Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-20

The Bad Bargain of a Too Confidin
Brother in Barnwell.


A letter from ElIenton. South Carolina,
the Charleston Netrs mi Courier,
dated August Il. SAYS: "The people 81
FIlenton- are much exercised over the
misdeeds Of the Rev. W. /. Mosely. OF
the CampbeIlite Church. The church 81
that denomination here secured his ser
vices as pastor for the present year last
spring. He made an auspiclOus begin
ming. captivating MS people ana aPPa-
rently doing a good work. De boarded
with Nj. L. A. Ashley, a member o.
his church, and prominent meI-
chant and planter. As soon
as Mosely gained the confidence Of Ash
ley. he told him Of a guano deposit, con-
sisting Of sea fowl droppings. on an lslanQ
on the coast Of Florida, sixty miles from
Tampa; that there was millions IN IL, II
he only had the capital 70 Work II. MI.
Ashley was soon persuaded 10 form CO
partnership with Mosely 70 put ms Ter
tilizer on the market. The copaTtnershlp
papers recorded. MOSely went on 70
Washington. D. c.. and returned with
what purpOrted TO be right from the
United States Government 10 WOrk TINS
guanO bed He then went 10 Florida and
claimed to have had the island surveyed,
an estimate Of the quantity OF
the manure taken. and TO have gone u va
( TiOus other expense necessary LOT tlelr
arrangements to be successful. In add
ton. he said he had bought a sloOp on
which he placed a'lOt Of samples and start
ed TO return home. when a storm capslZed
his boat and he and his crew OF two men
had TO battle with the waves Tor several
hours. but were finally rescued, with the
sIOop damaged. but all the samples lost.
He. however. sent back and got small
sample OF the guanO, sent II 70 Chafleston,
E - cd kV Il
+ Shepard. Jr.. who said the commercial
value was So - per ton. 4 prominent
F Charleston broker offered the firm OF Ash
lev 4 MOsely a large sum Of money for
{ one-half interest in the island, provided II
was as represented by MOsely. Mr.. Ash
( lev had been advancing money TO MOsely
all the while to get this thing IN working
I order. when a bomb was thrown into the
T camp bx seeing MOsely published In
card in the Christian Standard, Camp
( bellite paper published in Cincinnati. say
+ ing he was unworthy the confidence Of
( anv one and capable of doing much harm.
+ This card was signed by church members
I from different parts Of the Northwest,
[ where MOsely had figured for several
/ wears. although he claims Florida as
I his native state. On further inyes-
figatiou the parties signing the card
said Mosely was an 'eX-cOnYict
I from the Iowa penitentiary, and
{ since his release he had been getting into
T mischief in various places. In one place
he promised to quit preaching and to re-
! form if they would not prosecute him for
some crime he had committed; but re-
formation was no part Of his plans, as 1t
has been developed that his discovery Of
/ A valuable guanO deposit on the Florida
/ coast is all bOsh, and Mr.. Ashley is the
victim of a swindle 10 the amount Of
+ 1862. Mr.. Ashley wrote TO A gentleman
in Florida who was with MOsely there.
V This man reached here Saturday and eX-
posed MOsely's treachery in the whole
transaction. The church had dismissed
him on Friday. Mr.. Ashley had him
cOmpletplv in his power. but refused
I to prosecute him. Mosely went TO him on
Yesterday and told him that the church
had agreed to pay him his salary for six
months. and that be would give Mr.. Ash
lev an order on the members for their
dues to reimburse him for his losses as
far as it went. although it was but
/ trife. as part Of it had already been paid,
/ and would not be One-fOurth the amount
/ Mr.. Ashley had lost by him. The order
was given. Mosely packed up his goods,
and Ashley very magnanlm0usly sent MN
/ and his wife and child to the depot in
his carriage. On the way to the station
the bogus parsOn called at one Of his eX-
members place and collected the amount
/ due him as salary by this member, and
/ this. too. after giving the man he had
swindled an order for the amount. This
/ incensed Mr.. Ashley more than all the
/ other wrongs he had endured. 50 he tele-
graphed to Augusta to have him arrested.
but failed To catch him. M0sely is about
80 years old. large and fine looking. He IS
polished and very plausible, capable Of
deceiying almost any one.
Mrs. MOsely is spoken OF IN the highest
terms BIS every one here, and wherever her
husbands character has been exposed the
perties all ask for consideration for his
wife, saving she is an unfortunate Chris
tian lady Those who witnessed the de-
parture Of the MOselys yesterday say that
while Mrs. MOsely was weeping from hui
initiation her husband stood on the rear
platform Of the car as it moved away,
smiling and waving his hat at acqualnt-
ances as cOOlly as il nothing unpleasant
had transpired.
The members Of the church that he mis-
represents wish this pseudo apostle pub
lished far and wide by both the religious
and secular press to prevent repetition
Of his nefariOus practices upon some one
else wherever he may stop. Thus ends
the history of MOselyism in South Caro-
lima. Some Of the incredulOus said some
months back that his conversation re-
! minded one Of the reading Of the Ara
bian Nights" but the majority seemed to
think he was a second George Washing
ton and could not tell q lie, 90 he did II