The herald., 1896-01-01
ALEXANDRIA IS SCANDAL|ZED
Prominent Churchman and the
Village POstmistress
INDECENT so 1T IS SAID
DR.. G. c. McElr0y Asked to Resign His
Eldership
Was Also Suggested to Him That Some One
Else Would Be Selected to Teach
the Bible Class
INDECENT so 1T IS SAID


hambra is, socially speaking, torn from
center to circumference. Alhambra is Or
dinarily undisturbed by social sensations.
In its ten years of existence nothing has
transpired there that ever caused any great
rifle among the peaceful fruit growers and
residents of the little settlement, but now
the town has scandal which is on the
tongues of all the folks that live in and
near the city and some that live on the
outside as far away as Los Angeles.
DR.. George C. McElroy has for about
seven years resided at Alhambra. He has
always impressed the people who knew
him by his piety and his earnest service in
the church. The doctor was a trustee in
the Presbyterian church and also the teach-
er of the Bible class in the Sunday school.
He was always to the fore front and center
in church work, and after he had served as
trustee of the church he was elected to act
as an elder.
Miss Anna Phelan is the postmistress at
sorting the mail and delivering il on call
to the Alhambrans. For the last four
years there has been talk of the intimacy
between DR.. McElroy and Miss Phelan,
which many of the good people of Alham-
bra remarked upon, but not until lately
has anything been particularly said.
Some time ago an informal Indignation
meeting was held by few citizens, and
the fact was pointed out that the manner
in which DR.. McElroy and Miss Phelan
were conducting themselves was scarcely
proper. 1t was suggested that one of the
prominent citizens meet the genial doctor
and call him down. This was done, but
the doctor, like many another man before
him, justified his conduct He is about so
years of age and is married. Miss Phelan
is about 80 and is said to be quite pretty.
The doctor insisted that his friendship
| for the lady was only such as one married
gentleman could consistently have for an
unmarried lady. He said that the rumors
that he was not what he pretended to be in
so far as his friendship for Miss Phelan was
concerned, emanated from large, burly
Individual who kept a grocery store in
front of the postotfice at the corner just
south of the Alhambra hotel.
DR.. McElroy held tu the idea and asserted
| to his friends that the burly individual in
| question was an atheist and that he was
circulating the stories about his intimacy
with Miss Phelan for the purpose of bring
ing disgrace upon him, DIR McElroy, be.
cause he was prominent church member
| and religious worker.
However, the doctor continued his visits
at the postotfics and the people continued
to talk. The burly man who ran the groc-
| cry store on the corner was mad. He did
not like the deal he received at all, He said
that he had not started the stories of DR..
| McElroy's alleged scandalous conduct. If
| he had done so, he said that the fact that
the doctor was high up church member
and he himself was only an humble atheist
would cut no figure with him in the matter
whatever. He talked out loud and said
that anybody that acted as the doctor did
and had was naughty.
! And so time went on. Finally the burly
| cfo H. lafl hat hon
for him TO make move. The postoftice
is separated from his store by only small,
thin partition. The 5urly gentleman pro-
ceeded to get himself an auger. With deX-
terity he bored several holes through the
| partition large enough to put his weather
| eye up against and then observe the opera
! tio0s that were going on in the postoffice.
The storekeeper did not content himself
with keeping track of what was going on
in the postoffice himself. He called in
others and they observed just exactly what
transpired when the doctor made his fre-
quent calls at the postotfice behind the
| boxes.
Those who beheld the scene were SUR
prised beyond measure. The doctor went
to extremes in his manifestations of affec-
ton toward the little postmistress, and she
apparently reciprocated. Nothing actually
criminal was discovered. but enough was
learned to scandalize the community.
Then the matter was again laid before
| the Presbyterian church, of which the
doctor was a member. Immediately an
endeavor was made to hush the story up.
But it was something that would not hush,
neither would it down. The story was cir
culated on every SIDE and became town
| talk.
The Presbyterian church was compelled
to take cognizance of it. A meeting of the
session was called. DR.. McEiroy was an
elder and teacher of the Bible class. He
appeared before the ses ion. and it was a
very interesting meeting. The doctor was
informed that under the circumstances it
would be best for him to resign his office
in the church and re ire. He agreed to do
so, and furthermore he admitted that his
conduct, which, although it had created
considerable talk, was wrong. He still
justified himself.
The meeting of the Presbyterian church
session when the doctor was asked to re-
sign was held last week. Since then the
talk has increased at a furious rate. The
doctor. though, has ceased his postoffice
visits and has given it out that he will
shortly remove to Whittier. The fat gro
ceryman is satisfied for the time being
and all is we'll.