The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-01-14
(From Mondays Daily

came to Kenosha two months ago fol-
lowing the completion Of his education
at the University of Chicago to assume
the pastorate of the Henry M. Simmons
Memorial Church (Unitarian), resign
ed his pastorate this morning. The
resignation, written at three O'Clock
this morning on a small piece of note
paper with lead pencil, came as an
admission of guiltgin one of the most
remarkable cases of "evil in high
placesW ever known in the ministry
of any church. The resignation came
as the admission that the entire life
OF Darnell in the ministry, covering a
period of four years, had been fabric
of lies featured by lurid escapades
with women 1t revealed the fact that
Darnell had' played with the hearts of
women like a past master and had for
years been able to get away with it
and still retain his place behind the
pulpit. In the cold gray dawn of the
early morning Darnell shrunk from the
public gaze in Kenosha, slipped down
the back streets to avoid meeting Of
6cers who might have warrants for
him and took train for the south.
His destination was unknown, but it is
certain that he has gone to dis
tant state
The board Of trustees received the
rather unusual resignation early in the
day, but ut has not as yet been formal
'ly acted upon and it is probable that
it will Mot be accepted and that the
trustees Iof the church will insist on
the expulsion of Darnell and that steps
be taken to forever bar him from en-
tering the ministry Of any church. At
the Henry M. Simmons Church on Sun
day morning Darnell, even when he
knew that the seamy life which he had
led was facing exposure, preached the
greatest sermon Of his career. He
spoke on the subject of 'Bread and
Bibles" and on this homely topic
pointed out to a congregation which
filed the church, the demand of the
day for right living, for aid to the poor
and needy and most Of all the spiritual
life. After the sermon had been
preached and with the plaudits Of the
people whom he had stirred by his
eloquence still ringing in his ears,
Darnell returned to the study of his
church and took up again his effort to
free himself from the fate that seemed
certain. 1t was not until late Sunday
might that he made partial admissions
TO members of the board of trustees
of the church and it was early in the
morning when he laid bare the whole
story and begged for mercy.
The admissions of Darnell concerned
mostly two women. One of them was
Miss Ruth Soper, of Owatonna, Mimi.
Formerly an unclassifed student of the
university of Chicago, with whom he
had lived as wife and husband in
Kenosha for the past six weeks. The
other was Doris Vaughn Darnell. the
daughter of Mrs. Edward F. Vaughn.
1901 Oakenwald avenue, Chicago, to
whom the minister was married on the
third day of last November after he
had accepted and had been installed as
pastor of the Kenosha church. There
was another woman, a woman who
came from Avon, Ill.,, and with whom
Darneu lived in the relation of a com
mon law husband for the better part
0t a year, but two months ago this
young woman died at her home IN
Avon and her name has been dropped
from the strange story of religion.
lust and romance.
The people of Kenosha are mostly
concerned in the story of Ruth Soper.
she came with Darnell to Kenosha on
November 10th and until last Friday
night she presided over his humble
apartments on Ashland avenue as a
wife and a mother. DarnelI now
claims that she was neither. About
this woman he builds up a story of a
Fepulsive past which he claims he was
attempting to down in order that he
might realize the dream of having with
him the only woman he ever married
and the only woman he ever loved
Doris Vaughn Darnell. 1t was the
latter woman that brought to an end
the chain of falsehoods and brought the
flight of Darnell from Kenosha this
morning.
Ruth Soper is now finding haven
with her brother at Owatonna where
she was sent on last Friday night
when DaTnell saw that the lie he had
lived was about to be exposed. She
left without saying farewell to any Of
the well known people of Kenosha who
had accepted her as the CHARMING c,1
tured help-mate of their minister-she
left without giving any satisfactory
cause for her going. Within twelve
hours after Ruth Soper, who was
known as the wife of Darnell, left Ke-
nosha, the child bride came from Chi