The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-07-28
M'GRATH TALKS ON
MISSIONARY FRAUDS
Imposters Among Solicitors
for Oriental Orphanges
TAKE BACK FORTUNES
Careful Investigation Shows Many of
the Credentials to Be False.
Cannot Tell Straight
Stories
TAKE BACK FORTUNES

oeell uoHoTeu Dy the presence VI hieh
claiming to be Oriental missionaries rep
resenting orphanages. schools, missions or
districts in Armenia, Syria or other locali-
ties that have been afflicted with famine,
pestilence or massacre said William M.
McGrath secretary of the Associated
Charities. These men are loaded with
letters of Endorsement and various testi-
monials couched in highly .eulogistic terms
and purporting to be signed by native
church dignitaries and different officials
and ministers in this country.
"A close scrutiny of the names borne by
these men in travelling through the United
States will reveal marked similarity,
Indicating the ease with which an alias
is assumed.
Their operations are widespread; their
system of approach mastery; their APP
peal well calculated to arouse that best
of emotions; sympathy for the afflicted
and the fatherless, and annually thou
sands of dollars are carried out of this
country by these plausible impostors.
Their testimonials are frequently the
rankest of forgeries or procured from
some one In collision with them. Letters
of Endorsement from reputable local Of
ficials or ministers are utterly without
value in establishing the worthiness of
the bearer, written as they are without
any first rst-hand informs ton and usu-
ally given either because of belief In the
mans story or desire to be rid of too
persistent a beggar.
"A year ago l came in contact with
one of these men who gave the name of
Stephen George and claimed to represent
a church in Mesopotamia and to be
travelling in this country in behalf of a
childrens and orphans home, which he
was endeavoring to establish. When he
discovered that notes were beng taken of
his statements he grew abusive and
threatened to take them by force. Investi-
CATION by means of our various agencies
throughout the country disclosed the fact
that many of his credentials were false.
while others had been given with no
knowledge of the facts in the case.
1.-THE boards of foreign missions have
found these imposters veritable thorn
in the flesh. stultifying as they frequently
do, we'll authorized and accredited effort
to secure subscriptions for reputable mis-
sion work.
None of them is able to tell straight
story and when pressed as to the exact
geographical location of their nstitu-
tions,, their answers are either evasive
or the location is given In district where
1t is we'll known that nothing of the kind
exists.
"A personal friend of the writer, one
high in missionary councils. states: Many
of these men are only inoffensive Oriental
villagers who do not know how fraudu-
lent their enterprise appears 20 our moral
sense. They have been accustomed to
living on charity, as far as they could.
and see no harm in making representa-
lions as to the objects for watch they are
soliciting money which have no basis on
fact. There is not an orphanage in all
the regions from which these men corGe.
Recently group of them were arrested
In the south and more than two hundred
testimonials taken away from them One
man returned to his country a few years
ago with, 1t is said, over 10000 and he
was a particularly notorious rogue for
whom the police of British Columbia were
seeking at the time of his departure. He
raised tne money uHuer live Inherent
pseudonyms on the score that he was rails
ing funds to support orphanages, not one
of which had any existence save in his
own imagination.
"Of the policy to adopt in dealing with
this class of solicitors. there can be little
question. Until they establish beyond all
DOUBT the existence of the institutions
they claim to represent and are vouched
for by one in a position to know, they
should be denied every privilege of solicit
ing funds.
"The burden of proof lies with these
men to prove that they are bona fide,
not with others to prove them impos-
tiers.
This position Is strengthened by the
fact that so large number of these
Oriental missionaries are discredited
among their own nationality. There Is,
unfortunately, some excuse for the prac-
tees of these men, chief of which is the
ease with which they secure contributions.
They know that by connecting a plausible
tale they can go to America. collect
goodly sum, live well while doing so. and
return to their own land with say $4,000
to $4,000, which in that country Is a COM
Portable fortune.
The case with which these men collect
money characterizes those who give al
most as guilty of criminal folly. 1t is de-
sired to give TO foreign missions, the gate
is open and at the portals stand reputable
men and women whose names give ample
security that the gift will Re devoted to
the purposes for whrich 1t is intended and
not diverted to the pockets of some
oleaginous scoundrels, the modern wolf in
a sbeep's c1othinp''