Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-09-15
Story Of Whist CASE.
MRS. DOUGLAS MAKES SERIOUS
ACCUSATIONS AGAINST REV.
Mr.. MAYNE.
DEFENDANT IN CHURCH TRIAL
MAKES SIGNED STATEMENT
Expelled From Methodist Church at
Abel, Will Appeal to Des Moines
District conference-charses Pastor
With Persecution Bitter Fight Like
Iy to Result.
Special to Times-Republican.


prepared by Mrs. Minnie Douglas, the
Woman in the case" who was expelled
from the Methodist church of this
City because she played whist She
did not play bridge whist, she states
IN her article, but the straight whist,
which she says does not come in the
jurisdiction Of the Methodist discip-
line Mrs. Douglas is very plain in
her statements prepared exclusively
for that paper, and makes serious
charges against the Rev. Charles
Mayne, pastor of the Abel Methodist
church. She says that he raked over
all of the gossip in the neighborhood,
back many years and told it in Ian
guage unfit to hear, from the pulpit.
Mrs Douglas has appealed her cas-.
to the Des Moines conference, over
which Bishop Berry is presiding and
the case will be heard in detail at
Ames some time this week. This case
promises to become celebrated. for
both sides have their followers and a
bitter fight will MO doubt be waged in
the conference.
Mrs. Douglas story over her own
SIGNATURE received this morning is
as follows:
What Mrs. Douglas Says.
Abel, Iowa, Sept IA.
Dear Sir: "After some delabera-
ton, have decided to an
sWer some of the statement
which have emanated from one
Of the church papers and which have
been copied by some of the secular
papers. in regards to what is called
The Abel Whist Case and incident
ally correct some impressions which
seem to have gained credence. To
do SO shall have to refer back to
the time that the Rev. Charles Mayne
came ITO Abel as pastor of the M. E.
church. Within short time after
his arrival in this place. he began a
series of revival meetings. Before
the end of the second week he was
relating from the pulpit with much
disgusting detail, scandals which hap
pened Or We're supposed to have hap
pened in or near Abel, and which
most OF the citizens except those who
revel in such filth, had completely
forgotten, for many of them had hap
pened years before. His language
was o9Nsuch character that 1 dis
approved of dt and openly said SO.
Later on, he held some meeti19s on
the street corners, in which he par
ticularly berated the Woman'ss Wits,
Club, OF which I was a member. In
these remarks he became very per-
sonal, not actually naming the mem
bers, but describing them in such a
manner that everyone acquainted
With the town knew whom he meant.
Once while denouncing those who had
| criticized his methods and langua &c
| in the pulpit, he insisted that he had
been misquoted, and then said that
he had traced one of the lies back to
his neighbor on the west, whose wife
| is member of the whist club and a
member of our church, so you gee
1t is not hard ITO tell where 1t start
ed Anyone acquainted with loca-
dions in Abel knew that my husband
and I were the ones so courteously
(?) referred to.
Resurrected Scandals.
MANY other personal Statements
were made on the streets, and in the
pulpit before the Rev. Mr.. Mayne
made any attempt to discuss the mat
ter with me personally. Sometime
afterward he called one afternoon
when / was not at home and left his
card. His revival meetings continued
fourteen weeks during which time he
resurrected everything of a scandal
GUS nature which he could dig up
and related most of it from the pulpit
in language unfit to be used in the
presence Of self-respecting people. At
ter an interval Of about three weeks
he began a second series Of meet
ings with a MIR. Jones, an evangelist
in charge. With Mr.. Jones, Mr.. Maybe
called upon me and Refused to see
them. After charges were PREFER &c
against me, Rev. Mr.. Foutch OF
DeSota, who had been appointed
to preside at the trial called upon me
and I then told Mr. Foultch in THE pres.
ence of twelve influential members o1
the official board that If Mr.. Mayn.
would resign here, I would promise te
stop playing whist forever, or if Mr.
Mayne would refrain from his system
attic course Of persecution would stoi
playing until we had another minister
in September, and then If the new pas
tor could show me that was violatin:
4 the discipline should Withdraw from
\
pointed back ito me that Mr.. Mayn,
would make no promise whatever
then I said that I would make no con
cession to Mr.. Mayne.
AS for the trial Itself the account
which appeared in the papers followin,
the. trial, June 10, were absolutely cor
rect in every particular, except the re
port that fifty persons had withdraw
from the church. That statement wa
not part of the report sent in from
here and was incorrect; otherwise tn
report was exceptionally accurate. TIL
report sent from here is I find. on dn
vestigation, still on file at the depot, 8
this statement could be easily substan
tiated. consider the trial farce.
was not notified as to who would con
stitute the jury until after reachin,
the church, and the Jury was alread
there. Mr.. Foutch, the presiding Off
Ger at the trial had brought them witt
him, mostly from his own church q
DeSota, and the others from the churcl
at his neighboring town, Van Meter
Turnout the trial, 1t was plainly eviden
that the sympathy of the presiding of
nicer was with the prosecution; for in
stance, Mr.. Vinegar, my counsel. wa
stopped in the middle of his plea an
told that he had talked long enough
Mr.. Foutch retired with the jury at tn
close of the trial and returned wit
them, giving In the verdict for them.
Since the trial, between thirty an
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