The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-20
Damaging Evidence Produced at the
Oregon Baptist Church Trial
of Minister.
A PREACHERS LOVE LETTERS
ROASTING OF THE GIRLS HE HAD
TAKEN IN HIS ARMS.
Oil Men Considerably Puzzled Over
the Work of Wizard Fulton tn
Locating Wells.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
TERRE HAUTE, Ind, Dec. 19-The Rev.
Howard Nicholas Manary to-day apologized
to the congregation of Oregon Baptist
Church. in the southern part of this coun-
ty and thereby performed the last duty
required of him by the council of Baptist
ministers which tried him Friday and yes
terday on charges preferred by Miss Edith
Sparks, and which have attracted atten-
tion in Illinois and Indiana for some dis
tance up and down the Wabash valley.
The first duty imposed on him was to
apologize to Miss Sparks. On the jury were
nire Baptist minister's from what is known
as the Curry Prairie Association, with DR..
De Blois, president of the Baptist College
at Upper Alton, ILL.,, as moderator.
Mr.. Manarys home is in the Oregon
neighborhood, and he has been there for
several months, having resigned the pas
torate of the Baptist Church at Mattoon.
ILL.,, which he took year or more ago after
leaving the church at Robinson, Ill., to
which he went when he graduated from the
Baptist College at Franklin, Ind, q few
years ago. He is a handsome young man,
and was very popular. His friends had
such high opinion of him that they at first
believed the letter written by him to Miss
Sparks to be a forgery. He is very penitents
and this saved him from more severe ac-
ton on the part of the council.
The charges submitted by Miss Sparks
were: That Manary had disgraced his min
isterial calling by writing an unbecoming
letter: by undue intimacy with a number of
young ladies "above the number of twen-
ty;" by misleading young lady into
loving him and crushing her in an unex-
pected hour" by unbecoming conduct dur
i,,rr I'll.
consisted of looking in at the window at
a certain young lady and not giving his
presence to the services;" by asserting that
the young ladies of the church so persist
emily attempted to ingratiate themselves in
his affections that he was compelled to
write one of them a letter of rebuke; by
circulating the report that the family OF
Miss Sparks wanted him to marry her,
which he would not do, and which gave rise
to the reports about him and ultimately
brought about the trial
The Rev Mr.. Allen, of Mount Zion, acted
as prosecutor, and the Rev. j. w. Stark, OF
Flora, represented Mr.. Manary. When the
first specification was taken up MIR. Man-
ary admitted having written the letter, but
said he had sent written apology to Miss
Sparks. and had offered to make an ac-,
acknowledgement to the church. The second
charge, as to undue intimacy with young
ladies, was based on this sentence from the
letter: Il have had more girls in my arms
in the last three years who posed as sweet-
hearts or lovers than you have fingers and
toes.' The defense admitted that this was
a false statement AS to misleading a
young lady into loving him the letter was
quoted as follows: Il quote you one sem
tence from an open letter on my table,
Howard Howard! you have broken my
heart into thousand piecesr AS pretty
as Cleopatra, but L broke her heart. You
think me cruel. She does not. In an idle
moment she sinned against her own soul.
L taught her to worship me and then I
crushed her for her idoltary." The defense
claimed this was an exaggeration for the
purpose of showing that the poor thing was
not crushed, but that she was only flirting
Anyhow, it was maintained by the defense
that the girl is now happily married and,
moreover, that she never entered complaint
against the reverend heart crusher. There
was some little evidence of disturbing a
religious meeting, but the council did not
give much heed 10 it. There evi-
dence that he had said the women of the
church attempted to ingratiate themselves
with him.
motion was made to withdraw min
isterial fellowship, but the council voted 1t
down seven to two. A committee was ap-
pointed to prepare the findings of the coun-
Gil, and when it reported the findings as
follows they were adopted by a unanimous
vote: That some of the charges were sus-
tnined; that he had committed a great
wrong, for which he should be reprimanded
which he should acknowledge and of which
he should repent; that he is penitent and
ready to make due acknowledgment to the
sister and to the church without in any
way attempting to excuse or palliate the
offense. Further, the church was admon-
ished to make greater effort in the future
TO adjust difficulties according to the New
Testament discipline