The evening times., 1896-04-21
HI1t8s Of THE BOOTHS
Pathetic AppsatFrom the Gen
eral tGBaIlinston.
THE, MESSAGES OF, PEACE
The American Commander Was Az
. 'fecttOnately Asked TO Hesitate,
Think and Return--Lying Tongues
Used to Pull Him Down and Wound
His Fathers Heart.

| New York, April 81 1.-Commiss ioner
and Mrs. Booth Tucker issued statement
| last night which contained the text OF
| the correspondence between Commander
| Ballington Booth and the international
headquarters in LONDON. .s'.un,....
The statement was in answer to the one
| made by Ballington Booth week ago.
and gives in fun the latter's letter OF Jan
| uary 81, which, they aver. was u letter OF
resignation. 1t was written in answer 10
instructions for them to begin their fare
wells, and prepare to accept another COM
mand. In partit is as follows:
''Our position is quite different from
other commissioners who may have conf
dencc in the general and may be right
with London. This being the case, IL looks
TO US as though the general had had an
utter disregard of our future. There is.
therefore, NO course open to us but that OF
handing over the command in the United
States, which he knows so well is dearer
than life Itself TO US. nd then stepping out.
We have no doubt that the general Will
say, with but slight regret, let them 20,
nut he Will be responsible FOR the wreckinr
OF our future lives and the filling OF our
cup with unmiXed sorrow.
THEIR CONVICTIONS.
Apart from the loss OF confidence in the
gcnerai-of which we will speak K later-there
are several matters which make it imros-
sible for us to take another command with
out violating our own convictions.
You can now understand better the
unutterable suffering we have and are
passing through in This order to relin-
,l.h n,,I a fret
nled with pcrple kitty and prayed and
agopized In spirt before God over the
whole affair The only light we have
received from God is that upon the path
we have now determined to take, viz,
10 obey your Orders and resign our com
mand. and then as quickly and expedi-
iiously as possible retire.
The letter is marked personal and con-
,dential, and contains a postscript request
ing the contents TO be kept private until
they are put out of their command.
In reply TO this, Bramwell Booth wrote
his brother begging him to reconsider his
determination. This was followed by
long letter from General Booth in the
same tenor.
The letter from Gen. Booth is, perhaps,
the most extraordinary OF all. IL Is dated
March 13 1t opens:
My Dear Balimgton:-I say dear-for
you are still dear 10 me. You are my son
ana your mothers son, who loved and
toileG for you as YOU can never know, and
who's, i'm and ambition was that you might
be a faithful man OF Col, and whose dying
prayer was that yor might stand 10y me
AMI the rest of her children In fidelity 10
God and the Salvation Army
PATHETIC APPEAL.
You are and mnst be my son forever.
Strange and dividing as have been the
events OF The last few weeks. they have
not changed that relationship. as far as
you have gone. in the opposite direction.
cannot contemplate eternal separation.
Sooner or later we must come together
again in heart. cannot endure the con
trary thought. Can you? You are my SON.
This letter concludes: II can never
give you up while / am on this side of the
valley, ana once more l ask you to come
and see me. That cannot be unreason-
able or unkind Bring Maurlle and come,
and do not listen 10 the lying tongues of
those who would oppose so natural a
course. They only want TO use you TO
pull down Your own work and to wound
your fathers heart, or at the best to gain
their selfish ends.
"Oh. Baliington, Baiiiugion. you cannot
be in your right reason. The whole thing
is ike horrid dream. Again and again
] ask myself. is this reality or an imagi-
nation?' For your own sake hesitate,
think. return. The worst can yet be avert
ed. The past may be forgiven. Believe me
10 be still your affectionate father. pray
ing for you all the time.
.P. 81 have just received your cruel
cable refusing to come and see me. and
coldiy announcing that all negotiations are
at an end Is this all the return you can
make to my repeated messages of peace.
to Bramweli's IS long letters and all our en-
treaties. No, it cannot be. Negotiations
cannot end here