J.S. who poses as a preacher of the Christian Church, was sentenced to the roads of Edgecombe County for 16 months by Judge J.C. Smith at a special session of recorder’s court here Thursday on a charge of registering at a boarding house as man and wife with a woman of ill fame.
Williams, who was reared in the Robersonville section, moved from that community about 25 years ago to Arkansas, where he remained for about 15 years, later returning to this county. He claimed to have reformed and said that he was a minister of the Christian church He made no attempt to prove himself worthy and ask for enrollment as a minister of that church; yet he went to some local congregations and presented himself as a minister. The power to select and employ a preacher resting with the local congregations enabled him to get the pastoral charge of a number of churches from year to year. His pastorates generally did not last more than a year, and he usually left under a cloud, moving to some other section to repeat the imposition.
Rumors floated in from Arkansas and many of the churches were warned to beware of him. Yet a few people and a few churches would not believe the rumors and recognized him, while others stood hands-off, hoping things would grow better. One of his strong points with some people was his “anti” or revolutionary attitude toward the organized work of the church of which he claimed to be a preacher. He was often found criticizing the orthodoxy of other preachers and succeeded in building much prejudice against the State and national missionary boards, especially among the more ignorant people, and even a few unsuspecting ministers stood by and sustained his work.
While his work was unauthorized by the church and he was not recorded as a preacher, nevertheless he has done much harm by his false leadership.
So far, no record can be found of his being ordained to the ministry by the regular body of the Christian Church in Arkansas, where he claimed to have hailed from as a minister.
It is said of him that he was a good Bible scholar for an uneducated and an ignorant man.
Although many rumors and complaints had floated around against him, no real concrete case presented itself until the 14th of October, when he took one Odell Phelps from Washington County to the home of Mrs. Bell Manning, a widow lady in Wilmington who keeps rooms for rent, and presented himself as Mr. Williams and introduced the Phelps girl as his wife. They spent the night together in the same room and Willliams paid the bill. From there they left on the morning of October 15 and stated they were going to the Edenton Fair. They returned that night and again occupied the same room as man and wife. And to make the insult more odious, Williams proceeded to quote and argue Scriptures to Mrs. Manning.
Nothing further was heard from the couple until November 5th, when they again returned. This time Mrs. Manning had no unoccupied rooms, and Williams and the Phelps girl went to the home of Mrs. Louisa Perry, where they again claimed to be Mr. and Mrs. Williams and wife and occupied a room there.
In a few days it came to the knowledge of both Mrs. Manning and Mrs. Perry that they had been imposed on, and they proceeded to go after the protection the law guarantees against these deeds.
Warrants issued from this county were sent to Washington County for service. When arrested Williams was at the home of the Phelps girl. He succeeded in furnishing bond in the sum of $1,000, but his bondsman turned him over to the sheriff because of rumors that Williams was preparing to skip.
At the trial Thursday, the State put on Mrs. Perry and Mrs. Bell Manning, who gave in detail the transactions as to their claim to be man and wife.
Sheriff Reid of Washington County described Williams’ denial of the crime when arrested, and that later—on Sunday—he admitted his guilt, said that he knew the Phelps girl and that she was 21 years old. Hon. Carl Bailey of Roper was put on the stand and stated that Williams lived in Roper, that his wife was 45 or 50 years old and lived with him.
Mr. Kemp, also of Roper, testified that he knew Williams to be a married man and that he lived in Roper. Williams did not put on any testimony.
The court adjudged him guilty and sentenced him to the roads of Edgecombe County for the term of 16 months. Williams gave notice of appeal to the superior court to ??(word obscured) beginning December 14. The court fixed his bond at $1,000 for his appearance, and upon his failure to furnish the bond he was remanded to jail.
From the front page of The Enterprise, Williamston, N.C., Nov. 20, 1925
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073995/1925-11-20/ed-1/seq-1/
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