Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1890-10-02
FROMPULPIT TO PRISON.
A METHODIST MINISTER COMES
TO GRIEF.
The Rev. A. M. De Ford, of HortonviIl..
Wis., Charged with Raising the Face of
AIls-He Goes to jail i'm Default of Bail
His Novel Device.

milwaukee dispatch1
It Transforming 81 bills into "tensD ar
u "twentles" and attempting to pass the
10 as such Is the charge against the Re,
g A. M. DcFord, minister from Horto,
vile, Wis, who occupies cell at IN
!, county jail tonight in default OF So. &C
bail.
g The reverend gentleman was on HI
0 way to Whitewater to-day to attend In
s Methodist conference when arreste
here. For five years he has been cor
nected with the Methodist Church 4
; Wisconsin, the last year in the Horton
yiiio circuit, una so enjoyed the cona
? dence OF the people that they had unanI
mously signed call asking the Wbitr
water Conference TO return him I.
them. That their confidence in him
was misplaced is quite eyiden
from the testimony produced a
his preliminary examination thI
afternoon. Mutilated bills of variou,
denominations found on his person wer,
offered In evidence. There were Rood
Dllls or $40 and SEQ denominations. from
whlch the corners had been cut TO be
pasted on bills OF smaller denomination.
,? Dllls thus raised to $40 and SEQ having
also been found with him. On his ner.
son, 100, were found a pair of scissors.
TWO snarp knives, and bottle of mn
cllage, all OF which had their part in
transforming the bills This scheme %
a novel device which old counterfeiters
might practice with even less success
than the reverend gentleman. for. ac-
| cording TO advices received here tonight
he found victims for his game In both
Oshkosh and Fon1 du Lac, ard a United
States officer will leave tomorrow for
those places To find further evidence OF
De FOrd's evil. %
The first witness at the preliminary
examination was saloon-keeper named
sullivan, whose place Is opposite the
Union Depot. Sullivan said the minister
came INTO the saloon that morning and
asked 10 have $40 bill changed The
witness Identified bill handed to him
by the United States District Attorney
as the one the minister asked hin, 70
change. The figure $40 from good bill
had been pasted over the figure So at tho
upper right-hand corner OF the bill. bnt
this would have been unnoticed excont
Tor person seeing that the smaller fig-
ures on the back of the bill had been
erased. Sullivan saw this and recognized |
IL as a So bill
would two fives do you for thispD
asked Sullivan, and the minister replied |
mat u would. Then Sullivan said:
you are more likely to get five years
II You are caught attempting TO pass n
OIL OF mat kind. F" The reverend gentle
man showed no astonishment, but left
past the door three times before enter
Ing. Mrs. Kocnig was alone in the sa-
loon. He asked for a glass Of wine, say
ing he was not feeling well. 1t was given
him and he rendered $40 bill in pay.
Mrs. Kocnig stepped into the dining
room TO have her husband change tho
bill. In turning it over KOenig recoy-
niZed 1t as 81 bill raised 10 $40. Koenig
told his wife he would get il changed at
the depot and stepped out a side door,
while Mrs. KOenig returned to the sa-
lODn, telling the minister that her hus-
band had gone out to get the bill
"Wherc did he co." said the minister
anxiously, and as be stepped to tho door
he recognized the saloonkceper crossing
he street. Tho minister called to him
TO return, saying that he had plenty of
,hangc 10 pay for his drink, but the sa-
oonkeepcr did not pretend to hear him
md entered tie depot, while tho minis
,er took seat to await his return.
When the saloonkeeper returned he
lad policeman with him, and he or
1ercu tine MINISTER'S arrest on u cnarVu
If passing counterfeit money.
De Ford was asked IL he had any state
ncnt to make. al feel somewhat en-
)arrassed at this timc," he said "as it is
Inc first time in my life that was ever
han gcd with dishonest act have a
wife and four little blbies, and we have
)cen living from hand TO mouth. am
iow $500 in debt. For Gvo years / have
)ccn Methodist pastor in Wisconsin,
hrce years Of which time / was i'm charge
II the Waupaca circuit The last year
have been in charge of the HOrtOnvlle |
ircuit, including HOrtonville, Medina,
md Stephensville. Although my salary
vas but 5000 a year / was content
o remain where | was, and in
ny valise i have petition from
ny parishioners, which | was to
resent to the Whitewater Conference
o.day, asking my return to that circuit
had arranged to attend the Lawrence
University at Appleton, as / was anx-
Dls to continue my. ministerial studies, ,
8 am still young man, being but %
ears OF age. Recently collected about
$50 among my stewards, which was
1oStly In silver, and changed that into .
ills, rs you have there to-day"
W mere was ~ YOU cHdnBeu tn9 silver ! n
or the bills?" asked the District At /,
Drney.
81 have been trying 10 recall where IL |,
vas, bit don't just remember, although
think IL was at Jews store in Apple
on. !"
"But how camo You to have that bot
c of mucilage and pair of scissors in !,
our pocket?"
"A minister has sometimes 10 take tho :
mount OF church subscription out in !
oOds in some small town and that bott,c :,
mucilage took from an Oshkosh drug i
tore as part of SO subscription" !,
"Who was the druggist?"
81 just don't remember, but think | Il
Duld find the place"
"But how came IL that you had some of !.
our money in pocket.b)ok, while the 4
lutilated bills you kept In. a pocket al y
lost entirely sewed up?"
81 always made Il practice to divide n
~ money while travelling, so In case I Il
as robbed while asleep the robbers ,,
light possibly overlook the money in n
nc place or the other and / would not n
@ broke" =.
Pitby Paragraphs.
A - oHffor ~