The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-11-30
PURE AS AN ANGEL
Finding Of Church Committee
That Tried Rev. Mr.. Hanna
On Charge of Kissing Two Mem
bers Of His Flock.
CHURCH BROKE UP.
Clergyman Produced Startling
Letters Received.
The Pastor Whose Loss Of Mem
DRY Aroused Interest.
CHURCH BROKE UP

Waterbury, Conn, Nov. 30.-The Rev.
T. Carson Hanna, the young clergyman
of the Baptist church in Union Hill,
who attracted wide attention a year
ago from the fact that for months his
memory was entirely destroyed by a
fall, has been acquitted by the church
committee of the charge of making love
to two members of his flock.
The church council has declared its
conviction that Mr.. Hanna is pure and
upright, and that he is ''as innocent as
an angel of Cod
This means that the committee is
sure that he did not kiss Miss Ida
Squires, who is timekeeper in a button
factory, and ask her to shoot him when
she upbraided him. and that he did not
then transfer his affections to Miss
Eta May Simmons and kiss her, as the
young woman charged.
The young women are intimate
friends and it was charged that an ex-
change of condolences caused all the
trouble. Also did the young women
have devoted admirers, who charged
that the minister had alienated the af-
fectiOnS of their SWeetheartS. Charles
HOuseknicht who is Miss SQuires S
young man." talked very freely about
it ElOy Wooster married Miss Sim
mons on Wednesday last, but it is said
that he still believes the stories told
by the young woman who IS now his
wife.
DISRUPTED HIS GATION.
The charges made against Mr.. Hanna
disrupted the congregation and trOu-
bled the young minister greatly. He
was married about a year ago, and has
more reasons than most men to be de-
voted to his wife. He said that he was
the victim of girlish infatuatiOn, but
most of the members of the church had
known the young women ali their lives
and Mr.. Hanna was newcomer.
Nearly all of the first session of the
church investigating committee was
occupied by the efforts of Judge Yer
nice Munger, who represented the young
women as counsel, to have the matter
dropped.
The members of the committee were
favorable, but Mr.. Hanna would have
none of it. He demanded a full inVesti-
cation to the end that he might be vim
dicated. He had his way.
The minister told the committee that
he had been pursued by the young wo
men. particularly Miss Simmons, who
displayed a foolish infatuauOn for him.
She took to writing notes, which she
placed under the seat of his buggy. Mr..
Hanna showed some of them to the
committee.
LETTERS FROM MISS SIMMONS.
In September Miss Simmons wrote:
Mrs. Hanna knows my feeling to
you and that you do not care for me,
so she will blame it on me if you come,
so you must come, just once"
A few days later Mr.. Hanna received
this:
please stay home tomorrow. Then
you can send me away forever. No one
will know if I come and you must meet
me You never, never done anything
for one who thinks so much of you"
Mr. Hanna did not stay at home. In
fact he drove far into the country on
that particular day, as he explained
In the early part Of this month Miss
Simmons added to Mr. Hanna's worries
with this letter:
Monday is your last chance. There
is some one who will say anything to
help me, whether she believes it or
not"
The letters were signed with Miss
Simmons initials
In its report, which was finished Sat
urday night, thte church committee de-
cIares that Mr.. Hanna did not kiss or
hug Miss Simmons. It says that the
minister was tried in the fire by the
Vaccinations" of women. The report,
as it continues, is really a remarkable
document.
SAY THE MINISTER IS UPRIGHT.
We each and every one of us de-
clare it says. that We believe Mr.
Hanna to be pure and upright; that he
has been fearfully Wronged; that he has
been tried in the furnace Of afiictiOn
and came out without a scar; that ne