New Britain herald., 1920-03-15
BREACHES SERMON WITH HAND ON GUN
Brooklyn Anti-Vice Clergyman
 Shoots at ASSaSSinS

New York, March 15.-Preach1nS
 the gospel with a six shooter close
 at hand and gang of vice agents
 constantly trying to kill you might
 be calculated to upset the boise and
 equanimity of almost any minister,
 but not so with the Rev. Dr. W.
 Spencer Carpenter of the Bridge
 street A. M. F.. church, Brooklyn.
 Because of pr. Carpenters attacks
 on vice and gamblers he became the
 object Saturday night of the second
 attempt to kill him. The attackers,
 however, barely escaped with their
 own lives. The preacher fought
 them up an alley beside his church
 and the last seen of the vice agents
 they were disappearing over a fence
 to escape the bullets from the clergyman's gun.
 Dr. Carpenter sat yesterday in his library at 1S2 Duffield street. with a
 bandage around his forehead, his slashed up raincoat lying on a chair close by, several empty cartridge shells on the table and the rascaP' as he calls his revolver-lyinS under white handkerchief and
 buIging up the linen in a fashion that would never be noticed. Groups
 of prosperous looking members of the congregation were streaming in to inquire how he felt after his bat tie with the razor swingers," as he called them.
 "A little bit mussed up,'' said the minister, but I am not going to let these vice agents and their gang run me out of Brooklyn. I will remain here until my time is up and that is 1 a little more than three years away, They cannot frighten me. 1 faced i death on the battlefield in the Span 1 ish American war and they cannot i make me stop my sermons against ga m bling and other things that are | wrong. | Decent People With Him. He Says. l
 ''The decent people in this whole l ommunity--the white folks as well 1 as the negroes-are behind me and l are indignant at the assaults. If the | time has come when the church can not stand up against vice then it is l time to close up the churches. But l just as soon as I get feeling all right 1 again I will be back in the pulpit and I will hit harder than ever.
 You know" the preacher con- ! tinued, as he exhibited a rock that | had been banged against his head last November and which is still re- tained as a souvenir, "this is the 1 second time they have been after me. This is what they tried to get me with before. It all started around Thank ksgiving Day. when I announced hat I would preach series of ser mons against vice.
 From the stories of the police. Dr. Carpenter did a pretty good job on l night. He went to his 7hurch just after dark to get a book. l He was alone. although he had been l by the police not to travel l about alone. As he was coming 1 from the church vest;lbule he wan set upon by two men. The minister | overcame the initial handicap of l darkness and two against one with 1 hrawny fists he said. he had not used 1 since he got out of the army.
 Three Shots Fired By Preacher.
 He knocked one man down and ! the second. after slashing the | preachers raincoat half a dozen i times. fled. Dr. Carpenter hurried | to get out his revolver, but with his | slashed and Tapping he fumbled for a few seconds before
 the TdScttl SOL 1IllO dctlOH Ine second man. who had scrambled to his feet and ran. was just disappear ing over the back fence when three shots from the old revolver that had gone through the Spanish-American war went crashing after him. The preacher believes one of the bullets did good work flor they found some blood spots on the fence this morning and also a razor on the walk near the vestibuIe door,
 Dr. Carpenter. who served in the Sixth Massa sachusetts Infantry during the Spanish-American war. said he had not used a gun since those days, nor had he used his fists. He said that he did not fear any one molest- ing his wife or two children and that he would go about as if nothing had happened.
 But, he said, "I will always carry the rascal with me-"