Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-03-10
Degenerate Descendant of Scot.
fish Royalty Rims Ava Frae
His Wife
RAN a MISSION AT SIOUX CITY
Is Supposed to Be In Nebraska But
the Police Dinna Ken Wheer - Has
Been Barkeeper, Evangelist, Gam
bier and spellbnder and Bisamist-
Widows5couIdn't Resist.
Special to Times Republican.

Special TO Times Republican.
Sioux City, March 1O.-Robert Leroy
Thayer, member of the royal family
Of Scotland, reformed gambler ead
bartender, evangelist and spellbinder,
is running like scared rabbit over IN
Nebraska, trying to keep out Of. the
way of officers who have a warrant
for his arrest on the charge of bigamy.
Thayer, who conducted an open door
mission at 81 West Third street. Sioux
City. decamped about three weeks ago,
deserving his wife whom he married
last November. He left u number OIL
unpaid bills and took most of his
clothing.
His wife, who was Mrs. Summers OF
Morningside, recently heard from Mrs.
Jennie Barnard Thayer Of 100 Seventh
avenue, Minneapolis, who claimed the
evangelist married her about two years
ago and lived with her for nearly "a
year. He vanished after spending her
money and had not been heard OF un-
til his disappearance here under sus-
picious circumstances.
No Chance for Him.
Mrs. Thayer No. 2 lives now at the
corner of Seventh and Jones streets.
She closed the open door mission
March 1. Yesterday afternoon she
signed an information before Judge
Page charging Thayer with bigamy,
and If the evangelist is caught she will
prosecute him. Mrs. Thayer No. l of
Minneapolis will appear here and as
sist the local Mrs. Thayer in sending
Mr.. Thayer where he can't deceive wo-
men with prayers and exhortations.
Chief of Police Dineen, who has
been quietly working on the case for
some time--in fact ever since Mrs.
Thayer No. 1 wrote here week or
ten days aEo-located the evangelist
on a farm five miles from Pender and
about an equal distance from Thurs
ton. He was working as farm hand
and was seen at Thurston week ago
by f. b. Hutchins Of this city. Hutch
ms runs bank at Thurston. He re-
ported the matter to the chief, who
Yesterday notified the sheriff.
The sheriff arrived at the home oil
the farmer where Thayer had been
working only to find the foxy bird had
flown. sas
Seems an Adept Mover.
1--WE have been looking for Mr.. Thay-
er. too" the farmer told the sheriff
Last Friday / was in town and got a
letter from the postoffice, addressed to
after he read it he appeared worried.
He went to bed at the usual hour. but
next morning he had gone, bag and
baggage"
The sheriff concluded that the evan
gelist had Sioux City friend who mad
notified him of impending trouble ana
Robert Leroy, Thayer "hiked."
The identity Of the evangelist as the
man who married Mrs. Jennie Barnard
a Minneapolis widow, was establlshed
Yesterday when a letter was received
by Mrs. Thayer No. 2 from Mrs. Thay-
er No. 1. She described the gay Mr..
Thayer perfectly, recountinG in great
detail his various marks of identlfica-
ton. which include shrunken hand, a
pock-marked face, sandy hair, and
mustache, teeth set wide apart, green
ish- gray eyes and short squat ngure.
"And his name is Robert Leroy
Thayer," concludes Mrs. Thayer NO. L.
"Did he tell you he belonged to the
royal family OF Scotland?"
His Romantic Life Story.
Mrs. Thayer No. 2 says he did. The
evangelist gave what he claimed was
a complete history of his life and his
family, shortly after he had won the
consent of Mrs. Summers to become
his wife.
Here is the tale he told to his con-
fiding wife, who had been won by the
glamour of a title, visions of comfort,
IN her old age, and especially attracted
by the piety of the evangelist.
Thayer was born in the highlands OF
and says he can trace his
ancestry back to. King James. AT the
aga of fourteen he was sick and play
ing the bagpipes and herding sheep
and so ran away from home, landing
finally in Chicago. There he worked
as a "swipe" in racing stable and
then got job as waiter in an all-nlght
saloon. Then he became a bartender
and capper for gambling house,
plished faro dealer. He claimed he, was
arrested regularly for breaking the law
and always fought the police to
And Now They Believe 1t.
ooh, / was wicked man. Thayer
was wont to say in the fervor of pull
pit exhortation, no forgetting to keep
a. waryfeye on the female contingent
of his audience. He indicated he had
committed all the crimes in the cal
endar, except bigamy. but he rad been
saved, and was the instrI ent that
saved at least thousand souls from
everla listing torment
When Thayer first struck Sioux City
he established a record for praying.
First he harrangued the crowd at the
Army barracks, and then he
got a room at Mrs. Summers boarding
house. He had the boarders up early
every day and insisted on reading the
Bible an hour before breakfast and
steadily between times. At
noon it was the same thing, and at
supper ditto. The boarders grew I'M
easy and some of them left. The Wild
ow was affected by the piety Of the
evangelist especially after he told the
story of his life a couple of times.
But here's the story that caught the
widow:
Who Could Resist This?
bad as I've been, l have always
held good religious women in high es-
teem," he would say. II always was
shy and bashful in the presence Of
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