The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-05
OH, FOR PASTOR WHOPUNCHES
MARVIN OF ST. MATTHI4S'S LONGS
FOR ONE LIKE RAINSFORD.
Rival Factions Meet In a Sheepshead BAY
Protestant Episcopal Church, but Not
at the Same Time-Incidents OF q
Church Row Over Several Things.

&uuTcu NOW ONcT SEVERAL
Both sets of wardens and vestrymen Of
St Mathias's Episcopal Church, in Sleeps
head Bay. held meetings last night and no.
body was hurt Warden Marvin. who
shngled the parish home, did say however,
that somebody ought to be punched, and
that he would like to do the punching
Brother Marvin was standing outside be-
hind tree trunk at the time, keeping watch
on the Ham faction, which had temporary
possession of the church.
al wish we had the Rev. Dr. Rainsford
down here for week" said Mr.. Marvin.
He'd fix EN- with the gloves. I've seen
him put a man out all right. That's the
kind Sheepshead Bay needs-a little stiff
punching for them that are a disgrace to
! our little church.
Warden Marvin is on the side OF the
Rev. Thomas F.. HYDE In the St Matthias
row, and the only fault he has to find with
his rector is that he isn't so handy with
his fists as the Rev. DR.. Rainsford Of this
borough.
Both sides opened their meetings with
| prayer last night. The faction that didn't
have the minister with it had lay reader.
| whose strident voice during the responsive
| reading has embittered the pastors party.
While Warden Marvin. who shingled the
parish house, kept watch under the trees.
| Nestryman f. ID. Strong, who lives with his
| wife's folks. kept guard over the minister
| in n nearby house, and at the tame time
| smoked cigarette and said things on the
corner. He said these things with so much
emphasis that some of his brother church.
| men feared that he might hurt the reputa-
tion of their side for piety, and they eN-
horted him.
TIE Ham faction got into the church first.
which is the advantage of having the sexton
| Al. IL Hl,n., l.,,. nlc hE,
treasurer, who has been asked to resign by
the other side
At the first meeting were Warden George
Ham, Treasurer Richardson and Vestry-
men men CIayburn. cunlift and I,,, Keep u. Mr.
the sexton. is a brother of Warden Ham.
He and. another member of the Ham
family held the door while Mr.. Keep offered
prayer end Treasurer Richardson made
hour and then they were. outflanked by
the pastors faction, which stole across
lots in single file, stepping noiselessly
through the tall. wet grass.
Nestryman Strong, who lives with his
wifes folks and is something of a comedian,
went first and knocked the dew off the
grass so that the rector might cross the
lot dry shod. Then followed Brothers
Marvin, Jim McKane. brothers of the late
the vestry, and Leonard Knox with whom
Strong lives. Knox and McKane were
recently elected to succeed Ham and
Keep, who are not recognized by the Hyde
faction.
Knox and McKane and accuse them of
being Methodists. The single Ale closed up
into hudde before back door OF the
church and then entered in q body. At
the same time the Ham crowd had quick
benediction, put out the gas and went out
through the church by the front door.
That's one reason why nobody was
punched
The later Corners relghted the gas and
stout man, recovered his breath after that
quick move across lots. he opened the
second meeting with prayer. Anti-Hann
speeches followed and ways and means
were discussed for, making Treasurer
Richardson take the hint to resign: When
asked about the trouble the Rev. Mr.. Hyde
said that there was none.
Groups of the congregation stood around
outside and watched both meetings through
the windows and the Hydites and the
Hannites defed each other from their
respective tree shelters. According to
the most communicative persons in the
parish the row began a year ago when
some of the Ham faction gave a show
The use of the church name wasn't OBJ
jected to by the rector and his friends,
but they thought that more money should
have been turned into the church treasury
from IIlt NOney lSldltl TtCelplS. llley
said so, and they said it SO frequently and
in such a way that the Ham sympathizers
finally cam. to the conclusion that the Rev.
Mr.. Hyde wasn't the kind of preacher that
St. Mathias's needed.
That's how it started but 1t has been a
row of large growth and now they are
f1Chting over everything. from the shingles
on the parish house to the sexton, who has
also been asked to resign. and won't,
willie Ham isn't any good as sexton
coi1 Rrpth ar Marvin sWbpt do
you think he does Sabbath evenings? He
unlocks the church, lights up, rings the
bell and then runs off to the Methodists.
All his girls are in the Methodist Church.
pal Church, the real Church of America.
When he doesn't go over to the Methodists
he runs down to the bowling alley and
bowls as soon as he gets through ringing
the bell for evening service. Sometimes
he forgets TO come back to put out the gas.
ave have ordered the treasurer not to
paw the sexton any more salary, but the
treasurer and the sexton are on the same
side, 80, there you are. Then there's Keep,
the Law reader that they claim Is n vestry
man. He comes from Brooklyn and shouts
40 loud in the responsive reading that he
browns out the rector"
sexton Ham retaliates as follows. with
a gesture, taking in the moonlit roof OF the
on that roof? Well. Marvin built that, and
he didn't do right by us with the shingles.
/ won't say any more, hut he didn't do
that Singing in the interest of the church.
And that amt all-KnoX and McKane are
Met hodists. They were elected vestry-
men in a house.
-That crowd hasn't had legal meeting
For months And we claim that the Rev.
Mr.. Hyde il guilty of neglect Of duty to
the church. He went away for several
weeks and only wrote one letter to the
vestry and that was to ASH for his salary"
These charges and counter charges
from the different groups of waiting and
Watching parishioners in the vacant lot
were in the nature of responses and chal-
lenges interrupted by frequent yells of
Prove it,"
But as tho night grew late and as the
second meeting inside was about to have
its benediction, the two warning groups
outside said in chorus
IF it wasn't for the Hyde or Ham gang.
our little church would grow and he power