Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1857-12-15
ONE OF THE LESSONS OF BARNUM's LIVE.
--REsULT OF HIS SHREWDNEss ON HIS OWN

--RESULT OF HIS SHREwDEEss ON HIS OWN
FAMILY-How MS TEACHINGS, BROUGHT
HIS Cousin TO THE PEMTENrIARY.-Ed-
ward L. Nichols, n cousin Of =. T.. Bar
NUNS, and an admiier and inita;or Of the
great Snowman, has just plead guilty to the
crime of forgery, at Cleveland, and Is about
to close his shrewa career in the penitentiary
Fifteen years ago, Nichols was respec-
table ha:ter in Cleveland, and member
of the First Baptist Church, but, dazzled
by the brilliant success of his cousin, he
lef, his business and went with Barnum,
rs his assistant manageron his Jenny Lind
7 tour, and afterward continued with him in
the giraffe ana caravan business. Having
thus learned the artof success in business
from his cousin the Snowman, Nichols re-
turned to Cleveland and became the mana.
ger OF the "Athrneum" Theater, and Il
getter up of gift lottery schemes. Here
he used Barnum's nams to assist his the
ater.i Whether the latter had any interest
in it and his lottery schemes is not known,
but Nichols ob,ained from time to time ac- :
tcepLances from Barnum. which he used
until on one pIeteAse and another, he had
diJdled this prince Of showmen out OF
38,6oO. Nichols business proved unsuc-
cessiul--Barnum denied having any inter-
est in it, and wanted his money, but Nich-
OILS put him of from time to time by any
plausible lie that he could make serve his
purpose ,t.a.e s.a.. t.H- -'.a-
The telling Of deliberate falsehoods and
the failure to pay mis- debts were things that
his exemplary patron could not endure,
and r.. -rnt,, s.,I tc hnra fhi,,,
more to do with the man that had been
sharp enough to "do" him.
AS Nichols could not get any more ac.
cepances from Barnum, he was compelled
to manufacture them. He forged his name
to the paper to the amount Of $4,000.
Mr.. Blrnum has such horror of every
kind OF dishonesty--palticularly if it is
ile5al-that when these forgeries were
discovered he abandoned Nichols at once
TO the law, and forgetting all ties of blood,
hastened to Cleveland to appear as a wit.
ness against him, and handed to the prose
cu.ion all the private letters he had from
Nichols that might go to show his guilt
Men of softer human hearts, and les:
infexlble sense of justice than the grea
au3o- biographer at first supposed that Mr.
Bamum' 5 object in attending the trial wa;
to assist his cousin in his defence, or al
least to procure some mitigation pf his sen
} tence. But it seems this was far.hest from
his thoughts
After the iorgeries were discovered, Nj
chols sought an interview with Barnum
lie had scheme for compromising til,
matter. His brother was engaged in buy
ing up the forged acceptances, which n
WAS able to get for a small consideration
+ because. since Barnum's failure, hey woui,
have been of little value, even if genuine
and he wanted Barnum to give him a lette
authorizing the use of BIS name in hi
> theater. This letter he designed to impos
oh the Court AS authority for using tn
name as he did. BTnum, however, afte
1 procuring from Nichols letters exoneratin
him from all completely in the matter. au
+ statements to the same effect before a d.
0 Oatman, whom Barnum took with him Il
e II witness at one of their meetings, refuse
= further interviews. ..
: When Nichols learned that Barnum ha
Il given up his pivate letters To the prosecu
e tion, he made no further defence, but plea
guilty. He has not yet been sentencei.-
Cincinnati GdzeHe. ,... -.' .r.