The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-09-24
BOTH CHURCH WORKERS.
TRUSTEE HANNA LOVED THE rREst-
DENT or THE RINGS DAUGHTERS

Church. wh,eh Cuir,inatea In Hts snieide'
Ipvoivsd the Formerly Devout WHO OF
Another Trustee-Respected as thri'-
u,,. Itnui Their secret Becnne Known.
The errine sister who was expelled from the
Beecher Memorial Church OF Brooklyn ai'er
the prayer m Getting on Friday night. was Mrs
william c. Greene. 1t is said that 1t was DC.
cause OF his intatuation for this woman that
Robert Hanna, the ex- President OF the trustees
OF the church. committed suicide last sunday
That Hanna had been infatuated with her
yaa ndmitte whom the trustees took their nc
tion against Mrs Greene. The latter was
Miss Aida Van Pelt. and lived at Cranberry.
\. J.. when she was married sixteen years ago.
She has one child.
Tho whole story OF Hanna's love and suicide.
OF the effect OF the disclosures upon the church
and it's pastor. the Rev. DR.. Halliday. and upon
the unfortunate woman and her husband. con-
tains many strange and pathetic features.
Until the secret OF Hanna g infatuation leaked
out. those who knew the members OF the
church would have vouched for it that no
scandal could ever proceed from any OF them.
The members OF Plymouth Church. who had
assisted in building UP the Beecher Memorial
Church and had a soft spot In their hearts Tor
its aged pastor. pointed to 1t with pride as
worthy ofTshoot.
Those who had regretted that Dr. Halliday
should have severed his connection with the
parent church after his years 2. seE'ce sa es
that he had not suffered failure. The mem;
bers OF the Beecher Memorial Church have all
made mad OF it a model in .titution.
Il was that fact which made the OUTSIDE
friends OF the church so certain that its mem.
bers were all beyond reproachi and 0. none
was that held more true than OF ine IW%
Hanna wa. President OF the Board Of
church from the time it was founded four
{rads a ana uhs ved wth His @oHs
and two sisters. He was busy at his work In
the day time. and most OF his nights were oc,
cupied in attending to the business matters OF
Mrs: Greene is the wife Of a painter. Her
largely. and what spare time she had was
devoted to church matters. also: she was
PRESIDENT Of the kr Kin Ds"g i tss or ne
tees OF the Consumptives' Home IN hingston
"E Then did these two find time to think of the
guilty love which eliminated so disastrously?
1t is asserted upon what appears 70 ne nn-
tho t%a Haeea shs
being as much in love wi III him as he was with
her. 1t has been said also that after Hanna's
loving character. which had been written by
Mrs Greene were found in Hannas apart
THAT assertion was denied only to be made
again more emphatically upon the alleged
authority. Of n trustee Of the church; Mrs:
allegation that the mutual infatuation had
admitted that its discovery was the cause OF
Hanna's ceasing to be President OF the Board
Prior to the organization Of the Beecher Me-
mortal Church Hanna and the Greenes were
mem bers Of the Powell Street Congregational
either regarded the other with undue affec;;
tion then or unit! much later BOT. Both seemed seemed
as much devoted to religion as their humhie.
The Beecher Memorial Church was started
through contributions OF friends OF Or. Ealli-
OF plymouth Church. The BROOKLYN reporters
1.-THE New York papers paid for the pulpit. the
% oesi sl and others Who Knew Dr. HALLIDAY
but had not been members OF his church. con-
tribnted in various Ways; ,r nor,, r.
cure all the capital and had not the mem beers
OF the new church worked SO industriously to
Hanna 30 ana My Greene were both eonspcu
In ss the 3es
iieion. and those who remem Der. their efforts
are 10th to believe. that they could then have
Hanna was So years old. Mrs: Greene is
said to be older. Her husb band 10 fully 60
seemed devotedly attached. She had been
greatly Interested in the Sunday school. and
had been assistant superintendens
other members. both received warning. But
Of in their infatuation Had neither ever been
imbued with religious conyictions, they could
oesn sTs from pl the Board
Trustees and Mrs Greene ceased to attend the |
SUNDAY school Mr. Greene who IL Trefnsurer
finally forbade Hanna to visit his house any |
more.
tendance at the church. and. it IS said. he took
to drinking at times. pr. Halliday spoke to
n ana f to saa h nm
Mrs. Greene did not meet frequently they
thereafter continued to correspond.
green Cemetery only three or four weeks ago
when Mr.. Greene was present A quarrel be.
Mrs Greene 10 snid to have threatened to throw
herself into II neighboring pond II the men
became violent. The appearance Of fourth
person, one OF the cemetery employees, pre-. |
When Hanna, swallowed the fatal dose OF
near SackmRn. last sunday. the extent of Jis
first became known to his family.
bis i mother to forgive MIN. When she replied
in wonder. saying she knew Of nothing that he
bad done that needed forgiveness Hanna
Forgive me for all the wrong have done"
He had been drinking more or'less for some
time before. The family was overpowered
with grief. and in their anxiety to keel his AFT
secret they failed to notify the Coroner until
the following Tuesday
Pastor Halliday had lust learned Of Hanna's
act when he met Mrs, Beecher at Plymouth
Church on Tuesday night. and 1t was his men
tai distress that caused IT,: collapse which
was at first deemed Il fatal TT lck OF apopexy.
The other members OF the church were affect
I'D seriously. also
Not only were they grieved at the misfortune
which had overtaken one who had been a
friend and ally. but they felt that the reputa-
ton of the church was injured. One, Of the
guilty ones was beyond the reach OF human
reproach: the other was still officially con-
nected with the church.
Hitherto the trustees had been unwilling to
take official notice OF the subject that had been
lppermost in their minds. but heroic mea sures
we're now necessary. and they were taken.
1t Is significant. as showing how Jealous Of
he good name OF the church the membe
are that It was not until Friday night that the
action of the trustees at their meeting on |
n ght became known, Itwould not
weak
As was told in THE Sun yesterday. tho trus-
aaa paiH ara ha on 20 nj nd Id hat, Az |