The New York herald., 1922-06-22
CLERGYMAN SEIZED
AS BRIDE SWINDLER
Stewart and Second Wife Ac-
cused by Woman Who Says
She Is the Fourth.
WEDDING COST HER 81, 900
Prisoner Finds Underworld
More Sympathetic Than
His Pensioners.

Los ANGELES. June 21.-The Rev
Donald d. Stewart Is held In the county
Jail here facing charges Of committing
bigamy in four States and fleeing four
wives out of thousands of dollars.
II have gone down and down from
the time I was unfrocked In Oakland In
en- of the underworld were kinder and
more charitable to me than members OF
the church whose worship / mad led.
Not one of my fiock stood by me In my
trouble"
Stewart denied charges OF bigamy.
He also denied that Mrs. Ethel Turner
Osbaldeston. taken into custody with
him and. 1t was alleged. posed as his
sister and arranged Stewards mar
riages. was guilty OF any wrong.
Stewart was ordained as minister In
Edinburgh. Scotland. and is said to have
once conducted a pastorate In Paterson.
N. j. Hs Is wanted on charges If
bigamy in Boston, Indianapolis. New
York and Detroit. said Everett c. briggs
of a detective agency which made the
arrest.
The Rev. Robert Alan McLaren
Browne. known In many cities as
the Rev. Donald Allister Duncan Stew
art. was born In Scotland and or
dained a Presbyterian minister In this
city in 1909. Soon afterward he went
to Dundee Lake, N. j.. where Ii Is
alleged he has three children and Il
wife who divorced him. Stewart was
unfrocked in 1915 because Of his connec-
tion with the suicide Of Mrs. Maude Hen
bricks in Hayward. Cal. in December.
1914. In the meantime Stewart had had
churches at Paterson. Saunderson. Tex;
DOugias, ArtZ.. and Chico. Cal.
The Pinkertons became interested in
Stewart when the Aetna Savings and
Trust Company Of Indianapolis reported
1t had been defrauded on a check Of
$1,000 on the Colonial Bank of New York
city. 1t developed that Stewart had mar
rIed Bertha e. Grannis In February.
1921, and had induced her mother, Mrs.
Agnes L. Grannis. to identify him at the
bank.
The Pinkertons picked up the trail
OF Stewart In Detroit, where II Is
alleged he had been associated with an
auburn haired Mrs. Turner. who, It
developed. was Ethel Turner Osbaldes-
ton, who was married to Stewart In
All Souls Church, New York, on March
6, 1920. It was found that Stewards
first wife was Mary Barbara James,
whom he married in Wilmington. DEL.
on November s. 1918, and deserted in a
few months.
The complainant against Stewart now
Is Norma Ehrenseller, who says he
married her in Boston on November "a.
1921. Stewart was accompanied by his
second wife. Mrs. Osbaldeston. posing
as his sister under the name Of Jean
McGregor. Miss Ehrenseller asserts
that Stewart gave her a worthless
check for $500 In return for $1,000 Of
her savings
The couple came to this city and
lived at $40 West 1s9th street. from
which address they disappeared on
June OF this year. Mrs. Osbaldeston
and Stewart were traced to Sierra
Madre. Cal. and then to Los Angeles.
INDIANAPOLIS. June 21.-The arrest OF
the Rev. Donald D. Stewart In California
ends search conducted since July.
1921, after II was charged by the police
that he had defrauded the Aetna Saw
ings and Trust Company of indianapolis
of $3.50 and deserted Bertha Ellen
Grannis of this city. whom he married
here February. 1921.