The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-12-03
TABERNACLE'S
SALE.
Injunction Proceedings Be-
fore Vice Chancellor
Emery This After
noon.
ELKS AND TRUSTEES ANSWERS
Troubles Between Uptown
and Downtown Churches
Recited-Qu Charges
Made.
ELKS AND TRUSTEES ANSWERS

In the Court of Chancery this afternoon
the order to show cause why an injunction
should not issue restraining the trustees
of the First Congregational Church from
consummating the sale of the Tabernacle
to the Jersey City Lodge of Elks came up
before Vice Chancellor Emery. James P.
Northrup, of Wallis, Edwards & Bumsted.
read the bill of complainants, Theodore
L. Parker and six others.
Lawyer Frank H. Hall represented the
! Tabernacle Association and Lawyer John
A. DENIM the Elks. Lodge.
| The bill recited that the Rev. Mr.. Scud-
der continued as pastor of both churches
| but after 1897 he gave no attention to the
Tabernacle except to Dictate at commun-
| ion services. 1t was agred at the time of
the consolidation that the Board of Trus-
| tees should be chosen in equal numbers
as nearly as possible from both churches,
giving, however, majority always to
the Tabernacle 1t was also understood
the bill stated that majority of the trus-
tees hould be in attendance at the down
town church. TIL e bill reeited that in 1885,
Sidney II. Cox, assistant pastor, who had
charge of the Tabernacle resigned and
that his place was not filled That at
the time of the resignation the Rev. Mr.
| Scudder presented resolution calling for
the closing of thee church services in the
| Tabernacle. This was opposed and lost.
! Here was the beginning of the trouble be-
tween the two branches of the churches
The bill recites that in 1899 only one of
the seven members elected was a down
town
between the members of the two churches
during the year, and membership rolls
were kept separate. The bill declares
that after January 1, 1883, no meetings
were held down town and the Rev. John
l.. Scudder failed to officiate down town
except on communion Sunday 1t charges
the Hill with allowing the down town
church to run down and deteriorate in
every way so that they could dispose OF
it for the benefit of the Hill church. The
trustees are charged with purposely al
lowing the furnaces to go unrepaired so
that no services could be he'd in cold
weather and with refusing to place the
organ IN repair so that the church could
be rented fro entertainments, requiring
the organ, from which source a large
income had been derived in past years.
Inc bill further recites the disagree
mentS between the churches which re-
suited in the downtown church forming
new society and making a demand upon
the uptown trustees for the deciding of
the Tabernacle to the organization. The
trustees agreed to allow the use of the
Tabernacle to the new society as long as
| 1t supported it, but refused to deed the
property The uptown trustees objected
to independent church. Communications
passed between the branch churches to
no avail, until on December 1, 1899, the
papers of the Tabernacle was removed
uptown by order of the trustees.
In January, 1900, the supply of coal gave
out and thetrustees refused to allow any
coal to be delivered, except by their or
der, although parties were willing TO do
nate said coal. The janitor was ordered
not to permit any coal to be put in. This
act compelled the abandonment Of Sun
| day school service which had been con-
| tinued after church services were con-
cluded.
Further attempts were made by the
down town trustees to make a suitable
contract with the uptown trustees, the
former fearing at the time that the lat
ter might sell the down town edifice for
their own interests. A number of com
munications, but as before to no avail
On February Z, 1900, it was moved and
carried that committee be appointed
with power to meet the trustees and
make lease of the Tabernacle church
with privilege of a renewal This the
uptown trustees refused.
On Sunday, April 20, 1890, Mr.. Sperry of
the uptown church read a notice to the
down town church congregation to the
effect that no more religious services
be hes~ in the Tabernacle. but that the
Sunday school and Christian Endeavor
woul dbe permitted to hold services as
usual.
AT meeting of the Board of Trustees.
held October so, said board consisting of
Messrs. Rowland, Blake, Craid. Sperry.
Gerow. Hall and Griswold, all uptown
memebrs adopted a resolution to seel the
church to the Elks as told in the News
at the time. The Elks at the time of maxi
ing said contract stipulated that in case
of any trouble in relation to the title the
money paid by them should be refunded
John DENIM, counsel for the Elks Build
ing Association read its answer in which
the Elks set up that they have not any
knowIedge or Information upon any matter
complained Of in said bill of complaint ex-
cept that part which refers to the fact
that the trustees of the church society
sold them the property. They are an en-
tire strangers to all other facts in said bill
of complaint and never had any knowl-
edge of those facts until long after the
sale had been consummated They never
knew or heard of any dissension or dis
satisfaction among the members of the
church. society, and supposed at time of
sale all persons Interested were perfectly
satisfied and upon that understanding
paid their money, signed their deed and
took possession of the property, and they
conclude by saying that they have act
ed in perfect good faith without any in
tent to injure or defraud anyone of their
rights in the premises and in pur-
chasing the property they believed the
trustees were lawfully authorized to sell
the property and that they paid the full
and fair substance of the property
Mr.. Frank H. Hall for the trustees of
the church, presented TWO affidav is made
by William Rowland president, and
Frank Blake. treasurer, denying all the
allegations of the bill and setting forth
that it was impossible to maintain the
Tabernacle as a separate church because
pew holders refused to pay rent ard
there WAS no income szs
You have read Of ne cures BY Hoods sarsa-
parilla, and you should have perfect conf-