Dr. Earp's Sad Case

The public generally, and the nisjority of the parishioners of St. Andrews church especially, have been surprised and grieved at the reports published. during the past week in the daily press, regarding the financial transactions of Rev. Samuel Earp, who was rector of the church until last Saturday night. But what has pained the friends of Dr. Earp the most, is that these reports are in the main correct and cannot be denied. Much surprise prevailed when Dr. Earp's resignation was presented to the vestry aud so promptly accepted by them. This resignation was to take effect on Nov. 10, but was amended on Saturday to take effect on Aug. 1, and was accepted as amended by the board on Saturday, Mr. H. S. Brown read the service at the meeting on Sunday morning and announced the fact that the pari;h was without a rector at present. The work that Dr. Earp has done among the students of the Hobart Guild and as rector of St. Andrews church cannot be questioned. No rector ever gave such universal satisfaction in his churoh work and none have been more successf ui. His financial relations with the church funds and with the Hobart Guild are perfectly correct. When Dr. Earp came to Ann Arbor four years ago, he was heavily involved, the amount being placed at from $G,000 to $10,000. To carry this acuount has been an almost superhuman effort, while at the same time he was doing a great amouQt of work which devolves upon the rector of this parish. Both these things Mr. Earp succeeded in doing during the past four years, his work in the parish being remarkable. Dr. Earp's indebtedness amounts at present to between $10,000 and $11,000. This large amount he has been carrying by "borrowing lrom Peter to pay Paul.1' At first he borrowed from members of the church, getting men and women indiscrimately to endorse h9 paper. The members began talkingamoug themselves, and during the past two years he has borrowed of everybody tbat would loan hian, trom members of other denominations and members of no church at alL His position as rector gave him a standing where almost anybody would loan him. Finally business men began to doubt him, and then he began going to Ypsilanti, Dexter, and other places. "Whenever anybody pushed him he would hustle around and find someone else to help him out. Seversl widows have been on his paper and it is tbought that now some of them are still endorsers and will suffer. Mr. Earp's financiai work has been known to the vestrymen for tbe past two years and cast considerable reflection on the church, the vestry being glad to remove thia by accepting his resignation, altbough they all claim that he was not asked nor was it intimated that they would like the resignation. That the vestry were aware of the facts is proven by their actions when Earp was a candidate for bishop after Bishop Harris' death. One vestryman said that at tht time the vestry held a meeting and concluded to ask Earp about the miscellaneous borrowing of money and ascertain what disposition he was making of so much money, no one at the time, or even now, being aware whafhe was doing with money. Dr. Earp was called before them and asked regarding the matter, the vestry assuring him that if he made a satisfactory explanation they would be very glad to support him. Mr. Earp simply said he had no explsnation to make and was not a candidate for bishop. ThÍ3 explains why the Ann Arbor delegates did Dot support bim at the convention. The outlook is poor for the creditors to get out whole. Some of the paper ia not due yet, and what the disposition of those who hold it remains to be Been. The reputation of the church haa auffered greatly from these transactions, some of them bordering on misrepresentationand impossible stories. A largeamount of the notes givea are now held by the Ypsilanti Savings banks, otly a few huudred dollars being in the bank here. There is no doubt but that this borrowing has been a monomanía with Dr. Earp. lie has often spoken of a large legacy which had fallen to him but wbich failed to materialize. Had he not been laboring under a delusion, he could never have stood up undc the constant worry and cares of carrying such a heavy financial load for four years, and even longer, as the dispatches state that he had the same trouble in New York ten years ago. The only explanation given by Dr. Karp is that he lost by endorsing for a brother. Dr. Earp has broken down completely since the matter became public, and was taken to the sanitarium at Battle Creek on Saturday for rest. Many expressions of sympathy are heard for Mrs. Earp and the family, who have become so popular in church and social circles during their residence here.