Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-04-20
FURNISHED $4,000 BAIL,
Divine Healer to Appear Before United
States Circuit Court.

He Received 10000 Letters Some Weeks
---Refused TO give Back Money to
PeopIs who Were Not BeneHtted---
Trophy stretcher Came from Keene.
Francis Truth, the 'divine healer and
former Brattleboro lauudryman, was ar
ratoned before Commissioner Fiske in Bos-
ton Friday on the charge of using the
malls to defraud. The commissioner Of
flee was not large enough to hold the crowd
of witnesses so an adjournment was taken
to the district court room. The jury seats
were filled with the young women EN-
ployed by the "diVine healer" as were the
spectators seats in the rear of the room.
The space usually reserved for members OF
the bar was filled to overlooking with other
employees and government witnesses and
spectators. The chief complainant was
Post office Inspector Evans, who was in
troduced to Truth as "Uncle George" on
the night of his arrest, when it is alleged
that Truth gave Mr.. Evans one of his ''di-
vine treatments" for which the inspector
paid the customary fee.
Mrs. Mabel f. Miner, who was fore
woman in Truths printing room, described
the handkerchiefs used by Truth in his
"healing." She said about 500 letters
were received daily. Mrs. S. E. Reed of
Revere said she paid Truth $50 for treat
ing her child The child received no bene-
fit, although Truth declared she was cured,
and the healer refused to give her money
back.
Edward Robinson, 20, Truths office
boy, said he knew that Truth had adver-
tised that he had cured patient brought
to his place in Bowdoin square on a
~ stretcher He also heard Mr.. Truth say
to various patients that he had cured a
woman who had been brought into his Of
fee on a stretcher, and after his treatment
the woman had walked away as we'll as
ever. He said he had never seen anybody
brought into Truths place and that the
stretcher which was exhibited in Truth s
trophy room as the one on which came the
woman who was alleged to have been cured
was really imported from Keene, n. ii
Robinson said that Truth had told him if
ANYBODY asked him about the stretchel
business, to say that it was true. In some
weeks, Robinson said, Truth received
10000 letters. From 125 to $50 patients
called daily. Almost daily people came tC
Truths office crying for the return of theil
money.
Joseph Macdonald of Readville told o
making a contract with Truth for medica
treatment, how he lost faith in Truth anC
demanded his money back, how Truth
wife ordered him to leave the place anC
how Truth threatened to call policeman
if he did not go. Post-otfice Inspecto
Evans identified letter which he received
from Truth together with other healing
literature.
Mr.. Anderson, counsel for Truth, sal,
that he didn't care to put in any evidenc
as the case stood, arguing that the govern
ment had not proved its case. He sal
that not particle of evidence had beel
given showing that Truth had concocted
scheme to defraud No evidence had bee
produced to show that Truth did have tn
power to heal. Nor was there any evidenc
to show that Francis Truth did not believ
that he was possessed of the power to hea
Assistant District Attorney Casey said
seemed to him that the defendant wa
clearly guilty of using the mails to defraut
Instead of being a divine healer, Mr.. Case
said Truth was scheming to get none
from poor, unsuspecting people. Con
missioner Fiske found probable cause an
held Truth for his appearance May 10
the United States circuit court, fixing ba
at $4,000 which Truth furnished