The herald., 1897-03-29
A FALSE
APOSTLE
Father Ruthven Lectured
Yesterday
NEVER A CATHOLIC PRIEST
A wELL-FED 1MPosTER AND
PUBLISHED FRAUD
NEVER A CATHOLIC PRIEST
Brings to This Coast an Unsavory
Reputation From the Dis
gusted East

For the past few days the community
has been flooded with salmon-colored
dodger which announced in large, black
type that Father" Ruthven, an "ex-
priest" of Rome, who calls himself an
"Apostle of Patriotism" would lecture
Sunday afternoon in the Temperance
temple on Rome, the Enemy of Civil
Liberty"
The distribution of the circular at once
attracted attention, and with the idea
of obtaining reliable information a Her
aid representative called upon Father
Ruthven at the Holman house. The
reverend father" unhesitatinsly gave
the history of his severance from the
Catholic church and his subsequent ca
reer:
"I first became dissatisfied with the
tenets Of the Roman church during 1880,
while in Melbourne, Australia, at which
time 1 was a priest in St. Bridges .urch,
diocese of New South Wales, rnder
Archbishop Vaughan. l went 10 ST dney
and while there severed my connection
with the church and Joined the Presby-
terian denomination, in which remain
ed a minister for ten years, and then
took the lecture platform, which have
now occupied for seven years
From a reliable and authentic source,
however, very different story Oh The
fathers" history and doings has peen
obtained, to the effect that he cannot De
an "ex-priest" from the simple fact
that he never was priest. Moreover
"Father" Ruthven is not the man name
at ali. but one assumed, because during
his childhood he answered to the eupnon-
ious one of Riordan. His true name IS
said to be Victor M. Riordan, and ne mas
been known as the Rev. V. M. = Hlor-
dan and Keith Ruthven.
Ruthven, or Riordan, would accora-
ing to published accounts which he mas
not taken the time to refute, appear 20
he an unscrupulous impostor, who, al
ter being chased out of the east, mas
come to California to browse ana grow
fat on the supposed credulity OF lts
people.
He was born in ireland. When young
man he entered Jesuit school at Duplin
as a theological student. he was party
educated for the priesthood ana mad got
ten far enough to be tonsured when he
was expelled from the school for drunk-
enness and disreputable practices. he
then left Ireland and went TO Australia
where he renounced the Catholic church
and Joined the Presbyterian church'.
being subsequently ordained minister
tion. He married a young woman OF one
of the best families in one of the Austria
liam cities His wife was soon Obliged 10
separate from him on account OF ms
drunkenness and extreme cruelty. he
afterward professed to have reformed
and she returned to him but was COM
PEELED a second time to leave him.
Charges Of Drunkenness and cruelty
were preferred against him before the
Presbytery, but he agreed to surrender
his ministerial credentials and leave the
country. The charges were not prose-
cuted, but he was deposed as minister
Ruthven came to America and began
to lecture against the Catholic church.
At Lincoln, Ills, he so pleased the con-
gregation of the First Presbyterian
church that they asked him to fill their
pulpit for year while their pastor was
absent on sick leave. The Presbytery
agreed to this on condition that RuthVen
got his credentials from Australia. This
he was unable to do and the PreSbytery
having obtained written evidence OF his
character, removed him from the pulpit.
At this move Ruthven became defiant
and tried to take the entire congregation
into the Congregational church, but was
unable to accomplish it. Ruthven then
Joined the Baptist church and was i'm
mersed, but he was soon expelled from
the congre cation and published as
fraud.
Soon after this he began to lecture on
the Catholic church again in Pennsylva-
mia, having Philadelphia for his head
quarters and travelling through the
country accompanied by woman.
Next he turLed up ar inmate of the
keelsN liquor cur t.te at Dwight,
Ills. and leav'' -at- cured, went to
Detroit w Is hotel bill
anf SOU l ia.
Will
,,-g =, ,'-.,,'.',l-s' e'''-e Tss sdeeds and
-, ~ ~. l,..'s Stst, re 10 lrn to the
:, ,iii'sN t5rs1 .,,srta De ente ID at Buff
80 I H. '3iS',0s, took a w direc-
81 ,,ur a.s and solici5ir f,n iirs pea &c meet
construct a steatg vgsse'5 eo~ 49,. ~, 80 is. ~
sion work among The Sou ~ 60 80 -,
He distributed slips n PIE. -, ,Nh;o1 ~,
was a picture of tle tess y T. a. 80
to build and promise 10 Io,,,lor - -
inside and out with sheet. ~ ~ -. ~ '-iip
every one of which W'uldI n, - - -, "a
the name of a contrib o. ~
While he was engage H. ..- ..-t,-
and philanthropic" wor.. -, D.. -.
Patton came to America ,4i,,- -
tour for the Australian chuf Us
nounced Ruthven as soon a. u - - -
him. Ruthven, who had applied y
mission into the presbytery e. Bui
was refused because he cou ref-t
furnish the proper credentiai ~
evidence of belonging to the chu
In February, 1893, he was arre -t lg
Buffalo on the charge Of obtaining 81.
ey under false pretences for chafitA aN1
his case was called for trial on 4 lr. 1l.
He was found guilty and sentenced 10
serve one year in the Erie county peri-
Tertiary. Ruthven claimed that mis- inn
prisonment was the result of a conspira-
cy formed against him because he was
converted Catholic. He alleges that The
district attorney, his own counsel ard,
five of the jury were Catholics, whsreaJ-
all of the jury which tried him were i7roNS
estants save one, aISl James C. Temple
ton, United Presbyterian lawyer, VIZ
was employed to- defend him, refused T.
dlo so, saying that he believed him to ! ~
guilty. 'S
Victor M. Ruthven, as he calls himse,.
is slender and of medium height with
clean shaven face. He wears spectacl
and behind them are pair of light blu ,.
eyes, which sometimes stare very'hard
and then again shift very rapidly. From
his clerical appearance, smooth manners
and scholarly conversation, he has no
difficulty in winning confidence and in
that way has been the recipient of lib
eral contributors.
The above account is probably the
reason why near the bottom of the sal
mon coloreG cirHllar is printed a short |