A $16 Sermon, a Political Pulpit, and a Hung Jury
A frontier preacher sued for his fee; the churchgoer said the sermon had turned into electioneering. Five hours later, the jury still couldn't agree.
An action has been brought by one Osgood against Joseph Condon. The action was to recover $16 for the plaintiff's services as a preacher of the Gospel. In the testimony, it appeared that the money was not to be paid if the plaintiff preached politics, which the defendant thought he did, and consequently withheld payment. The jury failed to agree after being out five hours.
“The action was to recover $16 for the plaintiff's services as a preacher of the Gospel.”
A preacher's $16 fee turned on whether his sermon had become political—a question that still shadows churches, tax status and election-season speech. The hung jury is a reminder that frontier courts could deadlock over conscience as readily as modern ones do.
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