PASTOR RUSSELL CHARGED WITH PATTERN OF BUSINESS IRREGULARITIES
In Spring 1894, several of the WatchTower Society's most prominent Bethelites, Colporteurs, and even a WatchTower Society Director, whom all had worked intimately with Charles Taze Russell for several years, brought public charges before the Allegheny Congregation against Russell with regard to what they perceived to be an established pattern of unchristian, unethical, and even illegal business dealings on Russell's part. Setting the pattern for decades to come, Russell "circled the wagons" loaded with unquestioning sycophants, slandered and defamed his accusers, and "disfellowshipped" those whom had the courage to tell"Emperor Russell" that he was "wearing no clothes".
Prominent Bethelite and intimate friend of Russell, Elmer Bryan, whom had loyally served Russell for several years at WatchTower HQ, apparently had become fed up with Russell's constant "shady" and "crafty" business dealings, and posted a number of charges, some of which Russell dismissed as being petty, including Bryan's complaint that Russell had once advertised for rent in a local newspaper one of Russell's rental houses under Bryan's own name, without first asking Bryan if it were okay with Bryan. This may be a petty charge while standing alone, but there is such a thing as "the straw that broke the camel's back". (Typically, Russell advertised his rental properties under the name of George Rindfuss -- see above.)
Elmer Bryan also accused Russell of deceiving the general public with regard to the authorship, publication, and distribution of THE DIVINE PLAN OF THE AGES shortly after its first publication in 1886. In early 1887, Russell devised a scheme to "loan" copies of THE DIVINE PLAN OF THE AGES across the United States in hopes that those readers would eventually pay for those copies, as well as recommend Russell's book to other purchasers. Russell also schemed to obtain FREE ADVERTISING from magazines and newspapers across the United States.
Here is a self-explanatory sampling of those FREE ADS ran by countless newspapers and magazines across the United States.(Some 1887 newspapers spelled out that their readers should send their request to: "Mrs. C. B. Lemuels, Allegheny, Pennsylvania", while others assumed that their readers could decipher simple 1887 addresses on their own.) Note the subterfuge of Russell's failing to identify the mysterious "MRS. C. B. LEMUELS" as actually being his Watch Tower Society clerical staff, along with Russell's failure to even provide the title of the book in these ads so as to not harm future sales.Who knows how genuine are the "testimonial letters". Even if real, they probably were solicited by Russell and authored by sycophants.
San Francisco Chronicle
Monday, April 18, 1887AN ECCENTRIC WOMAN
She Offers to Send Religious Book to All Who Will Read ItMrs. C. B. Lemuels of Allegheny has been making a generous offer through the newspapers of the country, and letters to her have been pouring in at the rate of seventy-five a day. Several men and boys are being kept busy in answering the inquiries. Her notice offers to loan free of postage to such as will return it, a book which shows the Bible to be a self-interpreted and its teachings grandly harmonious viewed in the light of sanctified reason and common sense, and to put this book into the hands of all the skeptically inclined as an aid and guard against the growling scientific skepticism.
Mrs. Lemuels identity at first could not easily be established. It was found that she received her letters at the office of of J. C. Russell, editor of Zion's WatchTower. Russell explained that Mrs. Lemuels' husband does not like the notoriety her circulars gave his wife, and besides he does not agree with her religious views. Russell said that Mrs. Lemuels possesses a comfortable fortune in her own right and felt it her duty to make as public as possible the book which had helped her.
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Detroit Free PressMonday, April 18, 1887MRS. LEMUELS' PHILANTHROPY.The Novel Method Pursued by an Allegheny Lady For Doing Good.Pittsburgh. April 10 Special!Allegheny has a philanthropist. Mrs. C. B. Lemuels has been making a generous offer through the newspapers of the country, and letters to her have been pouring in at the rate of seventy-five per day. Several men and boys are being kept busy in answering these inquiries. Her notices offer to loan, free of postage, to such as will return it, a book which shows the Bible "to be a self-interpreter, and its teachings grandly harmonious, viewed in the light of sanctified reason and common sense." "I want," says her circular, "to put this book into the hands of the skeptically inclined as an aid and guard against growing scientific skepticism, it is not dry, musty reading, but truly meat in due season to the hungry."Mrs. Lemuels, whose identity at first could not easily be established, it was found received her letters at the office of J. C. Russell, editor of "Zion's Watch Tower." Mr. Russell said that Mrs. Lemuels possesses a comfortable fortune in her own right and felt it her duty to make as public as possible a book which helped her so much. Mr. Russell then permitted copies of a number of letters to be taken. A New York pressman writes: "Dear Lady: Seeing your good, kind, generous offer I have been thinking that now is the time for me to try and be saved and not wait until the last day. 1 am only 23, and for the past week have been troubled with kidney complaint, and am just now beginning to realize my awful fate unless I turnover a new leaf. I trust l am deserving of the loan of your valuable book."-----------Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York)Saturday, April 23, 1887Allegheny, Pa. , has a philanthropist, says the New York Tribune.Mrs. C. B. Lemuels has been making a generous offer through the newspapers of the country, and letters to her have been pouring in at the rate of seventy-five a day. Her notices offer to loan free of postage to such as will return it, a book which shows the Bible "to be a self -interpreter." "I want," says her circular,"to put this book into the hands of all the skeptically inclined as an aid and guard against the growling scientific skepticism." Mrs. Lemuels' husband does not like the notoriety her circulars gave his wife, and besides he does not agree with her religious views, Mrs. Lemuels possesses a comfortable fortune in her own right.Among the letters received is the following from a Portchester, N.Y., man: "For many years I was a local preacher. Even at that time doubts would often trouble me. I have taken no part in the meetings for years simply because I do not want to create doubts in others. I should be happy if I could have the old faith returned." A New York pressman writes: "Dear lady: I have been thinking that now is the time for me to try and be saved and not wait until the lost day. I am only 23, and for the past week have been troubled with the kidney complaint, and am just now beginning to realize my awful fate unless I turn over a new leaf."
Pastor Russell likely had been motivated to attempt this bolder form of "industrial espionage" against the Post Office only after Russell had already successfully done so in a lessor and more troublesome form. Previously, for 24+ months, Pastor Russell had taken advantage of the conversion to Russellism of the Postmaster of a small, rural Pennsylvania Post Office located about 60 miles outside Allegheny. That Russellite Postmaster had been sufficiently stupid to author, and Russell had been sufficiently egotistical to publish in one of the issues of the WATCHTOWER magazine (Russell's readers were perfectly aware of Russell's ongoing battle with the Post Office, and Russell wanted them to know that he was still somehow sticking it to the Post Office), a Letter from that Postmaster in which he admitted having mailed out 59,000 copies of OLD THEOLOGY QUARTERLY magazines and other literature for the WatchTower Society within the previous 2+ years -- including mailings to multiple foreign countries.
We assume that readers fully understand the significance of the Post Office to Russell's religion business. Pastor Russell was likely the most hated person at the Pittsburgh Post Office. Almost from the start of his religion business, Pastor Russell and the Post Office began a running battle over rates, and Russell almost always WON -- but Russell did so "by hook or by crook".
When Russell's complaints to the Pittsburgh Postmaster did not get Russell whatever decision that Russell wanted, Russell went over the head of the Pittsburgh Postmaster to the Postmaster-General in Washington D.C. When Russell did not get the decision that he wanted form the Postmaster-General, Russell started mail campaigns in the pages of the WATCHTOWER magazine, in which Russell would provide multiple sample letters for his Russellite followers to copy and mail to the Postmaster-General, then later to their Congressmen and Senators, and eventually even to the President of the United States. When these honest methods failed Russell, Pastor Russell simply CHEATED the Post Office.
Few people familiar with the OLD THEOLOGY QUARTERLY "magazines" actually understand why they were what they were -- tracts, pamphlets, and booklets of widely varying sizes. What OTQs were -- was a POSTAL RATE SCAM. OTQs were miscellaneous WatchTower literature published in the "disguise" of a regular quarterly "magazine", so that the hoped-for later small quantity orders of such could be mailed out at the CHEAPER/CHEAPEST second-class regular periodical rate, rather than at the higher third-class rate. While the initial mailing of one copy to a subscriber could rightfully be mailed using second-class postage, later mailings of small bulk quantities of original printings and any quantities of later reprints should have been mailed at the higher third-class rate, but they were not.
Pastor Russell pulled the same SCAM with soft-cover DIVINE PLANs and THY KINGDOM COMEs -- despite being repeatedly caught by the Pittsburgh Post Office. Pastor Russell and the Post Officel went back and forth on both these two softcovers and the OTQs, with there being time periods that Russell won out and could legally mail such as second-class matter. However, Pastor Russell continued doing so even during the time periods when such was not legal. Years later, when the Post Office finally permanently stopped mailing these softcover BOOKS out at the cheaper periodical rate, Russell simply stopped publishing the two books as softcovers, and started publishing them in magazine format. That still violated the rules for second-class matter, because such were not part of a regular periodical series, but since the books "looked" like then semi-monthly WATCHTOWER magazines, postal workers never caught on to what Russell was pulling. By then, Pastor Russell had his own personal "secret agent" inside the Pittsburgh Post Office, who would either allow through the improperly classified mailings or warn/tip Russell as how to get such by other Pittsburgh postal employees.
Back in February 1896, the U.S. Attorney General's office had issued this response to an inquiry from the Postmaster-General's office, which was responding to yet another "Appeal" from Pastor Russell of the Pittsburgh Postmaster's refusal to mail certain literature at second-class rates:
"I think you were clearly right in excluding from the mails as second-class matter volumes 1 and 3 of the "Millenial Dawn Series," published by the Tower Publishing Company at Allegheny, Pa., under the title of "Zion's Watch Tower." Those volumes have all the insignia of "books" and not numbers in the series of a periodical publication. Here is a plain attempt to evade the law. Calling these volumes "Special issues of Zion's Watch Tower, representing Nos. 3, 4, 5, vol. 1886, and No. 6, vol. 12, 1891," respectively, does not change their character. They are "books" in every sense of the word, and hence chargeable with the third-class rate of postage. ...
"The company has issued, also, and claims the right to send through the mails at the pound rate what it terms "Extra No. 31, November 1, 1895," of the "Old Theology Quarterly;" ... which is beyond question a circular only, and should be charged with the third-class rate of postage. This is a more palpable evasion of the law than the volumes above mentioned. This circular calls these volumes "books," and is manifestly intended to advertise them to the public. ... ."
We don't know what happened, but after receiving this Advisory Opinion from the U.S. Attorney General's office, the Postmaster-General ignored such and granted Russell his Appeal. However, there were unknown events which years later caused this decision to be reversed. Russell eventually stopped his Appeals and his Letter writing campaigns, and instead, Russell initiated "industrial espionage" -- first with his own out-of-town Postmaster, and then more conveniently, with his own local Postal Clerk. After all, the"Faithful and Discreet Slave" ALWAYS got his way -- either by HOOK, or by CROOK.
The following (or preceding) article originated with the Bible and Tract Society, of Allegheny, Pa. The reading of it so impressed a Christian gentleman that he volunteered $3,000 to be divided as premiums amongst the leading journals first publishing it to their readers. It Is from tbe pen of the widely-known author of "Millennial Dawn", of which over a million copies are in circulation, and the demand still growing. This Society has issued another timely tract, entitled, "Calamities -- Why God Permits Them". It offers free samples to our readers, on postal card application to above address.
Duluth, Minn., February 21. Pastor Russell preached here twice today. The large auditorturn was filled to overflowing and hundreds were turned away. ... ...
"the final end of the kingdoms of this world and the full of the kingdom of God will be accomplished by the end of A. D. 1914"?
"It is a little 'Holding Company' of $1000 capital. All business people will understand. It is perfectly legal every way. I was one of the incorporators in the interest of the Bible and Tract Society. I have not one dollar invested in it; nor have I been even nominally connected with it for many years."
The long-anticipated "Bazaar of Days" took place yesterday afternoon and evening in the Bible House, Arch Street, Allegheny. ... The booths [displaying fundraising items for sale - editor] were all upstairs. Below were 21 supper tables, all in white, and supper was served so long as the guests expressed any desire for it. The entertainment was for the benefit of the building fund of St. John's Episcopal Mission, Woods' Bun, and was in charge of the ladies of the various Episcopal churches of the two cities, ... . -- Pittsburgh Dispatch, April 1892.
Henry Rushton was a well-known businessman in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who created quite a stir when he publically converted to the WatchTower Society in 1895 -- INTERESTINGLY, around the same time that Charles Taze Russell got involved in the startup of THE H. F. BIGGAM COMPANY (see above). Although Rushton died a JW in 1937, his wife stayed in their Methodist Church until her death in 1927.
Henry Rushton was an immigrant from England who claimed to have been employed there as a department manager at a "cooperative" owned type department store. After coming to America, he eventually was employed in Pittsburgh by a premier Philadelphia dry goods wholesaler. Rushton and CTR must have had lots to discuss.
We SUSPECT that Henry Rushton had something to do with the formation and operation of, first, the Consumers Universal Supply Company scheme, which was late 1890s or early 1900s, and then after its failure, second, the Solon Society scheme, from around 1903 to 1906. Although we have NOT found a direct connection between Rushton and either of those two financial schemes, there is a lingering "smell" of both schemes on Henry Rushton.
In 1904, with great public fanfare, Henry Rushton and other prominent Pittsburgh businessmen -- probably acting only as figureheads -- opened "Leader Department Store". One year later, they rented the former Gusky's Department Store building, and moved "Leader Department Store", which was immediately advertised as "The largest cooperative store in America". Graciously, local residents were offered the opportunity to purchase $1,000,000.00 stock in this newly expanded enterprise. While the President and Vice President of this new venture appear to have been "figureheads", Henry Rushton appears to have been the hands-on TREASURER of the business. We have thus far found no negative info about this business other than that it simply disappeared from the newspapers after 1906.
THE HARRISON SYSTEM
Then, in 1911, just after CTR left town for Brooklyn, a business called THE HARRISON SYSTEM opened in Pittsburgh. It was a DUPLICATE of the Consumers Universal Supply Company scheme and the Solon Society scheme. We are still looking for "names" connected with this business -- possibly "Roland Harrison".
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Here are two lawsuits which provide some needed background on Russellite Henry Rushton:
RUSHTON v. CITY, MERCHANT, LANDLORD. In 1898-99, the Rushtons sued the City, a Merchant, and the building's owner, after Mary Rushton stepped in a hole on a Federal Street sidewalk, and allegedly injured herself severely. This lawsuit was Dismissed after the Rushtons failed to present any evidence of negligence by any of the named defendants.
HILO GUM COMPANY v. HENRY RUSHTON. In 1909, Henry Rushton decided to go into the vending machine business, and purchased 500 peanut dispensers, for $4000.00 ($117,000.00 in 2021), from a Chicago manufacturer. Rushton claimed to have LOST $852.00 his first year in business, and he refused to pay the $3000.00 balance owed to Hilo. Hilo sued in federal court and won.
MONTANA SILVER MINE
We discovered the WatchTower Society's SECRET CALIFORNIA GOLD MINE (see Page 2) back around 2002-03. We actually started that line of research after we stumbled across a webpage where a modern-day Russellite had mentioned something about Charles Taze Russell and/or the early WatchTower Society possibly owning a SILVER MINE in Montana. Even before we found the gold mine, we found this silver mine in Montana which we then believed was probably the source of that decades-old Russellite rumor. However, back in 2002-03, we did not then know that Charles Taze Russell frequently used personally-close religious associates as "front men" for his non-religion business activities, and that after his marital troubles began in the 1890s, "Pastor" Russell did so almost exclusively.
Now, in 2017, there is more online information about the ownership of this Montana silver mine. We now have evidence that this silver mine and the associated mining company were purchased and founded by members of two German immigrant families scattered across the United States -- whose only connection were family members who were very close associates of Charles Taze Russell. At worst, Charles Taze Russell would have been told by his close associates about their purchase of the multiple mining claims in Montana, and their founding of a mining company, and given all of the above, Russell likely would have wormed his way into such. At best, this entire project was conceived by Charles Taze Russell in such a way as to keep the project a secret from as many other Pittsburgh and/or Bethelite associates as possible.
MONTANA. JEFFERSON COUNTY. A half interest in the New Stake, Columbia, Dorothy and Erma quartz claims, near Clancey, has been bonded by J. Wols to F. A. Koetitz of San Francisco, $1000 being paid down. A. P. and F. J. Meng of Clancey will join Mr. Koetitz in the development of the group. -- Mining and Scientific Press, July 1901.
New Stake Mining Company. -- This company, composed of O. A. Koetitz & Brothers of California, and A. P. Ming & Brothers, of Pennsylvania, has bought the New Stake Mine at Clancy. It intends to sink the shaft to 500 ft. and continue the main tunnel 1,000 ft. The tunnel is now 200 ft. in. A full plant of machinery has been ordered. A new shaft house is under construction. A. P. Ming is manager. -- Engineering and Mining Journal, September 1901.
BACKGROUND
Montana was not granted statehood until November 1889. The capital of Helena was not accessed by railroad until 1883. Clancy, Montana is now a suburb of Helena, and in 1900, Clancy was only 12 miles south of downtown Helena.
O. A. KOETITZ & BROTHERS
Born around 1873 in Germany, young "Reverend" Otto Albert Koetitz, of western Ohio, converted to Russellism around 1892 -- possibly due to the efforts of his older brother Paul, who then was living in Pittsburgh with Russellite Otto Von Zech, and who was working as a printer at the "Bible House" for Charles Taze Russell (see HEUTHER above). During the 1894 Rebellion (see above), Paul Koetitz (Clara) sided with future father-in-law Otto Von Zech against Russell, and was "disfellowshipped". Soon thereafter, Paul Koetitz's younger brother, Otto Koetitz, relocated from western Ohio to Pittsburgh, and began working at WatchTower HQ as its sole German translator. Otto Koetitz quickly became Assistant Editor of the German edition of the WATCHTOWER magazine.
From 1900 to 1901, life became even better for Otto Koetitz. Otto married a fellow Bethelite, who was the daughter of a prominent Pittsburgh Russellite. Russell made Otto Koetitz a traveling Pilgrim. Otto Koetitz also was named both a Director and an Officer of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Then, in 1903, Otto Koetitz was sent HOME to Germany to run the WatchTower Society's third largest franchise. Otto Koetitz died in September 1916, while Russell exhausted himself with his secret California gold mine, and himself died only a month later. Was the timing of Otto Koetitz's good fortune merely coincidental?
Around 1896, Paul Koetitz and family moved from Pittsburgh back to western Ohio to be near his parents and brother, Wilhelm, an architect. In 1900, Paul Koetitz relocated his growing family to Helena, Montana. In 1901, oldest brother, F. A. Koetitz, an engineer living in California, assisted in the founding of the New Stake Mining Company. Like Frederick Alvin Koetitz***, Adolph Meng and Frederick Meng may have "vacationed" in Montana for a few days in 1901 to get things going, but none of them relocated to Montana. If anyone from the Koetitz and Meng families got their hands dirty, it was only Paul Koetitz. Notably, there are indications that the Koetitz Brothers and Meng Brothers were still obtaining mining claims in Montana as late as 1908. Paul Koetitz appears to have been involved in mining until around 1911-12.
As regards the falling out between Charles Taze Russell and Paul Koetitz back in 1894 -- re-read the large Albert D. Jones subsection above. "Pastor" Russell did not allow religious differences to get in the way of his financial investments. If Russell's past relationship with Paul Koetitz did not permit Russell to have a financial relationship with him in 1901, then why would Russell's right-hand man, Otto Koetitz, be permitted to do so?
INTERESTING, speaking of CTR's old business partner, A. D. Jones, from "New York", Jones can be found spending one week in Helena, Montana, in latter 1890, in late 1893, and in late 1895.
***F. A. Koetitz gradually became a prominent and prosperous California engineer, but in 1924, at the age of 69, "died at his home" after having been rescued from a suicide attempt in SF Bay only three months previous. Financial problems were given as the reason, but readers should note that suicide by elderly engineers is not that uncommon given that their multiple projects are starting to "age".
A. P. MENG & BROTHERS
Adolph Meng was the oldest of three German immigrant brothers living in greater Pittsburgh. Their mother's 1918 obituary identified her as a member of the International Bible Students Association. In 1901, the date at issue, Otto was about 21 years old, Fred was around 23, and Adolph was a few years older. Neither Adolph Meng, nor Frederick Meng, nor Otto Meng, had any experience or training with "mining" operations. In fact, around 1901, none of -- nor all of -- these three "boys" were doing anything which would have yielded sufficient income to finance a 50% interest in multiple Montana mining claims and New Stake Mining Company (whose expansion required much more investment), much less their having the willingness to so gamble.
Otto Meng is found in a 1906 listing of the Elders and Deacons at the "Bible House" congregation in Allegheny. It is safe to assume that Otto Meng's affiliation preceded 1901. In 1901, Otto Meng's two older brothers also may have been affiliated with Russell and the WatchTower Society. Otto Meng, his wife, and their two sons, eventually became foundation stones of the greater Pittsburgh area International Bible Students after Russell moved to Brooklyn in January 1909. Both of Otto's sons also eventually became lifelong Jehovah's Witnesses, and JW Elders. One of the two sons did prison time during WW2 for draft-dodging, and thereafter became a Brooklyn Bethelite in the Art Department.
One last item. Interesting, is the fact that during the 1913-14 mining season at Soda Lake, California, which was the season which preceded Charles Taze Russell's first gold mining season in the Soda Mountains, an otherwise unidentified "German" company established a camp at Soda Lake. They told local snoopers that they were testing the lake bed for minerals.
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OTHER MINING OPERATIONS???
JANUARY 2021 NOTES. Even before CTR began gold mining in California (page 2), one of CTR's friends had a slip of the tongue and revealed that CTR had been involved in multiple mining operations. For several years, we have been looking for additional info on at least two additional and different type mines in two additional states. Frankly, we doubt that we ever will get the breaks that we got on these silver and gold mines before we die -- thus, why we now publish this info for other researchers.
MARCH 2021. Folks, we find most "stuff" by accident. We will add here as such is found. John Kuehn, a follower baptized around 1901, moved from Toledo to Pittsburgh with his wife and kids only a year or so later to work as a "Bethelite", until CTR moved to NYC in January 1909. Someone so described would not be owning and thereafter selling a 35 foot "yacht" during their stay at Pittsburgh Bethel. Apparently, John Kuehn's fresh appearance in Pitt gave CTR the idea of using Kuehn as the "straw seller" when CTR decided, in 1907, to sell what we admittedly are assuming was CTR's boat. There is zero indication that CTR pleasure boated when he lived in Pitt, so we further assume that this craft must have been "commercial", which raises the question of in what kind of business operation was CTR involved which included one or more boats -- on the Ohio River?
We backgrounded with all that just to get to this: In 1917, John Kuehn remarked that his main focus in recent years had been MINING. Later in the conversation, John Kuehn further remarked that he had NOT visited California since 1914. Well, in what state was Kuehn engaged in "mining" from 1914 until 1917 if not Soda Lake in California? Second, we generally have assumed that mining at Soda Lake began in Fall 1914. However, if John Kuehn moved on in 1914 from whatever he was doing for CTR at Soda Lake, then when did operations at Soda Lake actually begin?
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ALASKA GOLD MINING???
We have been so favored as to be able to publish only those articles about Russell's business activities which we were satisfied to be "verified", but it was only an eventuality that we would encounter possible business activities that we could not so verify to our satisfaction, thus leaving us with two options -- either keep our research to ourselves (with all the obvious negatives), or publish here our "suspicions" (being so designated) along with what "evidence" we have discovered thus far, and allow others to investigate such further. Here is one of our "suspicions" of additional mining interests of the WatchTower Society.
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Frank Hinman Waskey (1875-1964) was a Gold Miner in Alaska, who relocated from Minnesota during the 1898 goldrush. In 1906, 31 year-old Frank Waskey was elected as pre-statehood Alaska's FIRST non-voting "delegate" to the United States Congress. Waskey served only during the Spring session of 1907 before returning to the Alaskan wilderness to which he had become accustomed.
Interestingly, in December 1911- January 1912 andApril-May 1912, after Wasky had become a follower of Charles Taze Russell, Wasky and different partners argued two separate cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, regarding ownership of the mining claims. Waskey lost one and won one. In December 1914, a Fairbanks newspaper reported that one of the above gold mines had bankrupted most of its investors, including Waskey.
Also, in the May 1, 1912 issue of ZION'S WATCH TOWER, appeared this "Letter":
TO THE WATCH TOWER SOCIETY: --
DEAR BRETHREN -- Tardy though it may be, it is nevertheless with the greatest pleasure that I am writing you an expression of my appreciation of your thoughtful courtesy to me during my visit to New York City early in 1910.
I was a stranger and you took me in, and to your kindness to me (not only then a stranger, but a sceptic as regards Present Truth) is, under God and His grace to me, due the glorious fact that I am now in the Truth.
Last January, while prospecting in the Yukon delta country, I made my consecration, and while in Nome this summer I received from Brother Bayne a copy of The Vow, and after consecration and prayer I made "My Vow to the Lord."
And, bless His name, He has been very gracious to me, as I have stumbled dreadfully time and again; but still He gives me assurance that I may yet be worthy to serve Him in some humble way. And I will earnestly pray daily that I may have the strength and the grace to renewedly endeavor to keep my Vow to the letter, to the end that "His rule may come into my heart more and more" until the glorious day when I can keep the old man under all the time and do God's will and His alone.
From Brother Bayne I also received a few copies of "STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES" and other of our literature. I believe it has pleased God to give me opportunities to place some of these in the hands of those who "hunger and thirst after righteousness."
Many times it has been a source of much pleasure to me to tell my friends and acquaintances of my visit to the Tabernacle and Bethel and what "manner of men" you all are. You may have forgotten that your kindness to me included the privilege of having tea with the Brothers and Sisters, with our dearly beloved Pastor Russell at the head of the table. The atmosphere there -- of clean simplicity, earnest humility, old-fashioned virtue, quiet strength, brotherly love and true reverence -- is one of my most fragrant memories.
And I want you to know, too, that each day brings home to me more and more what a special privilege it was, after tea, to meet Pastor Russell personally, and feel the magnetism and loveableness, and (though then not in the Truth) to sense the Spirit of God in this man who has labored so long and steadfastly and to such wonderful purpose in the vineyard.
No one who has read of the Man Christ Jesus, and His marvelous life, could, I believe, meet or hear Brother Russell speak without feeling that in him, at least, the world has one man of God, who, like the Savior, is "touched with a feeling of our infirmities."
I remember one dear Brother there telling me (in answer to a remark of mine that the sacrifice of himself and family of the good things of this world to be colaborers at the Brooklyn Bethel was at least worthy of surprise and perhaps commendation) that he had gained joys and pleasures of life far beyond what he had experienced in work-a-day business and conventional home.
I could not see it then, but now I know it. Just to serve Him is life itself. What joy it must be to feel and to know that "They that be 'teachers' (margin) shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever."
Dear Brethren, it would please me very much if at some suitable time you would recall to Pastor Russell the fact of our having met, and tell him that I am now striving to travel in the "more excellent way."
God's blessing on our dear Pastor and on all the dear colaborers at Brooklyn Bethel and in the Harvest Work everywhere, is the earnest, daily prayer of,
Yours in His service,
FRANK H. WASKEY. Alaska.
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ANOTHER SWING ... ... ... ... ANOTHER STRIKEOUT!!!
"Pastor" Russell, the much-advertised religionist, who visited Manila Sunday, gave out an interview in which he said that there was no truth whatever in the article copied from The Brooklyn Eagle and published in the Cablenews-American of January 13. Yet, in the second paragraph of his interview, he said: "It is true that we spent $148,000 ($4.2 million in 2021 dollars) last year."Advertising Paid For, but Another Side Is DiscoveredIn view of the fact that "Pastor" Russell has expressed himself as aggrieved that the Cablenews-American published the article in question, we take the liberty to make the following statement:Some time ago "Pastor" Russell's advance agent came to Manila and arranged for advertising with the Cablenews-American for the much-heralded address on "Where Are the Dead?" The money was deposited in the business office of the Cablenews-American, and a number of laudatory articles in the form of paid reading notices were left. After the advance agent had left the city the attention of this paper was called to the fact that there was another side to "Pastor" Russell's propaganda that was not advertised in stories left by his advance agent.The article published on January 13, was taken from The Brooklyn Eagle, against which "Pastor" Russell says he has a damage suit pending for $50,000. There are other records of a similar nature. For example, there are the court records of the District of Columbia in a case in which "Pastor" Russell had sued the Washington Post for a sum as large as that which he now asks from The Brooklyn Eagle, but in which, after the testimony in the case was heard, the Jury awarded "Pastor" Russell $1 damages.The testimony in that case is most interesting as bearing on the claim by "Pastor" Russell that his evangel is not tainted with a desire to acquire filthy lucre. It shows that at the time he was professing that he was not engaged in business of any kind, and that he has given his time almost exclusively to religious work for the past fifteen years, he was one of the incorporators of the United States Coal and Coke Company, capitalized at $100,000; that he was interested in the Pittsburg Asphaltum Company. Ltd.; that he was interested in the California Asphaltum Company. Ltd., and in the Silica Brick Company; that he was interested in the Brazilian Turpentine Company, Ltd., with a capital stock of $100,000, he holding the majority interest, and that the offices or headquarters of some of these companies, if not all, were in the Bible House in Alleghany, Pa., from which he operated.It also appeared from this testimony that many of "Pastor" Russell's associates in his advertising plant on Hicks street, Brooklyn, where the $148,000. was received last year, while ostensibly receiving only [$10.00] a month, at some time or other accumulated thousands of dollars worth of stock in various corporations, including those aforementloned in which "Pastor" Russell was interested.Said Article Was False, but Admitted Truth of StatementsYesterday Dr. Jones, who belongs to "Pastor" Russell's party, came to this office to complain about the article published on January 13. He started out by saying, like "Pastor" Russell, that it was entirely false, but, on being pinned down to the truth or falsity of the statements contained in each paragraph, he was compelled to admit that they were true, with the exception that, whereas the article said "Pastor" Russell predicted the world would end in 1914, he had asserted that the end of the "Gentile Times" would arrive in October, 1914, and the present dispensation would end, and on the point that "Pastor" Russell was said to urge his followers to contribute their material wealth to the propaganda in order to have a part in the new order of things, he said that "Pastor" Russell urged the personal consecration of hls followers, and that, of course, the consecration of the man's self meant the consecration of his pocketbook, also, hence the contributions unasked for, aggregating $148,000., received last year at his headquarters have been entirely voluntary gifts. Dr. Jones was reminded that the man who purchases a gold brick does so voluntarily after the gold brick artist has had his say.Suffice to say that the money left in this office by "Pastor" Russell's advance agent was returned to "Pastor" Russell upon his arrival in this city, and the laudatory articles left by him for publication were not printed. Our reason for this attitude toward the matter is this:Inasmuch as we accepted and published his advance agent's estimate of "Pastor" Russell and his work, we regarded it only fair to the public that we should present the facts on which other people had formed a different estimate of the man and his work in order that our readers might be fully prepared to judge for themselves.