Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1837-1839, 1838-11-24
TRIAL OF VAN RENSSELAER,.


ormonev on the Bank Of Masslyn in the Branch
Bank in this borough. This Anderson was ar
rested at his lodgings in this place. and was com
m,,ed to the custody Of the Sheriff but made his
escape.--was subs .Iuonily arrested ana taken I"
sIossillon. tried and convicted; but owing TO
flaw in he Indictment, found by the court III bark
was by accomplices permitted 10 escape. = 'F"
months since he was re-taker, tried ana 'fi'Pi'S-
oned. He accused Van Rensselaer,, then post mas
ter at Canton Of being accomP.icc. MI ~
was very wealthy, and the case created great @A
ci,emeot. lis trial was therefore removed 70
,r,sc,ra,yas county and tried at the last term OF
the court for ,hat county
Mr.Van Rensselaer, was charged and aitef '''-
= or ,hroe DAYS was found guilty. q hasin. pnr-
,o;ood fran the post Office at Canton cH'o'
check for 500, and being conccfhen III "'''''"e
i TO 1900 and having it cashed- lie vas sen
fenced to SIX YEARS HARD LAboi, IN '"e
,eni,en,iarv Of Ohio. The case cAh'o'''u SCI
o- the mes, abandoned villains. and the H''r' eA-
,,s;ve ,o,biner the mall focgesies, &c We nave
.,,, rcmep,brancc Of We have only rom ior
the evidence grr.. - by Anderson
JAMES ANDERsoN.- witness, alter oeihs "gN'm-
ed nroceeded win his statement. word tor word
s f,rloys.-. first sa W the Mendenhall certificate
of deposite in the latter part OF May, 30. was
then writing in The Recorders office, IN oahio'-
Stark county, Ohio. Van Rensseiaef eh"ea az
The Recorders Office, and told me thar ne h:u
something very interesting to show me. ."n
him could not leave the Office until hir ilafen-
sneroer The Recorder should return. van isehs-
seiacr left the Office and as soon as Mr.. l'eieh-
eperoer returned went TO the Post oihce' "he'e
Van Rensselaer, exhibited to me the cer'hsa'e--
1t was cnvelopcd in a letter, with why-o.t 'o'u'
it, which letter Van Rensselaer, pulled from ms
pocket, Ia side pocket in his irnck coat, ociie'e')
Van Rensselaer, was, Mt that time, fepn'v or an
attendant in the Post Office, under william Dun
har ESQ the Postmaster The certificate, "heh
I first saw it, was for $500. van hehSseiaci
suggested the propriety OF altering u 10 a n,ioi
larger sum and procuring Its negotiation. hi"'i,
conversation ensued | wished 1T TO be placed
h.c, in the nniI and permitted TO proceed TO ITS
MACE of destination, because | considered MS
nronosi,ion dangerous. too much, aifeadt, VI
that kind of business had been transacted 'hfo"s"
our mutual agency. endeavosed TO impress up
on his mind the FACT, that this attempt would ca
nose us to COW ciion and consequent punishment
He continued to insist upon its being altered
The letter. in which the certificate was enciosed'
was cd and da ted at New Lisbon, and d.
rected to Cleveland After mich conversation,
and after weighing the difficulties attending the
transaction, finally agreed to make me aitera-
ton as he desired Van Rensselaer, wished me to
lars To this objected, as the laTgenesS 81 me
amount would induce suspicion and necessarily
lead to detection. 1t was agreed, however, thai
should alter tho amount on the ttce OIL the cefu-
ficute bv increasing il from slOo TO S|,aoo van
Rensselaer, wished me. alter making the pfoP"s""
alteration to 90 TO distance with the certilcate,
and nepoiist tie it, while he would remain at nome,
unknown and unsupported IN the ahaif ',''
| objected, as n rran named Stewart was IN tne
and who, it supposed, couid
To this Arrangement we both ne
came agreed. l took tho cer'iii,:ate home WIN
me. and made the alteration, by whiting he words
useren tkousand'' before the orIglna, 'J0w nun
dred" and by prefixing she figure - before the
or;n;nal 400 ''--Stewart had been absent, some
.;,so enoaoed in the negotiation of another Tor
oed draft furnished to him by Van Rensselaer,
and myself After the alteration had been eiiect,
ed to our mutual satisfaction, Van Rensselaer, ana
myself started on horseback, from Canton, TO Z"
to Folm's tavern, four miles west OF Cahto'' o''
the Massilion road, to meet Stewart, who' we eA-
nected was there We left Canton by the south
road. and crossed the Nimishillen at Shorbs mill:
and proceeded 10 Fom's by the lower ROAD, 'hso
the plains Van Rensselaer, went INTO fiom :,
while I remained outside, secre'ed III me pam
Stewart was not there, and Van Rensselaer, pro-
ceeded as far as Aliens tavern, two or 'hfee
miles further on the road towards MasSIiion, oat
did not find Stewart. At Aliens he got descr'p-
ton of a man resembling Stewart. te" Gays
after however, Stewart arrived IN Canton ana
called at nv house Van Rensselaer, also came.
and the altered certificate became the su'Ject OF
conversation between three. The plan OF OPP |
Grafton was designed by Van Rensselaer, and my
self Stewart was to undertake the negotiation
of the certificate. The forged endorsement on
the back of the certificate-"pay to order
[sioned1 "Cyrus Observation-Disclosures done by my
self. Tue name OF ..George MendenhdH," forged
below that of Cyrus NendenhatI. was
executed bv Stewart. then fabricated, tor Slew
arts use ii forged letter of introduction. 10 no
mas Blackburn Esq, of Massillon, by and OF which
II was intended that he should gain an unsuspect-
cd interview with the officers of the Massiilon .
Counsel for The State here rendered
To MIR. Anderson's Inspection letter obtained
from Thomas Blackburn, Esq. wl,ch the witness
Immediately recognised, and adm'tea 70 be the
one written by himself for the use OF Sto'>aft.l
Ii reads as follows:
(.oIunbiana CO., June LIST, 1886. =
-. >, ,,ke tho liberty of Introducing TO
~ Ar Geo stevens neishbor of mine, who has iateiy
ia his farm here for cash. and conemplaes purchasing
ropev in your vicinity if suit himself Shou me-
however be unable 10 purchase IN region, and conclude
q, 90 west and take up Congress land he may need your CO.
his funds into such paper as VIII
n. current at land Offices Any assistance therefore,
that YOU him, either IN purchasing properly
or in oh,ainng office bank tor ms cet
nra.s If dsn,si,e on Lisbon Bank will only De APP
hy him. also Acknowledged as sPecIai asof
friend nd humble