The San Francisco call., 1896-01-11
ANXIOUS TO FIND SCOTT,
A Bogus Evangelist Who Forgot
to Return a Stereopticon
Outfit.
HE CAME FROM ARIZONA.
Mr.. McMurtry of the Associated
Charities Would Like to Know
Where He Has Gone.
HE CAME FROM ARIZONA.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL,
Q02 Rrnan mau Ian 10

OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALI
908 Broadway, Jan. 10. {
A. J. McMurtry a Christian Endeavor
leader of the Second Presbyterian Church.
is very anxious to meet REV. Mr.. Scott OF
Arizona" Several others would also like
to meet the reverend.
Nearly three months ago Mr.. Scott
"borrrowed" Mr.. McMurtry's st ereopti-
con outfit. For over two months he has
been missing. and so has the lantern ap-
paratus. Inquiries have been made in
the East and up and down the coast and
Mr.. McMurtry is now convinced tha: the
clergyman from Arizona does not intend
to return with his outfit, or else he must
have met with foul play. The lantern
owner, however, says that the man from
Arizona is not the kind that becomes the
victim of foul play.
"Scott came here some months ago."
said Mr.. McMurtry to-day, land told me
he was an evangelist at work among the
miners in Arizona, and that he was sup
ported by TWO Christian Endeavor societies
in Massachusetts. He intended to give a
few lectures, he said, and raise money with
which 10 buy a lantern to illustrate them.
He told Rev. H. II. Rice of his plan, and
wanted to borrow that gentlemaa's valu-
able outfit. Mr.. Rice declined, and recon-
mended him to me. and [ was induced to
loan him my outfit. l was interested in
his work, as he was a very plausible talker,
and as Christian brother | thought
was doing the right thing by him in lend
ing him my outfit. IL was to be returned
at once, but, when few days passed and
it did not come h ONE, | thought Scott was
probably lecturing through the country,
and l tried to locate him. He had dis
appeared CO mpleteiy, and | have not been
able to discover q trace OF him since.
Il have been making investigations, and
| am convinced now that Scott las been
doing this kind of work many years. l
have learned that Scott has no claim to the
title of Rev. as he has never been or
dained, and that he commenced his studies
years ago at Oberlin College, but
was convicted of stealing books and
expelled. Since then he mas appeared
in different places, and wherever he has
been people have been sorry that they
made his acquaintance.
Rev. I'll. H. Rice recently received a
letter from minister in Los Angeles who
knows Scott's record, and that leaves no
doubt as to what we might have expected
from him. But the advice came TOO late.
He got the best of us Pres sbyterians in West
Oakland, because we did not know him.
He lectured at Mills College with my Ian
tern and was handsomely treated there.
There are some clearinghouse keeP Pers
who would like to see him and settle few
accounts.
''Scott obtained my lantern in very
slick way. First, he just got enough to
use the slides with in q general way. Then
he came back for different attachments
and finally obtained the whole outfit. 1t
was a lantern that [ used in the East in
connection with the horticultural and
viticultural departments with which I was
connected, and was very valuable.
Il have also found out that Scott got
into the good graces of the Congregational
Church of Petaluma, and then when a
building fund had been raised it went the
way of my lantern. People should be put
on their guard against such adventures.
The amount of harm they do to the legiti-
mate work of Christianity is not easy to
estimate"