Show MINISTER IN TROUBLE Grave Charges Against Rev James Vernon YOUNG WOMAN HIS ACCUSER e Vernon Has Boon Doing Mission Work In Salt Lake and One of His Assistants Miss Hulda Swenson Says that He Has Been Acting in a Grossly Offensive Manner Toward Her He is Arrested on a Charge of Assault and Battery Says It is Spito Work James Vernon aged CO occupation minister assault and battery This was an inscription on the register regis-ter In the office of the desk sergeant at police headquarters which was put there yesterday afternoon Vernon waq arrested on a complaint sworn to by Hulda Swenson who for the past nine months has been one of the Rescue mission band on Commercial street and while the charge of assault and battery is all that Is formally made the police and members of the County Attorneys office say they believe that a more serious charge and probably more than one will be put against him THE GIRLS STORY Miss Swenson who is a prepossessing girl of 19 years of age and whose innocence in-nocence seems to bo apparent by her demeanor every action and her general i Her James Vernon r yesterday told her story to the police In detail It was of such a nature that it is not fit for literal publication but in substance was as follows I entered en-tered the Rescue mission work over a year ago and for some time sang In the old Gospel mission near the head of Commercial street and when It was in charge oC Elder J T Strawbrldge When he left and Rev James Vernon assumed charge I remained with him and have assisted at almost every outdoor out-door meeting that has been held of late I became Interested in him because be-cause he seemed so earnest and had no thought that he would do any wrong I believed him to be a thoroughly thor-oughly moral man and when he became be-came a little familiar I looked upon his acts as those really of a fatherly or a brotherly nature I had no Idea l that he would do wrong Once he paid to me that ho was a man of God and could do no wrong I believed him Here Miss Swenson who had borne up well became dccdedly nervous and continued with difllculty The essence of It all was however that for several months Vernon was far too attentive She at his request acted as his housekeeper house-keeper in Vernon rooms In the Albert block All through July his actions both day and night were exceedingly offensive she said he going so far as to enter her room at all hours in dishabille dis-habille but on the night of the 31st of July he attempted force She screamed and he desisted She left the house on the following day telling the story to her parents Asked why she had not made complaint com-plaint before to the police she said she had been awaiting the arrival of Presiding Elder Garrett to whom she intended reporting but news of tho affair reached Mrs Strawbridge and other ladles of the mission and they forced an investigation wltli the result as above stated HE SAYS IT IS SPITE WORK Vernon inslststhat the charge against him is spite work and says he believes Strawbrldge IB at tho head of It This Miss Swenson and Strawbrldge both deny as do ladles who are connected with a new mission which Is being established nt the corner of Sixth West and Second South streets Miss Swen son said last evening that Vernon had told her not to say anything about the occurrences in the Albert block for her enl < e merely I because If she did the Judgment of God would be upon her Strawbrldge and Vernon have not been on good terms for some time Their differences I arose over Vernons course In the affairs of the mission Vernons case was the last one reached In the Police court and during the prior proceedings ho sat In quiet conversation with the Rev Richard Wake t When the complaint was read to him he entered a plea of not guilty and in response to the usual question said he was ready for trial DEFENDED BY MR WAKE At this point Mr Wake interposod lie said he believed that the defendant should not be tried at once The arrest ar-rest had come unexpectedly l rue offence of-fence alleged which ho had heard might bo changed to one more serious was bad enoughof Itself It was strange mat me cnnrge waa made but now when the offense was alleged to have 1 been committed on July 31st So far as this man Ig concerned continued Mr Wake 4j appear as his friend Tam T-am his friend and I would us soon believe I be-lieve myself guilty as to believe that he IB lie then said there had been occasions where blackmail and I conspiracy con-spiracy had been used to bring about I certain evenly Dlihi replied that just as soon aa tle rnatfor I was reported to Mrs J iS Strawrrldge whose husband was nov in oharic of th < mission he looked Into he case concluded that an Investigation Investiga-tion t wan necessary and Informed the police I ni5IEAS15D ON BAIL The Judge wild he saw no Irregularity in tho proceeding It wa but natunl that thc young lady should avoid such unenviable notoriety However thcx was but one charge against the defendant defend-ant now no matter what tho future might develop and hIs bull was Hx < rat r-at 100 which was furnished by Roy Mr Wake and the defendant was re leased The preliminary examination was sot for Wednesday next It Is also asserted that Vernons daughter Ksse aged about IS nom plalncd fomaUm < ja oUhat ion Citth rs actions toward > h w yore lOIn very repulsive re-pulsive nature and Mrs Brooks also of the new mission says Esse lold the story to her |