The Preacher, the W.C.T.U. Woman, and the Congregation That Chose Not to Look

Chelan, Jan. 26 — Special. — Rev. C. C. Marston, the Baptist minister who last September caused much scandal and no little writing for the newspapers from Centralia and Olympia on account of his alleged improper relations with a female member of the Centralia flock, has been heard from again. According to a letter received here from Greenville, Ill., by Rev. D. D. Proper, superintendent of Baptist Home Missions for the state, Marston is operating in his new field as a revivalist, and is accompanied by Mrs. L. Freed, of Centralia, who, prior to October 15, was a prominent W. C. T. U. woman in that city. On that date she left her husband and children to join Marston in the East. Marston himself has a wife and five children in Olympia, who are now said to be in actual want, but who still have faith in the husband and hope for his early return to them.

Charges were made against Marston several months ago. These he denied vigorously, and the people at Centralia joined in a testimonial to his good conduct. He went from Centralia to Olympia. After a short time he was dismissed, leaving his church divided and demoralized. His conduct was investigated by the church authorities, but although it was sincerely believed he was crooked, no direct evidence against him could be secured, and his accusers were constrained to publicly retract. Then Marston disappeared, and nothing had been heard from him until the letter just mentioned came to Rev. Proper.

Light upon the whole affair is shed by the statements of W. G. Gaunee, of Centralia, who was bound to secrecy by Mrs. Freed until after her departure. Mr. Gaunee states that Mrs. Freed told him several months ago she loved Rev. Marston and would leave her home and family to join him.

"I feel," she said, "that we can serve the dear Lord better together than apart."

She refused to take any advice from Mr. Gaunee or to listen to any. However, he induced her, before she left, to deed all her interest in certain property to her husband. When she went away she was accompanied by her eleven-year-old son.

The Greenville letter is from Rev. J. T. Rogers, who asks: "Is Marston legally divorced from his wife, and is the woman he is now with divorced from her husband? Whose is the boy with them? Please give us what particulars may help to establish these facts in the minds of many of our members who have been captivated by this man, and that without his having any recommendations but a letter written by one Foulton of East St. Louis. I have utterly refused to pay a cent toward his work or to hear him, until I know he is warranted in the above actions, etc."

Rev. Proper visited Freed, who now lives with the remaining children in Hoquiam, a short time ago. He found that Freed knew his wife was with Marston, but Freed said he would do nothing about the matter. Some had advised him to follow Marston and kill him, but this he would not do. He preferred that the recreant minister should live and be plagued with his sin forever.

Rev. Proper made the statement of facts as above last night. He regretted the disgrace that must come upon the church, but he considered it his duty to expose these guilty persons. Marston is a man of good presence and pleasing ways, and it is apparent this lesson shows that unless he is exposed he will repeat in other places the sins he committed here against his church and against his fellow men.