A ‘free love’ proponent once ran the Denver Rescue Mission. A Jesse James bandit worked for him

Editor’s note: Denverite occasionally dives into the archives in search of intriguing stories from the city’s past. Kyle found a doozy this time.

The Denver Rescue Mission, an organization that has made rules about the sexual activities of its staff in recent years, once had a leader with a very different point of view — and a staff member with a colorful criminal past.

In 1920, the Rev. Albert Boler faced high-profile allegations in divorce papers from his wife, Della May Elkins: The Baptist minister used his job at the mission “as a cloak for obtaining money,” and “repeatedly tried to force her into a life of shame.”…

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