The times., 1897-05-27
Rev. A. G. Harrison Charged
With EmbezzIement.
HE ROBBED HIS BENEFACTOR
The Amount He Has Taken VIII
Probably Reach $9,0OO-W. Liv-
tneston Bruen His Principal Vic
tiin-He Anticipated Discovery by
Secretly Leaving the City.

tor OF the Peoples Tabernacle, an indc-
pendeut Methodist organization on Elev-
enth street, between Il and streets south
east The golden sign board with his
name inscribed upon it has been taken
down and Mr.. Bruen, his friend and ben
efactor, whom ne is charged with hav-
ing betrayed and robbed, will act as pastor
until other arrangements are made.
Mr.. Harrison anticipated this action by
leaving the city and forgetting to leave
his address. He is charged with forgery
and tie enlbeZzicme OF several thou
sand dollars, no one knows as yet the
exact amount
The new sof L reac her Harrison flight and
the reasons therefore were received with
amazenlent blythe members of his cong rega-
tion, as well as the religious fraternity
throughout the District. for he was Known
far and wide as hard W orking and earnest
evangelist 1t was only within the past
week that the slightest suspicion was
aroused against him, and now il is alleged
tnat his deralcation VIII amount TO about
$4,000. OF which his former intimate friend,
Mr. w Livingston Bruen, the wel-known
and wealthy banker, VIII be loser TO the
extent of 81 600
it seems that, ON Tuesday morning, ,fr
Bruen, who built the Peoples Tabernacle,
and presented 1t to tie congregation fee
OF debt. received a telegram fiOm the
Grand Rapids, Mich, School Furnishing
Company, in answer 10 one sent by him,
stating tliat tie ieoeipt for 81 ,O09 given
him by Harrison the previous day was n
fraud, and that the company had received
no such sum OF money
AT the time this telegram reached here,
Mr.. Bruen was In Hagerstown, Md in
vestigating whether the large organ cIai ned
by Harrison to be gilt fIom NJ. +. Moller
& Co, Of that place, was, in fact. gift
or not The result OF his Investigations
showed that IL was not gift. but was
TO cost S1,150.
Mr. Bruen returned from Hagerstown on
Tuesday afternoon, when the above-men-
toned telegram was handed him. He at
once started out to find Harrison and lie
mand an explanatio from him. 1t was
then he found that4the minister had dis
appeared.
Inquiry developed that Harrison had toid
one member Of the church that he was
going over TO Baltimore Tuesday after
noon. TO another he stated that he was
going to New York and TO a third that
Chicago was his destination He was ac-
companicd in his flight by his wife and
son.
One of Harrison s last acts before leav-
ing the city was to borrow $50 from Mr.
2. l.. Offutt, member of tie church
council
Among the other losses { is charged
that MI Pruen gave Rev. Harrison So 900
To pay for carpeting the new Tabernacle.
but that he did not so apply the money
and has failed to account for it IL is
also hnted that several East Washington
business men who indorsed notes for Har-
rison will be left in the lurch for large
amount Of money.
Harrison also unsuccessfully attempted
to borrow 81 900 from Undertaken John
w Mitchell, whose place Of business is
just across the street from where the
prea cher lived.
Miss Merry Olsen, who boarded with the
Harrisons, at T66 Eleventh street south
east, was. perhaps, as greatly surprised at
the flight of the minister and his family
as anyone. She was visiting friend
on Tuesday afternoon, and when she re-
turned and found the house locked up
mystified
She found the key In the usual place, near
the basement door, and entered the house
1t was then that she discovered the
evidences Of the hasty flight OF the fam
ily for the various household articles were
scattered about in great confusion. She
found. however, that none of her effects
had disappeared
The council OF the Peoples Church held
q special meeting st night. from W hich the
public was excluded. and formally, but
surrmarily dismissed Rev. A j. Harrison
from the pas,orate and from all connection
with the church. on account OF gross fra Ld
and embeZZlement"
Harrison came here from Texas about
three years ago, with the reputationof being
a magnetic and successful evangelist and
church builder. He had papers to show that
he had erected religious edifices I'm different
portionsof Texas and presented them to the
free of debt. He was not a
Y ordained ministeror graduate from
an Y ytheologicalinstitut,, ,and therefore could
not occupy pulpit In any of the regularly
onsttuted demo limitations.
When Rev. Mr.. Wilson, pastor of the
Independent Methodist Church, on Eleventh
street southeast. died several mont hs
ago. Harrison saw the opportunity of
his life This congregation was inde-
pendent Of either the Methodist Eps-
copal or the Methodist Protestant Con-
ferences, and the fact that he was not
a graduated minister made no differ
ence. He. therefore, succeeded in Sc
curing the position of pastor, made va
cant by Mr.. wilson's death His next
move was to interest Banker Bruen In
the church, and as result succeeded
in influencing him to erect the New Peo-
ple's Tabernacle, at a cost of $27 900.
nearly every cent OF which Mr.. Bruen
paid.
Soon after his arrival in Washington,
Harrison secured employment in South
washington planning mill. He also con-
pected himself with the Central Union
Mission, and was regarded as a sue.
evangelist and faithful worker.
1t was while preaching and leading meet