Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-09-27
1T HAS BEGUN.
The Hearing of Rev. White be
fore the Presbytery is on


KingWOod is the Scene of the Meeting.
Special from there In Relation to the
Affair-Nothing Criminal but some
Things that are very Indiscreet will
be Brought out-Very Strange blend.
ing of the Right and Wrong Every
thing is Expected to come out all
Neutrality-suspicious. People who are
in Attendance-The hearing not a
Trial-The Presbytery may not final
ly Decide this Time but they have q
Right tO-Result anxi0usIy awaited.
A special from Kingwood says
The West Virginia presbytery of
the Presbyterian church, which con
venes here Tuesday, will consider
the case of Rev. Charles White,
formerly minister of the First church
at Clarksburg. White was born and
raised at Morgantown, entered the
university there, later graduated
and prepared for the ministry He
married an estimable young woman
and was selected for the Clarksburg
pulpit on account of his good char
acter and ability,
Last spring this part of the State
was shocked by the announcement
that Minnie Holmes, of Clarksburg,
had committed suicide. She was
rs years old, an accomplished mu-
stefan, and was known personally,
and through her family by thous-
ands in the northern part of the
state, where she had been prominent
in church and musical circles. Miss
Holiness suicide was inexplicable
at first. She had been to Pittsburg
visiting friends, and while returning
on boat to Clarksburg, dropped
into the river and drowned, without
the knowledge of anyone on board
Her gloves, hat and parcels were
found carefully laid away on table
on the boat She hadlspoken Of sui
eide to a woman with whom she had
picked up travelling acquaintance
on the boat. No reason for the act
has ever been publicly assigned.
An investigation, set on foot by
the young woman's father, revealed
that Rev. Mr. White was in Pitts
burg at the same time, and detec
lives discovered that he and Miss
Holmes had been together at two
different hotels, at one which they
registered as man and wife, under
an accy1OooJ pap,o II woo 81 o,,ao
determined that Miss Holmes had,
in fit of remorse, ended her life.
Key. Mr.. White was confronted with
the evidence, and confessed all that
was charged, though insisting that
neither he nor Miss Holmes had
ever committed any real wrong, and
claiming that their indiscretion was
pardonable, if the facts could all be
known. At first he refused to tell
the whole story but agreed that his
usefulness in Clarksburg was ended,
and resigned his charge. Later he
told the entire proceedings of the
trip to PitUsburg to his wife and
Miss Holiness father, and both were
satisfied that nothing immoral had
been done, and that while the whole
proceeding was indiscreet, there
were palliating circumstances.
A written statement of the de-
Tense is in the hands of Rev. A. M.
Buchanan, who will be the modera-
tor of the presbytery, and it is said
to present the most remarkable com
bination Of indiscreet action, good
intention, and unfortunate result
ever known; in fact, to present a
most remarkably tragic romance in
real life, in which there is no vii
lain.
Rev. Buchanan accompanied by
Mr. JOS. Reiner and Rev. White
have gone to Kingwood where they
will attend the meeting. Mr.. Reiner
is a deacon and one of the Presby-
terry The meeting will not be tech
nically speaking a trial but they will
hear the statement that Rev. White
has to make in his own behalf and
if they are SO minded they will ac-
cept it as the real true state of the
case.
In case they are dissatisfied with
any part Of it they will postpone a
final decision until later meeting
and in the meantime consider every
thing that has been laid before
them. They of course cannot tell
I,a% II +I1 ~ I.