THE CHRISTCHURCH PRESBYTERIAN DIFFICULTY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1056, 18 January 1883, Page 1

THE CHRISTCHURCH PRESBYTERIAN DIFFICULTY.

■ At the Ohristehurch Presbytery on Tuesd;i3', after the Rev C. Fraser had l'>een cited to appear and did nut do so, the Rev Mr Elm.-ly said it W'?uld devolve on him to make a brief .statement for the prosecuiiou : The charge preferred ag.-.inst Mr Fraser originally consisted of three parts. The hist of the three they had omitted as the case wont on, because of the difficulty of obtaining proof. The second they omitted because the proof would have been tedious pjid the question of trust moneys would have to come up in other connections, and ultimately tluy hul confined themselves to the charge of undue familiarity with female servants. Here again they had eliminated a number of items referred to by witnesses and others, and confined themselves to the live counts contained in the libel which had just been mul. The first count was based on a Jitma clumosa which arose early in hist year, and which exists to the present hour. This was the charge which led to the whole case. It was an evil report which proved to be too well founded, and which was enough to destroy the; usefulness of any minister of the Gospel. The charge jwmo, he asked the Presbytery to notice, was not a thing of ancient date but of the present time, and was of such a nature that for the honor of the Church they were bound to make investigation had led them step by step to the other counts contained in the libel. The charges under secuiulo, which were three years back, involved an unavoidable inference of immorality, and the charges under teiiio, quarto and quinto were supported by the most incontestable evidence—evidence which Mr Fraser could not rebut, and singularly enough it was when this evidence was laid on the table that Mr Fraser had withdrawn from the jurisdiction of thp Presbytery. If it was said that such evidence could not be rerebutted owing to the lapse of time, the same difficulty had to be overcome in the matter of proof, and Mr Fruser's greater knowledge of all the circumstances put ihe advantage on his sido. Mr Elmsly concluded by remarking that the case had been a sore calamity to the Presbyterian Church, and that nothing but a regard for the honor of the Church and the interests of the cause of Christ would have compelled them to goon with it. Tf they had been able honorably and consistently to maintain Mr Fraser's innocence, it would have served their interests as a body, and would have been gratifying to themselves personally, to have proclaimed his innocence to the world. Nothing but dire necessity had led them to bring the prosecution to tho present painful issue. The charges were then formally taken count by count, and sustained, and tho Presbytery then unanimously deposed Mr Fraser, and declared the chaigo of St. Andrew's Church vacant. A deputation was appointed to meet the congregation with reference to filling the charge.