The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-06-29
SAD TALE OF Sin.
Why Laurin W. Burton
Ceased to Be Superin-
tendent Of St. Johns
Episcopal Sunday
School.
G. FRED BULEN HIS NEMESIS
Friendship Broken by Illicit Love
Relentless Vengeance and a
Mysterious Disappearance.
FRED BULEN HIS NEMESIS

There is man in this city whose one
avowed object in continuing to live is
that he may revenge himself upon the
man who has wrecked his home and
separated him from his wife. The man
is G. Fred Bulen and the object Of his
wrath is Laurin w. Burton, who was for
intendent of St. Johns Episcopal Church
Sunday School. Bulen has already sue
ceeded in causing Burton to lose his .po-
sition and has made it impossible for him
to secure another; he has forced him to
leave the church where he has been
worshipper for years, and has at lass
compelled him to leave the city with his
family and seek relief from persecution
in some place, the location of which is kept
secret from his most intimate friends
and acquaintances. Burton's WHEREABOUTS
are known only to the Rev. E.. L. Stod-
dard, rector of st. John Church, and he
refuses to divulge them.
Dr. Stoddard is authorized to speak for
Mr.. Burton regarding his affairs and the
unhappy event that has cast gloom
upon his life In spite Of the serious ae
superintendent, and in the face of a con-
feSsion of guilt which he made in writing
to the man ne had wronged, DR.. Stoddard
has come out openly in defence of him
and declares that he is the victim of
heartless and cruel persecution. He is
not only being bounded in the social and
religious worlds. and in business circles,
declares DR.. Stoddard but he is also kept
in constant terror of legal proceedings
The constant strain he has been under
for months, says the pastor, has worn
him to a shadow of his former self. He
has been driven well nigh frantic by per-
secution and has at last decided that as
the thing has become common gossip in
church and lodge circles it would be best
to have all the facts placed before his
friends and the general public through
the medium of the press.
A reporter of 1.-THE News" who learned
of Mr.. Burton's sudden and rather mys-
dard last night and secured his statement
of the affair in Burton's behalf and in de-
fence of the attitude he has taken in the
matter Those of the congregation of st.
tails. of the case are divided in their
opinions: Some of them feel that DR..
Stoddard failed to do his duty to the
church and the members of his congrega-
tion in not prohibiting Burton from con-
| tinuing in the Sunday School and choir
after he became cognizant of the facts.
| One of these persons is Edward M Wat
| son of the Jersey City Printing Company,
who has withdrawn from the church be-
cause Burton was permitted to retain his
| The other side Of the story was also
| secured, from the lips of the avenger
ns III sb e Ered BTen Ien Is dent
| Extinguisher, and also superintendent of
| the inspection department of the Elee-
aplGal ard 81 Ne S yin meoa t
! present in the Hotel Washington, where
| he was seen last night by the reporter.
He teld Il In detail the whole story Of hi. his
! ending. The recital took him three full
/ hours. When he had finished it he was
/ that two of his friends who were present
/ throughout the interview had to quiet
/ him.
/ during his recital Of the facts, that my
1 one object in life is to make Burton
suffer. am not afraid to kill him. but
I DO 2 not care to & do it, There her IS more e,i,1
| hound him to his death--no, not that, for
i | want him to live and suffer. l think
that thus far have been very sq success. .,,s
4 have in store for him.
4 Here Is Bulen's story condensed but
containing all the essential facts.
i II first met Burton in boarding house
/ in New York in 1884. Shortly after be-
i came acquainted with him, having lost
his position with the. Winchester Repeat
i ing Arms Company, he applied to me for
i position with my company ! gave
H him a place. He was not competent
man, and had to keep him. al through
i his service with US, by exertions on my
A part. I worked him up in the concern
from a job that paved s.. 80 day to po-
sition that paid him $1,000 year. He
1 In 1889 built q house for myself and
4 wife in Bayonne. Burton was a frequent
visitor there, and we continued the soeia-
i bility and friendship that had existed be-
i tween us ever since first met him. Sew
4 eral times my wife asked me to keer
4 Burton away from the house, but paid
no attention to her request, as thought
i it was nothing but wQmans whim. In
1892 had invited Burt6a to the house
/ to take supper with me one evening. Thai
morning my wife threw her arms about
4 my neck and crying bitterly, said: Please
II don't let him come here any more
4 II said that / would fix that all right
Il When met Burton I told him he wOul6
4 have to call that supper off. He took
n the matter with such apparent indiffer-
II ence that gained courage to say: Don't
come to the house any any more NOR Mrs sss BuleI ne,
will have to stay away altogether HI
b promised me then that he would never
again call at the house. Sc mad mad no Il fur,
Z SUPPOSED he was keeping his promise.
Fl I'm the summer of 1893, a friend o.
mine caIne to me and sald:.l saW you d
attach any particular Importance to that
n nor did Il suspect anything when he sait
he. had seen him in the yard, trying t
81 gain admission to the house, on severa
occasions. had nearly forgotten this
occurrence when It was recalled to M
in October, 1893 At that time as he ne wr0t' s,t
n guised hand which was supposed to b'
I feminine and was mailed in lady's en-
"a velope, In it he asked her where ant
FL York 1t was signed Your friend, L
El ". Burton At the bottom was Pleas
+ destroy Mrs. Bulen IN; HANDED tne i letter ter Z
El thing to Burton. This annoys me-
+ upbraided him for his breach of faith am
I asked him what the letter meant: H
f said he merely wanted to see Mrs. Bulel
Il and find out what the trouble was"
III Coming down to the time of Burtcn'
I confessiIg his guilty relations, Bulel
aEarly in September, 1896, Burton cam
III to my Office and asked me If I could no
L tell him where he could invest som
81 money! judged about 81 900. told hin
L | la i, ,as7 batter keep it in the bank He sug
r | gested that perhaps he could get some o
Il fhe stock in our company. told him
II would see what could do for him. H
|, kept at me about it. Coming in contac
i | with him daily brought back 70 my min'
Et what my friend had said about his call
.Al ing at my house. thought ] woul,
Il have a little talk with him and find GU
I what he meant by it,.
II Mr. Bulen went on to tell how he tool
Burton out to dinner with him on Sep
f tember 29 and how, working blindly a
\. wrong doing, he cleverly wormed a con
u | fession from Burton. The matter wa
1 / brought out in the following conversation
Is which was begun by Bulen:-
/ BY the way, when did you see Mrs
4 Bulen last?s
4 ssOh, a long time ago.
How long 2?
4 Il haven't seen her since promised t
H keep away from your house.
Is There was something in the nervoul
MAI1ERS or FAOE.
Il stores factories and institutions can ,c
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d can serve them. Complete stock, low price
r at d. r. Cleary & Go. q wholesale grocer