The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1905-01-03
BETTES
VERY BAD
OLD BOY
AIRING GIVEN HIM BY PARKERS.
BURG SENTINEL SHOWS AFFAIR
UP IN TERRIBLE LIGHT.
IF GIRLS STATEMENTS ARE TRUE
HE is THE GREATEST HYPocRIT
OF THE AGE.
Goes So Far As to Attempt to Desert
Family-Triss To Get Gin To Commit
Awful crims-sha Proposes To Make
Him Share Her Shame.

him ShhIe neT onaine.
Old Sam Bettes gets another airing
this time by tae Parkersnurg santincl
as follows:
a suit was filed late Saturday evening
at Circuit Court entitled Melissa j,
Holt vs.. Sam G. Bettes, trespass upon
The case, upon ATTACHMENT, damages,
5000. Caldwell & Watson and j. d.
Cutlip represent the plaintiff
Shortly after the attachment was
sworn out the Gospel Yacht" belong
ing to the defendant was levied upon
by deputy sheriff R. X. Petty, bond be-
ing given by tine plaintiff in the penalty
of $4,000 with Jas. A. Watson and j..
D. Cutlip as sureties.
The affidavit and declaration of tin.
plaintiff in the action contains many
startling and sensational disclosures in
regard to the morals and conduct of the
man who has been posing in this stat,
for years as the Cowboy Preacher.-
the statements made to the Sentinel
reporter on Saturday evening are even
more damaging than som of the matter
contained in the affidavit.
IN tine affidavit she sets out that she
was born. reared and educatel ut Glen
vile. but in 1908 was in charge of the.
engineers club at Farnont. While
tnare Battes came TO Fairmont and con
,iucted maeiinrs at thc NJ. P. churcn
and that she wa introduced to him
From that time ne began expressing his
love for her and won her affections. He
claimed h nal a wife in form only, who
was crazy. and ialpless and hopeless
invalid who lived in the northwest and
waom hc had never lived with as a hus.
band or enjoyed tn pleasures Of mar
ried life.
Tiat on subsequent visits TO Fair.
mont in the role of the "cowboy Preach
er' he always called ON the plaintiff
plightsd his troth to her. and said ne
would marry her just as soon as mis- wife
died, and that as soon as ne got rii Of
his family that they would go to Cen
tral America in the yacht he was build.
ing. He persuaded and induced her to
come TO Parkersburg and she lived on
tne yarht with him in This city ami then
worked at various other places in the
city. That he suggested after her ruin
was complete, to 20 to a hospital, and
be party to a certain act. she refused.
Then ne proposed, that as ne was a min,
lister that he would marry her to
mythical person, and he gave to ner
certificate Of marriage TO J. W. Parker,
OF Chicago, person she never knew,
and TINT the certificate was false ami
fraudulent. gotten up by Bettes to leaA
her relatives to believe that she was
married woman. whereas in truth ana
fact sam G. Bettes was the father Of
the child. which was born in July and
died in November.
After being deceived and ruined sac
daclares in her affidavit that the de.
fendant who was so lavish in his prom.
iscs Of faitnfulness and fidelity had re.
fused to assist in the burial. expenses Of
the child. and since It's deata had only
given her So; that he has ruined her
reputation and character causing ncr
great trouble. worry AMI anxiety of
mind and TO lose her standing in society
and tpat up 10 tine time lie ruined her
she had always enjoyed the confidence
and respect Of her associates, and be-
lieves that she is entitled TO recover
the amount sued for
As grounds for the ATTACHMENT the
plaintiff believes fnat Bsttes Is about
to convert mis- property into money for
the purpose Of defrauding .his creditors,
and that tho defcndbnt fraudulentis
contracted the debt aud incurred the
liability for which this suit i brossht.
Miss Holt. in discussing the suit says
tnat Bcttes should be made TO bear
some Of the odium and disgrace That he
has brought upon her. She has suffered
the loss of friends and ramily. sac
said recently that the lawful wife Of
Bettes arrived here. and. instead Of be-
ing crazy and an invalid as B7ttes nal
declared she was sane and healthy. tho
mother . a family. some Of the cailiren
being grown.
Bsttss posed as Cowboy Preacher
conducting meetings at various poinrs
throughout the stat and preached prin.
ciPally against saloons ana lnternper.
apce. He began his crusade Tor finds
log his Gospel Yacht about tie same