The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-21

spectacIes. Brudder Montgomery. said
Brother Pounds, "dey am yourn Take
| dem an guide de flock fro storm an
/ peace.
| Pounds soon discovered that the Rev.
Henry Montgomery was a Methodist in
| stead of a Baptist, and he talked to the
| preacher on the subject At last the
| divine became convinced that he had
| in the past been laboring in the dark
| and he consented to change of
/ faith. 1t then became necessary to or
| dain him.
To be ordained it was. of course
necessary to examine the applicant.
and then an awful discovery was
| made The examination was conduct
| ed by Preacher Evans of a neighboriug
/ church.
Brother Evans said he had examined
| the witness on the orthodoxy of faith"
| Evans said the Rev. Henry Montgom-
cry knew less than any man he ever
heard Of
DE hans was never laid on" said
/ Evans, and AT this Brother Pounds
bowed his head in silent appreciation
Brother Pounds violently objected to
| the new preacher when he heard of his
| dense ignorance. and last Sunday
| morning. as the preacher was address,
ing the flock. stood up in church and
| told the minister that he must never
| enter the pulpit again.
| Sister Bryant objected To this. but
under the stress of argument brought
| out by Brother Pounds a foreign min
lister was secured for the Sunday after
noon and night services Brother
| Pounds and Sister Bryant listened with
| rapt attention, but the latter was not
satisfied. She wanted back the Rev.
! Henry Montgomery again.
On Sunday night she informer Brother
Montgomery that she and he would hold
prayer meeting the following night
and it would become a conference after
the prayers. Brother Pounds was not
invited TO this prayer meeting, but
somehow or other he got wind of it and
was in waiting when Brother Montgom-
cry and Sister Bryant arrived.
As they began to pray he walked
quietly into the church and turned off
the light. Then he drove them from the
church and locked the doors. This made
out the case of disturbing public wor-
ship for which Brother Pounds was
arrested and arraigned before the re-
corder yesterday afternoon.
1t was the most amusing court room
scene that has taken place in some
time and the audience was kept in a
roar of laughter The deacons and eld-
ers who had examined Brother Henry
Montgomery for the Baptist ministry
stood in a circle around the tribunal of
justice and told what they knew of the
Cast III IL Uefltttly RIDICULOUS manner.
In the center of this circle stood Sis
ter Bryant, who probably weighs 200
pounds. and every time anything was
said which met with her approval she
clapped her hands and either shut her
eyes and said amen, or violently nodded
her head. Brother Pound was excited.
Brother Montgomery logged and de-
fensive
Judge Calhoun told Brother Pounds he
was guilty, but that he would be al
lowed to so if he consented to resign
from the church and place his member
ship elsewhere.
Then Sister Bryant elected Brother
Henry Montgomery a member of st
Johns colored Missionary Baptist
church on the spot and the two of them
jointly agreed upon the Rev. Henry
Montgomery as fit ting person to take
charge of the flock. In the future Sis
ter Bryant will listen to the sermons.
while the other half of the church does
the preaching.
She announced that the church would
hold some attracted meetins" in the
near future. by which il was hoped the
membership would be increased Sister
Bryant further added that if the Rev
Henry Montgomery did not feel justi-
fled in joining the ranks of the Bap-
lists, or If he could not learn the Bap-
fist doctrine. then the church would
vote itself into the ranks of the NJ stho-
dists.'