Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-01-13

from the unSuSpeCtinE In the promo
ton of The Ovona Company, an. al
legged cancer cure concern. He Sc
lected as his victims Mrs. Caroline
Strain and her husband, both very
aged. and highly respected citizens OF
LeGwnd Wheeler met them In their
no ne under the guise of q pastor ana
spiritual adviser, prayed with them
and talked of his wonderful company
which would yield such returns from
stock investment The result was
that he secured from the old people
about all they had in the world Sl,ooo.
Was No Company.
The Ovona company. the headquart-
ors of which were supposed to be In
Omaha, was. in reality, no company at
all excepting on paper and in Wheel
e,.s fertile brain. The street number
where the Headquarters" were sup
posed to be, developed, upon investiga-
ton, to be little wooden shack. UNI
occupied.
Wheeler Indicted.
Wheeler was indicted by the grand
Jury early in 1904, but he had left for
parts unknown, and it was about eight
months before he was arrested near
Toronto, Can. He was brought to this
,ity and placed In jail, and was loud In
his sentiments Of persecution. declar-
ing no specific intent whatever to de-
fraud the Strains. An investigation OF
his record. however. by County Attor-
ney Northup. developed similar jobs
that were laid at Wheeler's door, one
having been performed at Missouri
Valley. and another at Danville Ill
Pays Up; Not Prosecuted.
Wheeler made successful efforts.
thru relatives, to raise the money to
reimburse the Strains. The officials
felt that it was the money the old peo-
pie needed, rather than any satisfac-
ton of successful prosecution. ard
upon Wheeler paying back the $1,000
with per cent interest, and all Of the
costs OF the case, he was released from
Jail. Since that time he has not been
known of here excepting thru letters
he may have written to persons who
were loyal to him turnout his local
trouble.
Unsavory Record at Old Homo.
AT Concord. n. H.. the home of Rev.
Mr.. Wheeler for many years, his rec
ord was unsavory. as was developed
thru Investigations made here at tho
time Wheeler was in jail According
to the Concord Evening Monitor OF the
Sth inst, he left there under a moral
and financial cloud. The Monitor In
commenting on Wheeler's tragic death,
prints the following:
ELDER Asaph j. Wheeler was called
to the Center street Advent church In
this city in January, 1890. He created
something of a sensation by his
preaching and attracted such large
congre cations that the church could
not accommodate them and the prin-
cipal theater of the city Whites opera
house, was engaged for the services.
"Dissensions arose in the church,
however, and in 1898 there was a Sc
cession, Elder Wheeler and his follow
ers leaving the church to found q new
one. They worshfpped for time IN
Union hall and later in the hall over
the market at Washington and North
Spring streets.
I'm addition to his church work FL
der Wheeler was engaged in temper
ance agitation, in liquor law enforce
ment, in the publication OF q. paper and
in the management of a school. This
last enterprise was given charter by
the legislature under the title of the
Merrimack Academy and was carried
on by Wheeler and blind clergyman,
Rev A. r. Hatch A. b., In the base
ment of the Center street church build
ing.
"'rhe publishing business was known
as the Wheeler Publishing Company
and printed periodicals, Bibles and
other works 1t was not financial
success and neither was the school,
CAS- a temperance worker, Elder
Wheeler was secretary Of the New
Hampshire Law and Order league,
which devoted itself to endeavoring to
secure the enforcement Of the prohib
itory law then in force turnout the
state. His addresses and methods in
this connection were such as to attract
much public attention.
elder Wheeler left Concord sud-
denly under a moral and financial
cloud and his subsequent whereabouts
were unknown here for a number Of
years.