The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-20
That's the Religion of j. X.
WOOdsOn, Negro Evangelist.
eff They Want to Drink
That's Theah BuSineSs!"
QUESTION OF MARRIED WOMAN
"YOu Shuah Don't Act Like
One,o He Told Mrs. Frye.
"BIack Slave" Case Creates In
terest in the District Court.

1t is a free and easy sort of religion
that ]. X. Woodson, negro evangelist,
lexpounded on the witness stand in the
district court today under cross-ex-
animation by w. E. Atchison, county
attorney.
1t is the kind of religion that does
not interfere with the followers poll
tics, his appetite nor his leisure
| hours.
Woodson is on trial on the charge of
| white slavery" although both him
self and Mrs. Beatrice Frye. the
woman in the case, are black. He is
| charged with enticing the woman
away from her home and husband,
with persuading her to drink corn
whisky and beer, with taking advan-
tage of her intoxicated condition,
and finally, with taking her to Kansas
City and keeping her prisoner in
his room for three days.
The fact that Mrs. Frye, a married
woman, called at his room. that he
| drank with her, that he wrote her
love letters-all admitted by the de-
fense-does not conflict with his re-
ligion in the slightest degree, accord
ing to Woodson's testimony.
DO you tell your different flocks it
is all right for them to drink corn
whisky and beer?" asked Atchison
I'm not a prohibition speaker
shot back Woodson. Pm preacher"
Answer my question-do you
preach that?'
NO, 1 don't preach that. let 'em
do as they please. If they want to
drink and do * in moderation that's
that has to do with the Word of God
and the Word of God is what
| preach
Did you tell your congregation that
you drink whisky and beer?" asked
Mr.. Atchison-
None of Their Business.
Certainly not" was the reply Its
none of their business. 1 do as
please about such matters and let
them do as they please. l am man
who can control his appetite.
81 suppose then your religion makes
it all right for you to carry on with
this married woman as you have, said
Atchison.
''Whatdye mean, carryin' on?"
asked Woodson.
Il mean, drinking with her. getting
| her drunk and having criminal rela-
tions with her. You know what 1
mean That's all right under your
| kind of religion, is ft?"
| II didn't have no such carryin's on
with her." said Woodson.
II suppose" said Atchison, you will
deny having had such relations with
any woman since your wife died"
MRS. Frye is the woman in this
case" shot back Woodson.
do you deny having had relations
with any woman since your wife
died?" asked Atchison.
D. H. Branaman, attorney for
| Woodson, objected to the question but
before it was ruled upon Woodson re-
piled.
mo, don't" he said. Maybe 1
have and maybe I haven't.
do you advise your congregations
to follow your methods"
Let Them Do as They Please.
81 let my congregations do as they
please in such matters. That is some
FL, I7n a nd N O.
eide for themselves"
do you tell them you do such
things?''
mo, 1 don't" he said. And it's not
because I'm a hypocrite, either. It's
none of their business.
Woodson was on the stand and I'M
der fire from the county attorneys Of
flee most of the morning. He is APP
parently of more than average intel
ligence and turned the laugh on COun-
ty Attorney Atchison on several occa-
casions He remembered distinctly
the testimony of different witnesses at
the preliminary hearing and at the
former trial in the district court and
refused to be tangled up.
He declared that most of his con-
versations with Mrs. Frye were in re-
lation to missionary work. even when
they split three bottles of beer be-
tween them.
He also declared that Mrs. Frye rep
resented herself to him as an unmar-
ried woman.
Asked if She Were Married.
Il asked her if she was married"
he said, land she asked me, do l act
like a married woman / said You
sure don't 1 asked her who the
house and furniture on the East side
belonged to and she said, Don't lots
of single women own houses?'
eff you thought she was SINGLE
asked Atchison, why did you address
this letter to Mrs. Ed. Frye p :" and
he produced a letter written from
Colorado Springs.
We'll" said Woodson. ''she might
have been a widow or a grass widow"
=, The case will go to the jury some
time this afternoon. The attorneys
have been making their arguments
since 1890 o'clock Woodson was tried
once before and the jury failed to
agree.