The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-03
THEY FEEL BITTER
BAPTIST CHURCH TROUBLE HAS
AGAIN BROKEN OUT.

Hand OF Fellowship Has Been Withdrawn
From Rev. L. A. Hall, and as This
Amounts to Expulsion, the Members of
the Old Organization Explain Some
| things--This Leads Rev. Hall to Declare
| That Some of the Members of the Old
Organization are Trying to Drive Him
| Out OF Town.
| 1t appears that the troubles in the
| BAPTIST circles of Wichita are not end
| ed The hand of fellowship which was
withdrawn from Rev. L. A. Hall amour
| ted to expulsion. The church members
| who sided with Rev. Hall have formed
| another church organization and are
1 holding regular services.
/ The council which decided upon the
troubles in the church advised certain
| things, among them that Rev. Hall
| should not connect himself with any
| Baptist organization in Wichita as
pastor. This bir. Hall did not comply
with In this particular he still refuses
| to conform to the dictates of the coUn-
| Gil and declares that his own church
| w III Ctti d SOuASlA VI ilS O"Ai "A-NAi ~ ~
ready for il.
Meanwhile those who remain in the
old organization say that certain as
! pensions were cast on the organization
/ which should be cleared up. Rev. Hall
recriminates that they desire to revive
/ ii only to drive him out of town.
This morning both sides are given
| full hearing:
A committee of the First Baptist
church was appointed to have published
! the proceedings OF the church in rela-
! ton to certain difficulties existing in
! that church with the Rev. Hall.
a reporter for the Eagle yesterday
called on the committee and secured
an interview in regard to the matter.
| Mr.. Dyer, representing the committee,
saidl
II very much dislike to have any
thing published in regard to church af-
fairs that might have a tendency TO
injure either the church or the denomi-
nation, but in this case l believe it is
! incumbent on the church to have the
facts stated to the public. 1naSmuch as
| the Eagle has heretofore published
one or two items which / presume
came from parties not very friendly 10
the church and which left a wrong i'm
/ preston.
Mr. Hall was called by the church
August, 1898, for one year to commence
| Sept /, 1898, at a salary OF sl,2O0, no
commenced his pastorate at that tine:
TT was not very long before some OF
the members and Mr.. Hall had some
misunderstanding and tnlnss gre"
! from bad to worse until in September,
| 1894 meeting of the church was called
| to consider whether the relations OF
| pastor should cease. And the vote
! stood 80 for Hall and 50 against him.
/ Many little things were said ana MI.
| Hall did things and used language
which the church deemed unchristian.
And in November, 1894, another meeting
! was held and seventy votes We're
| against Mr.. Hall and one in his favor.
| 1t is lust however, to say that between
| thirty and forty of Mr.. Halls friends
refused to participate in the vote and
| left the church and held services in the
| G.. A. r. hall, and that is the number
| that have left the church, leaving now
in the First church about go members.
| Charges were preferred against Mr..
! Hall and the church called council
| from nine different churches in the
| state. among them Topeka, Lawrence,
| Ottowa, Clay Center, Winfield, Well
| inton, Anthony and the Emporla Ave
nue. Baptist church of Wichita, to hear
and determine the truth or falsity or
the charges The council convened
| Dec. 18th ult., and the fairest way of
stating what was done is by giving you
| a copy of the charges, findings and
| recommendations of the council, which
are as follows, except the third speclfi-
cation, which was withdrawn by the
| church, and therefore is not proper to
| be published.
SOME OF THE CHARGES.
Specification 1. The said Rev. L. A.
j Hall did personally and without any
provocation insult several members of
| this church by calling them unprinci-
| pied, undermining and unchristian
| men; that theirac Were pusilianimous,
| low down, ungentiemanly and unprin-
cipled. The said l.. A. Hall did this
| publicly. 49,,
Specification 2 The said L. A. Hall
| did proclaim from the pulpit in said
| sermon that members Of this church, as
| he had been told, had disposed of the
| church property for their own personal
| advantage and use and had applied the
| proceeds to their own use and benefit
| All of which sayings as to the DISPOSE
| ton of the property were false and
| evidence as to the facts in the matter.
| Specification 5. Withdrawn.
Specification 4. The Rev. l.. A. Hall
| did on the day of September. 1894,
| and while he was acting as the moder-
ator of said church at said meeting de-
| nounce certain members OF the church,
| who desired to have the question of
| continuing MIN DIS pastor, NOlSu upOiI
| as cranks, thus tending to provoke
| wrath and cause strife and contention
| among members of the church.
| Specification 5. This specification
1 was in regard to making a personal
| canvass of the members of the church.
| and threatening If he was not retained
| as pastor he would take out OF the
| church 100 of it's members and did tend
| to destroy harmony among members of
| the church.
! Specifica ton s. Is similar TO specifica-
| ton 5, except it was a speech made at
| a meeting in the church in which he
| stated that if the church desired to
| avoid the possibility of a division of its
| church. they had better vote TO retain
| him as minister, as those who were
| voting against him would not leave the
| church, and those voting for him might
leave if he was voted
! SAYS He WAS BOISTEROUS.
| Specified ton Z. The Rev. L. a Hall
| Gid on the day of - November, 1894, at
| regular business meeting OF the
| church, and while he was acting as
| moderator of the church. in an uncnris-
! tan manner, abruptly and boiSterously
| vacate his seat as moderator of the
meeting. while IL was in the regular
| transaction of its business and did
| then and there in boisJerous and un-
| christian manner declare in said meet
ing that the members Of said church
| We're hoodlums. ruffians and anarch-
lists. meaning those members of the
| church who We're not in favor OF re-
| tanning him as pastor. and did then
and there call upon the members OF the
! church to leave said meeting and go
! cut of the meeting with him; and the
| said Rev. l. A Hall did then and there