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The Worthington Case.

The Melbourne Age supplies tho kmencan career of A. B. Worthington, ormerly of the Christchurrh Temple of Truth, and lately minister of the Sydney Unitarian Church, who, as our cablegrams stated, was arrested on the 2nd of dngust on the charge of obtaining from Miranda May de la Juveny, of Melbourne, where he was located prior to .is going to Sydney, the sum of £1090, iy means of false pretences. It appears hat Worthington was born 'at Sangeries, New York, in 18.7, that his real mmc is Samuel Oakley Crawford, that io enlisted iv the Northern army m 1801. a-appeared after the ciyil war was over .s a temperance lecturer, studied law or a short while, but in 1867 professed > ligious conversion and preach' d as a Methodist minister in the State of New 'ersey. In May, 18GS, ho married No. 1) at a Baptist Church in New York ity one Josephine Ericson Moore, a elegraph operator, who is presumably lis legal wife. They lived in Phihidelhia till 1869, when Crawford-Worthing, on deserted his wife and nine-months-Id daughter, and shortly after turned p in Albany, the capital of Ne\r York Itate. There bo obtained a sum of loney from an ignorant Dutchmm, was rrested, and, o.i October 11, 1870, was intencod to three years in Albany initentiary, whence good conduce irned his release in June, 1878. Then i was fairly launched. In the spring of 1874 he married (No. , in Chicago, Gay Finefiola, daughter n Boston clnirvoyant, whom ho eedily destrted, for by tho September | the same your he *as in tho State of hio getting inarriod to (No. 3) the lughu-r of a well-known judge, whose amo ho forged to a note for 8000 dolt rs, besides borrowing aU round from is wife's Mends on tho ttrength of his liliary exploits tho was now "Major .'. 8. B. Walton") and extensive real state interests in the East. Kansas ity, Missouri, afforded him, now as Eugene Bonner." a brief refugu from leso complications early in 1876, but he ft its shelter with a reward of 60 doli.i offere I for his capture. A brief mod of the law work in rcoria, Illi3is, under tho patronage of a loading ght of tho Young Men's Christian ssociation, was interrupted by tho oxovulations of wifo No. 2, which ■bich ended in hi* flight to San Fr<nieco in April, 1887. Hero marri-ige ith tho daughter of a wealthy widow, f whom tin- " Mnjor" had borrowed a •ifla if .£4OO, was dramatically frusratod by tbe receipt of a telegram as tho nremony was b- ginning, and the bnffl -d ut persevering bridegroom i.iUKh t a more cngenial sphere in Salt Luke City, .-hire be beoamo a Mormon, is paid D have preached in the Tsiuplo. and ot away to Texas in Maroh, 1875, with reat oxps iition and tho best part of a 11000 lent by confidiog followers of trigham Young. In Texas at that period justice had DUgh aad ready methods, nnd by eptember 1878, the apostle of Truth had Dundit well to remove to Detroit, in lichigan, where he joined a travelling ompany of Jactors, known as Helen Slythe's troupcas "Eugeneßennateau. _ Toronto or Chicago,on September 20, 878, he married (No. 4) a Miss Eliza luntoon, under the namo "Banncrtou. .bnmloning the stage, ho settled in New .isbon, Wisconsin, where he prac iced is a lawyer until March, 1892, gaming treat coafidence in the place, but borrow, jig money and forgimt a numberof bonds md cheques. When sn indictment lor rorgery was found against him, his partner stood bail for him, and the prophet escaped, leaving his wife, No. 4 to return to the stage to support herself md a baby girl. From March, 1882, to April, 18S3, "Worthington" appears to bavetravcllcd Ihe North-West a" an Engish tourist, visitiug many towns on the Northern Pa rifle railway, and oastiing Irafts for unknown amounts, which jroved worthless. In April, 18S3, he trrircd in Boston, where he entered into lartnership with a lawyer, and lived in rreat stylp. Here he made the acquaintance of a Mrs John P. Sargent, a roar■led woman, with a leaning to spiritualsra, and tho control of some money. Having met her at a seance, the prophet leveloped groat assiduity in spiritualistic itudies, and in February, 1885, he inluced the lady to fly wilh him to West Virginia, leaving her husband, but not the money, behind her. With them was the lady's sister, and the trio resided in Dharlcßtowp, where a Mr Dana was yic timlied to tho tune of 3000 dollars. Before this was discovered the household shifted to the town ot Wheeling, whero Mrs Sargent commenced proceedings tor divorce, the apostle of truth now passing „s "S O, Jenkins." He returned to Ohiirlostown, and being unable to account to Mr Dana for tho moneys advanced, disappeared suddenly in March, 1886, leaving Airs Sargent with as little compunction aj he Bhowedhis various wives.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19020913.2.34

Bibliographic details

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7398, 13 September 1902, Page 3

Word Count
824

The Worthington Case. Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7398, 13 September 1902, Page 3

The Worthington Case. Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7398, 13 September 1902, Page 3