The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-21
MISSION MONEY IN DISPUTE
DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OFFICE
TAKES UP THE SUBJECT.

Funds for Adirondack Work Said to Have
Been Collected Under Incorrect Rep
reservations Some OF n Finally Given
Up to Three Presbyteries Interested.
Paul Krotel. Assistant District Attorney.
is investigating the affairs of the North
Woods Mission of the Presbyterian Church."
otherwise known as the North Woods
Mission (Adirondacks)," an organization
of which John c. Martin was president;
Samuel Q. Brown. president Of the Tide
water Oil Company, was treasurer and
vioe-president. and Lawyer G. Godfrey
Patterson was one OF the directors.
Tn mission went out OF usiness in April
last. II has been represented to the Dis
riot Attorneys Office that it erroneously
set forth that it was Incorporated and that
It collected subscriptions from persons who
thought they were giving to an authorized
agent OF the Presbyterian Church.
1t appears from the complaint made to
Mr.. Krotel by the Rev. John N. Lyle, repre-
senting the Presbyterian Board of Publica-
ions and Sabbath School Work. missionary
department. hat the three northern New
York ~Presbyteries for the last fifteen or
twenty years " maintained a group OF
mission chapels in sparsely settled regions
of the Adirondacks. For a long time the
work was In charge Of the Rev. Richard q.
MCCARTHY. In the spring Of 1908 Mr.. Mo-
Carthy attended a meeting Of the st. Law
renee County P~resbytery and learned that
the church was thinking OF dispensing
with his services on the ground that they
were too expensive.
Its costing US thirty or forty cents to
get a dollar to the field. whereas we could
do it for a few ce nts by turning the work
over to our own board Of missions Mr..
Mccarthy IL said to have been told. Where
upon he is reported to have replied that
il the church didn't want him he would
build up q mission system OF his own. He
did 20.
Getting John G. Martin, Samuel q. Brown,
G: Godfrey Patterson and others 10 back
North Woods Mission Adirondacks). There
were now two rivals for the spiritual guar
dianship OF the mountain people. the old
Adirondack mission having kept right on.
supported by the presbytenes and With the
Rev. James Robertson as chairman
The regular work suffered, It 10 alleged.
because many Of Mr.. McCarthy's old oon-
stituents chung to him. Mr.. Krotei was
told that he distributed, on behalf Of his
Woods Mission Of the Pr~esbyterian Church.
also pamphlets with pictures of Adirondack
churches and chapels with which he had
had no connection since taking up with
the John G. Martin mission. The letter
hN@tAo va gto AAoW 1DDAo ~ "
porated under the avs OF the State Of New
York" Secretary Of State Whalen reports
that It was mot Incorporated. according to
Mr.. Lyle got busy after the new mission
had been on the 10Y for several months.
He wrote a long letter Of protest to Mr..
Martin. There was no reply. n when
Mr.. Lyle called at Mr.. Martins Office at
I Broadway the p~hilanthropist wasn't in.
Ralph Folks. as attorney for the regulars,
asking the new mission to give an account
Of itself and turn over whatever money
IL had raised to the authorized servants
Of the Presbyterian Church. had little
better success. But during the winter
President Martin sent in his resignation,
and in April Supt. Mccarthy was paid of
and the North Woods Mission (Adiron-
dacks)' went out OF business.
But the Preebyterians held that IL had
collected some 81. 900 rightfully belonging
to them, = Mr.. Folks went after the
money. Mr.. Krotel issued District Attor-
ney's subp1nas for Messrs. Martin, Brown
and Patterson. Mr.. Patterson. the only one
Of the three to respond. is said TO ave
told Mr.. Krotel that he had already sent the
money to the three participant presby-
teries.
How much2" asked Mr.. KroteI.
One hundred and thirty-four dollars
TO EACH" Mr.. Patterson is said to have re-
piled.
Mr.. Krotel then suggested that the de-
funct mission had better produce a COM
plete treasury report. Mr.. Patterson is
said to have agreed to 10 so. There the
matter rests.