Blue-grass blade., 1905-04-23
CAMPING IN THE TRAIL or DR..
~. T. EDWARDS-THE CON-
VERIFIED INFIDEL."
Chicago, April 6, 05.

The news-note and your pungent
comment of a. free-thinker, one "Dr.
It. ]. Edwards" in your issue of last
week. caught my eye. have been a
persistent inquier into newspaper
fakes of all kinds for many years;
y they are legion and the genus
theologicus is especially numerous
among them. AS you say this "con-
version" yarn has all the well-known
marks of clerical fraud; but decid-
ed at once to run 1t to the ground, IL
possible.
Folks Medical Register Of the Unit
ed States and Canada, told me that
there was no physician by the name
of Edwards licensed to practice medi-
\ cine at Olney, Illinois, or in that coun-
n ty. However, to make assurance
II douBly sure, I wrote to DR.. jeremiah
N Phillips Of Olney, who graduated near
n u half a century ago and for years
Everyone worth knowing in
N To my sincere regret
Heard from Victor E. Phil
that his father. DR.. Jere-
fipps, died last fall, at the
of S8 years and six months.
on, however, kindly and om-
n, ALLY answers my questions. r
wroA him az, follows:
4 "vyill you greatly oblige me by tell
II ing me whether you know. or know Of
4 a Dr. T. J. Edwards, Of your town.
u and, II so. whether he is in regular
\ standing and practice?"
u To this Mr.. Philips replies: 81
NJ never heard of such man as DR.. T.
NJ j. Edwards. His name does not ap-
Y pear in our city directory. The City
Assessor does not know him. He is
not known at the Olney post Office.
am satisfied no such man has lived
here within the last 35 years. There
1 was a DIR. e. e. Edwards here about
I He was not an M. D.. but Phi. d.
a teacher and latter an Episcopal min
ister."
Evidently a man known as an au-
thor of books and magazine articles
ought to be known to the post Office
and one who could burn up $500
worth of books should have been
known to the tax assessor. AS mat
ter of the fact, he name T. J. Edwards
whether a physician or not, does not
APPEAR in any authors or publishers
lis pr in the literary annals or an
ma 4 pediodical literature, with
Aaf which it is possible to spot
an merican or English writer, Of
arhE anding whatever You. and DR..
/ WI 4, and I, and a whole lot Of
WIN do our little share of schibbling,
are easily found therein, but no T. j..
y Edwards comes to light.
A am still on the Edwardsian trail
and by means of about dozen other
letters sent out where most likely to
produce results, hope to track this
elusive product of some modern An
anias to its original home. I will re-
port progress, Later.-EUGENE MUIR
RAY-AARON
p. S.-Send along some Jobs like
this; they are my hobby. Patent
medicine fake testimonials, religious
fakes, miraculous cures, ghost stories,
wonderful spirit manifestations. and
all such, run to earth. are my prin-
cipal form of recreation or relaxation.
Accompanying his article is note
to me marked personal" but cannot
see any inpropriety in publishing it.
think him a splendid fellow and
am f.zlad he will write for the Blade,
but sho did think he got real mad"
at me because l did not stop to see
him. in Washington, on my way to the
Orient.
His letter is as follows:
PERSONAL.
Friend Moore.
You did me a triiing injustice
Gently In the Blade. when you said
was angry because you did not call
on me in Washington. Doubtless your
memory, played you trick I never
wrote in any harsh way of you, quite
the reverse! l did once feel hurt at
a rather undignifed. puerile attact on
me, OF a very personal sort, that you
allowed DIR. Wilson to write for the
Blade; but, as you and he and all the
rest have since backed down and TAX