# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1852 12 07_S1027
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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and entered in the minute-book of the congregation:

"Resolved, that we by no means declare Pastor Schmidt unfit to administer further the holy office of preaching, although in his conduct of the office among us he has, if not wickedly and willfully, committed many oversights and blunders, which, after they had been laid before him, he also sincerely acknowledged and confessed. With this declaration, however, we combine the other, that we do not feel ourselves bound thereby in our conscience to call him again as our teacher and pastor, since under the present circumstances it must be wiser not to do so."

5. That, moreover, the Reverend Messrs. Grabau and Winkler, in those mendacious communications, out of the evil treasure of the unnamed informant and out of concealments of Pastor S., by their present judging of dispositions, impute to me that I had wished to displace Pastor S. only in order to bring Pastor Schwan to Cleveland and thereby to enlarge the circle of our Synod — these and similar venomous and spiteful insinuations and allusions, without these righteous judges, as shown above, having thoroughly and impartially ascertained the facts — these I can by God's grace heartily despise and laugh at; for it is well known to the true Searcher of hearts and righteous Judge in heaven that I have acted in this whole matter to the best of my knowledge and conscience, without human favor and disfavor, and with hearty supplication to God for the enlightenment of the precious Holy Spirit, to judge justly.

Dr. W. Sihler.

Dreadful Desecration of a Church!!!

Burning of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Neumelle, St. Charles County, Missouri.†)

An unheard-of crime has been committed, at which the blood congeals in one's veins; a dreadful outrage, which must fill all with horror and indignation. Whoever has still any love of justice, whoever still possesses a spark of human feeling, must abhor this wickedness, which finds its like only among the very rudest heathen. Even in Turkey the Christians have free exercise of religion, even the Turks respect the property and the houses of worship of the Christians. But what even in Turkey would be reckoned among things unheard of, that has happened in our time in this State!

†) This communication does indeed not properly belong in the "Beilage," but since the latter just happens to offer the space necessary for it, we see no reason why we should not lay this communication before our readers on this occasion. The Editor.

The poor, small Evangelical Lutheran congregation in Neumelle, which sought to have peace with all men, which desired nothing but the free exercise of its religion, had undertaken, at the greatest sacrifices, the building of a church; the building was already nearly completed, when it was set on fire in the night between the 21st and 22nd of January of this year and wholly laid in ashes. This much is already certain, this burning of the church is the work of incendiaries. Wicked, treacherous villains, skulking in the dark, have laid their impious hand upon the sanctuary of the LORD, and with devilish malice destroyed the property of their fellow citizens.

But God, the righteous Judge, will not leave this atrocious deed unpunished." A just government will not rest until it has discovered the treacherous incendiaries and visited them with the deserved punishment. All honest citizens will cooperate in delivering the villains to the arm of justice. For this desecration of a church is a crime against the whole State, against the whole civil society. The State has assured to all citizens liberty of conscience and free exercise of religion. Those infamous church-burners, however, evidently had the tyrannical intention to rob the Lutherans there of this precious jewel. Therefore the government will surely prove by active intervention that this is and shall remain a free country, in which the Lutherans also, like all other citizens, have religious liberty, and in which such abominable tyranny is not tolerated.

But the dear reader will surely like to hear something more particular about the Evangelical Lutheran congregation in Neumelle. Already for a long time it had had many tribulations to endure. For in the congregation there, in the previous year, a division had arisen, and only the smaller part remained, with its preacher, Mr. Claus, faithful to the Evangelical Lutheran doctrine. The larger part turned to the so-called Evangelicals and was also received by them and provided with a preacher. From the part that had remained faithful, a few days before Pentecost, the church was locked by the opponents. Driven out of the house of God, they were now compelled to keep their divine service at the feast of Pentecost in a private house, and so the beautiful feast of joy became for the little congregation a day of mourning, which they had to keep, instead of with songs of joy, with sighs and tears.

Instead of now complaining before a court and seeking their right, the little congregation resolved, out of love of peace, to build a church of their own. Then in the previous summer the cholera broke out in Neumelle with fearful violence and carried off also several faithful members of the Evangelical Lutheran congregation. Thereby the already small flock melted together still more.

Yet the Lutherans nevertheless did not lose courage. Joyfully they set their hand to the work. Some acres of land were bought, and all exerted themselves, according to their ability, yes, beyond their ability, to procure the necessary means for the new church building. Poor people who still owed the money for the first church building and had to pay interest on it, even widows, delivered their contributions. With prayer and tears the foundation was laid, and so great was the zeal of the dear brethren that they did their own work at home by night, and by day built at the church. Cheerfully the building prospered, and already they hoped, on the first Christmas day, or at least at New Year, to hold divine service in the new church of God: when this hope was destroyed by a wicked outrage.

It was in the holy Christmas night, the birth-night of our Lord and Saviour, while Christians in holy devotion and joy were praising the grace of God, that this shameful piece of villainy was carried out. Godless villains forced their way into the church and destroyed everything that came in their way. The windows were smashed and the window-frames hacked to pieces, the beautiful door, a gift to the congregation, was hewn to bits, the new stove shattered, the floor torn up, and everything thrown together in confusion.

The dear reader can imagine the deep grief of the precious congregation when they now came on the first Christmas day to the church and saw the abomination of desolation. Thus once more a lovely feast of joy was changed into a day of mourning; for whereas otherwise on the first Christmas day the blessed message of joy of the angel sounded forth to the congregation: Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy; for unto you is born this day a Saviour, so now the terrible tidings resounded to them: Unto you is this day the church destroyed. And as the dear Child Jesus found no room in the inn, but with His mother Mary was thrust out into the dark stable, so also the dear congregation saw itself thrust out of its own house of God, and had to make shift again miserably with a private dwelling, and also to keep Christmas with its divine service, instead of with glad jubilation, with sighing, sobbing and weeping.

But the satanic malice of the enemies was not yet satisfied with this. It was to come yet worse, and the precious congregation to drink the bitter cup of suffering still further. In the night of the 21st to the 22nd of January the church was set on fire by wicked, godforgotten villains. In the morning the brethren went thither to lay beside the church the foundation for a parsonage: there, imagine their dismay, they found the church lying in ashes, and only smoking ruins stared at them.

There now lay before their eyes the work destroyed, for which they had given their last mite, on which they had now so long spent the most toilsome labor, and in which they had shed their bitter sweat. There lay in ashes boards alone to the value of 40 dollars; some lost almost all their tools in the fire. They broke into