The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, JULY 5, 1888. A NICE SORT OF CLERGYMAN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1885, 5 July 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, JULY 5, 1888. A NICE SORT OF CLERGYMAN

There is no person with any sense of right mindedness, but mil regard the aotion of Judge Williams m refusing a discharge to the Rev. Alfred Brunton, a bankrupt, as clearly indicative of justice. Mr Brunton poses as a Christian Minister, and he coolly went out of his way to libel harshly and unjustly the wife of a gentleman who had belonged |to his flock. When a verdict carrying substantial damages was recorded against him for the offence he sought the shelter of the Bankrupty Court to get out of paying the full amount. He came up for his discharge m due course, but this was not granted. The jury which decided that Mr Brunton had been guilty of committing a serious libel determined the law on the subject against him, and when His Honor said " It was true that it was not desirable that a minister of the Gospel should be m the position of an undischarged bankrupt, still, at the same time, it was not desirable that a minister of the Gospel should be defendant m an action for libel," he merely gave point to the jury's decision. While justice is meted out by thus refusing the discharge the Court seemed to infer that as soon as Mr Brunton had paid up his only creditor m full, he could then come up again with a hope that he would be successful. Mr Brunton cruelly used his ministerial position to slander a helpless woman, and then he sought to Bneak away from the payment of the damages m which he was mulcted. Such an action is bad enough m an ordinary citizen, but as displayed by a professing Christian it is contemptible