Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-01
NEW WAR OFFICE HEAD AFTER WNDCATONC[ ARMY Of LABOR
Williams Who
tary Successor Scandal Right to Toll.
SUBoRDNATES
of New of
ephonRo WASH
Probe of
He Takes rntent of
sTomurow
Gilbert Williams Will Not Re-
viVe Scandal.
WILL NOT MENTION NAME
Seeking Review of His Case by New
Bishop of Washington.
GIVES GROUNDS OF HIS PLEA
Little Probability of Exhibition Of
Violence When He Makes His
Public Appeal Tomorrow.

Gilbert Fearing Williams. deposed rec
tor of a decade ago of Christ Protestant
Episcopal Church. 9th and q streets
southeast. will step upon the platform
! in Masonic Hall tomorrow morning and
will tell the story of what he charac-
| terizes as Il terrible wrong. The prob
ability that there will be sensational
display of violence has been greatly
| lessened by Mr.. Williams announce
ment this morning that he will not
mention the name of the young woman
upon whose charges he was depOSed.
| The brothers and sweetheart of the
young woman declared yesterday and
again this morning that they believe
and always have believed her story.
They have announced their intention to
be present in the hall when Mr.. Will
liams speaks tomorrow. They will not
divulge their contemplated course of
action in case the speaker again reV1veS
the scandal and recalls to a new hui
girl ten years ago became the mother
of a baby whose father she said was
Mr.. Williams.
Merely Seeking Vindication.
In outlining the character of his plea
for justice this morning. Mr.. Williams
declared over and over again that he did
not intend to divulge in public the name
of the young woman. II am deeply sorry
for her" lie said. land | always have
been. 1t is not my purpose to review
even the record in the case. because that
record necessarily contains the name OF
the girl. Rather it is my intention to
point out to my friends and to all others
who care to listen the manifest unfair
ness of the ecclesiastical court Which sat
in judgment upon my case. Therefore
my remarks are more likely to be critical
of the members of that court and to eX-
pose their errors than they are to bring
renewed sorrow to the young woman in
this case or to members of her family.
Going into the particulars of one phase
of his intended plea for rehabilitation
before the community and in the church,
Mr.. Williams declared that Rev. James
r. Poindexter one of the members or
the ecclesiastical court has repeatedly
since the date of the unfrOcking of Mr..
Williams expressed the conviction that
he did a great wrong in his action as
member of that body. MIR. Poindexter
was my successor as rector of the Port
Tobacco parish in Maryland" said Mr.
Williams this morning, land / have two
of his letters to prove my statements. In
one OF them he wrote to friend of mine
that his conscience told him he had done
an injustice to fellow member of the
clergy. In the other. which was written
to d prominent member Of the vestry Of
the Port Tobacco Church. he repeated
this declaration and asked the vestry-
man to tell other prominent members of
the church that l was innocent-and then
to tell every one else in the parish
Plea to New Bishop.
Mr.. Williams indicated his purpose to
make the public address tomorrow the
groundwork of a plea to the recently
chosen bishop Of Washington. as soon as
he assumes the Office made vacant by the
death of Bishop Satterlee, to. reopen the
case. have the record reviewed and to
see that justice Is done where justice is
due.
During all of his talk concerning the
inwardness of the charge which caused
his expulsion from the ministry a decade
ago. Mr.. Williams spoke only occasionally
Of the young woman whose accusation
against him was given greater credence
denial.
Il can show from the record that her
own stories told on different occasions
were sufficient to impeach her testimony
as given before the court. But it will
not be my purpose to enter into this
phase of the case tomorrow. and no one
shall hear my version Of the story unless
a review and a reconsideration is granted
by the newly elected Bishop of Wash
ington.
The Other Side.
Another view Of this remarkable case
obtains In little home where the young
woman continues to reside in the bosom
of her family. Her father is dead, but
her mother and her brother and the young
man to whom she is betrothed hestated
not at all today in expressing unbounded
belief in the truth of her story. Her
brothers and her sweetheart said they will
be present in the hall tomorrow morning
when Mr. Williams is talking, and they
were firm in their declarations that they
VIII stand by her no matter what hap
pens Just what course they propose 10
follow they would not say.
They made no threats. but each. i'm a
quietly reserved manner. indicated that
nothing would prevent the carrying of
the fight into the enemy's camp if Mr.
Wiiliams insisted upon reviving the scan
DIAL
Inc young woman most concerned was
not at home this morning but her elder
brother stood sponsor for the truth of a
statement which she made yesterday and
IN whlch she emphatically declared that
Mr. William was guilty. why has this
man kept quiet all of these ten years if
ne is innocent" she was quoted as say
ing. what l say is the truth, and ! do
not care who knows ii.
why is it necessary for all of This IN
De brought up again when / thought fen
years OF suffering was enough. If he
cares TO mention my name-tO Islander
me- Will cause warrant to issue for
be threshed out again in the courts. The
public may know it and the public may
judge which of US has told the truth.
contradictory stories may have ap-
peared at the time of this happening.
because l deliberately denied to my father
that Mr.. Williams was the man. When
thought l was dying. l called my father
to my bedside and gave him Mr.. VIII
liams' name. l did 1t then because my
father was trying TO fasten the guilt upon
an innocent man. a man who had never
harmed me in my life. What l told then
was the truth and l would not change il
one word even If I knew l was to meet
my Maker tomorrow"
The young woman's mother broke down
completely at the prospect of another Or
deal Il thought it was all over long
ago." she said but it seems that such
things never die. ] don't know what the
truth of the story may be. No one knows
except the two who are most concerned.
l could swear to nothing except that my
daughter. " hen she seemed to be lying at
deaths door. told her father that Mr.
Williams had ruined her life She has
never varied from this story, and | be-
lieve it is the truth. / can't believe that
CHI LaS live "a oil of beS