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Posted by Larry Jordan
on July 30, 2009, 12:23 pm, in reply to "Jim and Hank Snow"
Message modified by board administrator July 30, 2009, 12:28 pm
Here's a passage from my upcoming book that I hope answers your questions:
Jim’s doorbell rang at his Madison home on Westchester Drive on Thursday, January 16, 1964 and when Mary answered the door, she found two men standing there. One of them asked to see her husband. Ordinarily, Jim wasn’t fond of having fans show up uninvited on his doorstep, but one of these men was attired in priestly fashion and wearing a white clerical collar. He introduced himself as Father Jack Miller. He said he was a poor roving priest who had traveled with his driver all the way from Canada in the hope of seeing the Grand Ole Opry, but that they had been mugged by a hitchhiker and their money stolen.
Joyce Jackson comments that while Jim was a shrewd businessman, he nevertheless was “a big softie” when it came to hard-luck stories. Reeves listened sympathetically to their tale of woe, felt sorry for the men and gave them $50, and two free tickets to the Opry. He called his friend Faron Young and got him to cover half of the men’s hotel tab for a week, while Jim paid the other half (or $86).
After registering at the hotel, the pair went to see Faron, who also gave them $50. Later they visited the widows of Cowboy Copas and Jack Anglin, who had died in accidents the previous year. They drove the women out to the cemeteries where their husbands are buried, and after saying some prayers over the graves, accepted cash contributions from the women.
Then the pair went to the Grand Ole Opry with the tickets Jim Reeves had given them.
Afterward, the two Canadians drove to the home of Opry star Stony Cooper, who invited them in, treated them to supper, and gave them $25.
The next stop was Hank Snow’s residence, which was not far from where the Reeveses lived in Madison. Hank served the priest and his companion whiskey and played a few songs for them.
Later, the Priest and his driver made it to Memphis, where they went to Elvis Presley’s mansion. The singer was not home, but Vernon -- Elvis' father -- was there and they had a long talk with him and received more money.
That night, when the men returned to their hotel, they were confronted by detectives and a priest, who asked them a few religious questions they were unable to answer.
It emerged that “Jack Miller” was not a real member of the clergy, but had stolen a priest’s vestments from a clothesline enroute to Nashville. His actual name was Ralph DeLaval, and he was a 33-year-old Toronto, Canada mechanic. His friend was 30-year-old Garrick Anger. The only part of their story that was true is that they were from Canada and they were both broke when they decided to try their hand at freeloading and larceny. They concocted a story designed to fleece the Opry stars, and even managed to steal Hank Snow’s cowboy boots and watch. But they tripped themselves up by ordering champagne and caviar, and were unmasked when a hotel desk clerk noticed they were not living up to their vows of poverty. The clerk called Jim to tip him off. Still, they managed to live the high life for ten days. Ultimately DeLaval was sentenced to a year in prison, and Anger got six months.
Joyce laughs about the incident but notes that Mary had spoken up to caution her husband about the men. When Jim learned of the scam, he wasn't angry — he was philosophical. Referring to the fake prist, Reeves reflected, "he needed the money more than I do."
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