New Britain Herald Newspaper, August 8, 1929, Page 10

LEREES PR PR ERVASEAF VRS 0 S i rasasru e R EEEENEFIEE THE TRAP Diagram Drawn on the Spot, Showing the “Layout” of Witnesses and the Location of “Father” Riker in the Hotel Suite Where He Laid Bare His Brazen Plans. A Concealed Dictagraph Carried His Words to Listeners in Adjoining CONNIVING CONSORT “Mother Lucille,” the Woman who Reigned with Riker Over Their Hundred - Acre “Holy City” in the Mountains. OT in darkest Africa, where ig- norant nati depend upon tribal “medicine men” to heal the sick and brew love potions. Not even in the Middle Ages of credulity and superstition! But in America’s Golden W home of sunshine, movies, health, wealth and modernity, were disclosed these two pretentious projects for preying on a gullible public by ap- pealing to the emotions through mix- ing up a simulated religious fervor with queer love liberties. Two men there were brought to book not long ago for strange offenses. They were mulcting large followings by pretending to exactly the sort of magic that many a savage witch doc- tor has claimed for his own. It is’ startling to realize that so many grown-up people should have ‘“shelled out” good money to take part in the rites of these brazen imuginative fakers. But they did. And “Father” Will- iam E. Riker and “Professor” Juan de Dios Garay were both clever and re- sourceful, though they worked ‘erent w: In the end they came to crief, because they weren't successful even in “fooling some of the people all of the time.” Garay was sentenced to ninety days in jail by Municipal Judge Charles Bailard and the extensive healing hoax and love cult of Riker was nipped in the bud. e RIKER’S RECORD '4Y, 1919—Arrested fo operat ing a buss saw late at night at the “Perfect Christian and Divine Way” headquarters. his cult at the time. Escaped conviction. October, 1921—*Father” Riker and “Mother” Lucille indicted on charges of fraud and immorality. In- dictments included grand larceny, embezslement, conspiracy against | public morais, obtaining money | under false preten Escaped con- viction. October, 192 he charge of Agnes Jenkina that Riker's cutt had lured her husband into deserting her and an B-year-old child to become a member. Alex Schuwarts, who had lived as a member of the cult for three years with wife and eight chil- dren, testified against Riker. Schiwartz, Orlando rancher. for $100,000 an g result of Riker's al- loged attentions to Mrs. Schicarta. Noverber, 1921—Sued for $20.- 000 as » result of an automabile | accident. May, 192 ur_children taken from @ “home” canducted by the Rikers, on the ground that it was not a fit pluce for minors to live, , six ifornia, mdred erected follow persona as a Heaven-sent tene: an i all his REPORTER POSING AS MIRACLE NEALER However, the “King” of Holy City was un- satisfied with the rather limited acclaim—and in- come—that accrued from nis religio-love colony. He began scheming to make it into a national—nay, an international—mecca. He went to Los Angeles seek- ing the services of men who could just put away their scruples and put over the gigantic project he had in mind. But right here Riker made his cardinal blunder. He was too careless in choosing a “promoter”— he happened to land one who was honest and conscientious. He en- tered the office of a man whose profession it is to supervise car- nivals, fiestas and financiel drives. The man, well known on the Pacific Coast, was appalled at the mon- strosity of the plans Riker shamelessly laid before him. He pretended to be completely in sympathy with the project; but as soon as the Holy City potentate was out of his office he paid a call at the office of the San Francisco Examiner and suggested that the paper might be able to prevent a wholesale swindling of the credulous. The Examiner editor was interested and assigned one of his reporters, un- der the name of “Sam Tyler,” to help in the investigation. Riker was by nature suspicious and so the trap had to be laid carefully. An interview was arranged for “Sam.” “Sam,” who was represented as an architect of revival buildings and general all-around idea man for just the sort of enterprises in which Riker was interested, had several oreliminary interviews with the “King.” The reporter was prepared for any- thing, but when Riker began to reveal the true scope of his ideas, “Sam,” was nearly flabbergasted. They threshed out in detail plans for putting on a revival the like of which has never been. The dead were to be raised from their coffins and lifted heavenward above the treetops of the Holy City, with the aid of balloon-stuffed dum- mies and compressed air machines cleverly concealed. An enormous amphitheatre was to be built to take care of the “pilgrims.” To quote Riker’'s own dictagraph. recorded words: ‘“Here is the out- line. We should have a newspaner publicity campaign, advertising to the whole U. S.—the East, the Middle West, the South—that we are going to be a second Jerusalem, miracle man, mystic healer, spiritual stuff and all that."” Then the “Father” drew a graphic word-picture of caravans of pious— and afflicted — pilgrims trooping toward the Santa Cruz Mountains from througheut the United States, Canada and, Mexico—*"17,000 of them at least.” He told now he planned to put over his healing hoax. Crutches and artificial limhs would be bought and placed on the stage as “props’ — to give the impression that these had been discarded afler “Father” Riker’s mystic laying on of hands But his principal “proof” would be a pair of girl twins who looked ex- actly alike except that one of them had lost a leg in un accident. He planned to have the crippled girl emerge from the audience and seek his minis- trations. A few minutes later the sound twin would walk off the stage amid cheers of the deluded spectators who would think the girl's leg had grown on again as a result of Riker's ‘“‘treatment.” There were to be mirrors, too, in. geniously placed so that an audience would get the impression that bodies rising from coffins and the dead walking. T i conjunction the compressed air devices, convince all comers that the ' was capable of performing any ical miracle. se, al} such spectacles would nted only to those possessed of a fat fee. There wonld be a healthy tariff on tie double-dormitory 1voms, and a number of restaurants, concessions and side-shows of varying pretensions. In addition “Father” ORI 1700011 R RO BT P, IN “MAKE- up” Above Is One of the “Publicity” Photographs for Which the “King” of y Posed Mounted Impressive Dais from Which He Planned to Perform Phony “Healing” Miracles. The Young Girls Are Represented by the Artist as “Father” Riker’s Worshipful “Love Cult” Court. Riker would grant per- sonal interviews to zealous disciples, in which he would tell them “what it's all about” and give the secrets of success. For this service he fi sug- gested the modest stipend of $5,000 — but later agreed to take on all came tor $100 apiece. in the building of the amphi- theatre that ““Sam’s” services would be worth most. He admitted (perhaps with fingers crossed) that he had built many a revivalist's colosseum before and pretended to a thorough knowledge of the technical details involved. But “Sam" did not stop with that. He hinted that he, too, was versed in the Black Art, revealed a familiarity with trickstering that endeared him to Riker. Here was just the sort of man needed fur the scheme: clever, experienced and totally unscrupulous. It was of course important that “Sam” should familiarize himself with the workings of Holy City. He men- tioned that early in the game. So “Father” Riker took him into the mountains to his private kingdom and introduced him to many of the “‘sub- jects.” At Holy City £“Sam” found some in teresting things. And he got a first- hand, shocking glimpse of the “Kinyg's"” philosophy of life in action. He met “Mother Lucille,” Riker’s wife, he saw 15-year-old Marguerite Strauss, a little girl who had been taken from her parents, also members of the colony, and forced to perform menial t: one being the care of thirteen cats and four dogs—in Riker's residence Riker, with the peculiar violence that characterized all of his pronounce- ments, had already told “Sam” that women should be subjugated to men, that children should be dispensed with, this being “the last generation.” He had declared that when William E. Hickman murdered little Marion Parker, in San Francisco, a year ago he was acting as “God's agent’ and his deed was ‘‘trying to show the world that children bave no further place in it." It was among influences of this kind that Marguerite Strauss was forced to live at fifteen Of ¢ e, there was to be a vast publicity drive, with “Sam” in charge, to acquaint the world with the many Gopyelght, 1928, International Feature Sersics, Ino. A M A A T O R B R R . R A e, 1TICK Ascensions Heavenward, with the ~ Aid of Balloons, Twins to Double attractions of | Holy City. Riker planned a huge dormi- tory, with one wing for women and another f or men —and a connecting door be- tween so that con- verts to his “com munal lov ideas could visit each other and dis the advantages of Holy City by night. “Sam Tyler's” problem, after he had spent a week in Holy City, osten- sibly planning the great amphitheatre with its capacity of 17,000, was to get Riker to talk before witnesses. This might be done with the aid of a dicta- graph. But first “Sam” needed a mnan to help him snare “Father” Riker handed. For this purpose he in! duced another ‘Examiner reporter un der the fictitious name of “Dr. De Soto,” who claimed to be an expert magicizn “with a record,” but wko in reality Walter Diffenbaugh, a feature wiiter. The scene was set. A from a desk in “De Soto’. cisco hotel suite to an adjoining room, where accommodations were had for witnesses. These included a steno- grapher, Dr. Joseph Catton, an emi- nert Weést Coast physician, and Judge Lile T. Jacks. “Father” Riker blandly walked into the trap laid for him. “De Soto” #nd “Sam” adroitly drew him into admi sions of a leading nature while t witnesses listened through their eur- phones in the next room. Some of the remarks of the “Holy man of tha Senta Cruz Mountains’ were unprintable. These occurred most frequently when he was referring to women and the “love cult” at Holy City The gist of his statements, however, was in one key—*Get the dough as long as you don’t get caught.” He planned the erection of fifty cottages and the large dormitory already men- tioned. This dormitory—with its connecting door—was to be built on the theory that “the crowds will stay a little longer if you give them this opportunity.” Some of the was run crude and naive Great Britain Rizhis Besorced. S aphorisms voiced by “Father” Riker during the course of his self - revelation follow: “Flapper love 2-cent jazz The old-time man and wife love is out of date.” “Innocent love is a disap- pointing love.” The next morning everything that Riker had said was printed for his prospective victims to read—that is, everything - that could be printed. Needless to say, the mammoth “revi- val” at Holy City never material The trapped ‘“‘holy man” retor rather feebly with the charge of “ secution”—but in view of the dic graph record of his conversation he decided to abandon his gaudy dream of a “million-dollar miracle show.” Meanwhile the police are keeping an_eye upon Holy City. =he case of juan de Dios Garay furnished more tangible grounds for prosecution. “John of God,” as he was accustomed to refer to himself modestly, collided with the Medical Act. Love seems to have been his spec- ialty. Newspaper reporters, who again aided in the expose, encountered a number of women patients in Garay’s office who had come him to be “treated” for unhappy love affal girl newswriter reported that Garay’s method of treatment was a bit “elemental” for ailments of the heart. He invited her to his apart- ment for a more detailed consultation A young newspapermnan went to Garay’s highly perfumed office, deco- rated with a bust of himself, fake diplomas and ‘“spirit” photographs, and asked for aid in his “unhappy love af! i Garay, surrounded by three vather sinister-looking Mexicans, ad mitted that he could remedy the diffi culty. ccording to the investigator Garay said: “1 can cure you and | can make you happy. All you have to do i my instructions and pay the fee. of all, 1 make vou stronger. Then I'll work on the girl though occult powers I possess. 1?1 burn my magic powder for you. I'll go to the mountain top at midnight and attend to that. It's all in mental concentration. See, this as Cripple and ‘Cured,’ Among the Go- Getting Features Pianied This Snapshot of Fifteen-Year-Old Marguerite Strauss Was Made by the Newspaper Investigator Against Riker's Orders. Marguerite Was Taken from Her Parents, Who Are Cult Members, to Perform Menial Services in the “King’s” Household. is my powder.” The reporter was advised to return a few nights later, meanwhile arrang- ing an interview for Garay with his “sweetheart.” A woman staff member >d the role, with the result already set down. When the patient who called himself “Billy’” returned he was told: “I've got you cured. Now, here is what you do tomorrow night—you go to the girl's house. You take her in your arms. Sit her on your lap. Kiss her with all your might and tell her you love her. She will be prepared for you. Thursday you come here to me and pay me the rest of the money. Friday you will be married.” Gara had a regular price scale. “To be fortunate in business and obtain suc 5, $30; to overcome any love doubt or difficulty, $30; for suc- cess in gambling, $75; to read the deepest thoughts, $ to make your- self invisible, $20; to get fat, $20; to get thin, However, this modern love expert and Genius fo Lamp was totally unable to work any of his charms upon the stubborn lock of a cell door in the city jail of Los Angeles. To De- tective Luke Lane and M. Berenzweig and to Medical Inspector W. A. Byrne he was completely visible in his im- pressive office, though undoubtedly he would_have given considerably more than 320 to have vanished in a puft of smoke. 24