The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-23
TRUTH DEEP IN TROUBLE.
Divine Healer Came to Grief in
Denver, Col.

DR.. Francis Truth, who figured in
Savannah few months ago as "a di-
vine healer" who did business in a
museum office on Liberty street, is in
Jail in Denver, Col, if he has not got
out, charged with obtaining money I'M
der false pretenses and practicing med
icine without license.
Truth came to Savannah from Jack
sonville, where the City Council fixed
a $1,000 license for his benefit. Truth
thought it little steep, and moved on
to Savannah, where he could get more
liberal terms. He had an Office on
West Liberty street for a while, and
until business got slack, and he then
left without notice. Nothing had been
heard of him until the news
of his coming to grief in
Denver was received. According
to the Denver Times, he succeeded in
gathering large quantities of coin in
his name was originally Bemis, and
was changed to Truth by act of the
New Hampshire Legislature.
The Times prints a dispatch from
Boston which relates 1.-The healers' per-
formances in that city:
Boston, July 17.-Francis Truth was
arrested here March Is, 1900, charged
with 'devising a scheme and artifice
with intent of using the United States
mail for the purpose of defrauding the
public. Some months before he had
established himself in a large stone
l.
the first did large business with pa
tients who called personally. 1t was
not until he began to advertise and
practice what he called absent treat
ment' that the Boston and United
States authorities got after him. AT
that time his mail was clogging the
Boston postoffice, and it was claimed
that he was taking in $50, 900 per week.
There were large number of girls
employed in the office attending to the
mail order business. Letters from sick
correspondents from practically every
state in the Union were being answered
by these girls, who were writing at
a very rapid rate.
TT was the custom of Mrs. Truth to
open the mail and extract from each
the IS which was demanded for the
treatment. The letters were then sent
out to the mailing room and were an
swered by the young girls. There were
about thirty girls employed at this
work, and they labored from a. m.
until at night. When the arrest was
made, the girls said that it was a fake
scheme, and that it was a matter for
surprise that the police had not known
of it a long time ago. 1t was found
that most of the letters being answered
at the time were from states outside
of New England. In fact, the majority
of them came from far away states
like Texas, Alabama and Florida"
The graphic description in the Times
will be recognized as a familiar pic
ture in Savannah:
1.-The only trouble DR.. Francis Truth
of 2021 Colfax avenue has is to find a
place big enough to keep the money in.
Money comes fast and easy to him.
Crowds attend every day and pour a
stream of golden coin into Truths
treasury.
Or. Truths Office hours are to 4.
He will pardon this little advertise
ment. In that period he is constantly
busy, with a room full of waiting call
ers. No one knows just how much he
gets. 1t would be safe. however, to es-
innate DR.. Truth at $500 a day.
THE three-story stone mansion which
DR.. Truth uses for sanitarium has a
NlHS-CON6Icu pOlCl Will obOhC Pliidi ."
1t is elegantly furnished The visitor
enters the hall, and to the left is the
front parlor, temporarily turned into a
waiting room for people who have
things, from epizootic to chilblains-Dr.
Truth treats them all. The people walt
ing to be healed talk in buZzling I'M
dertones. There are old and young.
The women are in the majority There
was an elderly woman who looked as
though she might be giving Dr. Truth
money to cure her. rheumatism. A
cavernous checked young man evident
ly found himself and his pocketbook
alike growing thin at DR.. Truths. A
blonde young woman sat and waited,
and it looked as if it would be hard for
DR.. Truth to find anything to cure
about her.
"a slender young woman shows Wis
itors from the hall into room just
back, and off to the left again is the
back parlor, which is the throne room
of healing. Here dwell all power and
mystery. 1t is elegantly furnished like
the other rooms.
ats walls are adorned with curious
exhibits of the healing power of DR..
Truth. In one corner fifteen or twenty
crutches make wall decoration
spreading away from each other In
regular order, from the corner, on two
sides of the room. Up and down the
wall by a window is an exhibit of
pipes, including opium and morphine
layouts. on one side of the room Is
a big display of pictures OF patients
who have been healed. On top OF
case is part of physicians outfit, the
owner having deserted the ranks of
the medical profession to heal by Dr..
Truths plan.
when one has concluded brief
survey of the room there is its chief
charm and ornament yet to be men,
toned. That is DR.. Truth. He is a
tall man. broad -shouldered and ath-
letic looking. He is dark complexioned,
and has heavy black hair. II is not
enough TO say he Is fine looking. lie
Is handsome. He has a voice with a
gentle drawl In Il and cadences that
charm his feminine patients as ne
holds their hands and bids them take
new hope. ,,,
"Dr. Truth has a winning smile. HIS
manner is easy and graceful. He en-
lows Joke. lie has sense OF humor,
and his face wrinkles up and his eyes
twinkle when something humorous
strikes him. one can imagine the
healer going out behind the woodshed
10 laugh AT the way he takes the pub
lie ia. IL must strike him as irresist-
IDLY humorous. He has good teeth
this healer. and from his sleek appear
ance they have evidently sunk into
many a Juicy porterhouse, aithoueh
the healer talks of fasting, ana say