The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-10-07
CLERGYMAN UNDER CLOUD
Accused Defends Himself Before the
Conference and Denies He
Did Wrong.

Methodist conference by Bishop Mer-
rill today, a lively tilt was precipitat-
ed, and it was apparent that the case
is to prove an e%ngrossing feature of
the session. Bishop Merrill announc-
ed that Bishop Cyrus d. Foss Of Buff
falo would preside at the trial, and
when the selection of the trial COM
mittee of Is was commenced the ex-
element opened.
The attorneys for the accused min
lister and the church had fixed up a
list of jurymen, but this attempt to
take the matter out of the hands Of
the conference was promptly squelch-
ed, and the selection was left to the
presiding elders. When the list was
read the defense challenged several
names, and the entire morning ses-
sion passed before the committee was
selected
This afternoon when the trial com
mittee met, Bishop ,Foss Immediately
ordered that all reporters and per-
ons not members of the jury be ex-
cluded from the room. The commit
tee organized, the Rev. Mr.. Wolfe was
arraigned, and the finding Of the low
err church: body, which tried Wolfe
last spring and found him guilty Of
immortality, lying and f~alsifying and
highly imprddent and unministerial
~ ,,l,,o ~ ryo.a 0oocortoJ Ht.EhEHW4 &|#s
The evidence in the case is largely
documentary, and is to the effect that
Wolfe occupied a room at the Ashland
hotel with a woman known to the
landlord not to be his wife. A few
days after Mr.. and Mrs. Wolfe were
both in Ashland and stopped at IN
minister went to the hotel where he
had been on the previous visit, and
started to erase his name and that of
the woman from the register. He had
not completed his work when the
landlord said he would have him ar
rested unless what had been erased
was restored. This was done, and the
register was introduced as evidence
in the case. Wolfe admitted all this
at his previous trial, but claimed to
have had no relations with the wo-
man except those of a friend and ad-
wiser. He told. the following story
of his actions in Ashland:
II was walking up the street when
l was met by a woman, who accosted
me and explained that she knew me,
having heard me preach, and that her
own name raj Wolfe, she being a
member of a family at Clinton. The
woman told me she was in distress
and needed and wanted to know if she
could not have my spiritual advice.
She looked like a very respectable
woman, and as she asked if we could
not GO somewhere and have a talk, 1
suggested that we go to 2 hotel a
by. This was done.
This happened at about 8 o'clock
in the afternoon, and as we both want
ed to wash our faces we were shown
to a room at the hotel. There the
woman told me her story at length,
and l gave her some money to help
her pay her way to St. Louis. where
she said she had relatives. She prom
ised to return the money loaned
her. Being very tired, after a time,
I lay down on the side CT the bed,
and before long went to sleep. The
woman had gone from the room after
a half hours conversation, but came
back about 6 o'clock for further con-
%versation, and this accounts for our
both being in the room when called
for supper"
Wolfe has been a member of the
conference "a years and has filed APP
pointments of the highest rank. He
was secretary of the conference for
several years, and has been a presid-
ing elder and a delegate tothe general
conference.