A Bishop's Business, Cont.

At the Dallas meeting of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Bishop James Cannon Jr. confounded his critics and won his church's forgiveness by confessing and emotionally repenting his stock gambling with a Manhattan "bucket shop" since exterminated by the law (TIME, June 16 et ante). Last fortnight Bishop Cannon confounded the Senate Lobby Committee, which sought to learn about his handling of political campaign funds, by challenging its legal authority, marching out of the hearing. Both victories were parliamentary cleverness. But last week Bishop Cannon suffered a reverse on his moral front. The Senate committee returned to the subject of his embarrassment at Dallas and published a subpoenaed correspondence between Bishop Cannon and his "broker," Harry Goldhurst, now serving five years in Atlanta Penitentiary for using the mails to defraud "purchasers" of stock he never bought for them.

The correspondence showed that the bishop had continued dealing with Goldhurst after a bank from which he was borrowing money had questioned Goldhurst's brokerage methods.

Excerpts from the bishop's correspondence: "I certainly regret that we happened to strike such a line of difficult stocks. Kindly have statement made out showing all sales and purchases since last statement. . . . Managed after hard struggle to land $400 which I am enclosing. ... I am being [kept] on edge, and fear of flop in the Paige, Butterick, Porto Rico and Moon have conspired to induce pessimism. . . . Never wire Washington unless I give definite instruction. Always causes unpleasant complications."

The bishop changed his cable address for receiving brokers' reports while in South America from "Cannon Methodista" to "Cannon Western."

Other excerpts: "I must insist that I prefer to take profits and buy on recessions. ... P. S. Tell the dark-haired damsel to hold on to my portfolio. ... I š am sorry . . . that you are not a prophet of the first grade."

Rumors that Bucketeer Goldhurst had pleaded guilty to keep Bishop Cannon's name out of court, last week led Nebraska's Senator Norris, chairman of the Judiciary Committee who appointed the subcommittee on lobbying, to promise an investigation of a report that Goldhurst's sentence had been commuted to two yearn, and to find out "who is sponsoring appeals for clemency."

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