The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-06-29
FUMU CHECHECHI
AFRICAN PRINCE
Proves StrickIan,' the Alleged
Congo Missionary, a
FRAUD AND AN IMP0S1OR
Visited Him al the Jail Yesterday ard Put Him
to a Test Which Relieved All
Doubt Tn Might
Have Existed.
FRAUD AND AN IMP0S10R

r. H. Stricklan, the alleged Congo mis-
sionary, who claims to hail from the shores
of dusky Africa. and who present occu-
pies a cell in the county jail. awaiting exeu-
ton of sentence passed upon by the GRIM
inal court for obtaining money under false
pretenses, has been exposed an impos
ter of the first water.
Prince Fumu Cheeheehi. son and heir of
King Mohamed Cheehechi of Warsaw, West
Coast of Africa, who is in the city in the
interest Of the missionary work had been
appraised of the claims of Stricklan and be-
came Interested in his case. He yesterday
called at the sheriffs office and soguht in
formation concerning Stricklan and his al
legged wrong doings. Chief Deputy Sheriff
Robert Warnoclx was struck by the earnest
ness of the prince and gave him the full
circumstance of strcklan's arrest and
conviction, relating in detail the methods
employed by Strickan to obtain money
from the ignorant and confidlng negroes.
The prince expressed a desire to see Strick-
Ian and was taken to the county Jail,
where the convicted negro was out of his
cell and appeared to smell asmouse" but
his nerve did not forsake him for one
moment
NhSCAi1CAi plOCCNdSu " qGSSl4oH
Strickan on his African lineage and it was
soon discovered that his knowledge of the
Dark Continent was in eclipse. Strieklan
stated that he was a native of the Congo
Free State, Africa, which he said was stu
ated in the great sand desert. He also
gave the name of tribe to which he said
he belonged, but was nonplused when the
prince spoke to him in the language eff that
triI1 olfa anly Ia CT
insisted that he was telling the truth, and
said he could secure positive proof of his
Congo connections, which he promised to
produce this morning if the prince would
again call. Stricklan stated that he would
address the prince in Hebrew which would
indicate that his tribe must be one OF the
ten lost tribes of Israel. The prince ex-
pressed much sympathy for the convicted
negro and told him if he could substantiate
the statements he had made he would try
to assists him, but gave him to understand
: that he had grave doubts as to the truth
of his claims.
When Stricklan was taken back to his
cell he sent sheet of paper to the prince
which he had filled with hieroglyphlcs pur-
porting to represent the written characters
of his tribe. This was at once pronounced
as great fake"
After the prince had taken his departure
Chief Deputy Warnock decided to carry the
test further and wrote note to Stricklan
in answer to the one received from him.
This note was written in characters which
were fashioned after Stricklan's writing,
and was an ingenious piece of work on
the part of Deputy Warnock, who does not
pose as a scribe of African languages. VI
course the note was only a conglomera-
ton of strokes and fuorishes, but when
taken to Stricklan he proceeded to read its
contents much to the surprise of those
present, who were on to the test
The prince will call at the jail again
this morning and will give Stricklan an
other chance to prove his assertions.