Year: 1869

SATURDAY, July 3, 1869.


Rev. ". c. Crane said: Have re-
sided in Jackson eleven years, and
have been acquainted with accused
ever since my residence here; my aC-
auaintafcc with him commenced in
the summer of 'j8. 1t was not as
intimate then as it became after his
fathers death, and from the time of
his fathers death till shortly before
the fall of NicEsburg, my acqUain-
tance with him was very intimate;


nv intercourse was almost daily, and
during that time he sustained the
character of a very exemplary chris
ti1n. He was remarkable for his lib


erality to the poor and for his kind
ness to the sick, and his interest in
every form of suffering that mani
tested itself. On one occasion hecalled
upon me before the depreciation of our
money, and handed me 500, and said
he had heard of some deStiJUtiOn
around me, and as he was not able to
administer it In person, he desired me
to dispense il, and after dispensing
that money to let him know OF every
case of destitutiOn that might arise in
the community; that he was unwill-


inc, while he had anything, that want
and suffering should exist around him.


He also offered his services to minis
ter to the sick. and on several Occa-
siOns he sat up with poor dying per-
sons under circumstances Of great per-
sOnal discomfort. He was also an
earnest Sunday School teacher; he
took greater interest in religious mat
ters than perhaps any other member
of my parish; he read a great deal,On


the subject of theology, and de-
lighted to hold frequent cOnver-
sations with me on those subjects.
1t may be proper to say that his
interest in religious matters SEEM


ed to. be very greatly stimula-
ted by reason of the death of his


father, which made a very deep i'm


preston upon him, and his desire to
Show his respect for his fathers men,


ory in every way, and to tread as


closely as possible in his footsteps.
His father was the best man | ever
| knew, and he seemed to feel-that is,
[ gathered such without any distinct
statement of his to that effect-that in
leading strictly religious life, he
could be in communion and fellow
ship with his fathers spirit, and
sometimes cherished the hope that he
would have sensible manifestations


of his fathers spiritual presence. 1t


was after Gen. Grants visit to this
place, before his flank movement on
Nicksburg, that Mr.. Yerger became
! involved in a personal difficulty with
| n gentleman here, and / was appealed
to by member of his family to try
! to prevent its resulting in something
! tragicaI, which was feared. / then
called on Mr.. Yerger and reminded
him of his obligations to conform to
the laws of God, the vows and promise
he had made in connecting himself
with the church, of the wrong he


would do his fathers memory and eX-
ample, and the injury that would re-


suit TO the church from his recOgni-
ton of the code of honor. He wished
| to ignore the existence of this diff
Guilty; he expressed good deal Of
surprise that l had heard anything
about it, and when pressed the mat


ter upon him, as his pastor, he said


that he would withdraw from all


allegiance to the church, and set


tie the difficulty in the only
! way IN which 1t could be set
tied. He said that his position


was very peculiar one in
the community; that he had not been


appreciated by his family; that he was


not properly regarded by the commu-


nifty, and if he sought refuge under his


christian profession from the response
bility that devolved upon him as a


gentleman and a man of honor, that
| It would lead to continued injury and


insult. That while almost any other


person could lead a consistent chris


tian life, the popularity of his position


was such that he was obliged to brave


the consequences, and he wished me


to erase his name from the list Of COM


municants. My intimate relations


with the accused ceased at that time.


He may have been three or four tunes


to church since that period; but my


respect for what he was, and the mein'