Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-25
THEIR SEVENTH DAY.
THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF
THE VIRGINIA METH0DIsTs.
The CASE OF REY. N. S. WATTS.
Expelled from Ministry and Member
ship-WiIl AppeaI-Church Extern
Observation-Disclosures League
Sfafssffrs
Statistics.


) Street Methodist Episcopal church this
s morning, though few started in time tc
l reach the building at the opening of the
. days session. BY the time Rev DIR.
= George G.. Vanderslice had finished the
conduct Of the preliminary devotional
! exercises, however. a majority OF the
E delegates were in their places. and
, eagerly awaiting the reading of the re-
port Of the special committee charged
with the grave duty Of trying the charge
of immortality against fellow member
the Rev. NJ. s. Watts, of Middlesex Cir
cult.
The report was read by Rev. Robert
Newton Sledd, ID. D., pastor of Main
Street church, this city, and chairman
of the committee. amid impressive ST.
lence. The report Is as follows.
We, the committee in the case of Rev.
VI. s. Watts. having heard all the evil
dence in the case, and having patiently
and prayerfully considered the same, do
unanimously find that the specifications
are all sustained, and that said specih-
cations do sustain the charge OF i'm
| morality, and that the said NJ. S. Watts
be expelled from the ministry and MEM
bership Of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South: r. N. Sledd chairman, j.
I. Mastin. ]. Carson Watson, A. c. Berry
man, j. w. Shackford. f. NJ. Edwards,
i. Men. Simpson, r. A. Compton, l.. b.
! Betty, G. ID. Crawley.
Attest: S. S. Lambert secretary.
Under the laws of the Southern Metho-
dist Church, the action Of the committee
must be taken as final, though the ac-
cused has the right to appeal to the
General Conference. At present how
ever. he stands expelled from the minis
try and the Church Mr. r. w. Peatross,
leading lawyer and eminent
Methodist layman of this city, and who
is counsel for Rev. Mr.. Watts, gave no.
tice of an appeal to the ensuing General
Conference, which convenes in Baltimore |
in May, 1898. The secretary was accord |
ingly instructed to prepare a complete !
transcript of the case and forward IL 10 |
the proper officers of the General Con- |
ference. And thus closed the distress
ing incident of the 115th gathering of |
State Methodists.
a resolution that caused considerable
discussion was introduced by Dr. George |
II. Ray, and provided for the appoint
msnt Of Rev. George II. Wiley as agent
for the Richmond Christian Advocate.
The proposition was finally defeated on
a vote.
CHURCH EXTENSION.
The report of the Committee on Cnurcn
Extension, through w. Y. Bates, was
submitted showing that 1t has at it's dis
posal Sl,S6l.S3, which is recommended for
division among certain needy churches.
Attention is called in the report to the
valuable work the Womans Parsonage
societies are doing. In the past year
these societies raised 1,445.95. The report
was adopted.
The report of the Committee on Tenn
perance. read by Rev. f. NJ Edwards,
recommending that, so far as practicable,
unfermented wine be used in the sacra-
ment; that the conference send delegates
to the annual meeting of the Anti-Saloon
League at Columbus, o., in January
next; that the Virginia Legislature be
urged TO legislate against the sale or
liquor, and that the Church strictly en-
force the church laws against drunken !
ness. The report of the committee was r
adopted, after brief discussion, and Rev. Z
Z. Ferguson and Rev. f. NJ. Edwards J
were elected delegates to the meeting OF \
the Anti-Saloon League. ;
The proceedings were interrupted by
The distribution of the conference collec-
ion fund, and $l1,S55 was distributed
among 142 claimants. The preachers re- A
Rev. r. II. Bennett read a paper deny
ng that the young men of the conference
lad agreed to support certain candidates 81
or delegates to the General Conference | c
Another member of conference was about 81
o follow with similar paper, but !,
bishop Fitzgerald said that such papers | :,
we're out of order, and declined to allow y
TO be read. A
The report of the Committee on Bible al
ause was submitted by DR.. Royal, and el
commended that the Virginia Bible So
iety and the American Bible Society be w
ided in the distribution OF Bibles. The W
eport was adopted.
Afternoon Session. ~
The following passed the examinations In
nd were advanced, when Minute Cues
on was called, and which is who st
emains on Trial?" John f.. White j.
Lavinder, J. C. Granbury, Jr., f. l.. eli
German, j. f.. Oyler, r.. c. Garland, and We
c. Batten.
Question 7-"Who Are the Deacons for o,
ne Year|'-was satisfactorily passed by
7. c. Pace, NJ. S. Collonna. Jr., j. w. Pa
arish, ID. w. Reed, G.. w. Dyer, George
2. Jones, Thomas f. Johnston, and F.
Davis, who were advanced to the next
ar. err
Two absentees-W. T. A. HAYNES and to-
- " AHbhciu-pdSSeu DIS 10 character, | ms
ID were continued in their present class. \
The memorial to the General Conference a.,
relation TO the appointment OF presid- 'o
z elders and their tenure of office was
'cussed with considerable animation -
rtaiIs the - - winch sol
opted by large majority Vi
me BODY adjourned a few minutes after
o'clock TO meet again al 7:30 tonight. , ,ee
Night Session. Co.
ne night session was almost entirely II
lsumed in discussing and disposing or $40
report of the Committee on Memo Dor
Is. Among the memorials adopted was ID
2 praying that Fredericksburg be ss2S
zen from the Baltimore Conference bon
d that it be put in the Virginia Con-
ence.
ne Committee on Relations recon-
nded the continuance OF all the SUPER Agl
neraries and superannuates. The confe-
co removed W. w. Southall from the
'ernumerary list and located him. All
ers on that list and the superannu- cris
$ were continued in those relations. gov,
he report OF the special Epwortn the
'gue Committee shows i76 leagues IN ,nou
conference bounds, with a member -.
p Of 9,S22-an increase over last year cent
'ixty-four leagues and $50 members prs
ev. H. f. Lipscomb, statistician. sub ene
ted his report, showing the following a,",,
res, as developed by the conference ",
ceedings Number OF local preachers "a.
the conference, 129; white church 80
her