Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1853-01-20
TuE M1RrHA wAsHrNeroK CASE

TIE MARTHA WASHINGTON CASE
Mr.. FILLEY's DYING DEcLARATioNs--l
We find in the Cincinnati papers copies
of the remarkable document containing
the dying declarations of L. L. Filley,
of the firm of Filley & Chaplin. twas
taken as testimony before the o. S. COM
missioner at Columbus, Ohio, and is as
follows:
On the 92d day of July, 1852, |, Lu-
cius L. Filley, of the city of Cincinnati,
State Of Ohio, do hereby certify that !
am one Of the firm of Filley & Chaplin,
in said city; that the said firm consisted
of L. L. Filley and RUFUS Chaplin, who
were known as The actual active part
ners in the concern, but that Amasa
Chaplin and Lorenzo Chaplin were secret
partners, and had an interest in the con-
Germ jointly. Said firm were connected
in the business of manufacturing and
selling boots and shoes, buying and sci.
ling leather, hats. and caps; that the said
copartnership was commenced and in
existence in 1880 and 1851, and was
closed in December. 1851. At the time
of closing we sold 10 Lyman Cole.
The Chapins made the inventory, and
copied the same. 1t amounted to or
was called eighteen thousand dollars.
and have ne doubt that there was that
amount inventoried and sold to Cole,
which supposed included about all the
stock of boots and shoes we had on
hand. know nothing of Cole only by
way Of Chaplin, and had barely seen
him until the Chapins sold out TO him.
They recommended him very highly
10 me as man of worth and high stan>
ding, and learned nothing to tie con-
trary until told by Carpenter there was
leather on hand at the time of the sale
TO Cole, which might amount 10 three or
four hundred sides of red sole leather.
Cent say whether or not that was inclu-
ded in the bill of sale to Cole. know
of no white leather on hand.
There were two or three hundred doz-
en- sheep-skins; can't say whether they
were sold 10 Cole or not; | only gave
my consent TO the trade of Chapins
with Cole. The firm was vastly in debt
and | consented TO any disposition Of
the property they thought advisable; do
not know how much money the firm
owed Cole; that was generally managed
by the Chapins.
The Chapins had Coles notes for the
property, amounting, should thi:.k, to
six thousand or eight thousand dollars.
was taken sick, and know nothing how
the matter was settled at ALL knew Of
no arrangement, and never heard any,
thing of shipping goods or leather on
the Martha Washington, until reached
home on Wednesday night. the 7th of
January, 1859. On the 4lh of Janua-
ry | went to Ripley and MaysvilIe, coll
lecting, and returned on the night of the
7th to my house on Sixth street, in Gin
cinnati.
About nine o'clock that night, Loren.
10 Chaplin came TO my house, and said
they wanted me a: the store. Going
down, he told me they had shipped lot
of goods on the Martha Washington.
At the store | found the Chapins,
Cole, and Cummings. They showed
me bills of lading that had been receipt
ed on the boat. SAID nothing, but
mistrusted something wrong. They
said they had been buying leather. |
left the store, and Adam Chaplin came
out and said he was going 10 Louis
vile.
He limited what was going on, but
seemed afraid 10 Tell me. Two or three
days after the Martha Washington left,
Twas in the Office, standing by the desk,
and the Chapins handed me book. to
copy off the weights of the feathers,
which did. as they called them off to
me. knew nothing about the leather
or weights, only as they read them off
from paper purporting TO have the
weights on it.
Three of the Chapins were then STAN
ding at the desk. Earl was not there,
nor did he call off any leather to me
during that week. After | had copied
the bills they then told me for the first
time what was going on, and then said
the man that exposed them would be
shot down in less than four hours Il
made no reply. but have ever stood in
fear. The thoughts of what was i'm
plicated in so affected me that the trou-
bic threw me into state of wretchedness
and used me up.
Just before the boat was burned, Ru-
fus told me, and SO did Lorenzo, that
the calculation was TO burn the Martha |
Washington, and no one that exposed
them could live long. and that if they
were arrested others that were not !
known would shoot them down. Said
Cole was the first that got it up, and
Kissane was as much in it as any one,
for he had the largest insurance of any
one. After the boat was burned, Adam
Chaplin told me that man by the name
of Holland set the boat on fire,
I saw Holland for the first time some
weeks afler the boat was burned. He
came to the store TO see Cummings, who
spent most of the time in the store.-I
One of the Chapins told me that Kis-
sane's insurance was for a shipment
over the left; said that Kissane shipped
more fictitious than any one else.
| heard Nicholson. who was clerk of
Il L Ill