Evening star., 1895-05-31
BEFORE THE COURTS
The St. Marks Vestry Question Likely to
Go There.
The Convention Had Not Time to Set
tie the Matter and Would Not Enter
Into the Details.

The action OF the Episcopal convention
in laying on the table the report Of the
committee on the question of deciding who
was the legal delegate from st. Marks
Church gives various feelings Of mingled
satisfaction and perplexity to both sides of
the division in that church. The conven-
tion refused to go into the case on its
merits. The reason for this was that it
was apparent from the huge bundles of
documents presented that It would take a
long time to discuss it,
If the report had been taken up, Of course
the de facto vestry, who were sustained
by the report Of the committee, would have
been content to have it adopted without de-
bate, but the defeated or de jure party
would have insisted, and successfully no
doubt on their right to be heard, and there
would have followed long. bitter and
thorough struggle over the whole case
which would have occupied days before the
END would have been reached. The de
iacto party now stands right where it has
oeen an the time and Is satisfied with the
situation as it is. The de jure party, of
course. is not satisfied and will continue the
struggle.
1t May Go Before the Courts.
How the matter will get into the courts
Is not now apparent from anything said
by the leaders of either faction. Whether
the de jure vestry will take the initiative
and begin quo warranto proceedings to
make the de facto vestry prove title to
their office. or by Withholding money from
the use Of the de facto vestrymen, as they
have the opportunity to do, with MIR. Mar
low of their number legally holding the
office of treasurer. is not to be known Just
at present.
A member of the de facto vestry. in
speaking today Of the misstatements that
haN. hANvH 10
said that the de facto vestry had from the
start regarded Mr.. NARROW as the treasurer
of the church. Mr.. NARROW attended a
meeting Of the acting vestry April Is. and.
as he had taken the oath the year before,
was not required to repeat 1t.
Acttog AS Treasurer.
AS treasurer Mr.. NARROW has honored
all requisltionJ made upon him by the act
ing vestry. save one which involved the
increase of the rector's salary during the
month of May. Singularly enough. the de
facto party is able to point with satisfac-
ton to the fact that the support of the
church during the month since the rupture
began has been exceedingly liberal and
gratifying. Receipts during May last year
were about 500, and this year have been
S19. This. they assume, is a sign that
quite proportion of the membership is
not so hostile to the de facto vestry as
has been represented.
Ho CHuTch Is going riSnl along Win us
payments Oh the debt. Notwithstanding the
trouble. During this month one note of
$500 has been taken up. another reduced
by payment of 500 and 5000 interest paid.
As to Registrar.
The Parkman vestrymen state also that
there is an error in supposing that Mr..
Torbert has the acting vestry at disad-
vantage in the matter of the books and
archives of the church. They insist that he
deliver ed most Of these ever to Mr.. Lundy.
and that he has orly the minute book and
rough notes OF some meetings he wished to
extend in the minute books. That Mr.. Tor
bert has the seal does not seem to distress
any Of the acting vestrymen, as they say
they can have another made If necessary.
The courts. it seems. nave decided in the
case of other similar corporations that the
seal is simply part Of the signature of the
organization, and a new seal would be
legal.
The acting vestry is likely to elect new
vestrymen, but nothing definite Is known
to that. 1t was rumored this morning
that DIR. John E. Parker had been elected
to one Of the vacancies, but the report was
not confirmed.