The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1881-07-22
A sACRILEGIoUs SCHEME.


Guiteaus history as religious" dead
beat and political vagabond abounds with
evidence going to establish his right to the
distinction of being one of the greatest
scoundrels unhung Yet this history, as
given, it appears is incomplete without still
another touch This is given by the Wash,
ingtOn correspondent of the Pittsburg Dis
patch, who recalls the career of one Charles
Ashley, who operated in Baltimore, WASH
ington, and other cities so successfully. His
clay" was that of an English nobleman
who held vast estates abroad, and was tho
possessor of numerous family jewels, So
called heirlooms, which he was DESTROYS of
pledgng for few days for nominal con-
sideration. The jewels were bogus, as
spurious as were Ashley's title to nobility.
Besides these pretensions, he greatly affected
the evangelist, and naturally enough, per-
haps, fell in with his kindred theologian,
Charles Guiteau. Unlike the latter, how
ever, Ashley had a face which was strik-
ing resemblance to the accepted portraits of
our Saviour. This resemblance he Guilt
waited, and out of it he coined money. He
met Guiteau, it seems, in Baltimore, and
the two quickly became chums in re-
ligious frauds. Ashley was shortly after
ward exposed on his bogus jewelry, and
Baltimore became too hot to hold him. He
then went to Washington, and was soon
nabbed there for playing the same game.
As soon as he was released from Jail, through
Baltimore concert-saloon man, he COM
municated with Guiteau, and the three
worthless planned scheme of fraud in per-
feet keeping with the assassin's character Of
hypocrisy, audacity and villainy. The
plan was based upon Ashley's resemblance
the rural districts of Ohio and Indiana, and
proclaim the second advent Of the Saviour,
Ashley was to be palmed off as the Messiah
| in His second advent on earth. The
cOncert-salOon man was to manipulate
the public press, while Guiteau was to act
as an apostle. He is familiar with
biblical history, and religious cant is
ever on his tongue. He was to cram his
Christ with parallels and pithy sermons,
with which to gull the public. They
were to work the by-places in Indiana,
Ohio and Kentucky, and to gravitate to the
mountains of East Tennessee, for they could
only hope for success among the most
| ignorant communities. There was no sense
of sacrilege in the scoundrels. Their own
experience had demonstrated the ease with
which the public could be gulled. Theii
superlative self-confdence was enough tC
convince them of their success. They an
ticipated crowd of fanatical dupes, and Q
storm of abuse and ridicule from intelligent
people, and they cunningly calculated the
effect of the station-houses and jails upor
their success. From the rural districts
they would swoop down upon Chi
cago and proclaim the Messiah to thu
wicked of all the earth. The oppositin
would furnish them parallels with the his
tory of Christ's prosecutions. But before
this plan had been entirely perfected Ash
I ley continued to get himself into Jail agaii
FLOR his bogus jewelry swindles, and Guiteau
n aeco.hing alarmed at Shis narrow escap
from arrest as an accomplice, severed hi
connection as an apostle with risk.
"Christ, f" and the job was thereby neve
carried out. Nothing but the actual history
of these two criminal confidence men coul'
, make the existence of such daring schem
of fraud seem possible.