South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-07-30
ELOPING PREACHER
MUST SERVE TERM
Erring Pastor, Led Astray by
Girl of Is Years, Now
Faces Prison Exile.

TIE pl-UL OF lkeN. W dlitE ". tAlp'
81, pastor OF the Methodist church
in the little village OF Spring Valley.
Because he tilted" his wife and
e.oped with Miss Esther Hughes,
pretty 1S-year-old member OF his
congreg CATION the long arm OF the
Jaw" reached cut, grabbed the Rev.
Mr.. Culp and placed him before
the bar or justice here. A jury OF
IL good men, and true, decided
that he should serve one year in
prison-during which time he viii
have sufficient leisure 10 decide
whether the mother OF his nine
children has made him a good wife.
Miss Hughes. with whom the
minister eloped, is the daughter Of
Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas Hughes OF
Greenville. She became acquainted
with Culp during his tenure of Of
fee as minister OF Mennonite
church at Greenville
We had known Miss Hughes
two years. and when We moved 10
String Valley she came on a visit,
Mrs. Culp declares. Then last
April she came 70 Spring Valley
and organized a music class. She
visited our home frequently.
started With a Kiss"
The whole thing started with
kiss. Esther drew my husband into
a trap. I did not want her to come
in our home. but Walter insisted.
Finally he told me that he wanted
a divorce so that he could go away
with her. They kissed and Rugged
right before me, and when I re-
monstrated with them they would
say: Tt is the Lords will"
Walter one day kissed me and
the twins and said he was going
away. I tried TO coax him not TO,
but II did no good. He took all the
money and went away with the
girl
That his vile was Ignorant and
incapable OF being pastors
wife" is the declaration made by
CUlr in a letter TO the superintend-
ent Of the conference in which he
preached She had never been a
good wife TO him, he claimed. This
was IN spite of the fact that she
had borne him nine children.
Culp and his. wife were married
more than Is years ago He was
working in a hoop factory at the
time. but later took UP preaching
in the Mennonite church. This faith
he renounced about two years ago.
He was assigned to the pastorship
of the Spring Valley Methodist
church, although he was not or
dained as a minister in that de-
nomination.
Loved Esther Only.
The minister, who was taken in
10 custody in Michigan and re-
turned here for trial, was defiant
even after his arrest. He loved
only Esther Hughes, he declared TO
officers, and could not again live
with his wife.
Amazingly the girl chung tena-
ciously 10 Culp, declaring that il
was the will of the Lord" that they
should go on together. She declared,
following the arrest Of the couple,
that the minister's wife had helped
her pack her bag and told them
good by when they departed from
Spring Valley.
You canuot run away from
your troubles the wife IS alleged
10 have told them, because your
troubles will follow you"
Culr quit his post in the Meth
odist church prior 10 his elope-
ment. He asked Dr. ". A. Want
of Springfield, district superin-
tendent in the district Of which. his
town was part. not TO try to find
him. Culp's letter to DR.. Want
follows:
by the time you get this I will
be miles and miles away. and il
will do you no good TO try TO find
me; for, II found. I Will be OF no
use TO you in any way whatever,
and it will only add TO your misery
and mine.
Raised Among Strangers.
RAISED among strangers and
kicked about in the world ever
since and being very much dissat-
isfied In the present church work,
as you give your life up TO the doc
trine Of perfection - mainly a
clean inner and outer life-I here
by quit the Church.
ct Is one Of my misfortunes 70
be united to a woman for wife
who Is very ignorant and very in
capable OF being a pastors wife.
Il hope you will take pity on her
and the children. Do something for
them. so they can get back 10 their
home state and live.
Il could write a'long letter as 20
mishars OF my life II I had the
time, and the public would wonder
that held out in the present con-
fiict as long az I did.
Il will pay all my creditors as
soon as possible as I am an honest
man, with a Dig debt for no more
income than I had.
Flags Church Members.
1T is a sad day for a church
when they can pay only starvation
wages 10 their most valuable ser
wants. II they would spend the