The sun., 1901-05-20
DIR. ASTWOOD SUSPENDED.
PASTOR or Tine BRIDGE sTfEBT
A. m. Il. CHURCH IN BROOKLYN.
Accused Of Unnlnisterial Conduct BY IriaI
hoard and Notified 20 Appear Before
Conference--Report That the Charges
Relate In Part to Financial Transactions'

Board and Nouned 10 AppeH D""''
Conferenoe-Report That the Charges
Relate In Part to Financial Transaeuons'
Tn. congregation OF the Bridge Street Afri-
can Methodist Episcopal church was surprised
y.stardav when IL was announced that Bishop
William b Derrcks of the New York Con-
ference Of the A NJ. E. Church had suspended
Dr II C. c. Astwood a. pastor OF the
Bridge street church and that the pastor had
been notified TO appear at the PhIadelphM
Conference which will meet at Harrisburg.
Pa on Wednesday. 10 answer TO charges OF
rnmnisterial conduct.
Dr Atwood is one Of the most prominent
men in the A. NJ Z. Church and the Bridge
,tract church is the most important IN the
New York Conference.
Eishop Derrioks ordered a board OF trial,
consisting Of members OF the New YORK
Conference TO assemble at the Bridge street
church on Saturday to give preliminary
hearing TO Dr. Astwood upon the charges
which had been preferred against him ms
b~erd consisted Of the Rev. q. " Giboohs'
presidins lder Of the New York dis riot
Of the New York Conference. as President:
the Rev Mr. Mason of Wsstbury, L. H. tho
Raw J II Accoe OF Brooklyn. the Rev c,
. Lawton OF Flushing. the Rsv q. A. Tsppen
OF Brooklyn and the Rev. MIR. Reynolds
A the Rev. Mr.. Accoe 10 assistant pastor
Of the Bridge street church Dr. Astwood
obIected to him as one OF the trial board.
DY. Astvood denied tho right OF the board
A constituted to try him. but he was over
ruled and the board found against him on
the charges preferred and ordered that
bs appesr to answer before the Philadelphia
Conference.
In the past week Dr Astwood made big
.hske-up In his Official board against the
wishes OF the Bishop. There are some mem
hers Of the Official board who do not want
Or Astyood returned for another year. and
they signed petition To Bishop Derricks
10 that effect When Dr. Astwood ascer-
tanned who the leaders were in getting up
The petition, he suspended them from the
sSsio sstd thaf f@a BishSp % DcTricEs n9tied Dr. A;
vood that II he removed the on,cisIs ne
The The removals we're made, the deposed
members notified the Bishop and Or Asst
woods suspension followed nu, IL ne ,bsif men nlsos,
are as Follows Wiley G 0verton, who was
s first appointed on tss !pS9 p090g ioFSS 0o
secretsrv Of the church IS succeeded ny
g. Alvin spencer VI 9 MGgIiliton, SIii, ;lSS.eded SSs
BY Frank % J'fbsoR f. Rnss ssd ovnH rr' co%
psnv Bnildins, succeeded by Jerry Keeling
IL is said that among other charges pre-
ferred was that OF some hnancls. trsnsqG.
offcals Bishop Derricks refused 10 recog-
nize the new appointments and as soon, as
he trial board f1nfs werf Ge Genvsyebb Sbons no
as pastor OF the church until the meeting
Of the conference
II was eypected that DR. A'twood in view
of his claim that his suspension IA Illegal.
would appear and attempt TO assume charge
Of the services in the church yesterday,
but he did not, one OF hls friends SAG
man 10 do any such thing The Rev Mr.
Gibbons conducted the services Yesterday
and the Rev J r .Stansbury, Of Asoury Park,
= former pastor Of the church. preached both
morning and evening. and II was said that he
would again be the pas'or or the Bridge Street
Church Dr Gibbons made, no reference
tn Dr AstwOod's suspension, but some Of tho
Officers passed through the congregation
and gave quiet information Of the change
Nnen one of the women OlfrliIe II the
church hsent note TO theactng pastor calling
aCommittee meeting AZ DR. Astwood' house,
he would not make the announcement until
the place Of meeting was changed to the study
Or Astwood would have nothing TO cay
'sH orday, bur his friends say that he viii
he fully able 10 satisfy the conference that
'inl transactions The suspended pastor
is one Of the most stubborn lighters In the
4 VI E Church. and after he had con
suited WIN roI0c pl Mo 1T ~ sdlu lHdl
before the ma tier was ended both the criminal
and civil courts would be interested in the
matter
For seven years DR. Astwood was United
States Consul to San Domingo and President
Cleveland named him az Consul 10 Calais,
France He has been IN Brooklyn only
abort six or seven months Bishop Derricks
tran -rerred him from Allen Chapel in Phila-
delphia TO settle a hig row then pending In
he Bridge street Church. He was Superin-
'endent OF Missions in Cuba and established.
e. IS said. the first Protestant church on
cuban soil Bishop William Derr,ckss
New York. New Jersey and Pennsylvania
He succeeded Bishop Abram Grant as Bishop
Of he diocese
DR. Astwood was ordered to appear be-
fore the Philadelphia Conference because
he Is still a member there, no New York Con-
terence having as vet been held 20 accept his
'rlrsfer Both Bishop Derricks and Dr
A. wood are natives OF the West Indies