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Kidnapped Texas Pastor Who Was Tied From Church Chandelier Was Actually Hiding a Suicide Attempt
During the Great Depression, an alleged horrfic crime against a man of the cloth made headlines around the country until it was revealed that he had orchestrated everything himself
On June 18, 1931, newspaper headlines around the United States blared the bizarre story of a Dallas, Texas pastor named B.P. Brown, who was found barely alive, hanging from a chandelier inside his Baptist church. He told police how he had been getting threats for some time before being kidnapped by four masked men who strung him up. The story was all many could talk about for days until it was revealed that it had all been a hoax in an attempt to cover up a suicide attempt.
The 30-year-old Brown was a relief pastor, preaching in multiple churches as needed, who made his primary living carrying luggage for a local hotel. When he was discovered naked and hanging from a chandelier above the pulpit in the church where he preached, it was a shock to his community and those who heard his story.
Initially, Brown told police that he and his co-pastor, H.P. Marler, had been receiving threats for some time. He even produced some 15 letters they…
