The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-12
PASTOR MADE CORRESPONDENT
THE REV. Nh. HUNT or GREEN
POINT EXPLAINS.
Was Obliged ( Go to the Aid OF Mrs. has
sett on Account OF the Cruel Treatment
she Received From Her Husband, VINO
Is a Clerk In the Geological survey

self on Account OF the Cruel treatment
She Received From Her Husband VINO
Is a Clerk in the Geological Survey.
Members of the Noble Street Presby-
terrain Church, at Lorimer and Noble streets,
Gneenpoint, learned with much surprise
Yesterday that their pastor, the Rev. T..
Lawrence Hunt, who succeeded the Rev.
DR.. Thomas w. Campbell about four monhs
ago., had been named "a correspondent n
divorce proceedings instituted in Wash
ington, D. G., by Charles L. Bassett, a clerk
in the United States Geological Survey,
against Fannie Rice Bassett. The Rev.
Mr.. Hunt was formerly the pastor of the
Washington Heights Presbyterian Church
in the national capital and is we'll known in
Washington. The Bassetts were married
in 1891 and nave four children.
The Rev. Mr.. Hunt ia about 40 years old
and he lives with his aged mother in the
parsonage adjoining the church III Noble
II reet. When he was seen last evening he
was not inclined at first to say anything.
Finally he decided to prepare a statement.
He was occupied at it for a short time, after
which he presented the following:
This Is a case where from the very begin
ming 1 have kept a diRnifed silence and now
that IL has been taken into the courts In such a
wav as to maliciously cause notoriety and
public scandal my best jud gneht is that a
dignined silence Is the best course to pur-
sue. as the case ought to be tried in the courts,
where II belongs. rather than in newspapers.
But since r. has appeared III n sensational
form in a morning newspaper, ! may III JUS
tice to others who are deeply affected by this
max. this statement
First, that last night | received the first
word of this through a newspaper reporter
| and did my utmost until : O'Clock TO prevent
its insertion in order that it might not hurt
other people, Regarding the cas-" itself
shall not enter into great details but ought
to say that Mrs. Bassett. on account Of the
treatment she has received at the hands OF
her husband. had etermine TO live with him
no more and had left him, that he tried III
vain 10 Undue her to return that she had
PROPOSED a sepaFation and that there lad
boeu, through her brothers and others. Ell
forts made to make terms about tho children:
that she had finally moved 10 Nebraska and
there brought suit for divorce; that a sum
mons was sent to washington to Mr., Bassett
with Il copy of the petition that an effort was
made 70 serve the papers on him. they being
! handed him with a statement as 10 what they
were that he refused to receive them and
two days later filed this petition against his
wife for divorce, naming me as correspondent,
his animosity against m" being based upon
the reasons that | have helped Mrs. Bassett
10 escape from her treatment by him, which
endangered her life.
When MIR. Hunt was asked what about Mr..
Bassett's charge that he and Mrs. Bassett
were together in Atlantic City. Philadelphia.
Baltimore and other places. he replied
That Is n detail which ! think II wiser not
10 deal with, except To say maj his logging
her Footsteps by private detectives and ter
ItGr @n iid 4~T ' rom , hr i%v made "E ' t ntG {, 81 iSAi fof
me to go to her to protect mother and children.
The Rev. Mr.. Hunt added that he hadn't
he slightest doubt about the courts vim
dicating him. lie taidt that he had not been
served with papers in the case, but that
uficial notice of The be ginning of the action
reached him through a special delivery
letter from Hilary A. Herbert, former
Secretary of the Navy, who is Mrs. Bas-
set, : counsel. Ii is said that MIR. Herbert
urged the bergman not to enter into any
lie wspaper cont TO versy over the merits of
he case, but to visit Washington at the
first opportunity to arrange for the defence
of the action.
According to the Rev. Mr.. Hunt, Mrs.
Bassett had endured thirteen years of
domestic unhappiness before she left her
husband, eight months GO. Oficia Is of the
Noble Street Presbyterian Church, among
them William Rylance, declared they be-
lieved the charges haseIess,
Afterthe services last night in the church
the members of the session OF the congre-
CATION met. The following was given out
after their meeting We the Undersigned
members of he session of the Noble Street
Presbyterian Church, after hearing in full
a detailed statement made by our pastor,
he Rev. T.. Lawrence Hunt, in reference
to an article published in a Sunday
newspaper believe him to he entirely inno-
cent Of all the charges therein alluded to
and Mr., Hunt has our entire confidence and
united support in the continued aggressive
work of the church" This was signed
with the names of Donald A. Manson, J, NJ.
W. Zimmerman, George Cantdell. j. j.
Forcier, Alexander d. Gordon and Andrew
Robinson.