Minutes of the June 11, 1898 Foreign Mission Board Meeting

Saturday, June 11, 1898, 5 P.M. The Board met in adjourned session at this hour. Present brethren Winston, Willingham, Barton, Smith, Ryland, Mathews, Hatcher, Pitt, Ellyson, Jno. Pollard, H. R. Pollard, Williams, Hutson, Jones, Mercer. Prayer by Dr. Pollard. Upon invitation bro. Powell presented the paper containing his reply to the charges which had been preferred against him, as follows: Reply of W. D. Powell to Charges. (A) I agreed to go with Prof. Starr to Chiapas and intermediate points, where I hoped to find the conditions favorable to locate a new field for myself and family. The trip is long, tedious, dangerous, on horseback, and I felt that if I had to do no work for him, I would simply use his company, but, if he wanted me to do any work, I insisted on his paying the Board for my time. I wrote to Dr. Willingham about going, and he seemed to imply approval, but without specifying anything in reference to what I should do with Prof. Starr, as nothing definite had been arranged, or ever was arranged between us. I was with Prof. Starr three days at an Indian town near Toluca and received no pay and that was all. See page. 162. *(B) As the missionaries have lost friendship, they have naturally lost confidence for the two things are inseparable. In conversing with Miss Hayes in which I stated I had not talked of the troubles, we were referring to the businessmen of the town and it was true. I only spoke of the matter to Rev William Wallace, for on asking him for letter, he stated