The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-15

up through the Carolinas. he detached
Colonel Tarleton Ia make a rapid raid
into Virginia. The Governor. Thomas
Jefferson. ana the House Of Burgesses.
fled to Charlottesville. but Tarleton
pursued them with such speed that he
barely missed capturing the who'll"
state government there The Governor
and the House OF Burgcsscs crossed the
Blue Ridge 10 stanton. and on June
!. 1881. the House OF Burgesscs held
its session in Trinity Church II is said
that the darkest hour is Just before
dawn, and on the very eve Of the triunl
phant conclusion OF the war. the out
look was so gloomy that q proposition
vas discussed within the walls OF old
Trinity To make Washington n dicta-
tor. and to surrender all Legislative
powers 10 him. The House could come
to no conclusion on this proposition.
ana after session OF about three
weeks in stanton II adjourned to
meet in Richmond in October
The end Of the Revolution marked
the downfall Of the Church In Virginia
For this there were several reasons.
The opposition toward dissenters that
had been shown BY the establishments
embittered them against the church.
and the numbers of dissenters had
greatly increased during the war
The enthusiastic loyalty TO the King
that some Of the clergy had manifested
subjected the whole Anglican cornmu-
Mon TO suspicion. and the disputes re-
gardinS the church property and the
new status OF the church after its dis
establishment helped 10 arouse bitter
ness ard rancor. bishop Meade SAYS in
his "Old Churches and Families of Vir-
Rlnla' that at the beginning of the
war Virginia had nincty-onc clergy
,.b Irrhn a
chapels: at its close there were but
twenty eight laborinG in the less desc
late parishes OF the State He then
comments that had they been faithful
shepherds. they would not have thus
deserted their nocks." commentary
that is but too well deserved
Church Without Rector.
AS was the case in most of the
churches in the State. the end OF the
war found Trinity without "A rector, but
about l1SS MIR. Chambers took charge
OF it. Whom he was or how long he
remained cannot be determined. but an
unsupported tradition says that a fter
staying a short time he went to Ken
lucky. long interval then occurred
IN the rectorship, when III last good
old man offered himself as minister.
He had been ~ member of the Mctho-
dists for Il long time but he was ar
IDENTITY piOus. ana the little congrega-
was King, and he followed the humble
occupation of steam doctor" His
education was scant, his manners were
rough, and his intelligence not Of n
high order. but he was taken in hand
Ivy few churchmen and sent to i,ishop
Madison, who ordained him n deacon
and sent him back to Staunton to serve
the desolate handful Of hungry souls.
From 1911 to the death of MIR. King in
1919. he faithfully led the church
through the very Valley of the Shadow
OF Deaf TIL" mo evidence can be found
that there was single communicate
besides the simple hearted old deacon
TO knecl at her altar. So unpopular
was her cause that none but those
whose principles were as true and un-
bending as steel would venture openly
to avow themselves her friends An
eyewitness of the scene told me that
on the occasion of the first service
after Mr.. Kings return from Will
l!amsburg. the small congregation, the
feeble and dlsjointcd response. the
dampening drearIness of tho church.
with it's old. high back pews, and the
long, sing-song, drawing tones in
which the new deacon attempted to
read tho service and one Of Blair's SER
mons. presented a solemn ludicrous-
ness he never before or since witnessed.
The congregation, numbering not n
Dozen left the church dispirited and
ashamed, almost resolving never to
repeat the experiment" U'ishop
Meade, Old Churches. etc, Vol H., page
?a:)
Clouds Gradually CIenr.
The clouds gradually cleared. how