EXTRAORDINARY SCENE IN A CHURCH.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2599, 7 May 1877, Page 2

EXTRAORDINARY SCENE IN A CHURCH.

Whitehaven, Thursday.—At the Whitehaveu Police Court to-day the Her. Edward S. Goodhart of Harrington, summoned Mr Abraham Kendall, a brewer and churchwarden of Harrington, for assaulting him on Sunday evening the 28th ult, Mr Goodhart stated that he had been living in Owesby, Lincolnshire, but beiDg in ill-health he had permission from the Bishop to stay at Harrington and officiate there. He had been in India and had suffered" from jungle fever, and "was very nervous. On the night in question he was. very unwell, and being short-sighted could not read the lessons well. After service when he went into the ve3try Mr Kendal said he,-was "beastly drunk," and called him a scoundrel, telling him to "get out of this you dammed scoundrel." Mr Kendall then seized hold of him by the ooat and j, shoved him out of the church, malting m him fall on the pavement and injuring ' his wrist. He denied'that he was. drank —all the drink he had that day was about sixpenny worth of whisky mijced with eggs. Mr Kendall also charged ~Mr Goodbart with assaulting him.. He wd that as soon as he heard the clergyman begin to. read the lessons he knew/tbatsometh>'ng was wrong. Several persons-left the church during the service, and from the manner in which the clergyman caught hold of the rail in ascending the pulpit he was sure he was drunk. He could mike nothing' of - the clergyman's sermon or text. All he understood was that lie bad been in a land where honey dropped from ' rocks and milk flowed from cQWS-r(laugb.< tar) —and he (Mr Kendall) thought thfl clergyman had got a good lot of it that day, (Laughter.) He told MrGoodbaiti he was a disgrace to the Church. The - clergyman accused him of being drani, and Mr Kendall replied—" Well, th» most drunken man must go but .first.' Both caught hold of each other •by ta» coat collars, and the cleryman fell out of the door. Notwithstanding that Dr Did said the clergyman was suffering frott nervousness, Mr Kendall swore positiviV that ho was drunk. He bad been drinling rum or whislry. He called Mr Goolhart a disgraceful druukard, as he saw bin stagger against the church door. "Wfcnesses expressed the opinion that it Goodhart was lipsy, hut the Magistnte find Mr Kendall £3 fqr assault, he court was crowded.