The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-02-08
Afternoon

Afternoon.
Methodist discipline and the presid'
ing elder of the Manchester, (N. H.
district served to effect the discoutin-
uance of the suit of Rev. ii. A. Jones
of WardsbOro against the Methodist
church of Chesterfield, which vas. set
for trial in the county clerk s Otlice
Yesterday. In 1905 Rev. Mt Jones
was pastor of two parishes IN Chester
Geld, one at the Center and the other
mt Spofford. Recently he brought nit
against the church through his attorney,
Frank L. Barber, 10 recover balance
of between $50 and $40 which he claim
ed was due him on salary accoudt. The
legal papers were served by Deputy
Sheriff Myron 7. Davis vino also at
tached the church funds in the hands
of the two BrattlebOro savings banks.
The church engaged Attorney y. +.
Schwenk as counsel and hearing was
set for January 10, but was continued
to yesterday to give the parties an
opportunity to negotiate for settle
ment. A settlement seemed out OF the
question, however and arrangements
were made for n hearing to begin at
ten o clock yesterday morning before
Justice Arthur F. Carpenter. On ac-
count of other business Mr.. Carpenter
was not able to preside at the hearing
and the forenoon was taken up in
making further preparations, II was
agreed to try the case before Judge T..
W. Gibson of the municipal court and
Mr. Barber called for a jury trial.
During the noon hour Constable L. X.
Thayer summoned the following as
iurvmen: W. C. Mitchell, II. E. Bond,
j. Henry Pratt, T. W. Bruce, F. h.
Barrows and A. W. Rockwell.
The morning train brought to town
Presiding Elder Elwin II. Hitchcock
of Grafton, n. H., and Rev. and Mrs.
Jones from Wardsboro. Clerk +. Nj.
Holman and Warren Butler of Chester
field came as witnesses for the defense.
During the forenoon the presiding elder
held a conference with Rev. Mr.. Jones
and his attorney and made them a
proposition for settlement. He also
called the pastors attention to various
provisions in the Methodist hand book
entitled Church Discipline. One of
these provisions is to the effect that
If one brother church member goes
to law against another brother instead
of attempting to have their differences
adjusted BY the church authorities, he
may be excluded. The discipline had
no terrors for Mr.. Jones and the prop
osition was turned down.
When everything was in readiness
for beginning the trial, Attorney
Schwenk was called out of the court
room. Soon Attorney Barber came in
and announced that the parties had
agreed upon terms of settlement amiea-
BILE to both sides and thereupon Judge
Gibson dismissed the jury and adjourn
ed court. The agreement was the re-
suit of a second conference between the
presiding elder, Rev. Mr.. Jones and
Mr.. Barber. It's terms are not made
public. In making both of these prop
ositions Presiding Elder Hitchcock act
ed upon his own authority independ-
emily of the Chesterfield church. Each
side will pay its own costs.
Rev. Mr.. Jones preached 80 years
in New Hampshire before coming to
Vermont. He is not an ordained minis
ter. but is a church supply and has
authority to perform marriage cere-
monies and do other pastoral duties.
While the terms of the agreement are
not made public it is understood that
Rev, Mr.. Jones will receive substan-
tial sum- Had the case gone to trial
the defense would have claimed that
there was no contract to pay Rev. Mr..
Jones any stipulated salary, but that
according to it's custom the church ap-
pointed an estimating committee to
estimate the amount of money which
it would be able to raise; that the
committee estimated that each parish
could raise 5000 and that Rev. Mr..
Jones began preaching under these con-
ditions The plaintiff would have claim
ed that there was contract and would
have introduced the original records of
the church which it is claimed show
that the church voted to pay stipu-
lated salary