The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1853-12-01
Gen. Otho Hinton.

Gen. Otho Hinton.
What alesson is taught in the history Of
this man. Whether it will be needed or
not is another question I1issad and i'm
pressive story is soon told. Extravaganza
idleness, and debaucRery, brought, pecu-
mary embarrassment and a retort to crime
was the desperate venture toCamake it
good We knew him in his PALMER days
when he was considered honorable and
wealthy. He put up asplendid hotel in
Delaware, in this State, his place of resi-
dence, was high in every body's conf
dence, his word was good for thousands,
and his influence in the Wing party Of
the greatest weight, With character
beyond the lightest shade of suspicion,
and with reputed great wealth, he was
ranked among the first men in central
Ohio. After he was appointed Mail agent
these robberies of the Government began
to occur. People would as readily have
suspected an angel as, Gen. Hinton. No
thought of any dishonesty on his part
crossed the mind of the Government. =
So fan from suspecting him, the, depart
ment actually instructed him whento place
packages resembling enclosures of money
in the mall and, gave the various Post
masters direction in what manner to assis-.
him in watching them along the line.
During the whole of this time, he was
busy in rifling the mails at every opportu-.
nifty. There is not doubt but that he Sc
cured large amounts of money, which all
went usual way-at the gambling ta5lck
The Government officials were sorely
puzzled, but continued to place the utmost
confidence in him. He afterwards said
that the thought of them always made him
laugh as he opened fat mail bag But
pay came at last. Suspicion cannot sleep
forever, and it began to occur to the mind
of the Government, that even Gen. Otho
Hinton, high as he was in the Whig party,
wealthy and respectable as he might be,
might possibly, by some mistake or other,
have something to do, personally, in these
robberies. Packages were. deposited for
him in his turn, and he was detected
He was forthwith arrested; but the shock
to the public mind was too greatto be sud-
denly overcome. He was yet entirely too
respectable to be put in the the common
Jail. He was, therefore, confined in one of
the parlors ofthe Neil House, in Columbus,
with two men to watch over him. It was
not to be supposed that so respectable man
would attempt OF escape. The guards &C
cordingly, after taking various glasses of
wine with this ismostrespectable gentleman,
wentto sleep. Gen. Ohio Hinton, the most
respectable AID responsible individual, and
most accomplished gentleman of Central
Ohio, then rose gently up,and without wait
ing to take some of his clothes, walked to
the door, slipped out turning the key on
theoutside, leaving gentlemanly guards
fast inside. Pursuit was made as soon as
possible, but it was ofno avail. The Gen
eral then tried on different sort of life
He lay by during the day and travelled
by night. Not daring to show himself,
he was compelled to live on roots and
berries. ..-..s-
Some ten or fourteen days he drew his
daily breath in fear and pain; but atlength
reached Cles Gland, half starved his clothes
In rags and filth, and his feet cut to pieces. |
He could endure it no longer, but gave
himself up to the officers of justice at
Cleveland, who could hardly recognize,
in the miserable, squalid object before
them, the once accomplished Gen. Ohio
Hinton. There was no longer any doubt
in the public mind of his guilt On the
examination his bail was set
at $4,000, which he managed to give,
after which he left, and there was nothing
certain heard of him until he suddenly
turned up in California, where he is now
in Jail awaiting the proper warrant for his
removal to Ohio for trial. Since this
transaction, Hinton must have lived
miserable existence. With the continued +
dread which forever haunts crime, he has
fed up and down the shores of the Paci-
&c from Oregon to the Isthmus, an out
sasta vagabond on the earth, passing in
disguise and under feigned names, until
1t last the day of final reckoning has ar
lived, and once more he is the tenant of
! Jail.
There is deep moral to be learned
rom the career of this miserable man
leeper than from any work of fiction,
however ingeniously wrought. 1t is a
tern truth, that vice and crime bring
heir own inevitable punishment and al
hough that eternal justice which governs
ii the transactions of life; may seem to
leep for time, yet, sooner later, it en-
ails on the dispisers of its laws heritage
# misery and infamy. Let the young
nen of our country take warning L
T
Bg The expenses which the Govern t