The San Francisco call., 1899-05-09
The $ Ophy's S
Head Answers
Critics.
is READY TO
MEET CHARGES
CabIe6ramS Show That
Supplies Reached
Santiago.

Mrs. Katherine A. Tingley, head of
the theosophical organization known
as the Universal Brotherhood League.
at present a visitor in this city, ap-
peaTed yesterday TO be in position
10 refute the insinuations recently
made against her in the East by mem
bers of the cult opposed to her leader
ship. To the charge that she had failed
to forward supplies contributed by
theosophists for the destitute in Cuba
to their destination. she has in her pos
session a cablegram from Mayor Emil
lilo Bacardi of Santiago announcing the
receipt of the Identical shipment about
which so much fuss has been made.
The insinuations against Mrs. Ting
ley came while she was in attendance
on the Universal Brotherhood congress
al San Diego, as a result of a meeting
held in Lyric Hail. New York, at which
James Pryse said: The present meth
DDS of the Universal Brotherhood are
clearly designed for the destruction of
the theosOphical cause" A few days
later the statement was telegraphed
lIIOuSH the country lndl a ION OI rice
and sixty packages of supplies, which
Mrs Tingley had professed to have or
dered to Santiago de Cuba and for the
distribution of which she had arranged
with Mayor BaCardi, had not reached
their destination, the inference being
that for reasons best known to Mrs.
Tingley they never would. The publ
cation of this dispatch brought an i'm
mediate denial of the charge from Mrs.
Tingley and a request for retTaCtiOn.
On her arrival in this city few days
ago she set about taking counsel in
the matter, the result being that she
sent yesterday morning the following
cablegram:
SAN FRANCISCO. Cal,
Emilio Bacardi, Municipaie. Santiago de
Cuba-HaVe you received from Interna-
tional brotherhood League ton Of rice and
siXty-five packages per steamer from New
York as per bill Of lading I gave YOU in
Santiago?
KATHERINE A. TINGLEY.
During the course of the afternoon
the following reply was received:
SANTIAGO DE CUBA.
May S, Alb p. m.
katherine A Tingley, San Francisco.
Cal-Recetved. EMILIO BACARDI.
To further ,fortify herself against
threatened dangers, Mrs. Tingley Sc
cured the affidavits of three of the
relief committee who had acCompa-
MED her to Santiago and left with her
for San Diego Cal, TO attend the
brotherhood congress. They are also
in this city. In these affidavits her CO.
workers testify to the completeness of
Mrs. Tingleys work and detail the cir
cumstances attending the shipment of
the supplies about which all the row
has been raised. They also explain
her hurried departure from Santiago
de Cuba on the ground that she had
made all preparations for the distribu-
ton Of the incoming supplies and was
compelled to go to the San Diego con-
gress. The first affidavit is that of F.
NJ. Pierce. It is as follows:
State of California,
City and County of San Francisco. SIS.
Francis NJ. Pierce of the. State of
and County of New York, being duly
sworn. deposes and says: That he is
secretary general and a member of
the cabinet of the Universal Brother
hood organization, and as such he is
familiar with all of the operations of
that organization; that it IS the uni
versal and invariable practice of
Katherine A. Tingley the leader and
official head OF Universal Brother
hood, to absolutely refuse to receive
or disburse any money or funds Of
that organization. tnat such receipts
and disbursements are carefully su-
perViSed and made under the direction
Of well-known and responsible bus-
ness men as a finance committee, con-
sisting of Clark Thurston. president
dence, r. l.; II. T. Patterson, president
of Patterson, Godfried e Hunter
Company, hardware merchants, New
York, and f. NJ. Pierce, president of
the Frank NJ Pierce Engineering
Company, New York.
That he is a member of the finance
committee of the International
Brotherhood League and familiar with
all Of IFS ttOnS and that its hllSi-
ness methods and the procedure of the
league president Katherine A Ting
ley, in this department of Universal
Brotherhood work is the same in every
respect as relates to the receipt and
expenditure of funds as is hereinbe
fore stated in regard to the Univer-
sal Brotherhood organization
That l was a member of the Cuban
relief expedition which left New York
February 2, 1899, under Katherine A
Tingley; that l. on my own personal |
knowledge, swear that she did not re-
ceive one cent or any other sum of
money from the Universal Brother
hood, International Brotherhood |
League or any other organization,
either for her personal use or for the
Cuban relief work; that l took Kath-
crime A. Tingley's personal check to
the bank and received therefor the
cash and handed it to Katherine A.
Tingley to provide for paying the cash
expenses Of the Cuban relief eXpedi-
ton; that she used this money in pay
ing for extra meals for United States
soldiers while en- route from New York
TO Cuba; that while in Santiago she
used this money to an amount exceed
ing $1,000 in the purchase Of bread rice,
other food medicines, etc, for the re-
lief of the sick and destitute Cubans
and United States soldiers, after the
original supply was exhausted; also in
the payment Of rent, furnishing of
store and disbursing warehouse for the
international Brotherhood relief sup
plies as well as to provide quarters for
the international Brotherhood League
workers for return passage money to
New York on the Ward Line steamer
for the international Brotherhood
League workers and destitute Cubans
brought TO the United States to be
cared for and educated for future
work in Cuba; that the money so
snent was handed to the deponent and
the treasurer of the party by RATHER
inc A. Tingley and by us paid out for
the purposes hereinbefOre specified.
On account of the approaching con-
cross of Universal Brotherhood to be
beId in California il became necessary
that Katherine A. Tingley, with her
relief party, return Immediately to the
tinted States. and having received one
bour previous to the sailing for New
York bills of lading from e. Aug.