The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-04-26
SCANDAL
CAUSED BY
AN EMBRACE
Result of Minister Hug
ging His Own Wife,
A WHOLE TOWN
WAS STIRRED UP
Report SpreadThat Embrace
Was Not His Helpmeet.
BUT REV. c. L. GREAVES
WENT AFTER THE LIE
And Nailed II In voluninous Circular
Report Spread That Embrace
Was Not His HelpTneet.
BUT REV. C. L. GREAVES.
WENT AFTER THE LIE"
And Nailed It In voluminous Circular
Which Bristled With Affidavits- The
Who Had Started the stander
Retracted What He Had
Said, and That Very
Promptly

Among the old blue LAVE Sh ZIG -
tnns In the early days OF the Massa'
chusetts Bay colony was one winch l s''363
bade a man to kiss bis wife on the SAD
bath. Even there. however, It was per-
m,ssible for q man to bestow such az
fecttonate greeting upon bis spouse az
other times. Whether or not oscula uon
ana c,nbraeca were permitted to be in-
dulged in public Is not recorded
Kisses and caresses have been the uiv-
sial causes OF o great deal Of trouble and
not a little bloodshed In the world, gen
orally, however, when the demonstration
was bestowed against the will OF th<
kissee and with no contract rights on
the part Of the kisser. It Is rare, hows
ever, that a man Is criticised and MADE
the victim Of a scandalous rumor merely
because he has Kissed his own Lawful
spouse. either In the privacy OF theif
Sboudoir or in tho plain view OF the Cos
sipng world. sa.
Such a rare exception to the usual rule
is reported from Reldsville. N. G.. pros
porous town not many miles south OF thu
Virginia line. In this case. which seems
! 10 nave SllETcd UP MIC tlontAs
that preacher Is the caresser in tha
case and his own wife the caressee.
The trouble all seams to have come from
the fact that the observers OF this con-
nubial caress did not know that the res
cip.ent of the soulful embrace was tht
wife OF the aforesaid shepherd Of thu
iock.
AS n result, the entire town has been
stirred nightly. and the matter has been
brought to public attention through tbs
medium of circulars az full Of nfhdavtts
rs a legislative resolution Is fuH OF
wherenses,
F1iABRACE1D THE LADY.
From what cnn be CLEANED of the case.
IT seems that Rev. c. L. Greaves. who
works In the Baptist vineyard, was ac-&
cused of having taken stroll with a
lady, ostensibly to tho observers un-
known, and In the course of the mean
derings along tho primrose path. had
then aud there placed his arm around
the said lady, much to the horror of the
spectators OF this affectlonate demon
stration. It Is not stated that he kissed
her, but that he, the said preacher. then
and there did encircle the form of tho
lady accompanying him with his arm
From the record in the case,5it appears
that A. e. Pettigrew and A. ]. Brindle.
Two ClllZeHB OIL iNSitASNlASb WCAos HWAN-s5H
ncsses of this stroll through lovers lane.
or along cupd's highway, IT seems that
neither of these observnnt gentlemen
knew Mrs Grenves. according to ahlda- Z
Wits submitted by them. &
At this point ono w. A. Rascoe made
his entrance In this comedy-drama en-
acted on the stage of real life. and at
once assumed the role OF villain in the
case, He told Mr.. Brindle that the ca
ressee in the case was not Mrs
Greaves. That caused the trouble. False
hood outruns truth, In short race. at
least and In this case truth seems to
have been distanced. and the Ecandaiou,
story that the preacher wan seen caress.
Ing n woman who was not his wife. and
that he had publicly put his arm around
her. gained wide currency,
TRUTH TO THE FRONT.
Finally truth recovered from the shock
OF falsehood suftictsntly to Issue pep
perry circular headed, IA lie Nailed
which starts out with this recitation of
facts issued by Rev, Mr.. Greaves. fol-
lowed ny several aftldaVitsi
''Whereas. certain slanderous REPORTS
In Reldsvie this week: It being alleged
that was seen with my arm around Il
lady last sunday evening willis strcllfng
In the direction OF tho water-works II
"
To begin with, | did put my arm around
the lady certainly did; hut the lady
has heen my wife for several years, ard
I thought the privacy OF our walk nd
mltted the privilege. Hut reports have
been circulated TINT the lady was moi
my wife"
Messrs. Pettigrew and Trindle then
depose through afldavits and attest TINT
they witnessed the embrace and did
not know Mrs Greaves.
THE preacher then proceeds to ham
Iner that lie In thr following Language:
1T appears. therefore. that neither OF
these men knew anything except the
happenins which have already nd.
rnitted But the scent Of scandal WAS
in the air. and diligent INQUIRIES were
made, and one wise Young man was
found who know something. He said the
lady was not my wife. What splen-
did scandal II WINS, n preacher and n
wn,r,nn was concerned; MI the sons n
Bellal retolced II WIS a delicious morsel
TO be rnoilthed by har.room rahhies snd
social UPWARDS Now the wise yoaing
man who knew that the lady was not
nv wife he's made statsnent--here
is: II shows how much he knew about
IT."
RAscoE's CONFESSION.
a.