Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-08-10
PRONOUNCED 4 HOAX.
Episcopal Bishop Lawrence Has Is. sued a Denial of Any
 Connection With Chain.
IT WAS STARTED LAST MAY.

Boston, Aug 1O-So much annoy
 ance has been caused to right Rev William Lawrence, Episcopal bishop
 of Massachusetts by the flood of let
 ters which has been pouring in for
 several months regarding the so-call-
 ed endless chain of prayer which
 was alleged to have been started by him that the bishop has found 1t nec- essary to issue the following denial that he is connected with the matter:
 "The endless chain of prayer, said to have been written by Bishop Law renee Is hoax. Bishop Lawrence of Massachusetts never wrote it and knows nothing about 1t. It is the
 work of some demented or mischiey- ous person."
 The "endless chain" movement ev- idently was started last May when several persons in different parts of the country received the following communication:
 Endless Prayer Chain-'O, Lord Jesus Christ we implore Three, 0 eternal God. to have mercy on all mankind. Keep us from all sin by Thy precious Blood and take us to be with Three eternally. Amen" This prayer was sent by Bishop Law renee recommending it to be sent to nine persons. He will not send 1t. it will be afflicted with some misfor- tune. One person who paid no at- tentlon met with a dreadful accident
 He who will write this prayer for nine days and distribute 1t to nine other persons commencing on the day 1t is received and sending only one n day, will on or after the ninth day, experience great joy. At Jerusalem, during the holy fast, 1t was then said: 'He who will re-write this prayer will be delivered from every prayer will be livered from every calamity Please do not break the chain. I send you the endless prayer as 1t came to me-"
 Copies of this letter have been re- ceived Tn every state in the union, in Canada and abroad. Inquiries con- corning the endless chain and com ments on 1t which have been re- ceived by Bishop Lawrence and by church and secular papers indicate that the fears of many ignorant and superstitius persons have been so worked upon by the mention of dreadful accident as the penalty for failing to comply with the copdi- tlons of the scheme that they have not only aided in the spread of the prayer but have great terror lest they might meet with misfortune. One of the most striking letters regarding the matter was received by the editor of a Montreal paper from q cores pondent in far-away British Colum- bia. This correspondent wrote as follows:
 "I enclose you copy of letter (the endless chain letter., with which the United States and Canadian mails are flooded. I received the sev- enth today from Canada and have resolved to give the matter publicity. One of my lady correspondents writes me that she is sick with fear for her husband would not let her follow the directions in the letter she received of the kind, and she was so afraid that some calamity would befall herself or family that she has disobeyed him and written secretly nine letters and sent them of to as many different parties, myself being one of the vic time, thus placing nine others under the ban of the curse as she calls 1t, if they do not do likewise. I am sending a copy of the letter that Is causing so much discussion to several of the leading newspapers In Canada and the United States and hope the matter will be so widely discussed that 1t will put stop to such a sac rilege which makes fools of superstl- tious people and is q mockery to all true religion"
 A denial that such a scheme had been started by any church official or dignitary was prominently pub llshed in all the Episcopal church pa- pers as well as In the local secular papers fin many cities. The church officials also sent to Episcopal clergy men throughout the country letter the hoax. Despite this however. there Is scarcely day when Bishop Lawrence does not re- ceive letters containing inquiries con cernlng it. Such queries have come recently from Florida. Texas. North ern and Western states and points in Canada while only this week a query regarding 1t was received by RIshop Lawrence from Paris France. The affair has become such a nuisance that the bishop concluded that it could only be stopped by giv- ing the widest possible publicity to his official denial.