Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-07-07
BISHOP IS FREE
ON SCANDAL
CHARGE
BISHOP ETHELBERT TALBOT,
OF THE PENNSYLVANIA DID,
CESE, FIGURES IN SCANDAL
ABOUT A WOMAN.

HARRISBURG, Pa, July 3.-The board
OF inquiry of the Episcopal church to In
quire into the charges against Bishop Tai
bot OF the Central Pennsylvania diocese,
decided by a vote of five to four today
that the testimony was not sufficient to
justify the bishop being referred to the
house Of bishops for trial.
The charges of conduct unbeooming a
bishop were preferred by Rev. DR.. Irvine.
of Philadelphia. who was unfrocked by
Bishop Talbot while serving as rector of
St. Johns parish, Huntington, Pa, for
alleged scandalous conduct DR.. Irvine
says he will make application for the APP
pointment Of a new board of inquiry.
The trial began yesterday morning. The
board is composed OF many famous
churchmen and all interest centers in the
investigation.
DR.. Irvine was formerly rector of st.
Johns church at Huntingdon. He ac-
cuses Bishop Talbot of conspiring with
Mrs. Emma D. Elliott. of Huntingdon, to
unfrock him. He also brings other ac-
cusations against the bishop.
DR.. Irvine refused the communion to
Mrs. Elliott because she was divorced
woman. Mrs. Elliott is prominent in So
ciety in Huntingdon. She says that her
mother was a half~sis Of Mrs. William
X. Vanderbilt. who is now Mrs. o. II. p.
Belmont, and the mother of the Duchess
of Marlborough.
After a trial DIR. Irvine was unfrocked
because OF improper language and con-
duct toward females" He was also ac-
cused Of "scandalizing religion and the
church"
According to DR.. Irvine, whom saw in
Philadelphia yesterday, he and Bishop
Talbot were students at the theological
seminary in New York-warm friends
and when they were graduated, Is years
ago, they began their church career in the
rafahnw, fo4 - IL
established the Episcopal institution, st.
James Military Academy for boys and st.
Agnes hall for girls; and when he was
appointed bishop of Wyoming and Idaho
he left his schools in charge of the bishop
Of Missouri. but largely in debt. DR.. Ir-
vine claims, which Bishop Talbot's VEN
cradle successor had to pay.
In their western life they often met and
were the best of friends DR.. Irvine es-
tablished missions and churches and
finally Bishop Talbot became bishop of the
middle district of Pennsylvania and DR..
Irvine was in charge OF the Missionary
church at Hestonville, Philadelphia. A
significant feature of this story is that
Bishop Talbot and DIR. Irvine were among
the 1.0Oo famous petitioners at the general
Episcopal convention in Washington, de-
handing that communion be barred to all
Divorces
Said DR.. Irvine to me: "AH my life /
nave Deen ABnLlNE immortality ana uiVOrces
Bishop Talbot and / were of the same
mind regarding this divorce evil and all
kindred questions. So when I went to
Huntington and took charge of st. Paurs
church / was scrupulously jealous that
none of my communicates should be d.
vorcees. Great was my establishment and
regret when I learned that Mrs. Emma
d. Elliott, a conspicuous worker in the
church, having been divorced three times
on canonical grounds, was an offender in
her present marriage, her husband hav-
ing obtained his divorce on plea of de-
sertion only.
81 enclosed the proofs to Bishop Talbot.
with a letter asking him If a woman In
such a case should receive communion. To
this he answered:
February g. 1899
My Dear Irvine: The woman to whom
you refer is, by the canon, ex-communi-
Gated. l cannot believe she will have the
presumption to present herself at the holy
communion. II you think there is any
danger of her doing so IL would be better
for you, in some kind of a gentle way
TO intimate to her her true condition. OF
course you have no discretion in the mat
ter If she should present herself before
you can speak TO her and you think she
does II in ignorance. then you could speak