The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-04-17
HAD A HOT TIME.
The Rector and the vestry Have
q Battle in Church.
LIVELY FIST fight

the Vestrymen and Even Some
Women Were Active Participants.
The Trouble Had Been Brewing
For Several Months
A rough and tumble fight Sunday
morning, March 81. in which the rec
tor. several vestrymyn and even
some women took a hand was the
elimination of the trouble that has
for months been brewing in the con-
gregation of Emmanuel Protestant
Episcopal church, Marlborough
street west Of Guard avenue, OF
which Rev. E. G. Knight is rector.
It was after Rector Knight had
preached on the text. LET not your
heart be troubled" and IN closing
had delivered the message, Peace
be unto you, that the fight occurred
and all Of those participating had
partaken Of holy communion. The
real battle took place in the vestry
room. located " the chanel in
which the beau: orning service
- Just been ne =, 2ad started over
the claims for the morning collection
entered by accounting wardens rep
resenting the two factions into which
the congregation is divided.
The trouble was expected and was
pulled off on schedule time, when
George Shegog, who, still claiming
his right as accounting warden, hav-
ing been elected to that position on
Wednesday night by the faction op-
posed to the rector, started to take
the collection from the two silver
plates that had been carried down to
the vestry room by the rector and
placed on table preparatory to sep
arating the envelopes from the com.
Shegog left the main auditorium
during the recessional hymn and was
waiting in the yestry room to claim
the money.
He made q reach for the money,
but as he did so he was grabbed by
J. II. Watkins, who also claims to be
the accounting warden, having been
elected by the rector's faction at q
separate meeting on Wednesday
night, and Jacob Davis, Sr. The two
men grappled and pummeled each
other at 8 great rate. By this time
several of the other vestrymen had
taken q hand in the fray, and the
rector, wearing the vestments that
he wore in serving the communion,
was soon in the thickest of the fight
ing.
Chaos reigned, while the womer
screamed. The fight, running one
was kept up from the vestry room tc
the Sunday school room, theE
through the hall to the choir room
and finally back to the vestry room
At one time Rector Knight and She
cog had each other by the throat
and again as many as four men were
hammering Shegog as he lay on the
floor.
The rector's faction seemed to have
the best of the fight at the wind-up
while to the rescue Of Shegog came
his l8-year-old daughter, Alice, who
dramatically demanded that the rec
tor take off the vestments Of his Of
fee and not disgrace them any long
er. Sobbing bitter, she cried:
81 will stand by my father until
die. Let me go to him. He needs
me at time like this" With the
young woman was her brother Har,
ry, 9 husky lad Of l6 years, who gave
and took punishment like soldier
Several mixups were pulled of be.
fore the fighters were separated.
Rector knight was exceedingly
nervous after the afray, but beyond
admitting that the money was in his
keeping he declined, as at all times
during the trouble in his church, to
discuss the matter in any Of its phas-
es. Shegog made threats in the hear
ing Of all present that during the
proceedings in court, when the case
will be called to prosecute the rector
on the charge Of embezzlement Of
church money, there would be some
starting revelations that would not
only disrupt the congregation but
unfrock the minister.
The trouble centers around the
Easter collection of 1906, and has
brought much discussion into the
church. At that particular service
George Shegog, then accounting war.
den, whose duty it is to take charge
Of all moneys, was not present, so
the pastor took charge Of the cash
collected. When Mr.. Shegog asked
for it later Mr.. Knight declared
that the Easter collection was the
rector's fund and was always given
to him personally. This began
lengthy dispute and finally Mr.. She
cog appealed to Bishop Whitaker
that ne should force Mr.. knight to
pay back the money, which amount
ed to 81, 1850. and also remove him
from the rectorship.
The bishop refused to interfere and
the rector was arrested on a warrant
sworn out by Shegog charging him
technically with ernbezzlement, and
when brought before Magistrate
Kochersperger he was held in 81, 900
bail for court.
It is believed that the fight Of
Wednesday will result in the COM
plete disruption Of the congregation,
which now numbers only about 100.
Bishop Whitaker, whose requests for
the cessation of trouble in the church
has been to great extent ignored
by both factions, will probably now
take hand in the affair that will
tend toward it's untangling.
NEW COUNTERFEIT MONEY.
n0y tc