The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-02-03
A REVEREND SWINDLER.
Logan Has Been Victimizsd and
Ogden Likewise.
LOGAN. January 81. 1881.

/ ~Ni NNN4A-A| % AOOAs
Editors Herald:
For the benefit OF your readers in
general, and Salt Lakers in psrticu'
lar. l send you the following account
of q "bad case" just developed, or
rather brought to hight, In this place.
The case is in the shape OF a gentle
man, or rather individual, who came
to Logan in the early part OF last
summer, seeking work. He found
it at the q. D. Foundry, where after
a month or so he was placed as as
sistant bookkeeper in the Office.
Being intelligent and TO all appear
aDces having good education, and
being sober and capable, and SEEM
ingly trusty, be had soon control OF
the books. Having In the meantime
joined the church, he was elected
secretary and treasurer for the Sun.
day school. which position he held
up till January Goth. According 10
MS own account he had been a Bap
tist minister for fourteen years, and
hailed direct from Georgia. The
first may be true, all here seem will
ling to believe it, but the last we
know is not, as it has been known
here long that be spent some time ia
Bingham Canon as a school teacher,
end where, by several very common
tricks with ministers. he gained some
notoriety. On the 10Th OF January
new secretary was elected for the
foundry, which left our friend out in
the cold. On the evening Of the
18th, an entertainment was
given in Logan Hall for the
benefit OF the Sunday school |
Our reverend friend not only took
part in the performance. but he took
the cash taken at the door, upward OF
$4,000, and with what other money
on hand belonging to the Sunday
school, snd presumably some more,
on the Goth he left on tbe train for
Ogden to be gone one or two days.
Rumors, however, soon spread that
be had ''skipped, and when finally
one week had passed and nothing
was heard of him, it became Ger.
tainty. On the 29tb, Sheriff Crockett
started for Ogden to bring him back,
he having been seen there day or
two previous. On arriving at Ogden,
however, Mr.. Crocket found his man
had LETT; but his track being still
fresh the officers had no. trouble in
finding out the doings OF the "pious
CASE" SWindled hotel and saloon
keepers cbeerfully furnished what in
they could give; and By
the aid of officers who had made his
while there, he was
traced 10 even worse places than
1t was soon 6scertained
Though with small consolation) that
he had, in eight days, beaten Ogden
out OF more than he had Logan in as
many months. The people, as we'll
as officers, seemed to think they we're {
we'll of in having got rid of him, and
as they seemed willing to forgive him
if he would only stay away, Mr..
Crockett concluded that to follow him
further and try to bring him to JUS
tice would be throwing good money
after bad and therefore returned
home on Sunday evening. Il was i
not learned with certainty, but was
believed he had gone to Salt Lake p,
City.
While in Ogden he (the mini.ter)
became acquainted with lady from
the east. a young widow who was
there preparing to deliver some lee
lures. To her our friend offered his
services, free TO be sure. He said he
had nothing to do, was just down
from Montana, where he had part
ner, who would soon arrive, was doing
q fms business, etc., etc. Soon the
gentleman was seized with matri.
monial inclinations, and while in this
state proposed marriage to the young
widow; said he would be a good father
to her children (of whom she had
tWo); and among the many things he
told her to win her over" was that
he had a fine brick house which cost
him 1000, and was furnished COM
pletely in modern style. What reply
the lady made to this is of course not
known, but thinking she might make
q little use of her new-iound friend,
she requested him 10 go and pay the
printer $40 due for advertising. She
gave him the money, and the rev.
arend gentleman left, and has not
been seen since by the lady. or
course he did not pay the bill. By
this 1t will be seen that our sex
Baptist" is a real amateur Lord Mar
Gus Beresford.
The amount stolen by this miDia-
tur5 "Belknap" is not exactly
known, but $50 is lost by the Sunday
school. He was owing some few
small debts around town. but none Of
and as the U. D. F. owes
him $50 or $40, everybody is wonder
ing why he left the way be did, as the
books be kept, 80 far, have not shown
much "crookedness. However,
time only can tell if he has sppropri-
ated money to his own use.
Now a short description OF him, so
that il he turns up in Salt Lake be
may be known. He is about medium
height; between So and 40 years of
age; his hair is dark, and bis head,
where his veneration, hope, self
esteem and conscience ought to be,
sticks up through it, caused, some
think, by early piety. He wears, or
did wear q moustache and chin
Whiskers, the latter only on the
front and iorepsrt OF the chin; the
under part of chin he shaYes, which
makes his beard (which is rather
longl hang down, as it were. a little
too far in front of his breast, and has
caused some Of the boys here in town
irrsverentIy to call him "whiskers on
q stick" His name is John 81.
Hughes, was q soldier in the rebel
army, and delights (next to presch-
ing from the Bible) to tell of "bloody
battles" seemingly trying to show
that fighting and preaching are the
noblest occupations of man.
VICTIM.