The news & observer., 1897-08-08
KILGo-KINGsBURY.
Mr.. Crews, of the Messenger Staff, Makes
q Statement.

w llIuIUStOH, N. ~, August DO uue
Editor: In your issue of July 31st you
publish the following language used by
the Christian Advocate: HE (Dr. Kilgo)
has sent no messages nor threats, and
what he did say to n certain individual
in connection with the editor of the Will
mington Messenger was falsely con-
strued and grossly exaggerated"
My business is soliciting and collect
ing for the Messenger. and / try to be
agreeable to all the gentlemen / meet,
and secure their favor for the paper. I
met DR.. Kilgo in the Atlantic Hotel at
Morehead City during the Teachers As
sembly in June, and, having known him
personally since | met him there the year
before, | entered into a conversation
with him. In the course of our CONVEX
SatlOn he made some unfavorable re-
marks about DR.. KingSbury. / knew
there had been some controversy between
these gentlemen, but it was then closed
on the part of the Messenger, and l sup
posed was ended. Notwithstanding the
unfavorable remarks made by DR.. XII
go about DR.. Kingsbury, 1 thought he
might send a message to him of a not
unfriendly character and tending to
ShIoOlh OVER tHelT past uluGTeuCeS. w lC0
this thought i'll mind l asked him in a
pleasant way if he did not have a mes
sage to send to DR.. Kingsbury. He said:
Yes, tell him he is insincere and a
hypOcrite." After that DR.. Kilgo show
more feeling than he had done before,
and while the conversation was still
going on the article of DR.. Kingsbury.
published in the Mossenge: several
weeks ago, headed Statement of Facts"
was brought up, and DR.. Kilgo said that
in that article DR.. Kingsbury had lied
and that he CDR. Kingsburyl knew Il.
DIR. kilgO further said that Dr. Kings
bury had been bounding Trinity Cor
years; that he was an old scOundrei:
that he had to down DR.. Kingsbury or
that DIR. Kingsbury had t. down him:
that he intended to publish DR.. Kings
bury's letters to Mr.. Duke; that he
would also show up his past history; that
the Messenger had no editor; that he had
never written half dozen lines logical-
ly in his life, and the sooner the Mes
senger could get rid OF him the better,
as he had no following; that If he was
off the Messenger he could not get an
other job in the State nor out of it, but
as for himself, he could get another
place, as he has the preachers at his
back; that DR.. Kingsbury was insincere
and that he had no confidence in the
world in him, and that he ought to be
turned out of the Methodist church.
The above language, as well as I can
now recall-and much more-was used
by DR.. Kilgo in what / thought was an
angry and excited manner, and this is
just as correct as if | had sworn to it..
Part of the conversation was in the pres
ence of Mr.. J. J. Royal in his store in
the Atlantic Hotel, and part of it was
just outside next to the office.
On returning to Wilmington, repeat
ed to DR.. KiDgsbury the exact language
used above, as well as | can remember
in a hurried conversation I then had
with him.
/ do not see how DR.. Kilgo could say
that the above expressions were not used,
the threat made and the message sent
in substance if not in the exact words
and l am sure the Christian Advocate
could not deny for him only so far as its
information came from him. / am
friendly with DR.. Kilgo, and could have
no object-nothing to gain in any way
L
he sent the message / ought to deliver it,
and as he was going to publish the let
ters to Mr.. Duke, and show up DR..
Kingsbury's past history, as he said, it
was my duty to let DR.. Kingsbury, the
editor of the paper / have been agent
for, for going on nine years, know what
was in store for him. And it will be OBJ
served that, although DIR. Kingsbury
published about two weeks ago in sub
stance the statement here made of what
DR.. Kilgo said, Dr. Kilgo has not pub
licly disclaimed the language it imputed
to him, although he may have privately
said to the editor of the Christian Ad-
vocate that it was exaggerated; and it
will be further noted that he did attack
DR.. Kingsbury in the next issue of the
Christian Educator, and did publish the
letter to Mr.. Duke, just as he told me
he would do. Respectfully yours,
J. A. CREWS.
p S. At my request, Dr. Kingsbury
addressed a note to Mr.. Royal for in
formation, and the following reply ex-
plains itself:
Morehead City, N. c., August 4, 1897.
DR.. L. B. Kingsbury-Dear Sir: In
answer to your favor of 31st inst, re-
questing me to sustain, so far as I heard
the conversation between Mr.. J. A.
Crews, of the Wilmington Messenger,
and DR.. Kilgo, president of the Trinity
College, in my store in the Atlantic Ho-
tel, will say that I do not wish to enter
into, or become party to the contro-
versy now doing so much real harm to
the church and its institutions in North
Carolina, but at your request l will give
you in substance If not in the exact
language what l heard DR.. Kilgo say:
My attention was first attracted to the
conversation by the excited tone Of Kill
go's voice in these words: eyes, tell him
he is insincere and hypocrite." I had
never seen the speaker before, and quite
naturally paid attention to what was
said in order to ascertain who he was,
and note the following expressions: "Dr.
Kingsbury has lied and he knows it."
''The Methodists of North Carolina are
with me-" "Dr. Kingsbury has no fol-
lowing" "Dr. Kingsbury is a man of no
ability" "He could not get another job
if he should lose the one he now has"
"I could get another job" "He has never
,u r;tfnD a half dnzau linaQ lnpioa llv I'm hia