Hard-luck stories cost Irene her life savings

Press, 3 August 1983, Page 21

Hard-luck stories cost Irene her life savings

By

MIKE ROYKO

Chicago “Sun-Times”

Irene was a soft touch for a hard luck story. Her relatives are now discovering just how soft a touch she was.

They have been going through cancelled cheques and other financial records she left when she died recently at the age of 77. And they have found that in recent years Irene gave away about $U566,000

($NZ100,980) — which represented almost her entire life savings. That wouldn’t be much if Irene had been a person of great wealth, but she wasn’t. She lived modestly, buying little for herself beyond the bare essentials. In other words, she sacrificed in order to give to others. And to whom did she give? Why to the Rev. Billy Bob, Brother Bobby Joe, Rev. Joey Jack, and television and mail order preachers. It seems that Irene, while watching one of the hallelujah boys on TV one evening, did as he said. She wrote down the P.O. box number that appeared on the screen and sent in a contribution. That caused her name to be fed into the preacher’s computer, which began sending her more and more letters, asking for more and more money.

As the preachers sell each other their lists of names, it assured Irene that her name would go into the letter-spewing computers of other hallelujah peddlers and Right-wing merchants of fright. Before long, Irene’s mailbox was bulging with the daily pleas for her money.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” says one of her sons. “There are stacks of these letters from all over the country. This preacher and that preacher, and they all are having one kind of crisis or another and need money.

“One of them even had instruction on how she could make out a will — and leave everything to them.”

The son gave me some of the letters, and there are many familiar names in the stack.

Naturally, there were letters from the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who runs Moral Majority and a TV church. These letters came when Falwell was moaning that America’s moral rejuvenation would end if he didn’t pick up a fast $lO million. “It appears that we are not going to make it,” Falwell wrote. Falwell had others writing for him, too. Irene received a telegram from some guy named Don, who said: “I hurt for my good friend and pastor, Dr Jerry Falwell. These are very dark days for him ... I ask you to consider a gift of $1200.”

As readers now know, Falwell recently said he had met his $lO million goal and the crisis was over ... Until he revs up his computer again. There was another familiar name — the Rev. Billy Joe Hargis,

who used to be all over TV, raising money to fight Satan, communists, and people of easy virtue. He sort of dropped out of sight

after it was revealed that ol’ Billy Joe — while ranting about immoral behaviour — was taking some of his male proteges to bed. But he’s still out there, mooching as hard as he can.

He sent Irene this plea: “I will be forced to go off the air FOREVER unless you and other people do what I am about to ask you to do. I am asking you to pray with me that God will lead 50 people to give 10,000 dollars each to save this ministry. “After receiving your gift, if you like, I will come in person to your home wherever you live in the United States with this love that I have for you. I will come and visit with you and pray for you.” For $lO,OOO you’d think he’d also promise to rake the yard, paint the porch, and patch the roof. Another crisis was reported by the Rev. Jim, a TV preacher down in Charlotte, North Carolina, who is apparently trying to build his own TV studio. His letter, written in telegraph style, said: “We are down to the wire. Construction slowed due to lack of finances. Need is desperate.” Then he lists the three offerings Irene could make. There was the $5O offering, for which she would receive some tapes of the Rev. Jim reading psalms and proverbs. Or the $l2O gift, for which she would receive the Rev. Jim reading from the New Testament. Or the $lOOO gift, which would get her name listed in the Hall of Faith. Then there was the urgent message from' the Rev. Carl, who said: “Do not have food ... Have run out of money ... Need $75,000 immediately ... God will guide you what to send today. Send $lOOO dollars — or more if possible.” And the Rev. Ed told Irene about his crisis: “Has America crossed the point of no return? I hate to tell you this but America is in deep, deep trouble.” He goes on to explain that our deep trouble is caused by gays, abortion, disarmament, voluntary prayer in schools, and dirty books and movies. But the Rev. Ed promised Irene he would save America. All she had to do was send him a cheque for $5O. Actually, that was a bargain. If the Rev. Ed could save America for only $5O, where did these other guys get off asking for $lOOO just to save a TV studio? Or a tent. That’s what caused the crisis of the Rev. Marvin, down in New Orleans. A flood messed up his tent and he asked Irene to send him “miracle gifts of $lOOO, $5OO, and $100.” “I* would love to have you with me,” he hallelujahed, “when we declare that Satan is a liar.” Then there was Brother Robert, who needed $l4OO to send Bibles to Iron Curtain countries. Several other preachers used the same pitch — saving the souls of the commies. So it isn’t hard to see how Irene could go through her life savings when confronted by a new crisis every time the mailman came by. The letters are still pouring in to Irene’s mailbox. Her son stacks them up and shakes his head. As he said: “You know, after she died, not one of them sent flowers.”