Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1881-11-01
From the Buffalo Express.
TWO SCOUNDRELS.
CHARLES ASHLEY AND GUIrEAU-A Wiz
LAINoUs SCHEME WHICH THEY At
ONE TINE HAD on HAND.

Some weeks ago we had occasion TO
write up one Charles Ashley, as he called
himself, an Englishman of fine presence
and agreeable address, a stranger in the
city. He came here from where we
have forgotten if it ever came out, and
lived some days in good style at Congress
Hall. on Exchange Street. He was ev-
identity person Of some culture, and
fond of serious discourse. II was noticed
that he adorned the walls Of his room
with various pictures of the Savior. At
length Mr.. Ashley was arrested on a
charge of false pretenses. lie had OBJ
tanned from Mrs. Long, on Niagara
Street, considerable sum of money
which was TO be returned as soon as his
expected remittance came, giving her
as security certain jewelry which was
worthless, or comparatively so, claiming
that it had long been in the Ashley fam
lily and was of large value. IL is said
that he attempted other swindles while
here, but one way or another he was al
lowed to patch up his difficulties and
permitted to leave town.
1t now appears that this Ashley has
passed himself off in various places as an
English nobleman, and if the following
from the st. Louis Globe Democrat is
true, he has been boon companion OF
| Guiteau, the assassin of President Gar
field, and with that wretch at one time
planned about the most villainou. scheme
that could be imagined.
"Sir Charles Ashley an imposter Of
fine personal appearance, who played a
brief and highly successful engagement
in this city during the months OF febru-
airy. March and April, appeared as a
confidence man. and later as a religious
lecturer, has come to the surface once
more in Washington, as the friend, COM
panion and brother fraud of Charles Gut
teau the scoundrel who assassinated the
President. The following special telc-
gram to the Globe Democrat from Wash
ington speaks of the last exploits OF this
remarkable villain
" 1t would appear that everything had
been written OF the murderous Gulteau
that could be written. His history as a
religious dead beat and religious yaga-
bond is redundant with evidence which
establishes his claim to the title Of the
greatest scoundrel unhung; vet his his
tory, as given, is incomplete without one
more touch. 1t will not tax the memory
10 recall the career OF a noted confidence
man named Charles Ashley, who operated
in Baltimore, this and other cities 50 sue
cessfully. His lay was that of an Eng
| lish nobleman who held vast estates
abroad, and was the possessor OF numeE-
Gus family jewels, so-callcd heir-!ooms,
which he was desirous Of pledging for a
few days al a nominal consideration.
He worked this snap successfully, and
caught many suckers. The jewels were
bogus-as spurious as Ashleys title OF
nobility. Besides these pretensIons he
greatly affected the Evangelical, and,
naturally fell in with his kindred theolo-
gian, Charles Guiteau. Unlike the lat
ter, however, Ashley had a face which
was a striking resemblance to the ac-
cep,ed portrait. of our Savior. TINS re-
semblance he cultivated, and out Of It he
coined money. He met Gulteau, II
seems, in Baltimore, and the two quickly
became chums in religious frauds. Ash
ley was shortly after exposed on MS oo-
Gus jewelry, and Baltimore became too
hot 10 hold him. lie came to Washing
ton, and was soon nabbed here for the
same game. As soon as out OF Jau,
Ashley, through a Baltimore concert-sa-
loon man, communicated with Gulteau,
and the three worthless planned a scheme
OF fraud in perfect keeping with the as
sassin's hypocrisy, audacity and yIlIalny.
II was to make descent upon the rural
districts of Ohio and Indiana and proclaim
the second advent of the Savior. Ash
ley was to be palmed off as the Messiah
in His second advent on earth, lhe
concert man was to work up the puolic
while Guiteau was to act as an apostle.
He is familiar with the Biblical history,
and religious cant is forever on his tongue.
He was to cram his Christ with parallels
and pi,hy sermons, to gull the public.
They were to work the by-places in lndl-
ana, Ohio and Kentucky, and gravltate
to the mountains of East Tennessee Tor
they could only hope for success among
the most ignorant communities. lhere
was no sense of sacrilege in the sound
rels. Their own experience had demon
strated the ease with which the public
could be gulled. Their superlatlVe ego.
tism was enough to convince them OF
their success. They anticipated crowd
of fanatical dupes, and storm OF abuse
and ridicule from intelligent people and
they cunningly calculated the effect o'
the station houses and jails upon their
success. From the rural districts they
would swoop down upon Chicago and
proclaim the Messiah to the wicked OF al
the earth. The opposition would furnish
them parallels with the history Of Christ I
persecution. When this plan had been
perfected Ashley got into jail again fo1
his bogus jewelry swindles, and Guiteau
becoming alarmed at his narrow escape
from arrest as an accomplice, severed his
connection as an apostle with risk,
Christ, and the job was thereby nevel
carried out. Nothing but the actual his