Baptist Church Trustees Take Case to Court, Jan. 30, 1926

Go Into Court to Force Their Pastor to Resign

Gastonia, Jan. 29—Seeking to force their pastor, E.W. Burke, to resign from his charge, trustees of the St. Paul’s Baptist Church, colored, have taken the matter into Superior Court here. The case of W.N. Hardy, E.F. Robinson, J.W. Chord, Henry Allen, Robert Ford and Malchael (Michael?) Mutz, the church officers, vs. E.W. Burke is set for trial before Judge W.F. Harding here Saturday. The plaintiffs claim they are duly elected trustees of St. Paul’s Church, and are members in good standing. They claim E.W Burke, during the year 1925, “attempted to and did act as pastor” of the church. The customary “Rev.” is not used in referring to the colored minister.

From the front page of The Concord Daily Tribune, Saturday, Jan. 30, 1926

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1926-01-30/ed-1/seq-1/