Reading, Penn., May 18 – The ecclesiastical trial of the Rev. M.L. Fritch of Reading, a widely-known minister of the Reformed Church, on the charges of theft and falsehood, will begin at 10 o’clock to-morrow morning at Womelsdorf, Berks County, before the Lebanon Classis. The case is one of the most extraordinary on record and has deeply stirred religious circles throughout Eastern Pennsylvania, by reason of its peculiar features and the prominence of the accused pastor, who had hitherto always borne a high reputation in the community. It is strange to imagine a well-to-do minister of the Gospel stealing pocket knives, but that is exactly what the Rev. Mr. Fritch is charged with doing.
Widespread interest attaches to the outcome of the church trial, inasmuch as a criminal trial on the same charges will be held at the coming term of the Berks County Court. The charges in detail, as reported by a special investigating committee of three ministers to the Lebanon Classis on April 13 last, are these:
First, theft; second, falsehood. Under the first we, the committee allege:
That on March 5, 1890, the Rev. M.L. Fritch entered the hardware store of Bard, Reber & Co., 800 Penn Street, Reading, Penn., and stole one-half dozen pocket knives.
That on more than one occasion, according to his own written confession, he took dozens of knives and other goods from the same store.
Under the second charge we allege:
That the falsely related to the Rev. L.K. Derr that the Plow Church, seven miles from Reading, would subscribe $100 toward paying off indebtedness of Zion German Reformed Church.
That at the time when he stole the pocket knives he also stole a number of paint brushes, and denied under the most solemn assertion that he had taken anything but pocket knives until confronted by the person who saw him take the brushes.
That having a number of years ago made a slanderous charge against two ministers of Reading, Revs. Henry Mosser and J.W. Steinmetz, which became common talk, he within the last few weeks most empathically denied every having said a word to cause such talk.
This report is signed by Rev. Messers T.M. Yundt, W.C. Shaeffer, and I.K. Funk. A large number of witnesses, they say, will be on hand to-morrow to prove the charges against the Rev. Mr. Fritch. The unfortunate clergyman resigned from the classis immediately after the scandal became public and gave up his charge. The Rev. D.E. Klopp of Lebanon has been authorized to act prosecuting attorney in the trial, and some other able minister will be appointed to represent Mr. Fritch, who has declined to select counsel to defend him, although invited to do so. Strong pressure is being exerted upon the classis to postpone the ecclesiastical trial until after the criminal court has acted upon the case, but the trial will doubtless proceed. It was postponed once before, on April 28, and the majority of the ministers constituting the classis are now urging immediate action.
The Rev. Mr. Fritch’s health has been sadly impaired by the excitement of the scandal. Thus far he has failed to set forth any material defense. He said yesterday, “I will not attend the trial, as I have resigned from the classis and severed my relations with the church. The haste with which the trial has been hurried forward is unbecoming clergymen in their treatment of a brother minister. They should await the result of the civil trial, and than I would have appeared before them, and the ecclesiastical trial could then have gone on with decency and without malice. I have not decided upon any definite course. I have been greatly annoyed by the persecutions of enemies, but am trying to beat up.”
Submitted by Brenda.
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