Booker v. Smith

Ed. F. McFaddiN, Justice.

This unfortunate litigation steins from a dispute between the two groups in the Antioch Baptist Church in Bradley county, Arkansas. The Antioch Church was organized prior to 1866. In 1868, a tract of one acre was conveyed to three named persons as “deacons of the Baptist Church in trust for a place of religious worship.” This acre has been continuously used for the church building and cemetery. In April, 1937, an adjacent tract of 2% acres was conveyed to the church “for church purposes and for public burial grounds.” The property rights claimed by each group require…