Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 19.djvu/215

 Memorial Window in Trinity Church, Portsmouth. 209

some U. S. naval officers to relinquish their pews, and withdraw from the Church, the major commanding desires you to furnish him with an exact copy of the inscription on the above window for his information.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

E. W. STONE, Lieutenant and A. A. A. G.

This information was readily furnished to the military authorities by the Registrar, accompanied by the following resolution by the Vestry :

Resolved, That the Vestry of this Church disclaim any intention, in permitting the erection of the memorial window lately placed therein, to give any offence to any person or persons attending upon the services of the Church."

(Signed)

"J. H. D. WlNGFIELD,

Associate Rector. "ARTHUR EMMERSON,

Registrar. Monday, May 5th, 1868.

The naval officers who made complaint were Captain C. P. R. Rogers, Captain Pattison, Captain George H. Cooper, Chief Engi- neer Newell, and Lieutenant Marine Corps Hammersly.

The cause of complaint was " the offensive word ' INVASION ' " in the inscription. To appease said complainants, the Rector caused the inscription to be covered out of sight, but without the desired effect; whereupon, the aged pastor of the Church concluded that the best way to preserve the peace would be to take the window out; which was accordingly done. Meanwhile an order came from the Secretary of the Navy at Washington to " close the Navy- Yard gates if the window was not removed before Saturday night." The Rev. Father Plunkett, the pastor of the Roman Catholic Church in Portsmouth, was visiting some of his parishioners in the Navy-Yard, and read the order, but notified the officials that in anticipation of such a result the window had already been removed. The closing of the Navy-Yard, and thereby throwing out of employment hundreds of citizens who had nothing whatever to do with this matter, meant nothing less than to invite and encourage mob law. Some of the employees in the yard did say that if it was closed they would pull " 14