| Show I ere ou dL 1 t wV Distressing and Perplex- Perplex f t I 9 i f I a j T j j y it i Series of Incidents r ing ina l w w 1 E t rin v I m Which Wh lC h the th e L Lead Lead- ea d i r f J I ing Figures Are F x M r r y A Ty v i te T sJ fr s Clergymen r Evangelists and i f y ii v 49 r E v f Other Oth er P Prominent t p g iw ii Workers sin in the Cause ause of t Religion Reli r A typical pulpit attitude of the Rev Dr J Frank Norris the Fort Worth Texas clergyman and confessed self confessed slayer of D E Chipps wealthy lumberman NE afternoon last month D E ONE O B G Chipps a F Fort rt Worth Texas b business siness man walked into the study of the First Baptist Church the pastor the Rev Re Dr J Frank Norris was seated at work on his next neit Sundays Sunday's sermon A few minutes later Chipps Ia lay dying on the floor of the study with LI three bullets in his body As the Rev Dr Norris later confessed Chipps had called on him fo to object to certain statements made in a n recent recent ser ser- sermon sermon ser sermon mon After a few v words of altercation the pa pastor tor had re reached ched into a drawer of hf his lesk desk seized a gun b belonging longing to to the night night watch watchman an of o the church and fred fled the shots that hat killed Chipps The news new that the Rev Dr Norris was a man man slayer that he had shot and killed a fellow v human being thrilled the the country as no other killing has in a along along along long time for time for two reasons Fi First t because Dr Norris is one of the best known wn clergymen in the Uni United d States famous for his his evan evan- evangelical evan evangelical sermons for for his ch cham chain m of Iund Fundamentalism m nt li lim m iSS for the remarkable remarkable s size ze of the pt 43 congregations he attracts and 3 also also for the strenuous part he i plays plays in politics and other af- af affairs af affairs fairs entirely outside the II V church V I Ir IThe t r The second reason for the V distress caused amazement by the news and Y II from Fort Worth was the fact j d t d that this killing added s i S f f- f Mrs Edward W one more to the already 2 c Hall at last ar- ar ar arrested long list of ol crimes crimes ugly l f r rested on scandals and a the charge ugly per- per perplexing j 1 mysteries in of murder- murder murdering f r l lof wh w w hi li tc ich ch h clergymen ing her evangelists e and other r minister minister- minister minister- religious ms workers have x y husband been involved and the Just Just about the time married ch choir r singer singer with ith whom whom hom he was carry carry- carry carry- when when th the Rev Rev-Dr Nor Noring Nor Nor- mg ing carrying on a guilty romance ris ns aim aim was Iris wiping g out the the unfortunate Mr Chipps hipps life the authorities in in the state of New J Jersey e sey were beginning beginning another attempt mystery of th the double mu mur- mur murder mur murder d der r r which ended th guilty rom romance romance romance- nce of f the Rev Edward W V Hall the married pa pastor tor of a fashionable Episcopal church churchin churchin churchin in New Brunswick and Mrs Sirs Eleanor Mills the pretty choir zinger singer and and wife of the church sexton Their bullet r bullet were found one September pie er morning four years ears ago go gounder under a 8 a- a crab apple tree where they aIe aro supposed to tc have been surprised sed in an affectionate tryst No one has ever been brought to punishment punishment for th their their ir murder and the lure fa failure of the sta state to fas fasten en the guilt on some one one has become a gr great at scandal Out in California the authorities were busy just as they had been ken for weeks the before trying to clear up the curious mystery of Mrs Aimee Aimee Semple S mple McPherson McPherson Eon son the well known Los Angeles evan evan- evangelist evangelist evangelist gelist who strangely vanished from a bathing beach one day d y last May When she reappeared more than a month later later in a little Mexican village not dr fair far from the Americas American border she the told a remark remark- remarkable remark remark-I A fromA able story of kidnapped and held a helpless captive all this time under under the most cruel cr el conditions Within a few hours af after r the the Rev Rev Rev- Dr j Norris sermon writing was interrupted by the fatal shooting affray the Rev y r rT vf i v f t r r- r I J y t tt t h f i t NJ h f I Iy 4 4 j J II y ft I l J f t yi rt j 1 Y t t I i Mt 1 rd r k t J-if J I i f a ay r rdv r dv d R v tt r l Aimee r Y y y Semple McPherson s I r e s- s the Los Angeles evan evan- e a t r l gelist photographed in the I Q hospital where she was was I ering fr from m th the effects s of the captivity in in Mexico into which which the as yet 1 L unidentified kidnappers are alleged to have carried her J z i ly Miss Charlotte Mills the at- at attractive ata a flapper who was left C motherless when Mrs Eleanor t k tu 4 Mills was strangely killed with f r her sweetheart the Rev Ed- Ed Edward Ed cw r 4 rz ward W Hall pastor of ofa a rich end fashionable church I jj 1 tin ife M f Mrs McPherson obligingly illustrating for the photographers the method by which she says 4 she finally escaped from her cruel captors Philip A Goodwin was arrested in NewYork New NewYork Yo York k charged with the murder of his alleged friend Joseph J Patterson a aLOS aLos LOS Angeles accountant The murder was an unusually brutal one the slayer haying having saturated his victims victim's clothing with gasoline gasoline and then touched a n match to it Many other killings scandals and grim mysteries involving men and women prominent in the religious world were still fresh in the publics public's memory so memory so many of them that that a man manof manof of the prominence of the Rev Dr Norris had killed a man fellon fell on the country's ears with special significance What had happened in Fort Worth made many earnest churchgoers wonder what the world was coming to and it and if if incidents like these were the inevitable penalty that must be paid for the more and more active part ministers are taking in secular alT affairs airs In former times the ministers minister's activities activities ties ties- were usually limited to the pulpit and to the services he ho rendered his p parishioners in times of sickness or death when and there were babies to be chris chris- chris or lov lovers rs to be bo married But now an an an entirely different condi condi- condition condition tion of affairs prevails prevails with many ministers min min min- They are eager to bo be as ns active in matters matters outside tl the o e chu church ch as in it and their congregations congregations often demand and encourage such activity Clergymen are active In inboards inboards boards bords of trade and other other com com- commercial commercial mercial organizations They join political organizations and often vielda wield a powerful influence influence influence ence in elections They lead vice crusades they head move move- movements movements movements ments for civic betterment and they visit city halls ana the state and national capitals to todo todo todo do active lobbying for measures in which they are interested The Rev Dr J Frank Norris is exactly exactly exactly this sort of date up-to-date up to what clergyman what one of his ado ad admirers once called a n coming and getting go coming and fire eating par par- parson par par- parson parson son It has hns been his boast that he wielded more influence through the weekly weekly which he publishes than through his sermon to congregations that often num- num number num number ber between and persons persons In fact it was a controversy concern concern- concerning concernIng concerning ing municipal politics which sent Mr Chipps to the clergyman's study that fateful July day and which led to the shooting that has resulted in th the in- in indictment indictment in indictment of the minister for murder Although the tho great majority of Dr Norris congregation and his other ad- ad admirers admirers ad admirers throughout the co country are stand stand- standing standing stand ing ing loyally by him there are many ear ear- earne earnest oar nest ne nest t men and women who find it hard to justify his deed even though it was wasas IlS as he ho maintains done in self self Many l interpreters of th Bible do not regard even even self defense as justification life for the taking of human life life life- They be- be believe be believe lieve lie that the sixth commandment Thou Not Kill means exactly what it says and permits of no exception It is ison ison ison on this ground that many people believe that war is never under any circum circum- circumstances circumstances stances justifiable But But the Rev Dr Norris s searching arching student of the Bible that he is believes he is able to find in its pages complete justification for his deed The he Bible Dible says a n nation shall defend printed word it for word in inthe the churchs church's a 1 official week week- weekly weekly ly publication a the Search aY r v light fight which L ri i p i has circulation circulation ir n a a r a tion lion of morn more moret t than h a n f and and goes goes to all q P parts of the x tw t It United States This publics publics- publication tion also car car- carries car carries q ries vigorous editorial com com- comment comment ment on local locals s and national M problems Y Dr Norris sermons are U WS L C 9 0 a- a aM M N v y broadcast reg- reg regularly reg reg- regularly regularly through The deserted farm house where Mrs Mills and her clergyman a powerful ra- ra ra radio lover often met and near which their ridden bullet-ridden bodies dio s tat t a t ion i o n were found maintained by bythe bythe the church itself itsel against an invading in foe he says Man has the same same inalienable right The commandment Thou Not Kill does not preclude the right of a aman aman aman man to protect himself No one would shrink from killing an nn attacking rattle rattle- rattlesnake rattlesnake snake The indictment of the R Rev v Dr Norris for murder recalls the fact that t before in his stormy car career er he was in- in indicted in indicted but for something far less serious than a killing In 1911 1311 his church in Fort Worth was destroyed by fire The pastors pastor's friends insisted that the fire had been set by the criminal elements of the city in revenge for the fight which Dr Norris lead had been waging against them His enemies however declared that the church had been fired by the pastor himself and the Grand Jury took this view of the the mat mal malter matter matter ter returning an indictment against Dr Norris fo for arson But when the tha case came to trial he was acquitted acquitted on an instructed verdict When Dr Norris took the pastorate of the First Baptist Church in Fort Worth it was a struggling little congre congre- congregation congregation congregation gation of less than persons Under his forceful leadership it has grown to a membership of and has become the owner of property valued at more than It is by far the largest church organization in the South and claims to have the lar largest st Sunday school in the world Besides the preaching which Dr Nor Nor- Norris Norris Norris ris himself does docs his wife delivers a ser ser- sermon sermon ser sermon mon every Sunday morning to women in of the thea thea- theaters theaters theaters only one city's largest She also conducts a Sunday school class at the church More than twenty salaried secretaries and other workers are employed to carryon carry on the work of the Sunday school Every sermon Dr Norris preaches is This station is known as ns which is said to stand for the slogan Keep Folks Quoting Bible It is to the use of the Bible as the sole text book and creed that Dr Norris contributes all th success of his church Only about half Dr Norris time is spent in Fort Worth The rest of the year ear he is filling revival engagements in all aU parts of the count country especially in New New- NewYork York St Louis Chicago and other northern cities It is because of the tremendous influence influence influence ence for good which they believe Dr Norris to wield that many of his friends and admirers are so distressed and wor wor- worried worried ried tied over o his self-confessed self shooting of Mr Chipps Even if it the deed eed can be fully justified on the ground ground of self self- self defense defense they have grave fears for the possible harmful effect it may have on his bis work as a preacher and moral cru- cru crusader crusader cru crusader There is no mystery mystery whatever about the I slaying of Mr Chipps by the Rev Dr Norris except Norris except in the minds of certaro certain tain taro people a mystery as to how v the clergyman is going to justify his deeds according to Bible Dible teachings But there is mystery of the strangest sort and thus far quite impenetrable in in the re- re recent re recent re-I re cent disappearance of Mrs Aimee Aimee Sem- Sem Semple Semple pie Sem-pie McPherson In California Mrs McPherson is fully as prominent in the religious world as Dr Norris is in Texas The fhe Angelus Temple which she founded sev several ral years ago is nearly as largely attended and exerts perhaps as wide an influence the First Baptist Church in Fort Worth J 4 Although nominally of course it is not nota nota a commercial concern it is run on the strictest business principles It has been r I called a religious factory where re religion re- re religion ligion is man manufactured in huge quantities quantities ties and then sold both wholesale and I retail On May Mrs McPherson and her young woman secretary were at Venice r ra a beach suburb for a n dip in the surf The secretary went to a nearby hotel to telephone leaving Mrs McPherson swimming close to the shore thore bore When she returned fifteen minutes later the evan evan- evangelist evangelist evan evangelist gelist was nowhere to be seen As weeks went by the belief grew that she must have been drowned Her Het parish parish- parishioners parishioners raised a fund as a memo memo- memorial memorial memorial I rial to her But after she had been miss miss- missing missing missing ing more than a month her mother handed overto overto overto the authorities an anonymous anonymous letter declaring that the vanished woman was still alive and demanding for her safe sate return A few days later while the authorities were vainly searching for some clue to the kidnappers the evangelist appeared in Agua Prieta just across the Mexican border exhausted as she said after a mile twenty mile walk across tile tle desert from the hut but where she had been held captive and from which she said she had escaped during the kidnappers temporary ab- ab absence absence ab absence sence This story was accepted without without- ques tion by thousands of Mrs lIra McPhersons McPherson's admirers The skeptical however pointed out that the evangelist was be- be being be being ing as ns sun burned as she would have been after suen a long desert desert journey and that her clothing had suffered sur- sur surprisingly sur surprisingly little A Federal grand jury was as unable to confirm Mrs McPhersons McPherson's story of hav- hav having having hav having ing been kidnapped It did however uncover evidence that the letter an- an announcing announcing an announcing the evangelists evangelist's safety had been received by er mother the day beI before be- be before be before I fore the raising of the memorial fund was begun The murder of the Rev Edward W hall and the married choir singer is shrouded shroud d in even deeper mystery What distresses many earnest people more than the double murder and the guilty romance that preceded it is the states state's charge that the murdered rectors rector's r widow a very wealthy woman woman and the members of her wealthy and Influential family have |
