The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-06-11
BEATING THE CLERGY.
Games by Which These Good Men
Are Deprived of Ready Money.

from tne washington lpSt
The most persistent and unique ad-
venturers in the national capital are
the fakirs who haunt the clergy and
persons connected with philanthrOpic
work. They are frequent callers at All
pastoral residences in the city, a day
never passing without two or more pre-
senting themselves at the door. Some
are well dressed and others are garbed
like the poor. They have various meth
DDS of presenting their cause, but each
and all have the same obieCt-to OBJ
tain money. Sometimes their stories
are almost ludicrous, but at other times
they are heartrending, and it is almost
impossible for a clergyman to decide
the merits of the case.
One prominent divine said last week
that in all his experience he had never
met q stranger begging for help whose
case, when investigated, was found
worthy
The Rev. DR.. Mcleod. of the First
Presbyterian church, in conjunction
with four other leading clergymen. hal
an experience not long ago which was
as laughable as it was eXasperating.
A woman clad in deepest but shabby
mourning called at the church office
shortly after noon and told a pitful
tale of woe. She said that her only
daughter had died the night before;
that she had formerly been member
of his church and her dying request
was that DR.. Mcleod should preach n
sermon at the funeral, which would oc-
cur the following morning at her resi-
dence. She gave a number and street
I.
| The doctor at once consented to Off
ciate at the funeral, and expressed the
greatest sympathy for the bereaved
mother. The woman then began to
weep, and told DR.. Mcleod that her
finances were in a straitened condition,
and that she lacked just 80 of having
enough for her daughters burial ex-
penses. The doctor had been imposed
upon before, so he told the woman
that he would go to her home the fol-
lowing morning and bring the neceS
sary funds to defray the expenses.
Thanking DR.. Mcleod, the woman took
her leave and proceeded to the pas
toral residence of the assistant rector
of Trinity church. Telling him the
same story, she succeeded in obtaining
So and the promise that the doctor
would officiate at the funeral.
This original fakir then went to the
residence of DR.. Fiske, pastor of Gum
ton Temple Memorial church, to whom
she again repeated her story, and oh
tained a like reward. She sought two
other clergymen, on whose sympathies
she worked with the same tale, and
secured from each 81 and the assur-
ance that the ministers would preach
her daughters funeral sermon. To
each one she gave the same hour. name
and address. The result was that the
following morning five preachers arm
ed with Bibles and hymn books serious
and sympathetic looks, appeared at II
o'clock at the quiet home of a very
respectable Irish family, and each one
announced that he had come to con
duct the funeral of the young girl
The Irish lady, thinking that some one
had played a practical joke on her
promptly became incensed. and empha
sized the fact that there had not beer
death on that block for six months.
Several days ago tall, foreign-look
ing man visited several prominent Cler
gymen, to each of whom he handle,
his card, on which was engraved REV
Charles Mohammed" His card did ne
state to which denomination ne be
longed, consequently he told each min
lister that he was member of hi
church and a foreign missionary II
some he said he needed funds to go T.
New York, where he was scheduled Z
deliver a lecture, and to others h
claimed his destination was Baltimor
for the same purpose. He succeeds
| In nh ft,fn Of
until finally he reached the Rev. DI
Fiske. To him he showed his credcn
tials, which seemed to be correct, an
furthermore he claimed to be a profes
sor in Princeton university. He show
ed clipping from a Richmond news
paper, which stated that a Rev
Charles Mohammed had been mistake
for negro who was wanted there TO