The Washington times., 1904-08-14
DEPART ENT WILL
DEPORT MINISTER
The Rev. Mr.. Hart ClaSSed
as a Degenerate.
VIOLATED IMMIGRATION LAW
The Order for Sending Him Back to
England Issued by the
Authorities.

The Department of Commerce and La
Dor, late yesterday afternoon. issued an
order for the deportation OF the Rev.
Charles Alfred Burleigh Hart. the
Brooklyn minister who is alleged TO
have violated the immigration laws IN
coming to this country from England
The department. finds upon a thorough
. investigation that the minister is 20 be
classed as a degenerate.
He will be deported as soon as ar
engagements can be made with the steam
ship company which brought him 10 this
country.
Arrested az Home.
NEW YORK, Aug. l3.-Charles Alfred
Burieigh Hart. who processes to be a
clergyman. and who. IT is alleged. is a
ticket-of-leave man from England, IS 4
prisoner at Ellis Island. He was ar
rested IN his home. in Schenck Avenue
Brooklyn. on warrant charging him
with violating the immigration laws. II
the charge is sustained he will be sent
back to England. which country he left
for the United States about a year ago
1t is said that he was convicted in
England twice Of q grave crime. On the
first conviction he was sentenced to
eighteen months penal servitude. and
for the second offense was sentenced
for life. He was subsequently released
Child of /Slums.
According to the immigration authori-
ties here, he was born in the slums of
London. When boy he was taken up
by a philanthropic woman, who paid
his way through Oxford ana educated
dained he did mission work in the
Whitechapel district.
When he came TO this country he made
the usual declaration TO the immIgra-
ton authorities that ne had never been
convicted of any crime He made sew
eral attempts to establish himself as a
Protestant Episcopal minister here. but
| his reputation had preceded him, and the
church authorities would have nothing
TO do with him.
Starts a Mission.
Finally. on July Il. he started lit
tie mission in the quarters formerly
occupied by an athletic club. in Schenck
Avenue. in the East New York section
Of Brooklyn. This enterprise was never
sanctioned by Bishop Burgess.
He called his mission the Church of
st. Mary Magdalen, but told the few
people who went TO hear him preach
that II was not Greek, Roman Catholic
or Episcopalian. At the same time he
asserted that he was an Anglican priest
and called himself Father Hart. To
all Inquiries about his past OF his for
mer church connections he gave evasive
answers.
When Hart was sent TO Ellis Island
ne was taken before board of three
immigration inspectors. be made a
statement 10 the board which was sent
TO the Secretary OF Commerce. together
with the formal charges on which the
warrant was issued
Final Decision.
The final decision in the case will be
made by the Secretary himself. For
! that reason the Ellis Island officials
did not want 10 talk about the mat
ter. holding that it would be a
breach of official etiquette. They admit
ted, however, that Hart was charged
with making a false declaration when
he landed. The law under which he is
detained permits deportation within two
years o. landing II II can be shown that
the immigrant was not entitled TO en-
ter.
After his appearance before the in
Vesugatlng board Hart was allowed 10
go 10 Brooklyn Ia the custody of an
Inspector, for the purpose OF transact
ing some business in connection with
his mission. Il is understood that he
told the board that the trouble he had
In England occurred eighteen years ago
when he was hardly more than q boy
That Hart was not approved by Pro-
teStant Episcopal authorities in this
neighborhOOd is shown by this extract
from the "Churchman" OF July Is.
"Warntng-The registrar Of the do
cese of New York informs the Church
man that the Rev. Charles Alfred Bur
leigh Hart, now in New York and rep
resenting himself as a clergyman OF the
Church OF England, is not now and
never has been licensed 10 officiate in
the diocese Of New York, and further
more, that his name does not appear in
The Clergy Directory and Parish Guide;
an Alphabetical List of the Clergy Of
the Church Of England for 1895.