The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-02
EQUALS "JlM, THE PENMAN."
HE PREACHED THE GOSPEL AND
BUNCOED THE BANKS.

After a Successful Criminal Career
of Several Years the Identity of the
Rev. George II. Parrish Is DiscOv-
ered-TakeR From the Church to
CeII-FOrgery After Forgery Laid
at His Door.
From the New York Herald.
Jim the Penman" of fiction has been
outdone by the Rev. George r. Parrish of
real life. 1t is indeed a strange and
thrilling story OF wolf in sleeps cloth
ing, of crime masquerading in garb of re-
speciality, of oanting hypocrisy in vest
ments of the church, as told by the PinkeT
ton detectives. The novelist and drama
list have time and time again given us
pictures of these combinations that have
chained our attention, yet often brought
doubt of their truthfulness in nature, sue
cess In crime, baffling of justice for
long time, the criminal respected and APP
parently living the life of an honest man,
while patient detectives for years fail to
follow a slender clew to success: though
thrilling and entertaining, has often ap-
peared overdrawn and too highly colored.
But now comes real detective story--a
chapter from the records Of crime that has
emphasized all the dramatic situations so
cunningly and effectively used by the nov
elist and play writer Truth is stranger
than fiction" and fiction is only worthy
when it approaches truth.
In the news columns of the Herald last
week was the story of the arrest for forg-
cry of the Rev. George r. Parrish, pastor
of the First Congregational Church of
Marshalltown, Ia, as told by the PinlSer-
ton detectives. Now, there is nothing par
hcularly strange in the arrest of a man
for forgery; il is a daily item of news,
and 50 common an occurrence in a great
detective agency as TO hardly call for the
most ordinary attention, but here was
case that even stirred the cold, profess
s.onal calculating mind of a detective,
whose waking hours are passed in rub
bling against crime and who is IS familiar
with criminals, their life and methods as
is the trained entomologist with the in
sects he captures and securely pins. 1t
is the strange bug" that requires more
thought than is necessary to formally en-
ter him under the proper heads in the reg
lister. SO with the entomologiSt In the
realm of human "bogs." The PinkeTtons,
after a long chase, have melted" and
pinned" a particularly poisonous and
| elusive human insect, and tell of their ex-
perience in the chase.
Reporter, lawyer, clergyman, preacher of
the Christian religion to the people ana
| teacher of good morals to the children, a
| forger for position, forger for money,
! followed by detectives for years, posing
as an honest man, honored and respected
| Swallowed to his very pulpit, there arrested
and now in custody of officers of the law
as a criminal. This is a synopsis of the
| drama in real life.
Parrish" Thompson" and Aiken
are some of the names under which the
arrested man has been known, with likely
more to appear when he shall tell the en-
| tire truth of the strange story of his life
| Parrish" REV. DR.. George R. PARISH
is the title which appears in the record of
| his arrest for forgery. And this record, as
| given out by the detectives, tells of the
| three years chase necessary to capture
| him.
"An criminals come TO the detectives
| who wait" said the elder Pinkerton years
| ago. Criminals will talk, and they will
continue their methods until some day
they make a slip and reveal themselves.
| The slightest cue is sufficient for their
detection if you only have time and pa.
tience enough to abide it,"
This has been true in the case of Par
IRISH, for the clew that has been followed
to his arrest was a slender one, and the
/ arrest did not come until three and a
| quarter years after the commission of the
| particular crime with which he is charged.
Ii was on July II, 1895. the Pinkertons
say, that the Sandwich Bank of Sandwich,
| ILL.,, received a letter purporting TO come
| from the cashier of the Lucas County Saw.
| ings Bank of Toledo, o., enclosing draft
| apparently issued by the Illinois Home
| Missionary Society of Chicago in favor of
the Rev. Mark Thompson. With the drast
was a pretended letter from the cashier
| of the Lucas County Bank, stating that
Mr.. Thompson was the pastor of the Cen
trail Church in Toledo and that he was
| OH his vacation. Further information was
| given that Mr. Thompson was undoubted-
| ly visiting with the Rev. j. NJ. Lewis,
who was the esteemed Congregational
minister at Sandwich. The letter closed
by requesting that the Sandwich Bank
pay to Mr. Thompson the $500 called for
| BY the draft
Mr.. Parrish had prepared the draft.
| written and mailed the letter, and follow
| ed it in person to Sandwich. He called
| on the Rev. Mr.. Lewis and introduced
! himself as the Rev. Mark Thompson pas
tor of the Central Church of Toledo Mr.
Lewis saw before him an intelligent. clerI-
| cai-appearing young man, not quite 40
years old, who by plausible talk and a cor
| rect knowledge of current religious affairs
at once gained his confidence and received
an invitation to spend the night with him.
| After an evening of religious conversa-
| ton and q night Of rest, the kind-heart-
ed, unsuspecting Mr.. Lewis went with
| his guest to the bank and introduced him
as the Rev. Mark Thompson of Toledo.
| That was the last needed link In the chain
| forged by Parrish, and he got the wanted
/ $500.
He thanked the bank officers. thanked
| Mr.. Lewis for his "brotherly act for
fellow minister" and went on his way Sc
| cretly rejoicing.
In few days the draft was returned