Scandal Hits Two Ohio Churches: Pastor Gone, Another Pastor's Wife, Too

Note: There are picky little details that are inconsistent in these articles, minor stuff like the guy's name. I have a note at the bottom that spells it out. I have made everything more or less consistent, which may be more or less wrong. But if you happen to know of this case, and know what is correct, please leave a comment. If you have any other juicy details, such as where the people are buried, what ever became of them all, etc., please leave a comment.

Ohio, 1922

Preacher and Wife of His Friend Gone

Members of Two Marion Ministers' Families Mysteriously Disappear

MARION. — Two church communities near here were agog with gossip Saturday night, following the mysterious disappearance of Rev. W. W. Crabtree and information that Mrs. H. A. Rough, wife of Rev. Rough, was also missing.

Mrs. Crabtree came forth with a statement accusing her husband of an infatuation with Rev. Rough's wife, which she alleged extended over a year.

BEGINNING OF AFFAIR

The alleged affair began a year ago when the two ministers conducted a joint revival at Mount Gilead, the statement said, and since that time Mrs. Rough has frequently visited Rev. Crabtree's home.

Investigators, seeking a trace of the missing minister, were advised he had been seen near Chillicothe, but his trail was lost there. The disappearance followed Dr. Crabtree's resignation last Sunday. Later, he reconsidered and asked for leave of absence instead, which was granted. Immediately afterward, he left his home here, advising Mrs. Crabtree he was going to Louisiana.

WOMAN DISAPPEARS

The simultaneous disappearance of Mrs. Rough was learned Saturday, following the statement by the missing pastor's wife.

"I have the matter under prayerful consideration," was all Rev. Rough would say Saturday night. "God's will be done."

He refused to be disturbed by his wife's disappearance and insisted he would appear as usual before his little congregation Sunday.

—Lima News, Lima, OH, Jan. 15, 1922, p. 9.



PASTOR RUNS OFF WITH ANOTHER PASTOR'S WIFE

Scandal Hits Two Church Flocks in Ohio Towns.

Marion, OH, Jan. 16. — Green Camp, a village of 700 or 800 inhabitants six miles southwest of Marion, is convulsed over the elopement of the Rev. W. W. Crabtree, pastor of the Free Baptist church, with the 36-year-old wife of Rev. H. A. Rough of Morrow county, pastor of Bryn Zion church.

Crabtree's pulpit was declared vacant today and charges of moral turpitude were filed with the Rev. Roberts Hughes of Bucyrus, district superintendent. The latter occupied the Green Camp pulpit this morning, and the revival services conducted by Arthur Arnet, Moody Bible institute student, were declared closed.

Mrs. Crabtree made public the charges against her husband three days after he disappeared and trustees of the church established the fact that he and Mrs. Rough left in Crabtree's automobile. Crabtree is said to have told his wife in a note that he was going to Louisiana.

Neither Mrs. Crabtree nor the Rev. Mr. Rough will prosecute, but an uncle of Mrs. Rough has engaged attorneys to prosecute the couple. Action looking to the unfrocking of Crabtree will be brought at once, members of his Green Camp church pulpit committee said today.

Crabtree is 46 years old. He came to Green Camp two years ago from Plain City with his wife, and two children, one of whom is a boy 23 years old. The Rev. Mr. Rough, aged 50, has been pastor of Bryn Zion church a number of years. A year ago Crabtree assisted him in conducting a revival at Bryn Zion.

"Let God be their judge," was the only comment of Mr. Rough, when he came here to investigate facts relating to the elopement.

—The Davenport Democrat and Leader, Davenport, IA, Jan. 16, 1922, p. 3.



PASTOR LOCATES HIS LOST WIFE, HE SAYS

ZANESVILLE, Jan. 18.—"Although I do not wish to make a statement at this time, I will assure you that I have heard from Mrs. Rough and believe I know where she and the Rev. W. W. Crabtree are located," said the Rev. H. A. Rough, pastor of the Zion Baptist church of Mount Gilead, whose wife and Rev. Crabtree have both disappeared from their homes near Marion. The simultaneous disappearance created a sensation in Marion Co.

In the conversation Rev. Rough said that such sensational reports had been started concerning the disappearance of Mrs. Rough and Rev. Crabtree that he did not feel justified in making any statement about the affair.

However he hastened to add, Mrs. Rough had written him and had explained the matter.

Rev. Rough said that at the conclusion of series of meetings which he is holding at Duncan Falls, ten miles from here, he would have a statement for the newspapers which would thoroughly explain the affair.

—The Coshocton Tribune, Coshocton, OH, Jan. 18, 1922, p. 1.



MT. GILEAD PASTOR'S WIFE SENDS PARTING NOTE; SAYS FAREWELL

ZANESVILLE, Jan. 20.—Deserted by his erring but as yet unrepentant wife, Rev. H. A. Rough, pastor of the Bryn Zion Baptist church, near Mount Gilead, who is now conducting evangelistic services at Duncan Falls, makes public the following letter received from Mrs. Rough since her disappearance 10 days ago, presumably in company with Rev. W. W. Crabtree, a friend and neighbor of the Roughs and until the elopement, pastor of the Green Camp Baptist church near Mt. Gilead.

"Harvey: "Now before you read this letter, pray for strength, for the last few years I have not been satisfied but I have stayed with you and kept your house and tried to make it happy for your sake and the respect I have for you. And I didn't want to do anything to hurt your work. I have tried to get you to sell out different times as I wanted to get you out of the ministry, but have failed in all my attempts.

"I have not been true to you, I was down to Columbus when you were away in your other meetings, and down again last week, so I couldn't stay with you any longer. I left Monday morning and it is for good.

"I am on my way to Cincinnati; don't know where I will go from there, but I will never come back. I know you wouldn't want me back. I have left you everything, so if you break up, tell my mother so she can come up and get things ready. I am going to write her a few lines today. Now, above all things, don't tell Crabtree what I am, as we have been such good friends. They took me in their home and treated me so good. I would hate for them to know what kind of a wife you had.

"One thing more, and the last thing I will ever ask of you is, that you forgive me for the wrong I am doing you; and pray for me that some day I may accept God and be ready to meet Him at the judgment.

"I feel that you will forgive me, as you have that spirit of Christ in you. Now forget me only as you pray for me, for I never will live with you again. I hope I may never have to face you. Goodby, now for the last time. (Signed) EMMA."

—The Coshocton Tribune, Jan. 20, 1922, p. 3.



DENIES LEAVING WITH PASTOR

Wife Writes Zanesville Minister Farewell, However

ZANESVILLE — (By Associated Press) — A new chapter was written here today in the dual mystery surrounding the sudden disappearance of Mrs. H. A. Rough, wife of the pastor of Zion Baptist church near Mt. Gilead, and Rev. W. W. Crabtree, pastor of Green Camp Baptist church, near Marion.

Rev. H. A. Rough, who is conducting a revival at Duncan Falls, near here, made public a letter he said he had received from his wife in which she intimates that she and Crabtree did not leave together.

"Above all things, don't tell Crabtree what I am, as we have been such good friends," a passage in Mrs. Rough's alleged letter reads. "They took me in their home and treated me so good. I would hate for them to know what kind of a wife you had."

These statements follow other paragraphs in which Mrs. Rough stated that having failed in her attempts to get Rev. Rough to give up the ministry she "couldn't stay with you any longer."

"I am on my way to Cincinnati; don't know where I will go from there, but I will never come back," the letter said. "I hope I may never have to face you. Goodbye now, for last time."

—The Lima News, Lima, OH, Jan. 19, 1922, p. 1.



Other details:

Green Camp M.E. church
Bishop Anderson of Cincinnati to take up the matter of unfrocking Crabtree.
Mrs. Rough is childless.

—The Mansfield News, Mansfield, OH, Jan. 14, 1922, p. 1.


Additional

Feb. 24 Rough brought suit for divorce against Mrs. Rough. "The petition recites that Rev. Mr. Crabtree at the time was holding revival services in Muskingum county and that Mrs. Rough left her home and went to Marion, from which place she joined Rev. Mr. Crabtree."

—The Newark Advocate, Newark, OH, Feb. 24, 1922, p. 8.



Second Divorce Grows Out Of Big Scandal

MARION, O., Feb. 25. — Rev. H. A. Rough, former Bryn Zion Baptist church pastor in Morrow county, today filed suit at Mt. Gilead for divorce from Emma Rough, charging that on January 10 last she eloped with Rev. W. W. Crabtree, pastor of the Green Camp Baptist church.

A few weeks ago Mrs. W. W. Crabtree instituted divorce proceedings, but did not name Mrs. Rough as co-respondent.

—The Coshocton Tribune, Coshocton, OH, Feb. 25, 1922, p. 6.

Notes: Sometimes "Rough" is referred to as "Hough." Sometimes he's "H. U." and "H. W." instead of "H. A." I changed all the references to "Rough" and made his initials "H. A." throughout. Basically, I don't know which is correct.

As for my personal opinions, based on nothing more than the information in these articles, Rev. Rough doesn't sound overly broken-up about any of this. He was able to continue his revivals, and he would be in church Sunday as normal. Releasing the letter to the press, and what I would call blithe comments about "God's will be done" make it sound like his emotional attachment is limited. Maybe that's the kind of guy he was to live with, too!

As for Mrs. Rough's letter. This must be the note that was originally referred to in one of the earlier articles, that explained everything. The fact that she doesn't want him to tell the Crabtrees could indicate that she'd written it before any kind of running away with Crabtree was definite or even planned. She says she'd been to Cincinnati a couple times, implying some hanky panky took place there. And that she's going back there. She may have left the note, somehow made contact with Crabtree days later, and the two of them hatched out a plan to run off together. The news story that sees this as a denial that they ran off together doesn't consider the timing of the note and what could've taken place after it was written. Although factor this in, that Crabtree had resigned a week earlier, then asked for a leave of absence, etc. They may have discussed it, but then the reference to not telling the Crabtrees wouldn't make much sense.

OK, with that I must bid a fond farewell to the lot of them myself. If you have any additional details, please leave them in the comments.