on the charge Of criminal
libel. The complainant is Excise Commits
sioner Koch, the president Of the board.
says the New York Advertiser Of Friday.
The warrant for Mr.. Dixon's arrest was
issued yesterday morning IN Jefferson
Market Police Court by Justice Grady,
after conference with Mr.. Koch and
Lawyer Louis Allen. The warrant, which
was issued on an affidavit sworn 10 bv Mr..
Koch. was placed in the hands of Court
| officer Bernard Conelly for service.
WILL WAIT FOR HIM.
He visited Mr.. Dixon,s residence. but
the clergyman was not at home. Then the
officer said he would call this morning and
serve the warrant. Mr.. Dixon will wait
| for him. He is anxious to be arrested. " 1t
| will help the cause in which l am about to
embark" he said last night. 1T Will give
| my new reform movement good impetus,
| and that's what we want.
What is my new crusader" said Mr..
| Dixon, in reply to q question. Well. the
| details are not perfected, but can outline
| the scheme TO you. l intend to enroll
under the name Of the Young Mems Civic
Association have fully that number OF
| young men in my congregation.
| The object OF the organization Will be
| TO purify the political government OF the
| CITY a. well as the moral atmosphere. No.
the work will differ somewhat from Dr;
| Parkhursts organization. The latte- Will
not meddle with politics, while ours Will.
| We propose getting down to the organic
rottenness OF our local political system.
We will also fight the social evils. but IN
| this crusade we will cooperate with and
| be largely guided by DIR. Parkhurst:
| 1--WE intend to have ward and district
| organizations, and will carry the fight
INTO Africa. DR.. Parkhurst proposes to
have 1000 young men to aid him III his
crusade. We will have 1900. but We Will
work In perfect harmony so far es the lines
of our battle against the enemy are pa
rallel."
| he SCORED THE EXCISE BOARD.
| The action for criminal libel brought by
| Commissioner Koch and so eagerly well
| coined by Mr. Dixon was contained IN q
| short address read by Mr.. Dixon before
| his sermon in Association Hall, Twenty
third street and Fourth avenue, last sun,
| day. This address was read from printed
slip, which is widely published through
| out the country by press association. In
4
president of the Excise Board.
Last night Mr.. Dixon said that he did
| not care to discuss the case before he had
| consulted with his lawyer. He had tired
| to find one of his lawyers after being told
| by q reporter that a warrant was out for
| him, but had failed. He had formerly
| transacted some business with Mr.. Os-
| borne, but since that gentleman had been
appointed to the district attorneys office
| il would be impossible for him to act. He
| had concluded to ask Colonel John X. Abb
| ney and MIR. Morse, OF DR.. Parkhurst's So
| ciety, to appear for him at this morning S
| hearing In Jefferson Market Police Court.
Mr.. Dixon casually remarked that he had
| been lawyer before he became minis
| Der, and knew something of the laws OF
| libel, consequently he was not afraid OF
| the pending suit. He recalled the case of
| Mr.. Koch of over year ago, when. he
| said, the'comInissioner was prosecuted by
| the Reform Club and convicted CT yio-
| lating his oath of office. MIR. koch ap-
/ pealed his case, but the verdict was aiiirm-
ed. Since then the indictment has been
quashed under new statute.
The arrest of minister of the gospel
| on a criminal charge for utterances de-
| liyered from O pulpit is something very
unusual. Lawyer Charles w. Brooke was
asked about the law on the subject yester-
| day. He SAID that If the Objectionable
words were spoken extemporaneously no
criminal action could lie. but that civil
action for slander could be brought. II,
howe yer, the words were read from manu-
script 8 prosecution Tor criminal libel
could be brought.
MIR. Dixon says that no is but 2S years
old and came to this city three years ago.