Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1930-08-09
Shall DR.. Townsend
Continued from Page u


fateful blunder, has openly and fragrant
ly defied the Conventions will and
orders for several years; and now holds
up the Sunday School Publishing Board
for conspiracy and rebellion.
What kind of rebellion 10 in mind Dr..
Townsend and his Board have not fail
ed to observe the minutest detail when
officially informed it was the action of
either the convention itself, or the Boa
I'd of Directors, or of the Executive
Committee, and challenge any one to
prove to the contrary. Is this Board
considered to be in rebellion when it
seeks to defend itself against serious
and utterly groundless charges? If
DR.. Williams calls upon our entire de-
nomination to raise money to destroy
one of it's most trusted servants, would
he deny that Board privilege of defend
ing the man they have learned to trust
fro exmperience? Brethren of our
Convention, we might as well face the
facts. DR.. Williams knows as we'll as /
do that the conspiracy does not head up
in the Publishing Board, but in another
. Board and in Chiago. And by the way
the last man in our Convention to charg
anybody with conspiracy and rebellion
should be President Williams. He
made up his mind he wanted to become
president, and he fought Dr. Williams
down to his death. He put himself
forward as leader in a movement to
split our National Baptist Convention
by organizing a Northern Baptist Con-
vention, aid he actually got together
large representation in Olivet Baptist
Church to effect the organization, and
it would have been strong competitor
in the field fight now if they had not
elected DR.. J. C. Austin President be-
cause of his great popularity. It was
hoped to carry him by making him
president of the new body, but he kill
ed the movement by letting it die a
natural death. Our National Baptist
Convention owes a debt of gratitude
to DR.. Austin for helping to keep our
National Baptist Convention, Incorpo-
rated, intact to now.
President Williams is using all his
concentrated power to kill a man in
every way his superior. Will he be al
lowed to do it, or will he fall into his
own act He does not begin to believe
DR.. Townsend killed Mr.. Pierson, and
yet he has studiously avoided any other
clue. He knows enough about Mr..
Pierson to have set detectives out on a
different trail. The very idea of set
yho1
such a flimey excuse! 1 have heard
several persons express the belief that
DR.. Williams himself is responsible for
Mr.. Persons death. I do not believe
anything of the kind, and have so ex-
pressed myself to people. But so lit
tie is the true evidence against DIR.
Townsend that DR.. Williams himself
would show up badly if the same kind
of evidence were worked up against him
For instance, Mr.. Pierson told me more
than once that he had trouble in straigh
tening out the presidents accounts. But
suppose detectives had been given this
evidence together with his close rela-
lions with his close friend DR.. West
brook, who stood in close relation with
Mr.. Pierson himself. Suppose all other
possible trails had been hooted and the
detectives departments of three states
turned loose on him. / tell you he,
would have been made to show uup
very badly. But repeat I would not
begin to believe him guilty, nor do
know sinle Baptist preacher in the
world who would have so brutally muir
dered Mr.. Pierson. The manner of his
murder does not show the ear-marks of
his having been killed by Negroes. His
body was found riddled with bullets,
and his feet tied, and with a rope a.
round his neck.
DR.. Williams has not dared to face
he people over the country since tbs
arrest of DR.. Townsend. He called
peueo ana s!noI rs le 5u!aeem prog
t off at once on the ground that DR..
Townsend's accounts had not been aud
ted. But he failed to send any aud
tor or accountant to Nashville until
he Board feared it's accounts would
lot be audited at all before the Chiago
Jubilee, and therefore ngaged firm Of T
certified public accountants in the city
# Nashville to audit the accounts. AS
DON as this was known in Chiago, DR.. r
Williams rushes one lone accountant f
Who may not be able to finish up the G
work. before the Jubilee, and thus he e
would leave the people somewhat un-