Brooklyn Charity Swindle -- Dubious 1872 Charity Event Flyer for "Grand National Church Fair, for the Erection of the Bethesda Mission House
- Brooklyn, New York: N.p., 1872
Brooklyn, New York: N.p., 1872. Fine.. A promotional leaflet for a "Grand National Church Fair" to be held in Brooklyn to help support the "Erection of the Bethesda Mission House, and the Founding of a Public Library and Free Reading Rooms for Mission Purposes". To be held in Brooklyn Hall, the event claims to sell tickets for one dollar each and offers prizes totaling $86,780 (approx. $2 million in 2025 dollars). The prizes are listed, and include life insurance policies, furniture, carriages, silverware, watches, Bibles, prints, oil paintings, pianos, melodeons (accordions), and even real estate, with the "1st Grand Gift" being "One Elegant House and Lot, value $12,000". Includes a brief appeal from the Rev. William C. Clark (1817-1875), discussing the fair's aim and the importance of missionary work. Folding leaflet (5.25" by 3.25" folded) with wood engraved image of the prospective church design.
What makes this flyer "dubious" is an article published in the Brooklyn Eagle claiming Clark was a charlatan. The article, dated Aug. 9, 1872, reads in part: "This circular contains a great amount of pietistical twaddle ... After some inquiry, we confess to grave doubts as to whether this individual possesses the means or the credit which would warrant him in offering such an array of splendid prizes". Another article in the Brooklyn Union dated Dec. 19, 1872 reports that committee member names were used by Clark without their consent.
Equally, there are newspaper articles with his obituary in 1875 confirming his status as a Reverend at a "Myrtle Street Mission" in Brooklyn, and another praising his efforts for the temperance movement. There is also a March 20, 1873 Brooklyn Daily Times article that confirms the event actually took place, albeit in a less grand fashion than promised: "The Rev. William Clark's grand lottery gift concert, over which there has been such a flurry in Brooklyn theological circles, was given Tuesday. night. Eighty thousand dollars' worth of gifts ... and over 20,000 tickets has been sold. The proceeds were to be given to Bethesda mission. After a sort of half concert and half minstrel show, the drawing was begun, and less than $1,000 worth of presents were distributed, only one of which was valued at. more than $75. There is much complaint over the swindle."
The motives of Clark remain tantalizingly up in the air. At best, he executed an ill-conceived plan to raise funds for a good cause; at worst, he swindled thousands of dollars from Brooklyn residents for his own purposes.
What makes this flyer "dubious" is an article published in the Brooklyn Eagle claiming Clark was a charlatan. The article, dated Aug. 9, 1872, reads in part: "This circular contains a great amount of pietistical twaddle ... After some inquiry, we confess to grave doubts as to whether this individual possesses the means or the credit which would warrant him in offering such an array of splendid prizes". Another article in the Brooklyn Union dated Dec. 19, 1872 reports that committee member names were used by Clark without their consent.
Equally, there are newspaper articles with his obituary in 1875 confirming his status as a Reverend at a "Myrtle Street Mission" in Brooklyn, and another praising his efforts for the temperance movement. There is also a March 20, 1873 Brooklyn Daily Times article that confirms the event actually took place, albeit in a less grand fashion than promised: "The Rev. William Clark's grand lottery gift concert, over which there has been such a flurry in Brooklyn theological circles, was given Tuesday. night. Eighty thousand dollars' worth of gifts ... and over 20,000 tickets has been sold. The proceeds were to be given to Bethesda mission. After a sort of half concert and half minstrel show, the drawing was begun, and less than $1,000 worth of presents were distributed, only one of which was valued at. more than $75. There is much complaint over the swindle."
The motives of Clark remain tantalizingly up in the air. At best, he executed an ill-conceived plan to raise funds for a good cause; at worst, he swindled thousands of dollars from Brooklyn residents for his own purposes.
Details
Title
Brooklyn Charity Swindle -- Dubious 1872 Charity Event Flyer for "Grand National Church Fair, for the Erection of the Bethesda Mission House
Condition
Fine
Publisher
N.p.: Brooklyn, New York
Date
1872