The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-07
A COUNTERFEIT CLERGYMAN
A Plausible Fraud of Clerical Preten-
sions Arrested by the Police.
The Story of His Checkered Career Told by
Complimentary and Denunciatory Newspa-
per Clippings Found in His Possession.

Two years ago Isaac j. Stein, a man ffty-six
years old, Of clerical dress, demeanor and con-
versation, and claiming, as well, the title of rev.
erend, registered at the. Grand Hotel. He gave
his place of residence as L~eavenworth, Kan.
After several days stay he left with
out paying his bill. yesterday there
came to the Grand a guest who regis
tered as Isaac J. Brenton, of Pittsburg, Pa.
He was anxious to have the room he once
occupied. and to that he was assigned, although
the clerk did not recognize him as one who had
been at the house before. But, at the dinner
table, a gentleman from Leavenworth sat oppo-
site Brenton. There was enough in the meeting
to lead the guest to make inquiry at the Office as
to the name and business of the stranger. He
was told his companion at dinner ,ias Isaac j.
Brenton, from Pennsylvania.
HE is not" replied the guest. II
know that man to be Isaac ]. Stein, of Leaven-
worth. I have seen him there day after day.
He has a wife and ten children living in that
city. Moreover, Stein has served a year and q
BALI in the Kansas penitentiary for stealing.
He travels on his clerical title and appearance,
and is known to lead a crooked life"
WHAT" said the astonished clerk.
"It is Stein. There can be no mistake.n
The police authorities were notified, but by
the time Superintendent ODonnell reached the
hotel Brenton had left. Sergeant Stout, how
ever, waited for him and last night about 8
o'clock arres ted him. Brenton was greatly in
censed at what he termed an unwarranted use
of police power. He threatened prosecution of
all concerned, for false imprisonment, and told a
reporter that if he mentioned the arrest in his
paper there would be a libel suit.
Under Tim Ciarke's persuasive smile
he became tractable and gave his
name as Isaac j. Brenton. There was another
outburst from him, though, when he was Charged
with vagrancy. "What! a man with $1l0. a
preacher, scholar and lecturer, a vagraat," he
cried out. But a search of his pockets did not
bring the $40 to light, nor any fraction of it.
Brenton WAS locked up to wait further investiga-
ton, In which the officers were not long delayed.
The prisoner had a well filled valise, and IN ex-
animation of it revealed three or four books
on weighty subjects, the $110, and a lot of
newspaper clippings. Ofthese there was a hat
full. principally from country papers, calling at
tentiQn in laborei puffs to the Rev. Isaac j. Stein,
a learned clergyman of the Evangelical Luther
an Church, who will delight our people tonight
with one of mis- eloquent and popular lectures"
In the lot there were several of a description
not so p~raiseworthy. One, particularly, from a
1t charged him with being in the pos
session of burglars tools when arrested in
that city, and also Of pencils, stationery and no
tions. which it was thought he had stolen. It
closed Wild d nOtlc0 mat ne n3u lett MS Dali
bondsman, a lawyer of that city, to pay the for
felt Of his non-appearance tor trial. Another
clipping told of his being suspected of raising
checks. It described an incident of this kind
wherein Stein was charged with relieving a
Rochester, New York. bank, of $500 by
changing a check for 500 to 49, 900.
There is no doubt that Stein at one time was
in good standing among the ministers of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church. The eommenda-
BILE notices Of his lectures spoke of him as having
heen ordained in the>synod of Pennsylvania, in
1859, and that in 1860 he was principal of an
academy in that State. From there he went
directly to Nova Scotia as a missionary, but re-
turning to the United States in 1862, ac-
companied the Army of the Potomac as
one of General McClellan's spies. 1t
is represented in these fugitive pieces of his
newspaper history that he did good service to the
Union side in connection with the battles of
Antietam and South Mountain. superintendent
ODonnell had the charge of vagrancy erased
and that of being a known thief and felon" put
against Stein.