Chapter II: Part 2

"In England, from October, 1891, to October, 1892, 12 ministers
committed suicide, 14 broke the marriage promise, 17 committed
various crimes, 18 misused animals, 109 violated women, 121 were
indicted for drunkenness (habitual), 254 cheated their creditors,
and 18 committed minor offenses. That is 2.75 per cent. of the
English ministry, says the 'Pall Mall Gazette,' who were in one
year in trouble with the law."

Since the revision of this work was undertaken, late in the fall of 1914, the clergy have not ceased to furnish fresh material for its pages, but as each additional name must cause a revision of totals, the later cases, which perhaps number two dozen, must await the next round-up. The following table condenses the crimes, offenses, etc., with which the ministers have been charged:

Abduction 22
Abortion and attempts to procure 19
Abusive language 22
Adultery 676
Alienation of affections 17
Arson 62
Assault with intent to murder 61
Assault with intent to rape 50
Assault with intent to do great harm 26
Assault and battery 66
Attempted suicide 15
Bastardy 77
Bigamy, attempted and accomplished 144
Breach of promise to marry 27
Burglary 17
Cheating, swindling, grafting, malversation,
misappropriation, etc. 288
"Conduct unbecoming a minister of the gospel" 44
Conspiracy 11
Contempt of court 13
Counterfeiting 16
Cruelty to wife or children 130
Debauchery 52
Desertion or non-support of wife or children 207
Disorderly conduct 44
Divorced or sued 56
Drunkenness 202
Elopement, attempted or accomplished 163
Embezzlement, fraud, defalcation, etc 162
Enticing women and young girls 15
False impersonation 13
Fighting 51
Forgery 123
"Fornication" 14
Gambling 19
Grave robbery 1
Gross immorality 40
Horse stealing 19
Illicit distilling 12
Illicit liquor selling 15
Immoralities with women and girls, miscellaneous and
variously described 223
Larceny 181
Libel 50
Lying and deceit 138
Malicious destruction of property and malicious mischief 22
Manslaughter 14
Murder generally 119
Murder of child 12
Murder of wife 27
Obscene language 16
Obscene print, circulation of 14
Obtaining money or property under false pretenses 65
Perjury or subornation of 12
Plagiarism or literary piracy 14
Praying for death of neighbor, who died 1
Profanity 11
Quarreling 19
Rape in general 43
Rape of girls under age of consent or puberty 76
Seduction in general 273
Seduction of girls under fifteen 28
Slander 109
Sodomy or unnatural crime 67
Stealing religious funds or property 23
Suicide 117
Threatening life 16
Violation of postal laws 17
White slavery and pandering 15
Wife or woman beating 57

Breaking up the home of another man, defamation of character, illegal marrying, violation of game laws, 9 each; blackmail and extortion and breaking jail, 8 each; breach of hospitality, homicide, and pension frauds, 7 each; criminal neglect, cruelty to animals, and kidnapping, 6 each; dueling, administering poison, and fraudulent divorce, 5 each; bribery, nuisance, shoplifting, trespass, and speeding, 4 each; carrying concealed weapons, compounding of felony, and false arrest, 3 each; bankwrecking, beggary, breach of trust, cattle stealing, illegal voting, lynching and incitement to, prize-fighting, profanity, quackery, receiving stolen goods, smuggling, violation of revenue law, election frauds, extortion, and "felony," 2 each; assisting prisoner to escape, attempted trainwrecking, coercion of the dying, criminal carelessness, cruelty to prisoners, desertion from the army, dynamiting, illegal practice of medicine, illicit manufacture of cigars, keeping disorderly house, lottery running, malicious prosecution, mutilating public records, praying for death of neighbor (who died), selling vote and influence, slave-holding (by a missionary), teaching boys to steal, vagrancy, violation of articles of war, violation of drug law, violation of Sunday law, jury fixing, undue influence, "corrupting morals of young girl," and obstructing justice, 1 each. The whole number is approximately five thousand, from actual count, 4,987.

Denomination of ministers so far as known:

Methodist 728
Baptist 492
Catholic 325
Presbyterian 187
Episcopalian 164
Evangelist 136
Congregational 120
Christian (or Campbellite) 101
Lutheran 100
United Brethren 38
Jewish 18
Adventist 17
Reformed 16
Holiness 12
Church of God 8
Disciples 9
Missionary 8
Dunkard 7
Greek Catholic 7
Universalist 7
Church of Christ 6
Sanctificationist 5
Unitarian 5
Mennonite 4
Friend (Quaker) 3
Mormon 3
Armenian 2
Independent 2
Moravian 2
Pentecost 2
Millennialist 2

The following minor denominations are represented by 1 each: Absolute Life, Apostolic, Amish, Christian Union, Christian Catholic, Come Outer, Do Right, German Evangelical, Gift of Thomas, Gospel Mission, Heliga, Holy Ghost Household Faithful, New Jerusalem, Nazarene, New Thought, Shaker, Straight Edge, Syrian, and True Reformer (20).

The whole number of ministers whose names are recorded here is 3,795. Their denomination is given in 2,556 cases; unknown in 1,239.

In explanation of the varying typographical arrangement of dates, names, etc., and of faults of pagination, it may be said that the older portions of the book, covering cases occurring prior to 1899, have been left as they formerly stood, except that the periodical comments and recapitulations accompanying fresh editions have been eliminated, and the available matter thrown into the general introduction to the volume. Cases that have occurred since the close of the list in the former style of composition have been rearranged and reset in one alphabetical list. The book, then, contains six alphabetical lists, beginning, in the first part, on page 10 (circa 1875-81); page 50 (to 1883); page 102 (to 1893); page 125 (to 1895); page 140 (to 1898); page 139, Part II. (to 1914). The rearrangement condenses, without omitting anything of permanent value, a volume which was becoming too large to be economically produced and distributed.

PREFACE TO EARLIER EDITIONS.

So long as imagination creates a god to rule the destinies of men; so long as ignorance can be made to believe that the preacher or priest is in some way a go-between, or agent, between men and the powers in the clouds--that he is a "sky-pilot," directly commissioned by deity to attend to God's affairs on earth, and that the priest's person and office are sacred--just so long will there be possible such a profession as that of the modern priesthood.

And if these preachers as a whole are just as criminal as any other class; if they are immoral without the excuse of want or ignorance--without reason other than because of their often indolent lives and the opportunities afforded them by the nature of their calling--then their followers cannot learn that fact too soon.

The first edition of this book was printed in 1881, since which time many thousands of copies have been scattered throughout the country; but in no case to our knowledge has anyone successfully denied the facts alleged against any "man of God" figuring in these pages. Its substantial accuracy is therefore assured. The only charge that can be maintained against it is its incompleteness. The publishers do not claim to have discovered more than a small percentage of clerical villainy. The churches endeavor to and do hide a great deal of the immorality of their ministers. The preachers, who govern the ecclesiastical tribunals, have a fellow feeling for one another. As a general thing, it is only when the clergy are brought before the secular courts that the public can learn the full facts. Comparatively few Catholic priests figure in this record, for the reason that that church is a close corporation which by political influence and by control of its members' tongues can conceal the crimes of its leaders. In all large cities of the country the Catholic church has a large and dangerous political influence, and its priests have every chance to go free of retribution for their vices and crimes. The judges are Catholics, or owe their positions to Catholic power; the court officers are Catholics; the policemen are Catholics. They all shield the "fathers" and withhold their names from publication.

It is impossible, too, for the editor to read all the papers and gather all the cases which do see the light of publicity. And, we are sorry to say, some of the secular journals suppress the news. If the country could be scanned closely the indications are that a hundred times as many crimes could be found rightfully charged to the men who set themselves up as teachers of morals. For use in future editions we therefore urge all who read these pages to send us such accounts of these cases as may come to their notice, giving facts, dates, and localities, and, if clippings from newspapers are sent, name, date, and place of publication of paper.

It has been objected by apologists for the system of religion in vogue in this country that clerical delinquencies prove nothing against the system. In this they are mistaken. Of course, if Christianity had a foundation of fact, these records would not prove that the fact is not there. What they do prove, however, is that the claim made for Christianity, that it makes men moral, is not true. For if the system is not sufficient to restrain its very teachers, how can we expect their pupils to profit by it? The point this book emphasizes, as an ex-Methodist minister, now a Rationalist, but always a moral man, forcibly puts it, is that religion in and of itself, is not a moral force; that it is not one with morality; that it may, and often does, exist without morality, and that morality gains nothing by being associated with it.

In proportion to their numbers, it is believed, more ministers than members of any other profession are guilty of crimes and vices. A large portion of the crimes are against women or with women. This, perhaps, is not strange when one considers the institution of pastoral visits. While men are away from home attending to their duties in life, the minister is roving about, pretendedly looking after the welfare of his flock, but really making calls upon the women who most attract him. What the confessional is to the Roman Catholic church, such is the "pastoral visit" to the Protestant church. Women should not attend the one or receive the other except in the presence of their fathers or husbands. Another institution of the church could also be done away with to the gain of morality--to wit, the lone studies for the minister annexed to the churches. These furnished rooms are the scenes of many debaucheries. With them, too, should go the side doors or choir entrances. The side door and study of a church in San Francisco were used for assignation purposes, which culminated in murder. A murdered woman was found at the confessional box of a Romish church in New York city. In Omaha a minister was found in the pastor's room of his own church asphyxiated in close embrace with a woman missionary. These side doors, secluded "studies," and secret confessional boxes are dangerous to virtue if not to life. Many a woman and girl passes through them to her downfall.

In this short history of ministerial conduct, lack of complete identity is sometimes unavoidable, for in the reports of these trials in the secular journals it has been customary to drop the first names of the defendant, and many a pious villain is recorded as "Rev. Mr. Smith," or "Rev. Mr. Jones." In some cases the place is not fully given where the crime was committed. Again, in certain instances, the offense receives the laconic name, applied by the ecclesiastical court which tried the criminal, as "immoral conduct," "lascivious conduct," etc.; definitions that hide the grossness of the offense, and so screen the reverend culprit in the interest of the church and the cloth. In many reports of trials by ecclesiastical gatherings the name of the accused is entirely suppressed, as is supposed, out of respect for his "sacred calling."

The denomination to which the "pious soul" belonged, is not always given, consequently this record will not do to rely upon to enable the reader to ascertain what branch of "the church of God" has shown the most efficiency in pastoral criminality.

Letters will be found placed after a name, as P.E., for presiding elder, Ev. for Evangelist; for instance: Carhart, Rev. J. W., P.E., and Bayliss, Rev. E. L., Ev. The D.D., PhD., LLD., and other addenda purchased of colleges and theological seminaries have not been preserved with any great care. If any reverend offender who has been overlooked, and so left out of this "illustrious category," desires the distinction of having his name and title made famous, he will please forward the facts.

THE TEN PARSONS.

(The following adaptation of a familiar rhyme has appeared in all editions of this book and might be missed if omitted.)

Ten little preachers, preaching love divine,
One kissed the servant girl, then there were nine.

Nine little preachers, preaching sinners' fate,
One took too much drink, then there were eight.

Eight little preachers, showing path to heaven,
One betrayed a brother's wife, then there were seven.

Seven little preachers, barring Satan's tricks,
One of them beat his wife, then there were six.

Six little preachers, preaching Christ alive,
One enticed a little girl, then there were five.

Five little preachers, preaching "Sin no more,"
One committed an assault, then there were four.

Four little preachers, pure as they could be,
One deflowered an eight-year-old, then there were three.

Three little preachers--pity they're so few--
One killed his paramour, then there were two.

Two little preachers, to glorify the Son,
One whipped his child to death, then there was one.

One little preacher, in the fold alone,
He committed suicide, then there was none.

DATE. PREACHER'S NAME. RESIDENCE. CHURCH. CRIME CHARGED.