Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-09-25
SCANDAL NEMESIS
FORCES LUMBAR
TO TURN MINER
Former Newark Pastor Driven
From Canada, Where He
Planned Colony.
DREAMS SHATTERED AND
HEALTH AND SPIRIT GONE
Wards Who Befriended and Ac-
cOmpanied Him Return to
This City.

Broken in spirit and health, driven
from his retreat in Canada by the re-
fusal Of several churches to engage
him as pastor, parted from Mr. and
Mrs Thomas Ward, the couple that
stood by him in all his troubles. w. Z.
sherman Lumbar, former pastor OF the
Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, de-
posed for his alleged misconduct, is to-
Gay in Seattle, employed by his
brother. coal miner. Sunday
school teacher was involved in the
scandal His dreams of founding a
colony In Edmonton, Canada, are shat
tered. His hopes of being the spiritual,
medical and legal head of q settlement
have gone up In smoke.
Mr.. and Mrs Thomas Ward, who
alone of the several families that
promised to go to Canada with the de-
posed preacher actually went, are
back in Newark since the first of the
month. and are living at 10 May street.
Mrs. Ward, when seen by an i've
ming STAR reporter, denied that there
had been row between herself and
willing to talk of her reasons for quit
ting Edmonton, where in partnership
with the minister her husband owned
a 160-acre farm, she refused absolutely
to talk of the affairs of Mr.. Lumbar,
but emphatically stated that she and
her husband still entertained the high
est regard for him.
Ill health is the reason for the re-
al Nf,-
Ward was affected by the high alti-
tude of Alberta, and was forced to
leave. The Lumbars quit at the same
time Mrs. Ward says that 1t was
probably the thought of being alone
miles and miles away from their
friends that induced the Lumbars to
pull their stakes and journey on,
Others. however. tell story that
sheds more light on tie life of the man
who was the leading figure in the row
that almost disrupted the Mount
Pleasant Church.
The failure of Mr. Lumbar to get
pulpit can be traced directly to men,
bers OF the Mount Pleasant Church. 1t
was through them that the churches of
Edmonton and its environs were noti-
fed of Mr.. Lumbar's life while pastor
of the local church. That put the
Canadian churchmen OH their guard,
and while one of them paid a visit to
this part of the country he verified all
the allegations made, and on his re-
turn to Canada spread them broad
cast. 1t Is said, among the religious
bodies there.
When the Wards announced that they
would sell out and leave, because of
Mr.. Wards i'll health, 1t is said that
Lumbar became despondent and refused
to remain In Edmonton alone with his
wife
The Wards were fortunate in dispos~
ing of their holdings profitably, and
left for British Columbia.
The Lumbars went with them as far
as this point and were left there by
the Wards, who continued on their way
to Seattle and Portland. From there
they came East. and after spending a
few weeks in New Hampshire returned
to Newark.
That the clergyman had left Edmon-
ton came as a surprise to many MEM
bers of the Mount Pleasant Church
when told about it today Some could
not understand why he should leave a
profitable farm to become a coal miner
They could not understand what differ
ence the departure of the Wards could
possibly make to him; because, before
leaving Newark Mr.. Lumbar accord
ing to these persons, said that he would
go to Canada even though he had to
go alone.