The age-herald., 1900-07-22
None of Part,e, Present

Now let us investigate the manner of this
 indictment, judgment and execution there
 on, for there was no trial or opportunity
 given even for the semblance of trial
 None of the parties named in the foregoing
 remarkable document were present when it
 was read, nor had they the slightest ink
 ling from any source of what was to take
 place. It will be remembered that in the
 issue of the Mercury of June 29 my father
 both proved and denounced Ira F. Collins
 falsifer. Collins has never since that time
 attempted an answer to that arraignment
 of him, either publicly or privately. But
 see the methods he employs. He sum
 mons to his assistance Elder Mcbride, an
 aged citizen who lives some distance from
 the city, far removed from the scene of ac-
 tion who seldom ever attends the church
 here, and who if he has ever attended a
 meeting of the board of elders it cannot
 now be recalled Now those two elders,
 without any notice whatever to Elders o.
 M. Hundley and A. w. Moseley, who were
 equal in authority with them, assembled
 themselves together in star chamber pro-
 ceedings and bring forth the remarkable
 document above set out and betake them-
 selves to the sanctuary of the revival.
 There is not a word nor a line in that
 document that Is true in so far as 1t refers
 to myself. They say that I used civil
 power by which to close the meeting
 house.
 was HOt invested Wltn SuCn power and
 could not have used 1t if l wanted to do
 so. They say that I refused to open the
 house for services after the mortgage was
 paid off," This statement is without the
 least semblance of truth. No demand or request was ever made upon me to open the church, and if such demand had been made l would have been powerless to comply, simply because, as is well known to Collins l have never had the keys to the church in my possession in my kfe, but the fact is. the keys were in the possession of the Elders of the Church, the pYoper custodians of them, and l am informed Collins had duplicate key. They say that I placed the janitor inside the house with instruc- tfonS to prevent any one entering" I do not know whether the janitc4 was inside the house or not, and if he was there it was without any instructions from me either directly or indirectly. Collins knows full well, that hold no position of author ity in the church by which I would have the right to keep the keys of the church or command the janitor These facts had l been given a hearing, could have proven to the entire satisfaction of any unbiased audience. But Collins knows now, and knew at the time he read his document | that the sole cause of my offending was | the fact, that am the son of the man who | denounced him, and the son of the lady | whose misrepresentation by him caused | that Accommodation, and as such I gave them the Denent or my counsel and ad- | vice.
 like the Traditional Pharisee
 So much for the facts in the case Now
 to the action in the church. On reading the precious deliVerance of Collins, 1t will be noticed that he felt the necessity of first fixing his own status before the audience and like the traditional Pharsee he proceed ed at once to proclaim his virtues from the mountain tops, and to thank the Lord that he was not as other men. Read the lan- guage of God which he appropriates to him. self, in his deliverance For yourselves
 know how ye ought to follow us for we
 behave not ourselves disorderly among you" o! no. He is not disorderly He is
 too saintly to become disorderly, no matter what he should do. It is we'll known in the church that he prevented the holding of meeting at one time by turning out the gas, just before the congregation as- sembled, and when I charged him with this conduct publicly in the church. he admitted that the charge was true, and justified himself by saying, "I did that for the good of the Lord, in order to make the congrega- tion more prompt in attending"
 And thus the first closing of the church was done by Ira F. Collins. This Phraisee may originate schemes to employ a preach CT, or to provide for meetings outside of the usual and orderly methods in vogue in the church, knowing that such conduct would create dissention and discord and this would not be disorderly on his part
 but if two of the Elders dare to differ with him, as was the case there, then they would become "disorderly' and must be summarily deait with without judge or jury, or the benefit of clergy And if perchance the son of one of these elders | dare give his father counsel or advice | then he must meet with the same fate 1 Now, look at the Forum before which the | charges were preferred. It was before l promiscuous audience, assembled to hear an evangelist preach, and not for the pur-