The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-22
TWO FRAUDS
SHOWN Up IN
TRUE COL0RS
"Francis Truth, Divine
Healer" in Town.
A BRAZEN FAKER EXPOSED
AIDED BY THE BULLETIN IN Sc
CURING VICTIMS.
The Disreputable Sheet Becomes a
Willing Party to the Shameless
Swindle Of Poor IN
fortunates.
A BRAZEN FAKER EXPOSED
AIDED BY THE BULLETIN IN Sc
CURING VICTIMS.

For some days past Francis Truth.
divine healer and faker of the worst
possible description, has been doing
! thriving business at 440 Geary street in
| quilting the unwary with the assistance
| of that greatest of all takers, the Evening
! Bulletin.
! Truth as he calls himself. has a most
unsavory reputation throughout the
| United States. but the present is the first
| visit he has inflicted upon San Francisco.
! He first made his presence known when
! he called at the business Office of The
! Call a few days ago and endeavored to
! secure the insertion of an advertisement
! prepared in the foFm of a reading notice,
! and about half column in length. The
advertisement was rejected, although the
! fellow offered to pay literally for its
| publication. He produced q scrapbook
! containing number of notices from
! Eastern papers of his powers. all of
/ which bore unmistakabe evidences of
having been paid for. One of these was
accompanied by rude drawing supposed
/ to represent the death and burial of
Francis Schlatter, another faker, in Ari-
zona a few years ago. Notwithstanding
I this. and the further fact that Schlatter's
death was recorded in all the daily papers
at the time, the advertisement offered by
Truth clearly stated that the defunct
faker is here with Truth, who in his
scrapbook article claimed to have been
with Schlatter at the time of his DEATH
and buried him in the wilds of Arizona,
1t is probable that Truth offered his
a!luring 'ad' to the other reputable
papers; If he did. they, like The Call, re-
fused TO print il on any terms. Not so
with the Bulletin, however, for last
Thursday evening that disreputable sheet
came out with the same stuff that had
been rejected by The Call. 1t was cum
ningly prepared, too, and well calculated
to deceive the average newspaper reader,
who knows little about style" type"
! q n u
up, and while an experienced printer
would detect 1t as a paid advertisement
news item. Large headlines made this
announcement:
Francis schlatter and Friend Truth
here in our midst healing with Gods
power the sick. They ask no money and
expect none, looking for their reward
hereafter They desire to live. quietly,
| but turn none away"
Two Call reporters paid a visit to
truth at 44O Geary street yesterday One
mary stomach trouble; the other In
search of news story. Truths abode is
on the second floor. Mrs" Truth. or
ing the door to all Corners The would
be patient asked for Schlatter and was
then, but that Truth would be pleased to
see him. The patient was shown into the
| front room, which was scantily furnished.
the walls being adorned with prints of
Of Scripture. When the patient was I'm
ally summoned into Truths. office he
told the healer" that only few articles
OF diet agreed with him, his stomach be-
ing in such bad shape. Truth said
few treatments would help the sufferer
so he could eat anything. Then the SUBJ
Ject of compensation was preached.
Truth said he charged nothing for his
services, but accepted such contributions
as his patients saw fit to make. He had,
however, some handkerchiefs which he
had blessed, and in consequence they pos
these handkerchiefs would cost % cents
and he insisted that his patients carry one
with them night and day. Truth pro-
duced small red bandana that cost orig
inally about cents a dozen, and the re-
porter separated himself from a quarter,
ets ' Then the heaer ooS the n psRe@s
hand In his own right palm, placing his
left hand on the patients neck. There
treatment was over. The patient was adj
vised to call every day, and the next vic
tim was called
When 1t came the second reporters turn
and the nature of his business set forth
Truth" dropped his mask of hypocrisy at
once and proceeded straight to the point.
He produced the scrapbook, In which he
asked the reporter porter, to read while he treat
aed deansg ts the &
death. Truth" explained that the Bull
letin article. was a mistake, as Schlatter
took the book, and found by comparison
that the Bulletin article was Identical
with that In the scrapbook, only that the
account of Schatter'S wanderingS and
death had been eliminated and a few
changes made TO suit the locality.
When the interview with Truth was
resumed, that individual frankly stated
that such an article as proposed would
do him much good, and he would like 1t
as sensational as possible. If the report !
er would get UP good, spicy article, /
'Truth" would make 1t an object for
him.
Still Truth" in his Bulletin advertise
ment states that he merely wants to live
quietly and makes no charge for his treat
ment Of the suffering. Evidently he does
q brisk trade in bandana handkerchiefs. |
/ And 1t is such a fraud that the Bulletin
has helped to swinGle poor deluded SUI
ferers.
m1;1 VHanIyJc uTacr