The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-28
HE WANTED TO BE A SEXTON.
NOT GETTING THE JOB, HE FORG-
ED THE RECTOR's NAME.

c. II. StrOng's Name TO Two
Checks-EX-Lieute of the Per-
sOnaI stan Of Queen LniuokaIani
of Hawaii and ex-severaI Other
TITLES in Countries From which
He Departed at the Urgent Re-
quest OF the GOvernments-Land
in Savannah Strapped and Had TO
break the Law to Get Away.
The man who forged the name of Rev.
Charles II. Strong 10 two checks Of SO
each, which were passed successfully last
Saturday IS undoubtedly Francis Leonard
Harden. He is an EnElishman Of good
family, who has seen service with the
royal navy. and who has evidently knock
ed about pretty much all over the world.
Harden arrived here May 5 on the Brit
ish steamship DrumfelI. He was fired off
the ship by the captain on account Of some
trouble he had had aboard. The captain
refused 10 let Harden have his chest Of
clothing. and the first thing the latter did
after arriving in port was TO go before
Justice Naughtin and swear out a pos
sessory warrant for his property He was
successful in getting 81, there being no law
by which the captain Of the steamship
could condscate the property.
Harden claimed he had done newspaper
work at various times, and that he at one
time edited a paper IN Honolulu. where
he said he was a Lieutenant on the staff
Of ex-Queen Liliuokalani. He thought lit
tie influence brought TO bear on the justice
would help his case. 1t was very evident,
however, that he was only tyro in the
newspaper business. He had very inter
esting story to tell Of his adventures,
however, and his narrative in brief was
published in the Morning News Of May Z.
Harden stated that while a member Of
Queen Liliuokalanfs stan he edited a pa
per in the interest OF the royal party.
When royalty was overthrown in Hawaii
by the restless Americans, who hal deci-
ded to run things there, he made
himself so obnoxious to the American par
~ according to his own statement shat
ne was thrown In prison. He was released
after a short while but having been involv-
ed in the plots for the queens restoration
he was compelled to leave. From Hawaii
ne said he went TO the Fiji Islands, which,
after a brief. but meteoric career, he left,
also at the special invitation Of the gov
A good part of this story was evidently
true, as Harden was we'll posted on the
events which occurred in Hawaii about
this time. He claimed to have gone then
to Chile and to have taken part in the
IeNOluI9u IleFe against president bal
maceda. He claimed 10 have held various
positions with the insurgents and to have
witnessed the difficulty between the Chill
cans and the sailors Of the United States
steamship Baltimore, in which several Of
the sailors We're knitted by the Chileans,
who felt thar the United States had been
too favorable TO Balmaceda. In fact there
We're Few places Of interest where Har-
den had not been, according TO his story,
although he claimed TO be only "A years
old. He looked much older. however.
After he got his clothing from the
Drumfen Harden rugged up In good style
Tor a few days, but evidently had no cash
with which TO back his style and his good
clothes shortly begin to disappear. For
the last week or so of his stay here his
appearance was rather seedy. The man
ner in which the checks were passed upon
Messrs Cooper and Tuberdy was describ-
ed in yesterdays Morning News.
Harden represented himself as being in
the employ of Mr.. Strong Beaulieu, and
that the latter had sent him IN to make
some purchases. As evidence of the truth
Of his statement he presented one of Mr.
Strongs cards. He also stated that he
was to take charge of st. Johns church
as sexton in a few days.
Rev. Mr.. Strong tells how Harden man
aged to secure the Information which en-
abled him to use Mr. Strongs name. An
advertisement appeared in the Morning
News last week for sexton. There
We're several applicants for the position,
and among them was Harden. He saw
Mr.. Strong but once, and was referred
to Mr. G. H. Remshart the members of
the vestry who had the matter in charge
! Harden did not get any satisfaction out
of Mr.. Remshart, and returned to see
Mr.. Strong. This was Saturday. Mr.
Strong was out and Harden was told to
wait for him in his study. He spent
some time there, and finally went off
He came back in the afternoon, and was
to Beaulieu. While waiting in the study
in the morning Harden had evidently i'm
Pt through mr. sFong sa' desk. He foaad
| there, among other things, Mr.. Strong
| bank book, showing his account with the
| the stubs of checks already used and a
number of old checks which had been
Cancelled and returned. There were no
/ there were several loose checks
! in the, drawer. Some of these
were taken and one of the Cancelled
checks was taken out of the book for the
/ obvious purpose of getting Mr.. Strong S
! signature and also the consecutive num-
| her OF the checks. The number OF the
! numbers The checks, however, were not
| cashed at the Southern Bank, as the tell
! er, Mr.. Munford, saw at once that the
signature was not that of Mr.. Strong,
and refused to pay them.
When Mr.. Strong heard of the forgeries
he did some detective work on his own
account He went to Messrs. Cooper and
/ Tuberdy and secured an account from
| them of how the checks We're passed and
l. a description of the man who passed
| them. The description fitted Harden eX-
! actly. Mr.. Cooper stated that the man
I who passed the check on him gave his
name as Leonard and purchased a dol
lars worth of groceries, which he ordered
| sent to his room at the Palmetto house
on Bryan street. Mr.. Strong went to the
! Palmetto house, accompanied by a friend
| and made inquiries. He was informed
that Harden had had room there but
! that he had left Saturday night for
Charleston, giving Instructions however
that if any one called for him the people
of the house were TO say they knew moth.
ing of his whereabouts but if a friend
should inquire for him they might tel
him that he had gone to the light house
in Charleston. Mr.. Strong was shown Har-
den's room and he found there a lot OF
letters. which Harden had torn up and
thrown into a corner. The fragments
were pasted together. There were severa
letters from his mother in Glas-
gov, Scotland. just such let
ters as a mother would write
The writer was evidently gentlewoman
/ though in reduced circumstances. There
was also a letter TO Harden from some one
in Chicago, signing herself Cora.
About $50 o'clock Saturday night Har.
den rushed into the Morning News of,
nee. Gle had evidently been drinking ant
was laboring under excitement. which was
ascribed to drink. Il just wanted tc
say goodby." he exclaimed. II am goina