The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-12
HANGED WEAR IN EFFIGY.
EX-CHAPLAIN's HOMECOMING NOT
OF A HEROIC CHARACTER.

He Had Been the Stirrer Up of Mar
tinI Spirit Mt birmingham and Was
Looked on as "A Preacher-WnrriOr.
RumOrs That His Resignation
May Be Observation-Disclosures State
ment Acknowledging That His
Resignation Was at a Bad Time
But ExcUsable.
Rev Robert D. Wear, the chaplain of
the Fifth Regiment of United States Vol
unteers, who resigned just before the regi-
ment left Savannah for Santiago, has been
hanged I'm effigy at Birmingham, his home.
His resignation Is the sensation of the
hour in Alabama. the Birmingham Age
Herald devoting a whole page to 1t, and
| other papers discussing the matter at
length.
A special from Birmingham, telling of
the eft1gy hanging, says that Chaplain
Wear had been such a courageous and
patriotic talker in the pulpit that the peo-
pie of Birmingham expected him to whip
whole regiments of Spaniards unaided, II
need be, and their surprise and disap-
polntment was unbounded when the news
The chaplain returned to Birmingham
Tuesday afternoon and his reception there
appears not to have been cordial.
The next morning a boy went in great
excitement to Birmingham Npollce head
quarters anu reported that man was
hanging by the neck from a lamp post in
front of the court house. Several officers
rushed there and found a dummy dressed
in the fashion of a chaplain with a pla-
card on its breast, which bore these
words:
"DR. WEAR.
Fifth United States Immune Volun-
! teers."
Rev Wear explains his conduct by the
statement that he can accomplish more
of good by administering to the needs Of
his congregation at Birmingham than by
going TO Santiago-now that the war has
| terminated-and dying with yellow fever.
Dr. Wears homecoming had little of
the heroic about it. The Birmingham pa
! pers say that three brethren and a Meth
| odist minister met him at the depot and
warned him not to talk to the reporters
! He was hustled into a cab and driven
! home, where he prepared a statement for
! publication.
Nearly all of the men in the regiment
| that l spoke to approved my course" said
! he. Most of the young officers are anx-
| ious to remain in the army permanently
| while 10 me military life is not pleasant
! l thought il better to resign now when
a new chaplain can be sent right on
! rather than to abandon sick men later
| with no chaplain on hand.
! "A commissioned officer has the right
by law to resign at all times except on the
! field of battle. I did not feel that there
| was any patriotic motive for me to go &c
! Cuba and neglect my family and their liv-
| ing. 1t might be suggested that these
things should have been thought of be-
fore; they were thought of and were
planned for, and In their execution has
| come my trouble.
Cranky and candidly I admit that the
time for the execution of my purpose was
! badly chosen, vet, nevertheless, my actor
was the result of a design formed some
! time ago, and not the result of a purpose
formed at Savannah. Had I not seen the
dispatch stating that our peace terms haC
/ been accepted, I would have gone on t
Santiago, as much as I dislike the pros
pect Of being chaplain in a garrison.
II do not believe that any man whC
/ knows me personally In the Fifth Regi
meut or in Birmingham or in any place
/ where l have ever lived, would charge ms
with cowardice, or that I would hesitate
to do that which [ thought I ought to do
however much fear l might have in The
| doing of it,"
Rumors have It in Birmingham that The
Cumberland Presbyterian Church. o.
which eX-Chaplain Wear is pastor, will re
quest his resignation. This is denied. TIL,
members of the church, when their pastor
took the chaplaincy bought a fine hors,
and presented it to him.
The most unique feature of the whole
| case is that Rev. Wear did more to arOus,
a martial spirit in Birmingham
than any other man. All tht
| local military companies turned out t,
| hear him preach a battle sermon and eaci
soldier was handed a flag to wave. A
times the congregation was stirred TO ap
| plause by the preachers eloquence. II
! concluding, he said;
LAS dearly as your mothers, wives, sis
tors and sweethearts love you. they woul(
rather see you buried ia a Cuban grav
than to think that you would ever prov,
coward on the field of battle or that yol
would ever prove recreant to the trus
your country has bestowed upon you"