Civil Government and Religion

NINTH CASE

J. L. James, Star of the West, Ark.

Mr. James, a Seventh-day Adventist, was indicted by the Grand Jury in January, 1886, for Sabbath-breaking. The particular offense was for doing carpenter work on Sunday. The indictment was founded on the testimony of Mr. Powers, a minister of the Missionary Baptist Church. Mr. James was working on a house for a widow, near the Hot Springs Railroad. The work was done without any expectation of receiving payment, and wholly as a charitable act for the poor widow, who was a member of the Methodist Church. Mr. James worked in the rain to do it, because the widow was about to be thrown out of the house in which she lived, and had no place to shelter herself and family. Powers, the informer, lived about six hundred yards from where thye work was done, and on that very Sunday had carried wood from within seven on rods of where Mr. James was at work, and chopped up the wood in sight of Mr. James. CGRRLL 127.2

Mr. James was arrested, and gave the usual bond for his appearance in Court. He appeared before Judge Wood at the January term of the Circuit Court of 1686. His case, with others, was laid over to await the decision of the Supreme Court in the Scoles case. The first Monday in February, 1887, his case was called for trial. He confessed judgment; the regular fine and costs were assessed, and were paid by Eld. Dan. T. Jones, as the agent of Mr. James’s brethren at large. CGRRLL 128.1