The Lamar register., 1922-01-18
A AJEKYLL-HYDE' MINISTER
GUILTY IN FEDERAL CASE
Man Respected for His Cloth Had
Criminal Record Under
Another Name.
TWO OTHERS GUILTY
MAY GET OFF LIGHT

Muskogee, tOkla.) TImes-Democrat.
Convicted by jury in federal court
and committed to Jail to await the
sentence of the court, the Rev. j. M.
Powell, aged AZ, former pastor of the
United Brethren church of Bartlesville
IN which city he afterwards engaged
in Y. NJ. C. A. secretarial work, to-
getker with Vernie Burnstetter and
Eugene Davis, Bartlcsville lads, was
found guilty of transporting stolen
Buick automobile from Tulsa to La
mar, Colo, last May.
As the verdict was read, Powell, who
has also appeared on the stage under
the name of DIR. Buckley, the miracle
man" and the worlds greatest hyp-
notist, never batted an eye, although
he is now facing five-year term in
the federal penitentiary at Leaven-
worth, Kan, and fine of 81 900.
Was Jekyll and Hyde.
Leading DIR. Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde
existence, Powell, who says he was
ordained as minister when he was
fourteen, is strange admixturc of
both good and bad, leading an appar-
emily Christian existence as the Rev.
]. NJ. Powell and criminal one under
his stage name of DIR. Buckley. There
is no question in the world but Powell
was the master mind that conceived
the idea of making a getaway to Colo
RADIO with stolen automobile, taken
from the streets of Tulsa on May 2
last.
Following the plea of Judge A. F.
Vandeventer Of Bartlesville for the
court to deal leniently with Burnstet-
ter and Davis, active Y. NJ. C. A. work
ers in Bartlesville, whose reputation
had been coed up until the time of
their arrest in Colorado last May, the
court indicated that justice would be
tempered with mercy in pronouncing
sentence on the boys il they would
come to the court and make a clean
breast of their connection with Powell
in the transportation in interstate
commerce of the stolen Ger found in
their possession near Lamar, Colo.
"If these young men want mercy
they must tell this court the truth.
They did not perjure themselves by
taking the witness stand in their own
defense, and while / am not going to
say what I will do with them, I will
extend mercy if they deal fairly with
this court" announced Judge Williams.
81 can let them off for a fine; give
them Jail sentence or send them to
the penitentiary for five years and
fine them $1,000"
Had Booze as Pastor.
81 was impressed" continued the
court, during the trial of these de-
PENDANTS, that Powell was the leader
and the master mind behind this crime.
I was told about a whiskey charge
against him when he was pastor of n
church at Bartlesville, he having
brought six quarts Of liquor to Okla
homa from Canada"
81 approve of the verdict in this case
and I think these men are guilty. l
have no doubt of their guilt and I
want to say to these men who steal
automobiles in the eastern district of
Oklahoma, "You better leave the east
ern district of Oklahoma alone"
The jury in the Powell case found
the three defendants not guilty of the
first count, charging them with trans
porting a stolen car in interstate COM
merce from Bartlesville to Colorado,
because of variance in the proof in
regard to the numbers on the car
stolen from Mrs. Foley of Bartles-
vile. Their conviction was returned
for the transportation of Buick car
stolen from Mrs. C. B. Collins of Tulsa.
He Carried Big Sums.
Powell's explanation that he carried
huge Gums of currency with him in
order to prevent his divorced wife, now
residing in Enid, from attaching his
bank account, was n weak excuse and
was evidently so regarded by the jury.
A bill of sale taken for the stolen
Buick car in the name of DIR. Buckley
assumed by Powell on the stage, which