The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-10-17
SHUT UUT FROM \ CHURCH
DECIDED STAND OF BISHOP
 SCARBOROUGH.
Refused Ab.oIassly to Allow Rev. George F. Ke,tsiI to Speak for Hlm- ssif-mr. Ket.sii Married the Divorced wifi. of Another Clergyman.


 Wife of Another Clergyman.
 Philadelphia, Oct. 16.-A matter that may become celebrated case in the Protestant Episcopal church in Amer ica became public to-day, when an- nouncement was made that Bishop John Scarborough. of the diocese of New Jersey, had refused to approve the call to church within his Jurisdiction of clergyman who was married to woman that had been granted a divorce from her first husband, also an Episco- pal clergyman. The case is that of Rev. George F. Kettell, formerly assist ant rector of Christ church. Baltimore. His wife was originally Miss Bessie Broughton, of Pocomoke City. Md. She married Rev. Clarence Frankel in Feb- ruary 1900. and six months later they moved to Nebraska. where her husband was a missionary. Later she secured a divorce in South Dakota on the ground of non-support, unfaithfulness and cru city. She then came back to Pocomoke City, became acquainted with Rev. Mr.. Kettell and the couple were married on July 29 last by Rev. Charles A. Hensets vicar of Grace church chapel, Baltt- more Shortly after this MT. Kettell resigned from Christ church. Christ church at Palmyra, N. J.; about ten miles from Philadelphia, of- fered the rectorship of that church to the young rector on the recommenda- | tion of Bishop Scarborough before he was married. He accepted after in- forming the vestry of the church that l he had married a divorced woman, but when he went to Trenton, N. J., to get | the approval of the bishop, which Is necessary when a clergyman of the church goes from one diocese to anoth- | CT. he was refused. The disappointed | rector notified the vestryman at Pal-s | myra, vacated the pulpit and accepted a position as instructor in the Episcopal academy in this city, pending the set- | tlement of the controversy.
 The parishioners of Christ church l took up the matter and appealed to the bishop to reconsider his decision, but this he would not do. Meetings were | held at the church and the parishioners finally became divided, majority of lthem, it is said, deciding to take the view of Bishop Scarborough. Some of I the more ardent supporters of t2ex : Kettell want to take the matter to the \ civil courts and it Is said this probably will be done.
 When MT. Kettell was seen to-day, sl regarding the matter, he said:
 Bishop Paret of Baltimore assured me that my marriage was perfectly legal. though he did advise me against I it because of the gossip that woud arise I But since it was right for me to do Il # why should that possibility deter me from marrying the woman love?" ! Bishop Scarborough had this to say l at Trenton tonight:
 s.'I have made my decision in the mat ter as my duty as bishop prompts l me and shall make no further move .l I do nto know what the other side pro. | poses to do. There Is no other source 8 of appeal open to them unless they I choose to go to the civil courts, and hardly think they will do that. re I gret the situation as 1t is. I know the young rector personally and reconn-
 mended him to the Palmyra church 2 but that was before he married the di- vorced woman"
 Asked concerning Bishop Paret's re. ported admission that 1t was not against
 the law of the church to marry the in,
 nocent party of a divorce suit, the
 bishop said:
 "I fail to see how there can be any
 innocent party to a divorce. The al.
 vorce question is the most grievous tlla' the church has to deal with. It is too l bad when it reaches even into ths
 ranks of the clergy.
 .sThe law against divorce is the law of God. There can be no getting ava.
 from that. I would not take a mal
 who had married a divorce woman int the diocese under any consideration, ] am emphatically opposed to divorces n'
 matter what the pretext for such ac