Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-09-26
Dominic DEFORD.
New Method of "Raising" a
Preachers Salary.
SUDDEN CHECK TO A BAD BUSINESS


Egyptian Spells Him-A Crude Game
to Try to Play on a Saloon-Keeper-
Startling Loss of Memory Noted-Par-
ishioners Who Didn't Entertain an
Angel Unawares.
MILWAUKEE, Wis, Sept. 26.-Trans-
forming So bills into items" and "twen-
ties" and attempting to pass them as
such, is the charge against the Rev. A NJ
DeFord, minister from Hortonville,
Wis, who occupied a cell at the equity Jail
last night in default of s., 900 bail The
reverend gentleman was on his way to
Whitewater yesterday to attend the Meth
odist conference when arrested here. For
five years he has been connected with the
Methodist church in Wisconsin, the last
year in the Hortonville circuit, and so en-
joyed the confidence of the people that
they had unanimously signed call Ask
ing the Whitewater conference to return
him to them.
They Didn't Know the Man.
AT his preliminary examination yester-
day afternoon mutilated bills of various
| denominations found on his person were
of $40 and $50 denominations from which
| the corners had been cut to be pasted on
| bills of smaller denominations, 81 bills
| thus raised to $40 and SO having also
| been found with him. On his person, too,
We're found pair of scissors. two sharp
knives and bottle of mucilage, all of
| which had their part in transforming the
bills. He found victims for his game in
/ both Oshkosh aud Fon du Lac. and
United States officer left to-day for those
places to find further evidence of DeFord's
evil ways.
| Tried 1t ON Saloonist.
The first witness at the preliminary ex-
animation was saloonkeeper named Sui
livan. whose place is opposite the Union
stat ion. Sullivan said that the minister
came into the saloon yesterday morning
and asked to have a SO bill changed. The
witness identified bill handed him by
the United States district attorney as the
one the minister asked him to change.
The figure $40 from good bill had been
pasted over the figure g at the upper
right hand corner of the bill; but this
would have been unnoticed except for a
person seeing that the smaller figures on
the back of the bill had been erased. Sui
livan saw this and recognized it as 81
bill.
| At the End of His Rope.
| "Would two tives do you for this?' said
| Sullivan, and the minister replied that il
would. Then Sullivan said:
| "YOu are more likely to get five years il
you are caught attempting to pass bill
of that kind The reverend gentleman
showed no establishment, but left the
place. He crossed the street to koenig's
saloon and was noticed to walk past the
door three times before entering Mrs
Koenig was alone in the saloon. He asked
for glass of wine, saying he was not
feeling well 1t was given him. and he
rendered $40 bill in pay. Mrs. Koeng
stepped into the dining room to have her
husband change the bill In turning it
over koenig recognized it as 81 bill
raised to 80 Koenig told his wife he
would get it changed at the depot and
Immediately started for policeman, who
took his reverence into custody.
| Feels Somewhat Embarrassed.
DeFord WAS asked if he had any state
ment to make. IL feel somewhat EN- bar
raised at this time" he said, "as it is the
first time in my life that | was ever
charged with dishonest act. have a
wife and four little babies, and we have
been living from hand to mouth | am
now $500 in debt. For five years have
been Il Methodist pastor in Wisconsin,
three years of which time I was in charge
ofthe Waupaca circuit Recently
l collected about $3.50 among my stew
ards. which was mostly in silver, and /
changed that into bills as you have there
to day"
where was it you changed the silver
for the bills?" asked the district attorney
| A Treacherous Memory.
81 have been trying to recall where it
was, but don't just remember, although
/ think it was in jews store in Apple
ton"
"But how came you to have that bottle
of mucilage? and pair of scissors in your
| pocket
"a minister has sometimes TO take the
amount of II church subscription out in
goods in some small town, and that bot
tie of muciage | took from an Oshkosh
drug store part of - subscription"
| "Who was the druggist?'
II just don't remember, but think that ]
could find the place"
Was Apprehensive of Robbers.
"But how came it that you had some of
| your money in "A pocket-book, while the
mutilated bills you kept in pocket al
most entirely sewed upg"
| II always made it practice to divide
my money while travelling so in case was
robbed while asleep the robbers might
possibly overlook the money in one place
or the other and would not be broke"
a n ;ftl