Newspapers / Brevard News (Brevard, N.C.) / Aug. 4, 1922, edition 1 / Page 10
Part of Brevard News (Brevard, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
THE BREVARD NEWS, BREVARD, NORTH CAROLINA FRIDAV august 4^ 192Z U: UAS1ER CON MAN i FLEECED THE POOR I » I Horatio Bottomley Duped Many in England. imUSTED KE SAVED COUNTRY Former Journalist, Member of Parlia ment and Owner of Race Horses* Posed as Champion of Former Serv ice Men While He Was Placing to I Rob Them—Former Employee and Business Associate FinclV Brings Him to Justice. The conviction of Horatio Bottomley is an iniportuut event in English his tory, snys Artliur S. Drai»er in tiie New York Tribune. This Joarnalist, jueniber of pnrliaraent, financier, own er of thoroughbreds, who lias just been sentenced to seven years’ penal servi tude for misappropriatin}; larj^ sums collected from ex-soldiers and servants and other persons with modest in comes, has been a leading figure in Knglish life for many years and an almost dominant personality riglit through the war and down to the date of his action against Reuben Kigland, whom he charged with criminally libeling him. People—thousands of them—swore by Bottomley. Parsons quoted him from the pulpit. Goveniment minis ters feared him. Hundreds of Britons considered him an arch rogue and hyiM)crite, but such was his cleverness that few dared to cross his path. It remained for a former employee an<i associate in his enterprises to bring about the downfall of this British idol. Bottomley, a born crusader, swollen with iM)wer and fearless in spirit, started to fight Bigland, hesitated, and eventually landed behind prison bars at the age of sixty-two yejirs. Loses Claim to Sympathy. It Is impossible to feel any sym- patliy for Bottomley, because he was a consummate hypocrite. He paraded us the possessor of all the virtues— honesty, cleanliness and fair dealing— and yet he did not hesitate to use the money of the i>oor for liis own pur poses—for paying the expenses of his ratcing stable, for buying magnums of chami>agne, for buying newsi»apers to give him more power. His ottice con tained busts and pictures of the lead ers of hunmnity. His articles in Bull,” of wliich he was edilor li.it final legal ditliculties .siuruni. o>ii- tained freqiieut Biblical quonitions. His si)eeches were full of His friends say that duriii-: ....... years he developed a religious sueak, but if that is so then he mixed it with an amUzhig recklessness of other peo- |)Ie’s hard-earned money. Througli his various bond clubs he cUiected upward of .$4,000,000. Briefly Iiis sclieme was to issue certificates, buy war bonds and then hold lotteries. The government authorities refused to sanction tlie drawing of tiiose so- called premium bonds. Tlien he trans ferred his club headquarters to Pari?, ran afoul of the French authoriti*'-, but, according to his own stateiiu-..i, he did hold one draw in Lojidt..., a tailor being the winner. I’ottuuiley had advertised to refinid moni'y at any time. TW bonds <lepreciate<l in a fall ing market. There was an avalanche of demands and finally receivers had to be apiiointed. ileanwliile Bottom-, ley had sclo :;.any of the l^juds and used part ol me money for his own purposes. The courl records showed that Ills accouni.- . ere in hoiieless confusion. In fact. r;;e evidence proved that the more conlu.';'*'! they were the better they covered l ' ^ comi-licated transactions. It might be that Bottom ley fully intended to make good the money he took Jrmi the clubs, J)ut that charitable interpretation would not clear him in the eyes of Uie law, and his long record in various courts, ,^:;tciid'ng from ISO:?, was calculuio.i to v.eigh againibt him. Bottomley's life is fascinating. His parents intended he should become a l»aint*r, but instead he obtainiMl a jv^ace in the city. He siteiit a short lime in a law office. It was there that he gained his first insight into the law. He w«s called “Kngland s greatest lay lawyer,’’ and time after time the bench iRiis compelled to conii.llment him on his masterful handling of his case. Bottomley might have made a fortune at the bar, but instead he elected to try his luck in fin.mce and journalism. He liad marvelous success in both, but on several occasions his speculations almost ruined him. In 11HK5 lie was elected to parliament, and .*iix years la ter he WHS forced to resign because he was declared a bankrupt. Plunged Into War as Patriot. Tiie most interesting phase of his life was that beginning in 1914, when he plunged into the war as a super- patriot. He is a gifted actor, a pow erful orator and extremely clever in sensing public opinion. Unquestion ably he was a huge asset to this coun try* during the trying war period. He was a most prolific writer and a tire less speechmaker. Millions read his weekly articles, extraordinarily bom bastic, and his halls were packed when ever he spoke. His trial has shown that he was something of a war profi teer despite his later attacks On this class, Bottomley was no “dollar-a- year” man; his fees were always larg«. . Bottomley posed as the typical Brit isher. In personal appearance he did resemble the Briton as he is often pic ture* I in cartoons, but Bottomley was ill a class by hinuelf. No oUier Eug- llshmaa ^outd write this panigraph: “Three mwi named Horatio saved England—Httratlo Lord Nelson, Hor atio Lord Kitchener and (modeity for* bids the editor to name the third).*' In hts weekly Bottomley was always fi^^hting the battues of “Tommy and Jack”—the very men who subscribed to his clubs at a later date. He was always picturing the hamstringing of the last Huq before the next issue ap peared. He elected himself to try and hang the kaiser. He was imploring the country, especially tlie men in the trenches to “hol«l fast”—while he col lected £200 for a war lecture. One week he was damning the government and tlie next he was telling his rea<l- ers that he and Lloyd George were now in full agreement. Still the pub lic did not know him then as a hum bug and hypocrite, and he undoubtedly did much to keep op British morale. Always aijpearing as tlie “friend of the i>eopie," Bottomley had a tremen dous following. His brain was so nim ble that he must have been sickened at the gullibility of the public. An edi torial writer in “The Daily Telegraph,” says: Became Drunk With Pow«r. “Bottomley’s story, if we met It in the pages of Balxac, would seem to us rather a masterpiece of grandiose fancy than persuasively reviv. For he was not only such a chief among gamblers and cheats Balzac loved to imagine; he had a singular power of demagogy, he was a chevalier d'in- dustrie and a tribune of the people in one. and in both parts supreme.” Bottomley became drunk with pow er; he was such a hypocrite that in his heart he undoubtedly had a huge ad miration for the kaiser until his down fall. Both grew to think they were above ordinary mortals. Today It is a rare German who would have Wil helm II return to the throne, however strong his monarchial views might be. Bottomley could speak as the cockney gamin or the iiii^pired patriot, and he fooled the people until he finally fooled himself. Utterly without princii)le, he enipUo ed virtuou.s rhetoric or dropped into vulgarities as he thought the oc casion demanded. He hypnotized him self in believing that he was more powerful than he was. His oi*atorical skill made his a persuasive personal ity and al.so gave him an absolutely false ijerspective. Played With Money and Lives. This man had the generosity as well as the recklessness of the gambler. He was kind to his friends; he was equally callous. He drank champagne and bet lieavily. He played with money and with lives. And finally a jury of “common i>eople” fouiid him guilty. I’he spectacular had an irresistible ' al to him and his whole life is i cord of extremes. A typical in- «• 1 ,;t is his purchase after the war «. ..le submarine Deutschland, which made two trips to the United States during the period of American neu trality. The Deutscliland was to some extent a cars» carrier and luji* success ful breaking of the allied blockade, al- thtmgh without any real value, was an exploit which won admiration even from Germany’s enemies. Gn at Britain took over the Deutscli- ln?>'i us part of the spoils of war and IU)ttomley bought the ship fro«m the government and exhibited her at vari ous seaside resorts. The avowed pur pose of the exhibition was for the ben efit of a patriotic fund for the support of wounded soldiers and sailors, but it iTpiDeart^d during the trial that no money had been turned over by Bot tomley, who claimed that his Deutsch land venture had been a financial fail ure and that the proceeds did not bal ance his expenditures. On the day that Bottomley was .sentenced the ad miralty court ordered that the boat be sold to meet a claim against the convicted editor for $17,000 for repairs. BOBBED HAIR STRIKES SOUTH Australian Women Take Up Fad, WAiich Men Resent. Bobbed hair among the young wom en of Australia is cai»sing as much dis cussion and comment as in America. Until the craze started barber shops in Sydney were patronized only by the non. There are so many b<»bbed- haircd women in Australia now, that they have two or three perfumed ton- sorial parlors of their own. When the bobbed hair craze htt Australia It was tried first by women of the theatrical profession. Then magazines from the United States ar rived with discussions by various peo ple on bob'oed hair. Soon bobbed hair liecame a toi»ic of public discussion in Australia. The men will never get over the shock of seeing the other sex in vade shops heretofore exclusivelj' their own and demanding haircuts. Some iieople will never admit that the women Ijave a right to choose their own methods and manner of conduct ing tiieniselves. JAP DEBT $1,771,933,980 Finance Department Reports $678,- 507,500 Represents Foreign Loans. .lapan’s total national debt amounted at the end of March to 3,o4.S.8G7.l)61 yen (normal value $1,771,933,980), of which 1.359,015,000 yen represented foreign loans, according to figures pub lished i>y the depaiament of finance. As c«tiiipared with figures for the preceding month, the March totals show an increase of 22,8S6.0(X) yen in tlie domestic loans and a decrease of 3,355,000 yen in foreign liabilities. Giddy Old Bird Out All night. (Just Withani’s five hens and old rooster were reported stolen at Mus kegon, Mich., but they came home a few hours later after being out all { night. They located a neighbor’s I mash, Witham reported, ami show'ed I mcrketl effects of the ni|.;lit’s spree. REAL SOURCE OF MOST OF THE "LIKKER” JOKES ASHEVILLE Music Festival with Said to be the real source of all th« j flood of jokes on the bootlegger anci “likker” that have been so iirevaleni j since the beginning of prohibiticui, is Sherman A. Cuneo, llve-wire publicity man for the prohibition office of th« bureau of iiitemal revenue. Spphony Orchestra LOSES $4,000 GEMS IN SHOE Jewels Disappear When Shoes Are Taken to Repair Shop. When Dr. Gustave P. Hoffman ol 14 Kingman road. South Orange, N. ,T.. remarked casually to his wife that he had taken a pair of old shoes tc the repair shop, both he and his wife received ihe shock of their lives. Mrs. Hoffman—as soon as she wag able—told him that the day before she had pnt her entire collection of gems, diamonds worth $4,00(», In the toe of one of *he sh(»es. Both Doctor HolTinan and his wife hurried out tc the repair shop. Anthony I‘alermi, proprietor, sjiid nothing had been f<nind in the shoes. The police are investigating. at Asheville August 7th to 12th § , inclusive Ink Squirter Stirs London Women. An ink squirt fiend, with a particular [ spite at light colored dregses. is aroijs- j inf: women of London, Eng., and iq! giving ]«olice .h job that >s proving a' piuzler. PoMfe think the squirter is a man dress?d in women's cl&thiDX, i Ambas.stador Herrick in I’arls was host to nine “queens of besMity.” lilven three queen;^ have often cost a pile of money. Denmark has cut tiie sir.e of her | army from 11,500 to aiu! the | neighboring nations may breathe easy i once more. • The Southern Railway System offers regular round-trip tick ets from all stations and con venient schedules on all lines into Asheville. J.PH. WOOD Division Passenger Agent THE UNIVERSAL TRACTOR i F.O.B. DETROIT Reduce Your Production Costs Farming, like every other business, must cut down the overhead. It is not a question of being able to afford a Fordson; it is a question of being able to con tinue farming on the old too-costly basis. The farmer’s problem is not all a sales problem; it is also a production problem. He must cut down the cost of production. The Fordson does more work at a lower cost and in less time than the old hand methods. Let us give you the proof. Write, phone or call today. Brevard Auto Co; Ford Cars Ford Service Telephone 23 SPECIAL 18-DAY OUTINGS TO Atlantic City, N. J. Niagara Falls, N.Y. (And other New Jersey Resorts) THE Southern Railway System will sell from the following' stations at rates quoted below: TO ATUNTIC CITY TO NIAGARA FAUS Asheville §24.10 Asheville I33.9& Brevard 25.G5 Brevard 35.55 Flat Rock Flat Rock ...... 34 75 Hendersonville 24 90 Hendersonville . . .. 34.75 Lake Toxaway^^ 26.45 Lake Toxaway... 36 30 •SalndM,... •SalodH 34.45 •Tryon 24.:iO *Trvon .. ^15 Waynesville 25.15 Wtt vnesville 35.00 ♦Applies via Spartanbnrg. ATLANTIC QTY—DATES OFJSALE Via Pennsylvania Ritilroad: July 6 and 18. August 1, 15 and 29. • Via Baltimore & Ohio Railroad : July 12 and 2(>. August 9 and 23. Stop-overs permitted on return trip, not to exceed 10 days, within final limit of ticket: Via Pennsylvania RaiJroad or Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Philadelphia, Pa.; Haltimore. Md.; Washington, Ef. C. NIAGARA FALLS-DATES|OF .SAI F. Via Penn>ylvania Rail road : Ju\y 5 and 19. Augui^t 2, K) »nd :iO. Via Baltimore & Ohio Riiilroad ; July 13"und 27. August 10 »nd Stopovers permitted on return trip, nf>t to exceed 10 days, within final limit of : Via Pennsylvania Railroad, Boffalo, N. Y. ; PhiliulelphiH, Pa.; Harrisburfr. Pa. ; Washing;ton, D. < Via Baltimore & Ohio Railroad ; Buffalo, N. Y.; Rccbestpr, N. Y. ; ItbHcn, N. Y. ; Geneva. N. Y.; Mauch Chunk, Pa.; Philadelphia, Ph. ; Washington, D. C. These tickets will be good on trains 12 or Kiont of Ashe ville only on dates shown Hbove, andK:nt of W'a.‘-hireton onlv on dates following. Stop-overs will not be permitted on poiiiK ji urnt*y. Make your Pullman reservations For further information «s to rates froTii stations not named above, apply to your local tic-kt-r agetit, or address : J. H WOOD. Divisu )ii Passj'Tnrer Acr^nt. Asheville, .\. C. i i STUDEBAKER NEW PRICES The Leader of The World Light Six Sped: I Six Big Six Roadster —$ 975.00 $1250.00 Speedster $1785.00 Tour’g Car. C975.00 1275.00 1650.00 Coupe 1225.00 1875.00 2275.00 Sedan 1550.00 2050.00 2475.00 F. O. B. Factory Harris Machine Company DAD & FRED Automobile Repair Oxy-Acetylene Welding Phone 191 f MM SMITH’S PLACE where you will receive courteous treatment, and where every one who is employed is a Tonsorial Artist Wc have just installed SHOWER BATHS We will be pleased to serve you If''
Brevard News (Brevard, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 4, 1922, edition 1
10
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75