Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 January 1911 — Promoter’s Pulpit Talk Brings Coin [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Promoter’s Pulpit Talk Brings Coin

KANSAS CITY. Mo,—This city has always liked a “live wire" promoter, one who can go out and get money where money isn’t if necessary, but Ben Blanchard played the game too ’ strong. Fifty business men of This city who have invested $600,000 1a an Arizona copper mine on Blanchard’s seductive representations will be mighty glad to get back what they put In and will willingly sacrifice their hopes of gigantic profits. Once, In Kansas City, he was in church, a stranger, when the minister waa trying to raise enough money to send a missionary abroad: The •contributions came so slowly the minister was discouraged and about to give up when Ben Blanchard arose and with the seductive voice that charmed so many into buying his stock, asked how much it would require to put this missionary on the heathen firing line and keep her there for a year. With a weary voice the pastor named the amount.

“Only that much?”, asked Ben. “Why, if that is all that’s worrying you come here and get the money « 1 believe 1 have that much In my pocket and If I haven’t I’ll give you a check for the balance.” “Will the kind brother please come forward,” asked the pastor, while the congregation struggled to get a glimpse of the man with the money Innate modesty kept Blanchard from going forward until three pillars of the church came to his seat and escorted him to the pulpit. There he made an eloquent speech on the happiness it gave him to be able to send a missionary among the heathen, not neglecting to tell his audience how easy it was for him to do this because providence had been kind enough to put him In possession of a copper mine in Arizona rich enough to send missionaries to the furthermost ends of the earth and keep them there till all the heathen had seen the light It was a notable effort, delivered with convincing simplicity and before the congregation was through with Blanchard he had sold SB,OOO of stock. The expense to Blanchard of sending the missionary was SI,BOO, so that the day’s work showed a good balance in his favor. This was the beginning of the Blanchard mining boom,