The Fannie Bolton Story

Fannie Bolton to Mrs. E. C. Slawson, December 30, 1914

I have been obliged to delay in answering your letter; for I have been like a person shot out of a gun with the pressure of many things to do. FBS 108.2

Your letter struck me with a sense of pathos to think of your faithfulness, isolation and sincerity. I have been as they say “through the mill.” I became an Adventist in Chicago under the labors of G. B. Starr, and was very zealous for what is called “Present truth.” I truly believed it was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and lived up to the testimonies with all faithfulness discarding meat, butter, fish, fowl and the supper meal, believing that as the “Testimonies” say, “no meat-eater will be translated.” FBS 108.3

I had been faithfully instructed by Eld. Starr that the testimonies came, as they were written from God, that though Sr. White was an illiterate woman, she had been so educated by the Lord that she wrote in the style of her books (supposedly hers.) I had been taught that oysters were abominable in God’s sight and etc. FBS 108.4

I met Sr. White at a camp meeting and as I was reporting for the papers, it fell to my lot to edit her sermons. [See The (Chicago) Daily Inter-Ocean, August 25-27, 29-31, 1887.] There were illiteracy in lack of logic, mixed metaphors, lack of connections and climax, and were marked with awkward sentences, platitudes, repetition, and everything that goes to make good literary productions was lacking; but I thought her pen, perhaps would be so guided that these weaknesses would not be seen. FBS 108.5

She was pleased with the way I made her sermons over for the press and wished me in her employ. I had several good openings for original writing at the time which would have been more to my taste; but waived everything to go with the “prophet.” I was only a simple hearted girl then with the curls down my back, and had been brought up in a truly spiritual home life and I had no idea of duplicity in this, much less in those I truly believed to be the messengers of God. I left to go with Sr. White on the very day when my brother was to be married. At the depot Sr. White was not with her party, so Eld. Starr hunted around till he found her behind a screen in the restaurant very gratified in eating big white raw oysters with vinegar, pepper and salt. [See Starr’s rebuttal, p. 118.] I was overwhelmed by this inconsistency and dumb with horror. Eld. Starr hurried me out and made all sorts of excuses and justifications of Sr. White’s action; yet I kept thinking in my heart, “What does it mean? What has God said? How does she dare eat these abominations?” FBS 108.6

On the cars out to California, W. C. White came into the train with a great thick piece of bloody beefsteak spread out on a brown paper and he bore it through the tourist car on his two hands. Sarah McEnterfer who is now with Sr. White as her attendent, cooked it on a small oil stove and everyone ate of it except myself and Marian Davis who I found out afterwards was more the author of the books purported to be Sr. White’s than she was herself. FBS 108.7

I was with Mrs. White for seven and a half years like a soul on a rock, because of all kinds of inconsistencies, injustices and chicaneries. FBS 109.1

I have seen Sr. White eat meat, chicken, fish, fowl, shrimps, rich cake, pies, etc., etc. I cannot go into detail but Sr. Daniells told me she herself had cooked meat for Sr. White on the camp ground. Eld. Horn told me his wife had done the same thing. Sr. Rousseau told me that she too had done so. FBS 109.2

Dear sister, Sr. White has written that when we do not live up to the testimonies we retract them. She has vitiated (made lifeless) her own claims. “Cease ye from man (or woman) whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of?” FBS 109.3

The Spirit of prophecy is not Sr. White’s testimonies but the Holy Spirit which is to fill, comfort, guide, magnify Christ, bring to your remembrance whatsoever He hath said unto you and show you things to come. “Cast not away therefore your confidence (in God) which hath great recompense of reward.” FBS 109.4

Sr. White for her moral demeanor cut me off from all channels in the papers, wrote unjustly and cruelly concerning me, and brought me down to a bed of death from which the Lord raised me up according to His promise. FBS 109.5

With love and kindest wishes for everybody, Sr. White included, Yours, Frances E. Bolton. FBS 109.6