The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-05-16
BISHOP
RETALIATES
DR.. Walters Has Corrothers
and the Billings Girl
Arrested.
CHARGES CONSPIRACY
Says He Can Prove An Alibi
and Gives His Side of
the Case.

place in the case of Bishop Alexander
Walters of the African NJ E. Church.
who was arrested last Sunday in Hacken-
sack ON q warrant issued by a Justice of
| the Peace charging him with having as
saufed a girl named Sadie Billings OF
Hackensack. Bishop Waters was ar
raigned before Judge Zabriskie in the
Court of Special Sessions Wednesday and
his counsel. Mr.. Peter w. Stagg, moved
to have the case tried as soon as pcs
slble. A hearing was set for next We'd
nesday morning.
Bishop Walters was seen at his home,
No. 22S Duncan avenue, last evening by
News reporter and the Bishop gave
a detailed account of the case and what
led to his arrest. The reporter was
usflered into a cosy study by the Bishop.
The Bishop is a very tall man, standing
about six feet two inches in height His
hair is turning white despite the fact that
he is but forty-three years old. He, is OF
medium build and speaks with a broad
Southern accent. His English, however
is perfect.
Almost the first thing the Bishop said
was that his lawyer had just informed
him that he had caused the arrest OF
Sadie Billings, his aceuner. and the Rev.
]. D. Carrotlers on charges of con-
sp.racy.
"Carrothers is in league with this Bill
lngs girl to ruin me-" said the Bishop,
'and 1 took these Steps for protection.
Carrothers threatened to do me up on sew
| eral occasions, and I believe that he is
! using the girl as tool in this case in
order to make a bod play. He is a
trickster but I will send them both to
jail for trying to ruin my reputation and
holding me up to ridicule before the
world"
The Bishop then told in a straightfor-
ward manner the details of the entire
case.
"At the conference which ended in Bur
hngton ON May 5. first learned that
carrothers was planning to ruin me.
was seated in my study preparing the
| list OF appointments when the Rev.
Charles P. Lee came in and told me that
Carrothers was going around threatening
to ruin me if 1 transferred him from
HackenSack. I sent for Carrothers and
took him outside of the church where we
discussed tGne matter. l asked him why
he had been prompted to make such re-
marks as were credited to him and he
replied that he had heard that he was to
be transferred and that he told Lee and
the other fellows that he had DANA gazing
evidence against me which he would use
if removed him from his present charge
l told him that / had not thought of re-
moving him.
"a week ago Wednesday I visited
Hachensack to investigate the matter
more thoroughly. l was anxious to learn
what these charges were that Carrothers
had made. CaTrothers said that girl
had made charges against me, but would
not tell me her name. He took me to
the house of a Mrs. Cummings. where he
said the girl had worked Mrs Cum
nings told me in the presence of Car
rothers that Carrothers was there only
few hours before with the girl and that
Carrctflers had persuaded the girl to tell
Mrs. Cummings that I had assaulted her.
Again I asked Cdrrothers for the girls
name He refused to tell me. I started
to go home and he purchased ticket and
rode to the next station with me. On
the train he told me that the gir.'s name
was Sadie Billings. This was a surprise
to me- l had not spoken to the girl since
spent the day at my home. And by the
way, Carrothers has been keeping COM
pany with this girl for almost a year in
spite of the fact that he has wife living
in Brockpcrt, N Y.
This conduct of Carrothers incensed
me and exercising my power I sent him
a letter notifying him that he would be
sent out of my conference. 1 went to
Hackensack Sunday with my sister to
make the announcement of the change to
the congregation. | met Carrothers and
he again told me that the Billings girl
had made the charge against me. But
he denied that he told me the girls name.
Finally he got excited and blurted out
that the Billings girl had told others that
l had assaulted her One member in par
ticular was Walter S. Brown, who told
me right there in the church that Car
rothers had been in his place of business
that day with the gsrl and that Carrctf-
ers made the girl tell fleg story to Brown.
I directed Brown to get the girl and
bring her to church. When Brown went
out CarrotFhers followed Brown soon re-
turned and informed me that the girl
could not be present until the afternoon.
At the afternoon services the Billings
girl came in with Carothers then re-
quested her to tell the congregation If |
had had any talk dealings with her in
my life. She remained silent and her
sister rebuked her for making fools of the
people, as she said Failing to get the
gir.'s story / left the church and shortly
afterwards was arrested on a warrant
charging me with having assaulted the
RffIinpS gfr was hailed 4allt
"The assault, as the girl a'ieges was
committed on April 26 in H4ckenzack. |
have the afiidavfts of dozens of persons
to prove that was IN New York on that
day aud at the time Of the alleged as
saust. Since these psopae learned that
they had ia led in trying to fastep a
crime on me, they have caused tsae date
of the alleged assault to be changed but
/ have also more affidavits 70 prove IAN
alibs.
THE only reason I know of why Car
rotlhers slpould wish to hound me Is be-
cause | had him transferred from Red
Bank about q year ago. have always
been d father to him. Fer weeks kept !
.hdno III rtxr Nome waiting for an o13DQI-