The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-29
SHE WORE PURPLE.

SHE WORE PURPLE.
Mrs. Elliott Declares There Was Moth
ing Improper in That.
Huntingdon. Pa. Dec. 29.-'The
Rev. DR.. Irvine is a cur" said Mrs.
Emma Desha Elliott. in diiscnssiner the
controversy between Bishop Talbot
and the Rev. 1. N. W. Irvine HE is
a dangerous, INSCRIPTIONS, dishonest
man, and I am really afraid of him. %
continued Mrs. Elliott in breaking for
the first time her silence in the sensa-
tional contest. Mrs. Elliott is "the
woman in the CASE
L have hesitated to reply to the
base. false, cruel insinuations that
have been 1eveled against me- con-
t1nued Mrs. Elliott, "by a man whom
l befriended, who broke bread at my
table and who took money from my
hand. How can the world have any
man 2"
Now, Emma" Interrupted Mr..
yourself, dear"
eff the truth must be known" re-
piled Mrs. Elliott, ''then why should
not I do my part in showing this man
to the world in his true colors?
HE has again tried to cast ref1ec-
ton upon me by stating that I wore
purple when Bishop Talbot visited
me- Suppose I did; I frankly admit
that I wore a gown of purple on sew
eral occasions when Bishop Talbot
was visitor to my house, but I had
had the gown made in Philadelphia
long before ever met or knew Bishop
Talbot. My wearing it had nothing
TO do with his coming, and the Rev.
DR.. Irvine knows it. It is but another
of his cowardly attacks by which he
hopes to injure Bishop Talbot and
me. He is cur.
My relations with Bishop Talbot
have been simply and only those of
friendship. 1t was my duty when the
g mn of III
ingdon to receive him and entertain
him. Other members of the church
here did so and why should I have
hesitated to do so? 1 was innocent of
of wrong-doing and no one knows it
better than DR.. Irvine. He has acted
all along through sheer malice.
I will tell you exactly why the Rev.
DR.. Irvine has tried to injure me.
have been a member of st. Johns
church here for years and until a short
time ago was president of the ladies'
auxiliary. The Rev. Mr.. Houghton was
rector of the church when came here
after my marriage to Mr.. Elliott. I
had secured a divorce from my second
husband and Mr.. Elliott had secured a
divorce from his first wife. I went to
the Rev. Mr.. Houghton and explained
to him that I had been divorced. under
the canons of the church. He said that
my explanation was perfectly satiSfac-
tory and that he had no objection to
d
church. Well, Mr.. Houghton died sew
eral years later and then the Rev. DE-.
Irvine came here.
ct told the Rev. DR.. Irvine in my
house and in the presence of two 9TH
er women members of our church that
was a divorced woman and he offered
no objection. He and I were on the
friendliest terms after that. He often
dined at my house and whenever he
needed money for the church I never
hesitated TO give him any amount he
desired.
''The trouble began with the coming
of a choirmaster from st. Luke's
church at Altoona to instruct the choir
at our church. When the time came for
paying the choirmaster the Rev. DR..
Irvine appealed to me. I gave him the
needed sum, it was not quite $50, and
thought no more of the matter until
one day, greatly to my surprise, I re-
ceived a letter from the choirmaster,
who had returned to Altoona, inform
ing me that he was still unable to per-
form his duties and asking me to send
him the money due him for his services
at our church.
well, you can't imagine my utter
amazenent. I had discovered that the
Rev. DR.. Irvine had never given the
choirmaster the money he had begged
from me and, of course, was natural
ly indignant. That was the first open
ing of the breach between US and one
thing led to another until finally the
Rev. DIR. Irvine started the present
trouble by refusing me communion at
our church because I was divorced
woman.
''Can you imagine anything more
contemplate to deny me the privilege
of being a communicate on the grounds
that 1 was a divorced woman long af-
ter l had informed him of that fact?
OF course it was only a pretext to en-
able him to vent his spite on me in re-
turn for my having caught him with
holding money I had given him for that
Altoona choirmaster. Now what would
YOU think of the Rev. DR.. Irvine? You
asked for the truth and you have it.
That is the explanation of this whole
controversy. OF course when Bishop
Talbot learned the truth he took DR..
Irvine to task about it and later took
my side in the matter.
at do not think I need say anything
more regarding this most unfortunate
affair, so much has been published
about it that the public must be farnil-
lar with the details. I only want to say
that DR.. Irvine'S attacks upon Bishop
Talbot are unjust so far as I know.
Ny friendship for Bishop Talbot was
such as could invite no criticism ex-
cept from a man who has been making
statements concerning both of us that
are nothing more nor less than a tissue
of lies.
"Surely the public hasn't forgotten
the trial of the Rev. DR.. Irvine in 1894,
while he was rector of the Episcopal
church, Fifty-second and Masten
streets, Philadelphia, and as a result