Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-02-18
BROTHER BIXBY'S
Guarantee Secured the Endorsement of
Parson Newman, Grants Pet, for
the Worst Swindle OF
The AEGEAN Outrage on the Susceptible
Brothers and Sisters Of the North.
ern Methodist Church.

NEW YORK, February 1.-The HeraI
| says that the publication OF the facts cor
! corning the Isabella silver mine seems I
J have aroused much acrid feeling SIMON
those concerned.
81 have Just learned from an entirely re
liable source" said NJ. A. L. Gardner, Q
No. 1873 Canal street-who is a prominen
Meth odisi-,o Herald reporter, shat tn
Rev. DR.. J. p Newman received a writer
guarantee against loss from Col H. G. Bixb
at the time he frat went into the Issbell
mine. In other words, while allowing hi
name to be used as one of the most promi
nent investors, be did not invest at all. fo
it was practically a loan and nothing else
To me this seems the very worst feature o
the Isabella mine business. Then he ha
been complaining about the fraud and tell
ing now he was swiniled out OF $1,000, anC
all The time he has bad that guarantee in hi
pocket. In this connection it ia we'll to stat,
one or tive facts: First, DR.. Newman was th,
first man TO take stock in the Isabella mine
just as b. is the first TO cry wolf now, anc
in the second place, the $500 transaction
mentioned by him was nothing more than &
personal loan to Drs. Fowler and De Puy
and was paid back BY them personally"
MORE PARTICULAR STORY.
A gentleman connected in a business way
with the Globe City Mining Company, who
| said he did not care to have his nsme pub
lished, but stood ready TO substautiate his
statement, confirmed the story of DIR. New
mans guarantee. "Not only did he receive
this guarantee" said this gentleman, "bui
| he was SO foolish as to speak of the faci
openly at the meeting of the stockholders ol
the Globe City Company. He mentioned the
| fact as il it-were an added grievance"
| "Do you know anything about the $500
loan?" inquired the reporter.
"The facts are these: When it first looked
| as if the Isabella was a fraud, Drs. Fowler
and De Puy went to DIR. Newman and said
that it was absolutely necessary to have An
investigation made, and, as DR.. Newman's
name had been prominently identified with
the enterprise--more prominently than any
body else-and they had gone 80 far as 10
indorse the scheme editorially, they felt as il
l they three ought to bear the ex.
pense OF the investigation. DR.. New.
man assented cordially, and agreed 10 put
| up half OF the sum necessary, the other two
each putting up a quarter. That fact will
| show you what DR.. Newman thought about
! his own responsibility at that time. Mai.
Sisson was spoken OF as the man to be sent.
DR.. Spence had been equally anxious about
the mine, aud had felt his own responsibility
| 80 keeniy that he decided to visit the mine )
himself at his own expense, and he was At
this time oH his way to Chicago. 1t was de-
termined TO telegraph $1,000 10 him at Chi.
eago, with instructions to get Sissep, and
for the two TO go on together. The Meth.
| odist Book Concern has always been a sort
OF bank for the clergymen employed about
there, and DIR. Newman had a balance to
his credit there of quite a respectable
amount, and 30, it being after the regular
banking hours, he gave the cashier of the
Book Concern his check for $1,000, and the
latter telegraphed the amount to Dr.. Spence.
1t was merely after Of accommodation on
the part of DIR. Newman. who was subse-
queniIy paid back $3.50 each BY DR.. Fowler
and DIR. DE Puy. DR.. Newman wants to
know. with an air of great mystery where
the $500 came from with which his loan was
repaid. 1t came out of the pockets of Drs.
DE Pny and Fowler. There is absolutely no
mystery about it."
THE CHURCH AND THE MINE.
A reporter of the Herald called upon
bishops' Office, No. SO5 Broadway, in order 10
ascertain the position held by the Church in
regard to the Isabella mine. "The Method
lst Church." said Bishop Harris, sand the
Bible both have laws against dishonesty and
fraud. There is no law that 1 know of
which prevents a minister of the Methodist
Church from investing his money as he
pleases-in mining stock or any other stock.
! Sc far as the Isabella mine is concerned. or
any other transaction in which preachers or
| laymen OF the Church are concerned, if it be
a fraud and they are guilty Of dishonest &C.
ton, the Church holds them response Bile.
One rule applies 10 all. If any one will
| make charge that either of the gentlemen
| connected with the transaction acted in
| bad faith we shall lose no time, you may be
| sure, in fully investigating the matter. But
| oil course we cannot touch it until the mat
ter has been brought before the proper au-
thorities. If any one has been cheated in
any way by DR.. Fowler or Graves, or any.
body ySeise, it is their duty to prefer charges
at once, not to the newspapers. but TO us. The
Herald has been misinformed," continued
Bishop Harris, regarding the plumber of
| reverend gentlemen at No. S05 Broadway
who were interested in the Isabella stock. I
| have talked with about all of the gentlemen
who were here at the time, and 1 am positive
that only two of the clergymen stationed
here were investors. Were you told of any
| others specifically, or merely told that all the
reverend gentlemen here were interested?"
II was told, apparently by authority, that
| most of those connected with the Book Con-
Germ had invested" replied the reporter.
"Dr. Hunt was specifically mentioned as one
OF the bitten ones"
u don't believe he ever had a share,n ex.
claimed Bishop Harris. "We will settle
that question at once" The bishop left the
room in search of DR.. Hunt, who is engaged
In the business department Of the Book Con-
Germ. DR.. Hunt was not in; but his partner,
Mr.. Phillips, appeared, and asserted posi-
lively that DIR. Hunt had never invested. He
was positive also that none of the reverend
gentlemen in the building, with the exception
of Drs. Fowler and De Puy, had ever
touched the Isabella stock. II was certain
that neither Bishops Harris and Warren nor
Mr.. Phillips had.
sour position in the matter" said Mr..
Phillips, sis evinced by the following incl
dent: A man sent US a letter (the firm was
then Nelson d Phillips; it is now Phillips
Hunt) containing $500, to be paid to DR..
Spence for stock il we thought it all right.
DR.. Nelson was away, but subsequently in-
dorsed my action, which was to write the
man letter stating that we could not pay
over the money because we could not take
the responsibility of advising him one way
or the other. We didn't know whether the
investment was good or bad, and would not
consent to advfse a man on such a point,
even if we had invested ourselves, which we
Az hOt uOGcs 4hdt Is ever u1u 10 10
with the Isabella mine."
THE CHURcH's RESPONSIBILITY.
II do not think it is right or just,n said
Bishop Harris, 'to saddle the Isabella mine
transactions upon the Methodist Church,
The Methodist Church had no more to do
with the matter than it has in getting out
the Herald. The Church is not responsible
for the action of its members in any such
sense"
"It has been charged that the Christian
Advocate as the official organ of the Church
was responsible for many Of the investments %
ut Is the official organ of the Church in
the sense that it is published by authority
of the Church's legislative body, the General
Conference, which chooses the editors, and
which can remove them, too-and does some
times" added the bishop, with emphasis, "if
it is dissatisfied with their course. But
neither the General Conference nor the
Church is responsible for the editorial utter
ances OF the Advocate. This has been called
Methodist mine. but think very unfairly.
1t has no more connection with the Methodist
Church than a burglary would have if COM
mitted by a member of the same Church.
Mr.. Phillips said: "The Methodist Book
Concern is a corporation chartered under the
laws OF New York, and has several hundr ed
employees, among whom are DIR. Fowler and
DIR. De Puy. These gentlemen we're free
agents In such q case as this, and no one
would think of holding the Methodist Book
Concern responsible fer their actions, even If
they were not honorable. Still less could
the Church be held responsible because one
o1t of dozen of its newspapers had made a
mistake and few out of thousands Of its
members had msde q blunder."
Bishop Warren agreed with the others