The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-11

as an Individual not cease promptly
Your attorney will doubtless be able t.
inform You that the law of libel in this
state Is far reaching and sufficiently
comprehensive to cover such an Offence
as that permitted in your corporate
organization"
On November 81 Mr. MacCulloch sent
the trustees his formal notice of resig-
nation from the church.
This action" he said in the letter
lis taken upon the advice of counsel
Following my necessity of this day APP
pealing tote authorities to determine
the responsibility for the rifiing of my
oiiice and theft of certain documents
and papers therefrom-copies of which
l am Informed have during the last week
peen seen in the possession of certain
Christian Scientists and OF least one
member OF First Church of Christ,
Scientist"
Now as to the dismissed organist,
Ward-Stephens. who at one time was
one ofthe directors in the Opera Com
ique. Paris. and later in similar posi-
ton with Oscar Hammerstein's COM
pany at the Manhattan Opera House.
He said yesterday that ever since the
excommunicotion of Mrs. Stetson there
mad been 'inharmony and fighting" in
the church, and one of the reasons the
church cannot get rigt' is that every
body Is afraid to say his soul is his
own lest he offend the ring leaders, and
get kicked out as you would out of a
Tammany Hall organization.
He accused certain persons in the
church OF framing him." About two
months ago, he said, he was tod that
charges had been preferred against him
by the board OF trustees. AS he is a
member of the church as we'll as or
ganist, he asked the GARD to state the
charges and appoint n time for hear
ing, as required by the bylaws. He ac-
cused certain lawyer of having abused
his confidence by listening to his story
and then telling the trustees about it,
so that the trustees dropped the matter
of the alleged charges but notified him
he was dismissed under the sixty day
cancellation clause of the contract.
which required no hearing.
Eventually Mr.. Stephens was invited
to attend conference of the board, he
said, and while he was there a "das-
tardly affidavit" was read, not one
word Of which. said Mr. Stephens, could
be proved. He kept insisting on having
@ copy of the charges, he continued, but
on December George c. Franciscus.
attorney for the trustees. notified
Thomas B. Fielder. Mr.. Stephens's at
torney, he had been informed that no
charges were pending or intended.
AS for the motive OF those who wanted
to get him out, Mr.. Stephens said:
"It must be plain to many In the
church that Mrs. Stetson and her fol-
lowers are determined to get back what
they have always considered their own
namely. the First Church of Christ, Sci
enlist, New York city. But / do not
think the congregation and members of
the church realize how close to the
throne, mean the board of trustees,
these trouble makers really are Every
fighting army has its spies, and it Is
my opinion that First Church is honey
combed with them"
Mr. Stephens spoke of himself as hav-
ing been "railroaded." He said many
of his friends in the church didn't know
why he had been dismissed and he in
tended TO tell them. He asserted that
many members Of the church were ruled
by fear" and were afraid to talk, but
that it was his intention as a Chris
tan Scientist to throw out fear" He
said he had reason to feel that three
quarters of the persons in the church
wanted him to continue as organist
Mr.. Stephens accused one of the
women of the church mentally and
otherwise working against not only my