The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-08
"LIAR!" insult
TO MINISTER
IN PULPIT
Incident of Trouble in Chris.
tian Tabernacle Row
Aired in Court.

Judge Charles F. Herr was this
morning asked to settle the differences
between the congregation of the Chris
tian Tabernacle Baptist Church and
the pastor the Rev. Edward Elliott,
but refused. saying that 1t was mat
ter for the Court of Chancery and he
had no Jurisdiction in 1t.
1t appears from the story told in the
Second Precinct Police Court by Arm
sted Blackwell, negro, who is one of the
trustees of the church, that matters
have been going from bad to worse for
the past eight or ten months, and that
a meeting of the congregation on June
Is declared vacant the pulpit of the
church, which is in Sussex street. On
one of the intervening Sundays the
Rev Mr.. Elliott persisted in preaching,
but a week ago he furnished sub
sutute Yesterday the congregation
engaged the Rev. Mr.. Brown, connected
with the Bank Street Colored Baptist
Church, to occupy the pulpit, but the
pastor insisted that he was the custo-
dian of the edifice, and had paid the
rent for the place, and for that reason
would not surrender to the warning
faction.
Anticipating trouble Mr.. Blackwell
said he had applied to the Second Pre-
cinct Station and asked that a police
man be sent to the church to prevent
trouble yesterday morning. On advice
of the policeman. Blackwell Informed
the court, the members of the congrega-
ton, with the exception of dozen or
Ioft and Mr. Ellinff
preached his sermonto the few remain
ing.
Mr.. Blackwell was accompanied by
several other members of the board OF
trustees and several women. He said
that there was some difficulty over
money matters.
The pastor told the court that the
pulpit had been declared vacant by
some fifteen of the seventy-one mem
bers of the congregation, adding that
under the rules governing the church
he should have been given three
months notice of any intention to dis
charge him.
After listening patiently to the
stories told by the pastor and the trus-
tees of the church. Judge Herr said
he saw no reason for his taking COM
plant, and dismissed the matter.
The pastor asked the court II he
could make a complaint against
member of the church who sat in
pew and during religious service
called him names, including liar and
other epithets. The court refused to
take the complaint. Then Blackwell
wanted to say something. 1t looked
as If there would be things doing In a
minute, but the court refused to
listen further, and the small army of
negroes and negresses left the court
room.
They gathered in knots outside the
precinct station, and Blackwell de-
clared that he would seek the advice
of a lawyer at once, for there were
moneys to be accounted for. The pas
tor declared that there were no funds
that he had not accounted for, and
that he held receipts for the rent OF
the edifice for some months back, de-
claring to the court that he had always
paid the rent.
When he came here, according to his
story the congregation agreed to pay
him S35 a month. The trustees said
that 1t was agreed that the collections
taken the first and second Sundays of
the month, together with half of that
taken up on the fifth Sunday, was to
constitute the pastors salary.
Something was said about money
collected for building fund purposes
outside the court room. but the facts
concerning 1t did not come out dur
ing the airing before the court.
Some months ago the pastor had
Rlackwell arrested for threatening to
kill him with a chair, but Justice Bos-
sett, before whom the complaint was
made, dismissed the case after pre-
| llminary hearing.