The morning call., 1895-01-04
Tale of the Centenary
Nj. E. Church.
AN ARCHITECTS REVENGE.
The Rooster Had No Political
Significance.
1T REFERRED WHOLLY TO PETER
But It Was Displaced as a
Weathervane Just the
Same.
T REFERRED WHOLLY TO PETER

as everybody knows aud has been rebuilt,
and the highest point of the steeple, IN
-Gicating the way that the wind blows, is
q sphere and an arrow.
When the building was finished the
weathervane was in the form OF tDe
cock with a bold breast and uplifted crest
and proud tail feathers.
The reason for the bringing down oil
this king OF the bsrnyard and the subst-
ton of the arrow formed something of
the reason why W. W. Polk, the architect,
was compelled to sue the trustees of the
church for little balance of his Dill, left
unpaid, the trial of which case occupied
the time Of Justice of the Peace Cook yes
terday afternoon.
The mem bership of the church is some
what clannish, most of its people hailing
from the South, all their con versation be-
ing distinguished by the softened, even
obliterated ST."
When their church was burned down
the good people of the congregation.
many of whom are very we'll situated with
regards to the goods of this world.
did not accept the loss and de-
struction as an indication of d.
vine displeasure. They looked upon il.
with quiet Southern philosophy, as simply
fire. They held their congregational
meetings where they could. Their pastor,
at that time the Rev. II. c. Christian.
preached to them from strange pulpits
when he had the opportunity. They held
prayer meetings at the residences Of the
members and frequent committee meet
ings for the discussion of ways and means
for the rebuilding of the church edifce.
A bout this time there appeared stranger
al the Wednesday evening prayer meet
ings, a fine-loOking gray-haired old gentle
man, who at once entered c0nspicuously
and earnestly into the devotional exer-
cfses, so much so as to give the assem-
blings a new Zest 10 many of the others.
This is the story as it is told by the de-
fendant's attorney in the suit on trial yes
terday. wherein the ine-lookiDg and pray
erful old gentleman was plaintiff.
The newcomer became rapidly ac-
quainted with the members of the congre-
cation, and when the time came to con-
slider the technical points about putting up
the new building he was upon sufficiently
familiar footing to offer suggestions. One
day he brought to the building committee
ground plan and interior arrangement
sketched ont, :.
The committee was pleased, and before
the meeting was. over had about decided
to adoptit. The new member was familiar
with the prices of new churches and said
this one, would cost about $4,000.
The committee agreed that the sum was
not at all unreasonable and quite within
their: limit and long step had been taken
toward the present Centenary Church.
over which DR.. Briggs now oficiates. S
pastor
c. W. Woods told the story of this part
of the proceedings on the stand yesterday
after the gas had been lit in Justice Cooks
court. -''We had fully determined to build
to these plans when be brought around
another sketch, differing materially from
The first and showed it to me-" said Mr.
Woods. who was member of the building
committee. ''He said that he thought the
COMMITTEES would prefer it if shown to
them, but said did not like it so well.
However,. some alterations were finally
made in Difference to his suggestions, as
he seemed to be gentleman and was from
the South. -:
About this time Mr.. Christian, the
pastor, came to me and said: DO Won
know that that. old man is an architect by
profession. and will be sending 10 a big bill
for his services?' I said it could not be
possible, for l knew he was not an arehi-
tect. Why. he didn't know any more about
architecture than a horse. At any rate.
we all fully understood in the first place
that his services were 10 cost nothing.
Butit turned out after we bad gotten too
far. TO stop that he expected to be paid the
regular architects fee of per cent on the
cost. He told US that the construction
would not run above $4,000, and speci-
fically stated that If it did he; at least,
would not want any more than $500 for
his work. and If he says snything to the
con trary he simply falsifies, that is ALL"
This remarkwas directed at the paintiff,
who had ON the stand said things exactly to
the contrary; that,he was engaged as arehi,
fect; that he had agreed to superintend
construction of the building as originally
planned for $500. but that the plans had
been changed, causing him more work, and
that he was to be paid the architects fee
for the trouble.
MIR. Moors went on to say that ''the old
man seemed to be hard up all the time and
the money due was paid to him, indeed
an excess of S72, before the building was
completed"
This and more testimony was delivered
in a manner indicating considerable bitter
ness OF feeling. which.it seems developed
and deepened between architects and con-
gregation during the whole process of the
building of the church. the climax of If,
as stated. being placed by the architect
himself upon the very apex of the steeple-
left standing there triumphant, high and
almost inaccessible, the scaffoldirg having
been taken. down-in. the form of barn
yard cock rampant.
The church was finished.
The deacons came in body to view the
work, glad the worry was at last at an end.
They walked through it and around it and
then crossed the street to observe the
effect with proper perspective.
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