The sun., 1901-03-29
PASTOR JUDGED IMMORAL.
THE REv DIR. MOMENT SUSPEN DED
Bf THE BROOKLYN PREsBYTERY

Accused OF improprfeties With q Young Mar
ried woman Her Name withheld Alleged
Discovery BY Her Mother. Who Was a wit
The real reason which led the Rev DR.
Alfred II Moment TO give up the pastorate
Of the Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in
Flatbush in November last became known
yesterday DR. Moment had presided over
tho church for about year and half and
was the successor of the Rev George L.
McClelland. who was tried by a committee
Of the Brooklyn Presbytery Oh charges Of
being the author Of certain anonymous COM
municrtons containing false statements DR..
Moment was the prosecutor appointed by
tho Presbytery for that case,
II now appears that the reason for DR.
Moments resignation was the fact that
he had been suspended By the Presbytery OF
Brooklyn on a report made BY the Judicial
Commission OF the Presbytery shortly before
he announced his intention OF leaving the
church The report OF this commission has
not yet been made public and even at the
time that IL was made 10 the Presbytery IL
was not even known 10 the people of his
church that charges were pending against
DR. Moment
neleft Brookly shortly before the hol days
His friends said that he had gone 10 tho noun
tans of New Jersey fyr the benefit Of his
health, adding that he was suffering from u
constitutional ailmcnt fiis physcian, Dr.
Kenneth T. JUNIOR. who is a prominent mem
Der Of Emmanuel Church and superintendent
Of the Sunday school. declared that Dr.
Moment would return TO Brooklyn about the
latter part Of March Right on top Of this
came the announcement that the Rev, Dr
Richard Meredith would supply the pulpit
at the Sunday morning services in Emmanuel
Church and that there would be no evening
services there Then came statement that
the Rev DR. Moment hal neve~ been regu-
lary installed as pastor Of the church and
that he hal only been acting temporarily "a
pastor As he had not exercised any Of bis
ministerial functions since last November
there wer" various rumors circulated IN
reference TO his real standing in the church,
and speculation has been rife a to the real
reason for his sudden leave taking
II was not til Yesterday that the members
of the congregation learned that N" Rev
Or Moment had been on trial last fall by the
committee Of the Presbytery appointed for
that purpose on charges involving scandal
in which a young married woman was con-
cerned. and that the commissions finding
was such that he had been practically sus-
pended by a vote o' the Presbytery. This
action was taken at its November meeting
The charges on which he was tried were
founded on various rumorS circulated ng
certain Presbyterian ministers One OF these
r,Imors was that DIR Moment had left the New
York Presbytery under n cloud il was said
that he had been supplying the pulpit of a
New York church when he suddenly di -
appeared and turned mp as an independent
minister Another was that ne had been
suuipit Of the spring Street Ptesbytarian
Church II was here, rumor had II. mat a
Young married woman Nho was member
Of the congregation had been receiving atten-
tons from the minister.
These attentions, IT was rumored. had
been continued after DR.. Moment had ap-
prared IN BROOKLYN 10 which place the young
woman also moved and where she was seen
frequently with the minister one Of the
members Of Presbytery brought these ru-
ulurs up and il vas voted 10 refer the mat
ter 10 the Judicial Commission, which Is one
Of the standing committees Of the Presby-
terv The chairman 81 This commission
/, the Rev Dr David Gregg. pastor Of the
LAFAYETTE Avenue Presbyterian Church. and
the other members are Tho Rev y WOolsey
Wells. stated Clerk Of the Brooklyn Pres by
tory, the Rev Dr James B Dunn the Rev
Walter lockwood Ferris of III" Bay Ridge
Church, the Rev Joseph Dunn Burrel Of
tho llasson avenue church and Elders John
Nexs"n, Darwin James Nirtus J.
caption Of Mr. Tower all Of the members
nf the commission attended the meeting
Cf thar hodHt which began in October last.
The Rev Dr Moment was uoLin"d 10 ap-
pear and answer the charges which fheprcshy-
terry preferred against him IN cases where
q Irluor reaches the Presby,ery this has
to be- made the basis Of a charge, by lhe Book
Of Discipline, and member must clear him-
slf Of II in order 10 retain his standing.
Dr. Moment instead or awaiting himself II
hrs right 10 choose counsel elected 10 con
duct his own defenor A large batch Of
evidence was presented against him, It l.
said. and number OF letters were read
Al least this was the Information given out
yesterday From the source nom WhCh
This came. came the statement that DR. Mo-
nient was discovered on one occasion In a
situation quite IN ministerial by the ma, her
II the young woman lhis discovery. II
j. snid. wa mad" after the MctleAnd case
WAS decided, bur /, j, alleged tha, the com
mission was OF the belief that the misconduct
existed even whir Dr y oucnt was Iro'e-
cutting the kev Mr. McClellsnd IN the other
cuse The authority for these statement,
added that # the details of the testimony
Ncre ever published IN u newspaper II would
b. interesting ii not edi,yng reading
4, number 4 wltne.,r- were called at the
Young woman referred to The Young
woman herself was not pr"-c'i', hut there
were seyer3l other Witnesses who gave tssti~
monv which left no other course open to the
ronlmisSio a, ~ ,oemed 10 the members than
10 recommend suspension The letters IL
d. said, We're TAX Ken ~ evidence of the clergy
mans guilt aud the result wa, hat the COM
inlsJun made a report unfayorrblc to the
minister III" contents Of the report hBye
not been mad" public
When If was presented a. the Noyetnher
meeting Oy the members Of the commission
No Preshyiery at once went into "yecutIye
session 10 tske action on II The only infor-
nation that was given ont NJ the time 10 re-
portsrs was that a rrporr Lad been pre-
srnted by the commission which had hoen