The times., 1897-08-26

A press dispatch to The Times last
night. under date Of Chicago. announced
that PIymouth Church, one of the wealth
.est in TIE city, has decided TO cali Rev.
T. Dewiu Talmage 10 fill the pulpit made
vacant by the illness OF DIR. Frank W..
GunSaulus.
None of the flock Of Rev. DIR. Talmage
sppsared last night To have anything
apElroaching a flood OF light on The IN
teres,iuE subject Of the transfer or the
talents of Dr. Talmage to another field
Of usefGness. None appeared to enter
tain a clear connection of the wishes
The intentions. OF the desires OF their
widelfanIed parson.
The fnsul,-s>ion winch was obtained fIom
these interviews was that DR.. TalmaGe
is regarded Toy his parishioners as monster
advertisement for the First Presbyterian
Church that hisdeparture from Washington
wonId be sorcly felt by the business de-
parrn.ent uf The church, and that Dr. Tai
mage woald lie to Chicago or elsewhere
should the finger Of Fortune OF the clinG
of gold call him.
No l440 Massachusetts avenue, the
home Of Rey Dr. Talmag was dark. 4
servant said that the last heard Of DR..
.Talmage was in Ohio. He waseNpected -
return 70 the pulpit OF his church on the
second Sunday in September. Tie servant
did not know in what part Of Ohio Dr.
Talmagc was and was not sure that he
was in that state at all
The home OF Dr. Sunderland, No. 32S
& street northwest, was desolate. 7 he
doctor is IN tile Catskhls, but at a meet
ing ef tie officers Of the church held
last Thursday night, letter was read
from Dr. Sunderland, in which he said
mat he would return TO Washington and
presch in the old familiar pulpit on the
first sunday in September and that
Dr. TalIaage would probably preach on
the second Sunday in the same month.
Dr. Mann, trustee aud elder and chair
man Of the board Of trustees Of tie First
Presbyterian Church, lives at No. ABB
Indiana vaeuue. Inquiry there showed
that Dr. Mann and his wife are spending
the sumner down in Virginia.
Theodore Sergeant. an elder in the
church. lives al No. 3Os Indiana avenue,
bat he had retired when the reporter
called last night.
Janitor Joe Jones, No. 235 Pennsyl-
vania avenue. was the next victim WHOM
the reporter ran TO earth. The Chicago
dispatch was news to him. lie became
agitated. why" said he, If DR.. Tai
mage goes away IL viii break up the
church ! never saw d man who could
dra more people than Dr. Talmage-
Mrs. Jones said buntly, We'll, / reckon
II they give him the money he'll 20 TO
Chicago, OF even worse places than that "
Some time ago The Times printed i
story TO tbe effect that Dr. Talnage was
soon to leave Washington for richer anC
IroTe golden fields This met with a
prnngpt anG resOunding denial from Dr.
TsGnage He characterized IL as lie
bora in the malice OF he'll, and said 81
the an who wrote it, Il denounce the
lying scoundrel-' Dr. TalmaEe made many
other emphatic statements in his denial
On top OF that story, which. by the way
come out Of the West, comes the dis
patch of last night.
None OF the congregation of the church
could tell where DIR. Talmage might bt
reached l.y telegraph. Most of the IA believed
that he was '-out West somewhere
One old lady gave it as her opinion thai
the call was simply a temporary one anc
that as SDol as DIR. Gunsaulus was restored
20 health DR. Talmage would return e
Washington.
A member Of the congregation said
tile hoard OF officers OF Plymouth Church
had probably met and had decided ia
formally 10 invite DIR. ralmage TO that
pulpit. IL was probable that DR.. Talmage
did not even know anything about the
alleged caH. lie was certain that DR..
Talmage would not turn his back on
Washington without giving this city
a chance to bid against the Chica 90 church