The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-31
THOSE PESKY TOOLS.
More Facts About Gambler
Thorndyke's Implements.
MOTIVE OF HIS CONVERSION.
Beriah Brown Corrects Some Details
L. 3. Booth Disposes OF Some
False Insin uAtiOns.

SEATTLE, Oct. % 1892
To THE Error: VIII you please publish the
| following letter, and my explanation, as mat
| ter OF justice to JUICE Greene and the religious
society OF which he is leading member and
| minister. and as an act of courtesy 20 myself:
| SEATTLE. Oct D. 1892
! Hon. Beriah Brown, Seattle, Wash.-De0r SfT:
| Allow me kindly to call TO your attention that
| your information or your memory is at fault in
| what you are made to say in last Sundays Posi-
IsTELLiGESCER touching Z. A. lhorndyke, the
| Olympia 6aptis. church and its officers and my
| self. The words are these: II have heard those
| stories about NcGraw and gambling. They
have been circulated By notorious character
| who was once reformed and baptized by Judge
Greene, and on the same day he took advantage
| OF the insolvency act. This same man, when he
joined the church, turned all his gambling tools
oyer to the deacon. ana amoag them were
| known to the gambler. / suppose they were
| sold as 'curios for the benefit OF the church"
Now, the facts were as will proceed to relate
| Mr.. Thorndyke was never baptized nor reformed
| by me. He wa. baptized by the Rev. Joseph
| CARO- at Olympia in the year 1873, and thea be-
| came meInber of the First Baptist church of
| Olympia, of which church i was tnen deacon.
| There was only one other deacon of the church,
man OF spotless character, William II. Mitch
ell, now of the Mitchell. Staver d Lewis Co., OF
| Portland, Or Mr.. Thorndyke did not. when be
| joined the church, or at any other time, turn
! over TO either deacon, or to any member OF the
| behaf OF the church, any gambling tools or any
property article whatever. Nothing of his
| was ever gwen 10 the church or disposed OF for
| the benefit of the church, except as he may
| have contributed like other members some
| money occasionally for its support. All the
| knowledge that l have that he ever had any
| gambling tools is derived from your statement,
| and DO not believe that the pastor or any men,
Der OF the church at the time he was received or
such effee.s. He long ago ceased to be mem.
Der Of any church.
BE so good, therefore, as to correct as publicly
| as it was made the erroneous impression con-
veyed to the public mind by your statement
| Very truly, ROGER :. GREENE.
The statement OF Judge Greene, made upon
| his own personal knowledge and the records of
the church, is literally true beyond any reason
able doubt. Ny statement to your correspond
| ent was made from memory of an incidental
| transaction, showing the venal and unscru-
| pulous character of the man employed by the
Tacoma Ledger and Endorsed by the Seattle Tele-
| graph, as the wituess-in-chief to impeach the
| character of John II. McGraw. Intent only on
| the main fact-notorious at the time-I did not
| dream of having my language construed as i'm
| piicating Judge Greene, the Baptist church. or
| any reputable member of that church as in amy
degree participating in or profitiDg by what was
subsequently proved to be the device of an art
| full dodger, with whom professional gamblers
| would not associate to gain footing, under
| the cloak of religion, TO get access to other
| my statement as corrected by Judge Greene's
| facts were q fault OF memory, which share in
common with A. 4. Denny and Amos Brown,
| both OF whom remembered the circumstance as
! l stated it, excepting, of course, the
| concluding piece of badinage as to the sup
| posed disposition OF the gambling implements
| "for the benefit of the church," which was
| not stated by me as fact or a conclusion of q
| fact. At that time-nineteeu years ago-Judge
Greene. then of the United states district court.
was regarded all over his district and the Sound
| country as the ruling elder of the Baptist
| church and the most jealous and industrious
evangelist to the criminal classes l never have
| heard his honesty or sincerity questioned, and
| from an intimate personal acquaintance with
| the man for more than twenty years, can bear
| testimony to the fact as impressed upon my un-
| Outstanding that never met with any man OF
| like prominence entirely free from bigotry,
| intolerance or prejudice. He 10 now, without
| his seeking, the Prohibition party candidate for
| governor, for which Office Mr.. McGraw is one of
| his competitors In asking for the correction
| above accorded, he does not in the slightest de-
gree, differ with my view OF the character OF Nc
| Graw or the character of the assaults made upon
| him. When the notorious "tin-horn gambler"
| was admitted to the church the general report
| was that he was one OF Judge Greene's converts
| and that the judge administered the rite of bap-
| tism in personals he was accustomed to doing.
| That the impression in Olympia.
| and this is the first time IL has
| been publicly corrected. The deacon" as I
| specifically stated to my interviewer. to whom
| his "working tools" were entrusted was Deacon
| Webster, his father-iu-law, highly respectable
| mem Der OF the church and citizen OF Seattle
not for the benefit of the church, but to save
them for his own future use; or for the proceeds
| of the sale. Judge Greene says he had no
knowledge of any gambling tools turned over
| by Thorrdyke on his admission to the church.
The lawful wife of Thorndyke, a daughter OF
| Deacon webster, bears positive testimony to the
| ialsity of the charges made against McGraw By
| her husband, and further says: al can assure
you that Mr.. Thorndyke kept his gambling
| tools and never turned them over to any
church" Both are undoubtedly correct to the
| extent of their knowledge of the matter. Yet
il is absolutely true, to the knowledge of many
| OF the immediate neighbors and confidential
| friends OF Deacon Webster and a matter OF
notorie.y, which il is hardly possible could have
| escaped the cognz snce of the principal propre-
tor OF the Telegraph, that those tools were for
| time in the possession of Deacon Webster aud
were cause of great worry TO him. Amos
Brown, who was near ueighbor says the tools
were kept for time in an outdoor
cellar or potato hole of the Webster family
1t Will be remembered that the "Iiil code was
not then in force, authorizing the destruction of
gambling TOOLS snd Mr. Webster, who had him
self been munic!p pal judge, could only regard
the "pesky things rs personal property for
which he was responsible. They were undoupt-
edly reclaimed by Th0rndySe when he needed
them in his business In the meantime he had
prohied by his connection with the church as a
reformed gambler and the accession OF Il new
| population not acquainted with his anteceden.s
10 get elected chief OF police just once-"one
WINS "a dose" His subsequent career was such
a. 20 commend him 10 his present service as a
tool, spy and AFFIDAVIT maker OF an unserupu-
lous combination OF mercenary politicians
| have delayed this communication on the
| promise OF some court documents relating to
the matter which have not come to hand and
| which my inhrmltles prevent from personal
search OF records which / know exist. | recor-
D.Ze III this infamous attack pom the private
character OF McGraw. which every one Of his
neigh bogs know he has not deserved or nro-
| vokei bu: AS the champion OF Seattle as the
! standing Hgat OF the last twenty years, by spec.
| uiatoTs ard land rings against every man W no
has dared To stand up Tor this town. The merits
! OF the controversy have upon every recurring &C.
! casion, been merged in personal attacks upon
| the defender OF Seattle by hirei delamers of the
| most disTeputabis character This is no renort
| OF an interviewer. bus a statement over nv own
/ sign manual, for which am ready and willing
| 70 account 10 any oi the responsible employers
| Of the notorious pimp who now las their conf
| deaee. hope 10 De able TO give you another
and perhaps more Interesting chapter upon tAis
| sGo.eci soon BEglAE BRowS.
THE BENEFITS OF PRoTECTIoS