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Show BEACHER VICTIM OF GANGSTERS I . -tr- A A ft ti FIND PASTOR i mm m I TIED IN OH I Minister Who Preached Jake Hamon's Funeral Sermon Attacked CHURCH TRYING HIM Bathing Suit Marriage 0n3 Charge Against Oklahoma Reverend t LA WTO N. Okla- May 1. (By thi "IH Associated Press.) Rev. Thomas Ii- win. pastor of the First Presbyterian H church here, who several days ago was H ordered tried by his presbytery on charges of conduct unbecoming ;t min- BH ister. was found bound and gagged H lying In a ditch near the Medlcln H I ark Gate, 12 miles east of here, b H a party of motorists early Sunday. RH Th minister was in a semi-con- sclous condition and said he believed H he had been chloroformed by three BfH men who attacked hlni while he v. aj JiTiVj walking down the street here at about 8 o'clock Saturday nighx. KaH The pastor, who became involve! IgIbbI with ono faction of his church, which !fRH Is seeking his removal, over marrying IfitflYJ a couple in a public bathing pool, ex- fUftYJ hlbltlng motion pictures in his church asHaVJ and preaching th-- funeral sermon at mnl Ardmore over Jake U Hamon. who InHH was fatally wounded by Clara Smith nlil Hamon, more than a year a:o. an- nounced several months ago that cer- tain persona were kMinyuui w him out of town Bib v.ky OF ITTAOK. At the home of Senator J. E. H Thomas, r.earby where Rev. Irwin WSJ HI taken for first aid. the minister said that he was on his way to the homo Mm of a member of his congregation hero Btt last night at about t . n'rlrvT " ho was stopped by thrpc men whom ffJIj ho did not recognize. A moment later 4jBW he said, ho felt a blow on the had n nd when he regained his senses, ho EvL found himself securely tied and gag- ged with tho three men In an aUCO kn mobile which was In motion. One of the men was sitting on him. he said cli-K During the ride, ho said. 'he heard UU one of the men say; Bl "Let's do away with him now." W while another member of the trio In- WlJ tcrceded for him with the words: V BUM CHA JO I "Don't kill him now Give him one vLV more chance to get out of town." A few minutes later. Rev. Irwlg 11 said he was thrown out of the machine uh Into a mud hole at the side of thy mV road. There ho said he lay for ?hri A 1 or four hours during which time eev- I d -rat persona in motor cars answered his calls for aid but drove away with- IK out helping him when thej learned i his identity. He was found by hlj r rescuers between 12 30 and 1 o'clock fl Sunday morning. kSI Rev. Irwin apparently suffered no mi 'ill effects from the experience ana j I returned to Lawton early this morn- Fnll 'log. He reiterated that, although lha jaO : three men were- unmasked, he had 00 E I Idea who his abductors were and said (ill 'there was nothing he could -1 in the ..i until In- found out Hi- td ,i H1 mm TRIAL IS ORDERED. The El Reno presbytei-y held a so?- aim slon In Mr. Irwin's church here last Mil Wednesday and after hearing a report of a committee which Investigated Kll Ichurges against the pastor, ordered 1 that he be tried May 9 Several mci IH I were appointed to conduct the trla!. Kll A feature of the presbytery session wa.1 - SRll I the presence of a policeman. J !r Four formal charges were preferred against the pastor. It was alleged ho 3Ig hod outlived his usefulness as a mln Bill i r by being responsible for alleged wig 'disorder and deplorable conditions JSII In his church: that he distributed a St If pamphlet, low twelve," reviewing th" iff l history of the controversy which It RH iwas charged contained substajice "un- v becoming a minister;" that members U'lJi .of his church had been suspended nil without trial and that he performed a marriage at a public bathing po--l Xlf In which the principals were clad If) Alt l.athlm; .suits, casting "disrespect" Yftt upon th Presbyterian church. JE in i ii'ir jo i k s . mm Mr Irw in founded the First Pr.- - jfc byterian church hero 20 years ago and i If sin.-, thai time h:is filled the pulpit. Th bathing pool wedding had IH j,eif climax In Oklahoma City Saturday jftfi when EXalen Brainsflald, it the girl rjtll bride, was granted a divorce Jr I It was brought out tit the hearing til (that she was married to Frank L. j'By Wells, 40 years old. by the Rev. Mr. MIB Irwin at the Medicine Park bathln Jj pool last summer during ft. pleasur mVII party, lt was testified that tho cl'l Mh and Wells wore bathing suits and that II thev had become united In a spirit oj V, II revelry The spirit lasted only M jlj davs. however, and thoy separated. till Tho big storm that has split the tj Lawton church came after Mr Irwtrj Hj preacheii the Hamon funeral sermon Tll Jake Hamon was eulogized by ths U pastor for many good Qualities, espec- ihjl lally his generosity. Jill II BMBI RS WITHDRl W A number of the pastor's chun H wj members wlthdrea over tho incident. jjSfl About a week ago a fire was dis- mm covered in an annex of the chUrcU) (bJM lch had baan built by Hamon Irj I w in declared that efforts also hsfl 'r M (C'ontliiuttl 011 Page Two.) M ffjfj JffBsl KBBH1 IHnl DBbj FIND PASTOR GAGGrED AND TIED IN DITCH (Continued from Page One) beon made to destroy tho motion picture pic-ture equipment installed in the church by Hamon. Mr. Irwin declared recently that numerous efforts had been made to Intlmldato him and force him out of 1-awton. Ho said throe men confronted confront-ed him as ho was leaving the church ono Sunday night last March and at the points of guns warned him to get out of town. The pastor served notice, nevertheless, neverthe-less, that ho Intended to "stick to tho bitter ond" and .xnnouncod that ho had obtained a permit to carry arms. Ho charncterljjod tho charges brought against him as "trivial'' and blarrd "Intense bitter political fooling sj A enemies of tho church" for tho situation. |