The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-29
THAT MACON AFFAIR.
The Morning News Correspondent
Sets Himself Right with the Pub

Sets Himself Right With the Pub
lie.
Editor Of the Morning News: Inasmuch
as the card from the board of stewards
of Mulberry Street Methodist church of
this city, published in your issue of
yesterday. exonerates everybody immedi-
atey connected with the row in the church
Sunday night, and charges me. as your
representative in Macon, with sending
out sensational and false reports con-
corning the deplorable affair, l wish TO
make a brief statement.
l have a high regard for the three most
excellent gentlemen whose names appear
at the bottom of the article which |
shall challenge, but feel that they have
done me a great injustice in their effort
to shield the church: and, while / feel
called upon to defend myself, l shall try
to avoid, as much as possible. any state-
ment calculated to cripple their other
wise noble effort.
They charge me with having gathered
my report from false rumors They arc
mistaken. l had before me the state
ments of DR.. Monk and Mr. Adamson,
the principals in the affair. DR.. Monks
statement appears in Monday mornings
Telegraph It, in itself, is enough to prove
the truth of every sentence in my report.
Mr. Thomas Peek, one OF the stewards
Mr. Adamson charges with striking the
three blows. MIR. Peek is also quoted
in Mondays Telegraph He says his at
tention was attracted to what appeared
to be a scuffie in the pulpit" He further
says that he found it "an easy matter to
handle him young Adamson), as he was
a mere boy"
AS had access to these statements Sun
day night before sending out my report,
and as Mr.. Adamson to-day offered to fur
nish me an affidavit as to the accuracy
of every sentence of the report, think my
case is completely made, and that no one
will be able again to blame me with what
ever damage that might have been done
to the reputation of the leading Methodist
church of Macon. Every other newspaper
correspondent in the city sent out similar
reports, and if we were misinformed as to
the true facts, we certainly were not
guilty of negligence, for, as a general thing
the principals in an affair of this kind
are of all parties best qualified TO give the
facts.
If the newspaper men were sensational
and gave undue coloring to the episode. I
would judge from the following resolution
by the board of stewards at a meeting held
on Monday, that they, too looked through
a bad glass. They said:
| Resolved, That we construe the action
| Of Mr.. Tilden Adamson, the reporter of
| the Macon Telegraph. on last Sunday even
| ing, as a fragrant and offensive insult to
| this large and respectable denominat ton
| and we denounce his gratuitous invasion
| Of our sanctuary. and even the sacred desk
I on that occasion, as utterly unwarranted
and, in our opinion, worthy of the sever
| est rebuke; and that his dastardly attack
| upon the pastor. DR. Monk, in the pres
ence of large congregation, is deserving
the condemnation Of all self-respecting
citizens"
1t is to be presumed that some of these
stewards were in the church at the time
of the disturbance; and If they received
| such impression as the above language i'm
| plies, they ought at least to be charitable
| to newspaper men. Mr.. Adamson saws that
| while his face does not now show any
bruises. he will take oath that he received
| three ticks. He says. however. that IL Is
| possible these ticks were accidentally adj
ministered by Mr.. Peek. He states that
aside from this point about which he could
have been mistaken, the report published
by the Morning News Monday was abso-
lutely correct.
The affair now Is being seen in am en-
tirely different light. The condemnation
that was heaped upon Mr. Adamson for
entering the church pulpit is now believed
10 have been the result of prejudice and To-
nOrance OF the motives which actuated the
young man. on Monday the stewards de-
handed his discharge from the telegram
but to-day the church people potitioned
that he be restored to his employment
which was done. Eugene Andersen.
Macon, Ca, aus. q 1895.