276 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aprii, 1. 



of four pages (two leaves, mind you), forSl.OO. 

 This pamphlet tells how to make the " natu- 

 ral-hen incubator," and contains just one en- 

 graving. I sent him a dollar ; and if it were 

 worth while I could give the whole contents of 

 his paniphlet right here. The plan is to have 

 16 hens' nests for sitting hens. Each nest 

 has a little yard 4 feet by 1, and the hen is to 

 be confined to the nest and the little yard. At 

 the further end of the yard are two tin cans. 

 One contains corn and the other water. She 

 goes out and gels food and drink, and then 

 goes back to her nest. Now, this thing might 

 work with some people ; but I tried it years 

 ago, and I decided the hen must have a bigger 

 range for air and exercise. But suppose the 

 thing does work according to his testimonials. 

 In that case the inventor should furnish a fair- 

 sized poultry-book for the dollar he gets (de- 

 scribing m/ull detail his invention), instead 

 of a si>is^/e sheet of paper that could be easily 

 furnished :or a quarter of a cent. I do not 

 know what the Postofifice Department will 

 have to say about taking a dollar for the print- 

 ed matter on a single sheet ; but I am going to 

 submit the matter to them. Mr. S. tries to 

 make out that he has some sort of "patent 

 right " on this piece of paper, and that he can 

 forbid an) body from showing it to his neigh- 

 bors and letting them make a ' ' nati;ral-hen 

 incubator " unless they also pay 81.00. What 

 does ail people to make them part with their 

 dollars so readily nowadays? 



FRANCIS TRUTH, THE DIVINE HEALER. 



For some time back, inquiries have come in 

 in regard to Francis 1 ruth. He is the chap 

 who gives a picture of himself, with a benev- 

 olent priestly look on his face. He also 

 quotes Scripture, even in his .-sdvertisements. 

 He claims to perform modern miracles ; and 

 as an explanation of it he quotes words spoken 

 of the Savior and applies them to himself, like 

 the following : " How knoweth this man let- 

 ters, having never learned?" Furthermore 

 he says in great headlines, " There are now 

 no incurable diseases," and adds, "Tell 

 what your trouble is in a letter plainly writ- 

 ten, and he will heal you free of charge." Of 

 course I sent at once, and told him I wanted 

 to be cured so I could eat all sorts of things as 

 other people do. A printed circular (purport- 

 ing to be a letter) informed me I would have 

 to go to Boston and visit the office, to be cured 

 free of charge. He said he could cure me at a 

 distance without any mistake, but it was more 

 trouble, and I would have to send him ?5.00 

 every month. A sort of magazine came from 

 his establishment, giving pictures of his pala- 

 tial residence, magnificent offices, as well as 

 striking testimonials from people who had been 

 cured. I thought once I could catch him by 

 reporting him to the P. O. Department at Wash- 

 ington ; but his magazine was in an envelope, 

 and he pa}'S book postage on it every month — 

 that is, if it is really issued every month. I was 

 perfectly satisfied the whole thing was another 

 fraud, just about like the Weltmer fraud at 

 Nevada, Mo. I did not believe his name was 

 Francis Truth, and I did not believe there was 



any inith about him or in any of the people 

 whose pictures he shows in that magazine ; 

 and while deliberating as to what could be 

 done with such chaps you may be sure I read 

 the following, in aCleveland daily, with interest: 



FRANCIS "TRUTH," THE DIVINE HEALER. 



Boston, March 15. — E. B. Bemis, alias Francis 

 Truth, famou.s as the "Divine Healer," was arrested 

 here to-day by the local and Federal authorities to- 

 gether, charged with using the mails to defraud. The 

 authorities claim that this is one of the most colossal 

 frauds of the century, surpassing Miller's " Franklin 

 Syndicate" and Parker's "three-star-ring good-luck 

 box." In police headquarters is a small mountain of 

 letters containing money which patrons have sent to 

 him from all over the country. 



The police declare to-niglit that Bemis has been 

 making a net profit of S35,000 a week for months. 

 The Boston postofifice employed a special wagon to 

 deliver the cartload of letters containing money to 

 " Truth's " office several times a day. 



The "healer" has been publishing two and three 

 column adv. riisements in all the leading newspapers 

 in New England for months, reciting his alleged mi- 

 raculous cures. He charged a fee of |.5.00 for tieat- 

 nients which consisted solely of the " laying on of 

 hands." I he authorities claim that the testimonials 

 of cures are written by his wife under various aliases, 

 and this will he one ot the principal pieces of evidence 



IN THE PROSECUTION. 



In the " Francis Truth Institute of Divine Healing," 

 where Bemis was arrested, were twenty-eight type- 

 writers, all busy answering the letters and corres- 

 pondence, and conducting the "absent treatment" 

 bu-inesv at S5 OO per treatment. An inspector dis- 

 guised, hobbled into the " institute " on a pair of 

 crutches, paid his S-5and was "healed," and then the 

 "healer" was arrested. Six thousand dollars was 

 found in his mail for to-day alone. 



Bemis also published a monthly magazine and sev- 

 eral hooks. He charged a fee of 85 for joining the 

 " institute." 



A few weeks ago the police succeeded in securing 

 the services of a man employed at the " institute," 

 and were thus able to follow Bemis' doings dai y. To- 

 day the final evidence was secured. The chief of the 

 Boston Bureau of Criminal Investigation, with one of 

 its inspectors, a United States deputy marshal, and 

 six postoffice inspectors, went to the establishment at 

 5 o'clock this afternoon and captured their man. The 

 rooms were sumptuously furnished with rich mahog- 

 anj' chairs and sideboards, and expensive paintings 

 lined the walls. One room was full of 



DISCARDED CRUTCHES. 

 Carl loads of mail matter, among which were letters 

 containing to bi Is, were seized. There were tons of 

 printed matter and stereotyped letters in answer to 

 applications for treatment, and scores of so-called tes- 

 timonials. His letter of instruction to those taking 

 his absent treatment directs the patient to " go into a 

 closed and locked room alone, sit quietly in a rocking- 

 chair, with folded hands and closed eyes, and listen 

 to the music of the divine power of healing surging 

 through their souls." 



The twenty-eight girls who worked for Bemis in the 

 " institute " declare that they knew all along that the 

 scheme was "a gigantic swindle," and they say that 

 some of the letters they were obliged to write were 

 "the worst frauds ever perpetrated," but they were 

 very well paid, so that they said nothing until the 

 climax came. 



Bemis is about forty years '^Id. and a remarkably 

 fine-looking man. He is held in jail without bail. 

 Among his alleged testimonials are many from Ohio. 



Now, in view of some of the experience I 

 have had in the past few months, I expect 

 some will write me that Truth (?) is an honest 

 man, and persecuted for righteousness' sake. 

 Others will say that he heals diseases, anyhow, 

 and that he will soon get out of jail and go on 

 with his business. Why, it fairly makes one 

 blush for his fellow-man. The saddest part of 

 it is, a great part of his victims come from our 

 own State of Ohio. Almost eve y mail brings 

 inquiries from some of our readers as to wheth- 

 er they had better send $5.00 bills to this, that, 



