Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-06-10
FIVE SPURIOUS COLLEGES.
Suppressed In Philadelphis After Giving d.
nl0nD0A.

plOmas. t -.s
Members Of the Alleged Faculty Arrested
Said 10 Have Been Sold
Exposed BY . News
paper.
For twelve or fifteen years Philadelphia
has been the seat of number of medical
colleges that flooded the country with
spurious diplomas. The Legislature of
Pennsylvania tried, in 1872, to suppress
the institutions, but failed, and they have
been run ever since on legally issued char
ters. The authorities declared themselves
powerless to stop it. Six months ago the city
editor of the Record, John Norris, called
the attention of Attorney General Pal
mer to these concerns, and the grave
necessity for ther suppression. But the
state had no evidence against them.
and the attorney general had no money
with which to proceed. Then the Record
offered to advance the money to the COM
mOnwealth upon promise of reimburse
ment by the state Legislature, and the
work was begun. Yesterday it eliminated
in proceedings which will wipe out five
spurious medical colleges, and the arrest
of John Buchanan, dean of the American
university at Philadelphia and the Eclectic
medical college of Pennsylvania. He was
also president Of the NatiOnals c,ecti; med
ical association, which issued diplomas,
and under the alias of James Murray. ID.
d., he acted as dean Of concern issuing
diplomas as the Livingstone university Of
America. Two other of the faculty,
Charles s. Polk and John J. Seggins,
were arrested and six others OF
the faculty are still at large, appar-
emily ont of the reach of the police.
The Record publishes a full expose. Its
city editor has prepared evidence which it
is alleged will show the sales of forty-twO
diplomas to various persons. He gives
the names of eleven others to whom the di-
plomas were offered, and the names OF
eleven agents who were acting for Bu-
chanan. The Record man himself set the
trap which resulted in Buchanan's arrest.
For SO he obtained three medical diplO-
mas, one in English from the Eclectic
medical college OF Pennsylvania, a regu-
larly chartered institution, ono from the
American University of Philadelphia, in
English, and another from the National
Eclectic medical association.
One feature of the proceeding is that
while the last named concern was organ
lied in 1879, its diploma to the newspaper
man, is dated 1873. All purpOrted to
show that the newspaper man
under the name of DR.. John Fan
ming of Tippecanoe City, Ohio, studied
medicine for three years, had attended
two full courses OF lectures, and had
passed satisfactory examination in each
of the seven branches OF medicine. Not
satisfied with this evidence he sent letters
under the name of DR.. Geo. a. Dawson,
apparently belonging to Chester Court
House, 5. c., asking for degrees. For
sl5O he obtained five degrees, two
of doctor of medicine, one doctor OF divin-
ity, one doctor of laws. and one
doctor of civil law. The final letter in
this transaction passed through the mail.
DIR. Buchanan receipting for it. He also
deposited the diplomas in the mail to be
delivered to the spurious doctor in South
Carolina. Special Postal Agent Barrett,
Chief of Police Given, u deputy United
States marshal and the newspaper man
walked into Buchanan's place Wednesday
afternoon, arrested him and then captured
about half a ton of spurious diplomas,
with a mass of correspondence, showing
the traffic in diplomas and the sale of
about 5000 sheepskins. Hearings will be
beld and proceedings started by the Record
through the attorney general to wipe out
five of the colleges.