The herald., 1893-08-06
REV, DR. ELLIS IS STILL ANGRY,
He is Still After the Men OF
the PresbyterY.
Warm Times Probably in Store for
the Synod.
The Reverend Gentleman Proposes to
Garry the Case Into His Enemies'
Camp His Line OF
Campaign.


the San Francisco presbytery is again
on, and the reverend gentleman
is determined this time to carry the
bitter quarrel into the camp of his
enemies. They have carried it into his
on many occasions, but when he sought
relief in the civil courts he took method
which called down upon his head the
wrath of one of the ecclesiastical tribu-
mails of his church. He says now that
he intends to furnish some very inter-
esting reading to the public. He says
it is going to be public reading Of the
character OF the men who oppose him.
There is much in the private lives Of his
enemies which he affirms will amuse and
interest the public. His medium will
be newspaper he has now in prepara-
tion. Taking into consideration all cir
cumstances and elements of the case he
has decided to call his venture in the
journalistic field The Presbytery of San
Francisco.
He declares that he intends to show
up the private character Of his minis
terial opponents and that the revelation
promises to be interesting. His case
will form one of the leading discussions
of the synod, which will meet next
month, and upon its determination the
reverend doctor says will depend the
number and details of the character
sketches he intends to publish. His
trial and conviction are now on appeal
to the synod. Even If he is beaten there
he intends to take it to the highest tri-
| h15a IT, hut rso ot%t thsa
| United States, the general assembly.
He has been defeated on every PROPOSE
ton thus far, but ON this he is deter
mined to win or make it decidedly un-
comfortable for his prosecutors.
The reverend gentleman's trial forms
perhaps the most sensational of any
case in the Presbyterian church in this
state. He was at first convicted of mis-
Rppropriating the funds of the Central
tabernacle, on Golden Gate avenue. He
was censured and sued the presbytery
for damages in the ciyil courts. He lost
his case and was then arraigned again
before the ecclesiastical tribunal for
having violated all canons of ecclesiasti-
cal law In taking the matter into the
civil courts. That was breach of dis
cipline which could not be tolerated and
Ellis was again convicted. As before
he was belligerent and took the matter
on appeal to the synod.
"If am not treated right there" he
said yesterday, II am going to show the
people of this city what the members of
the San FRANCISCO presbytery are. They
have lost theif candlestick and are de-
serted by God. They have lost all re-
ligious influence, and the sooner the
public know it the better"
One of the curious things in the quar-
rel, as Ellis sees it. is the fatal misfbr-
tune which has attended every man or
woman who fought him. That story he
told long ago. Men lost their children,
women their money and all something
or other they priced dearly. Ellis at
tributes all of these misfortunes to di-
rect visitation of God upon the enemies
of one of his chosen ministers, and now
he has a new series of facts to prove
that be is right In the fight he ia wag-
ing.
every minister who took part in
taking my pulpit away from me-" he
said yesterday, "has lost his own pulpit.
Distress and disaster have come upon
them all. God has forsaken them. T.
Chambers Easton was compelled to re-
sign from Calvary church, as pastor.
He was one of the leading prosecutors
against me. The next was Rev. A. ].
Kerr, who conducted the prosecution.
The missionary hoard withdrew finan-
cial support from him and he had to 60
east for another field.
"Rev. DR.. Chapman of Oakland lost
| his church and is now financial man
ager for Mills seminary. Rev. ]. +.
Rhoda declared that his field in South
San Francisco was useless one. God
had withdrawn his support from it and
the church was compelled to abandon
it. With it went Rhoda. DR.. Thomp.
son tried several things for year and
then gave them up.
s'Not only have the ministers suffered,
but 80 has the church. Since my trial
they have lost four churches. One of
them was the Woodbridge, which has
gone over to the Unitarians. The Gem
trail tabernacle has been wiped out Of
existence and a new one is in its place.
Two OF our fourishing congregations in
San Mateo have gone over to the Con-
gregationalists, and will tell you why.
"The church in this city has lost
spirituality. The men at the head of
it ought to beexposed to the public, and
am going to do it. II the synod sus-
tains the sentence against me the pres
| DyU6ry VI Dali IhuCioCo WILL hoVO oA
airing. The private lives of many of its
members will make interesting reading,
and will furnish it.
The reverend gentlemen is determ-
ined to make things warm this time in
earnest. Through all his many trials
he has conducted his own defense and
he will do 80 in this. The local presby-
terry, individually and collectively, has
a chill when his name is mentioned,
for he has the faculty of bobbing up
most inopportunely in all its leading
discussions. For almost two years he
has been like the old man of the sea on
its back, and even the coming contest,
bitter as it promises to be, will not end
the matter.
Members of the body do not care to
place much weight in the reverend
DOCTORS threats. He has threatened so
often and made things so eminently
disagreeahle that they are resigned to
anything which may take place. That
the Judgment of the presbytery will be
sustained by the synod none Of them
doubt, and If it is there will be fun.
The reverend doctor is of the church
militant and is a.good fighter.