The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-07-14
A CASE OF BLACKMAIL
Pastor of the Methodist Church
at Oakland
De~9unced the Dissertation OF
Church Property
BY Beer Drinkers Who in Revenge
Circulate Scandalous Story
About the Pastor and
Respected Lady.

There are wild rumors of scandal IN
the little suburb of Oakland in which a
minister and a prominent citizens wife
have been connected most unpleasant
ly.
Saturday night a crowd of Oakland
young men had a beer key party in
Oakland and chose for their place of
holding it the Oakland Methodist
church yard After dark the Rev. E. M.
Mueller. pastor of the church, went to
the edifice to practice his voice for Sun
days sermons. The beer arrived, and
Mr.. Mueller went out to ask the young
men to get off the church property. They
refused, and began drinking the beer.
Then they became noisy and abusive.
Mr.. Mueller left the church and went to
the house of a prominent church mem
her to get aid in ejectinS the rOwdieS
from the church yard.
While he was gone Mrs. Bert Pugh,
the wife of a prominent Oakland citi-
zen, got off an Oakland car and went to
the church, procuring therein a music
roll which she had left there on We'd
nesday evening last. She left imme-
diately and went to her home. Shortly
afterward Mr.. Mueller returned. The
half drunken young men then accused
him of having had a woman with him
in the church. The latter not knowing
OF the lady's visit after the music roll,
declared that no woman had heen in the
church that night.
The beer party was finally dispersed.
IOl, HOWGN6As pS1O1O 4AoC4A-A AAHAN
identified all of them.
Sunday evening in his sermon, the
Rev. Mr. Mueller preached red hot
sermon from the text: THE Wages of
Sin is DEATH
without mentioning names he scored
the young men who used the church
grounds for drunken orgy. After the
service Sunday evening one of the
crowd of young men who had taken
part in the beer drinking, went to Mr..
Mueller and told him that if he said
anything more about that affair that
they would spring something they knew
Upon questioning, the young man ac-
cused the pastor of having been caught
IN the church with the lady, who is no
other than Mrs. Bert Pugh, wife of a
gardener of Oakland and a prominent
member of the Methodist church. Mr.
Mueller Indignantly denied it and went
Immediately to see Mr.. Pugh. All sorts
of rumors were spread by the young
men and soon the whole of Oakland was
reused up over the story.
Mr.. Pugh made thorough investiga-
ton. He states positively that the
charges against Mr.. Mueller are absO-
lutely false. Proof is given that Mr.
Mueller was not in the church at the
time Mrs. Pugh went there after her
music.
Mr. Mueller is very much annoyed
over the circumstance. He said:
There is absolutely not a word of
lady in the church with me Saturday
night. Mrs. Pugh went to the church
to get her music roll, but I was not
there at the time. When those boys
got to drinking the beer L stayed in
side the church to listen to them.
never heard such wild profanity in my
life. When 1 asked them to get off the
church property they swore at me and
threatened me. After they had left
it was about IL o'clock. The crowd
was very drunk I went to bed. Soon
/ heard a crowd of young men going
past the house. I listened and recog-
nized their voices. dressed and fol-
lowed them. They stopped at the gro
Gerry across the street from my yard. I
crouChed in the corner and listened to
them. 1t was there that 1 heard them
make up their story on me. One of
them said: We must stand by that
story if we have TO swear to it Then
they delegated one of the crowd to
come to me Sunday and order me not to
tell anything on them.
when heard the story went right
to Mr.. Pugh and he said he would make
an investigation. He did so and came
to me afterward and said that he was
thoroughly satisfied that the charges
We're false. Since then the young men
have changed their story from time to