The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-03-07
THE PROPAGANDA OF LIES.

THE PROPAGANDA OF LIES.
Unless the Aurora publication
changes it's tactics it will become
entirely discredited, not only by
intelligent people but also by any
of it's dupes who can boast of a
particle of common sense.
In recent issue it published a
lurid account of the burning of a
Methodist parsonage at Dearborn,
Mich, by "Romanists" who were
displeased because the minister,
Rev. J. A. Gotham, was billed to
speak in his own church on "Why
I Am a Protestant. - The article
goes on to say that on Sunday
evening, January 25, the date on
which the lecture was to be given,
the minister's wife left the house
at 6 80 and entered the church
near by. The pastor went into the
house at $50 and left the rear
door open. As soon as the service
began at seven O o'clock, " yell Of
fire rent the air." and when the
people left the church they found
the parsonage ablaze. When they
tried to enter the house by the
rear door they were driven back
by the pungent fumes of gasoline.
They found the electric light wires
cut as was also the bell-rope used
to summon the fire department.
The house was reduced to ashes in
fifteen minutes, causing a loss of
| $4,000. The library valued at
$4,000 was burned. Of course, the
Catholics we're to blame for this
malicious destruction of the minis
ter's house.
Does the sequel bear out this
conclusion? Not at all. The in
telligent Protestants of Dearborn
were not satisfied that their fellow
Catholics had burned the parson-
age, and a quiet but thorough in
vestigation was made by the State
Fire Marshal with the aid of
Burns detectives, and as a result,
on February 10, Rev. J. A. Gotham,
the Methodist minister, was ar
rested on a warrant charging him
with setting fire to his own house
and lodged in Jail.
Mr.. Gotham denied the charge
but the officers assert that they
have enough evidence to prove
their case.
Deputy Sheriff Johnson of
Dearborn, claims to have a sales
slip showing that Mr.. Gotham pur-
chased three gallons of kerosene
oil from William Buford, a grocer
at Dearborn, on the Saturday
night preceding the fire. Exam
nation Of the fire ruins revealed
no trace of the solidly bound
volumes which are said to be in
cluded in the PASTORS expensive
library. Under the third de-
gree" the pastor is alleged to
have admitted that part of the
library had been placed in the
church shed and bundle Of pa
pers given in charge Of friend a
few days before the fire. The
library was insured for $4,000. On
the night of the fire Mr. Gotham S
niece who had remained at the
parsonage during the service on
several Sunday evenings pre-
viously was at another house. Fur
thermore, the Fire Marshal de-
clares that he can show certain
resemblances between Mr.. Cot
tam's handwriting and that of a
letter dated Jackson, Mich, Feb
ruary IA, purporting to have been
sent by GA Catholic" to Mr.. Cot
tam and expressing satisfaction
over the destruction of his home.
The Detroit Tribune of the 18th
inst. says: "Rev. Gotham was a
former resident Of Newberry and
it is asserted that he collected
$500 insurance as result of fire
in the parsonage at that place.
"While the pastor contends that
the loss of fire was far in excess OF
the amount of insurance to be de-
rived from the fire, officers hold
that the goods were far over
valued in the policy"
Tt is too much to expect that the
Aurora sheet will stick to facts In
any further reference to this case.