The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-04-27
'.Ex-Priest Ruthven," Never Or
dained, Managed to Serve
Years Imprisonment.
Under Aliases He Has Joined One
Sect After Another Only to
Be Turned Out of Each.

l
malign and denounce because of their
religion, part of g community, some OF
whom were among the heaviest taxpay-
ers% of the county. c. j. Reilly, Franz
Dietmeier. Nv. P. Bradley, Esqs., P. J
Kelly; Timothy Curtain, p. M. Malloy
and others we're among those who pro-
tested against the county property being
used for such a purpose. Franz Deit-
meier, Esq, said the so-called ex-priest
would not, be molested in any way what
ever shbuld he engage to lecture in a
private hall. Mr.. Deitmeier said the Leo
turer. was refused the use of the Associa-
ton Hall, Y. NJ. G. A., to deliver his tir-
ade on Catholicism. -
The commissioners were closeted for
more than an hour with their solicitor
Of the board, j. F. Strictly. When the
consultation ended it was announced
that the lecturer would be refused the
use of the court house.
The lecturer now goes under the name
of .asex-Priest Ruthven."
In its issue of Feb. %, the Christian
Union Herald, a United Presbyterian
publication, Of which Rev. DR.. r. J. Mil
Ter is editor, printed the following item
!. Pastors, editors, etc., still, need the
wisdom Of the serpent to guard them
against imposters. This is emphasized
BY having brought to our recollection
the fact hat SO good a man as On. Jehn
g. Patton was called aside from his mis-
sion to the churches in this country two
years ago to. testify in a court Of justice
againstsa man who called himself Ruth
ven, and who claimed to be minister Of
the Presby terrain church of Australia
and also an ex-priest, but who, when con-
fronted; by the man for whom he claimed
to be raising funds, proved to- be fraud
Of the first water and was lodged In the
penitentiary for term Of years. There
is need of great caution in admitting to
our, pulpits unaccredited, irresponsible
travelling agents
When sex-Priest" Ruthven was lee
turing in Pittsburg short time ago the
Pittsburg Times reprinted the above ar
ticle and added the following:
s'The above item referred to man
calling himself Rev. Victor M, Ruthven,
who has been lecturing in Pittsburg and
Allegheny churches for about three
months. Ruthven was to have spoken
on Rome and the Bible in the Seventh
United Presbyterian Church, Allegheny,
on the following Mondey evening, Rev.
G. w. Mcdonald, pastor Of the church,
saw the item and, after a conference
with the session Of the church, declined
to allow Ruthven to appear. Since that
time Rev. DR.. Miller has learned, through
letters from ministers and lawyers in
different parts of the country, consider
ably more of the history of Ruthven.
The letters show that Ruthven's real
name Is Victor NJ. Riordan, which he has
sometimes used Other aliases are Rev.
M. W. O'Riorder and Keith Ruthven.
.Ruthven, unconcerted by the state
ments concerning him and the refusal to
be allowed iii the Seventh Allegheny
Church, is still in Pittsburg, and last
Sunday evening lectured in a West End
church. He has changed his plans only
to say his lecturers are in the interest of
patriotic societies as against the Catho-
lie church, whose religion he disgraced,
and not in aid of missions Of Protestant
churches. III
'R1lthyen, or Riordan, was born in Ire
land When q young man he entered a
Jes,lfte school at Dublin as a theological
student. He was partially educated for
the priesthood and had gotten far enough
to be tonsured when he was expelled
from the school for drunkenness and
5disreputable practices. He then left Ire
land and went to Australia, where he re-.
nounced the Roman Catholic Church and
Joined the Presbyterian church, being
subsequently ordained a minister and in
stalled as pastor Of a congregation. He
married a. young woman of one OF the
best families in one Of the Australian
cities. His wife was soon obliged to
separate from him on account of his
drunkenness and extreme cruelty. He
afterwards protested to have reformed,
and she returned to him. but was COM
PEELED q second time to leave him.
Charges of cruelty and drunkenness
were preferred against him before the
Presbytery, but he agreed to surrender
country. The charges were not prose-
.cuted, but he was deposed as minister,
Dr. John G. Patton, an aged and famous
missionary OF the Presbyterian church,
who has spent nearly lifetime in the
New Hebrides Islands, in the Pacific.
ocean. was present in the church court
when Ruthven's deposition was pro-
nounced. r.. s ..s.s .z8.s 81 IS. I. &, Z. /,
ss aFsuthyan came to America and began
to lecture against the Roman Catholic
Church at Lincoln In Ill, as recordedsi In
letters In the possession OF Dr. Mile he
80 pleased the peoplesof the iTsts Pregby-.
teri ansconSregationa Il hat they fnpit ted.
him fll their pulpit Tor 8 year
5theff pastor was absent on sst nick la1Nesl
snEsS Held. i. III ll.ss