Litchfield enquirer., 1857-12-17

remarkable forgers of the land We pity his
broken-h"nrted wife, his sorrowing family aud
friends, hut duty demands o thorough expo
sure OF his whole course of crime, that it may
teach lesson to the young, and that they
may lay it to heart :
49, ~ha. tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive"
+. I. Nichols, some fifteen years since, was
halter occupying respectable position. huy-
ing Tor his business partner the late Elder
Tucker, pastor of the First Baptist Church,
and OF which church Nichols himself was o
;; con'nnn cant in good and regular standing
How from this Respectable position, he has,
step by step, fallen until o-day the convicted
occupant Of u fclons cell, ait boots not now
to tell"
His last business attempts were in connec.
ton with the =" 4 theucurn" of this city. as a
theatre manager and gettor up of gilt lot.
| terIeS tn this connection he, from time 10
time, forged acceptanccs of Z Y. Barnum, to
the amount OF $40 900, which, coming TO
light, lie fled from justice and was secreted
some mouths in New York. Caught and re.
turned to this city, he was confined in jail, un-
I'll being taken to his house for Temporary bl-
the attending officer, was Secrctcd some weeks
IN supposed bureau, ana again neeing To New
York. vas brought back sccUnd time and
! lodged III JAIL Twice since then have various
! too.s been found in his cell, with winch ne
'ol;ed to break Jail, but being thwarted by
'i5'aht Keeper, h. has been brought to trial.
when his c"u1scl, ovcrw elmed by evidences Of
guilt VIII ch Nichols had pit even from his own
lawy rs, advised h N that there was no hope
OF rscal e, and he finally plead guilty. From
documents placed N our possession, We UIo-
pose to give lis history in connection with
these fors rrs
+. /. Barnum and Nichols are cousins
their mothers being sStcrs--and tempted by
the brilliant career of the great She wman,"
Nichols attempted to take like rapid road TO
fortune, and stopped not at forgery to compass
his darling object. Nichols sought the aid of
Barnun'S credit and BArnun's name, and ex-
hlh'ted through the country the Panorama Of
NapoIcon'> Funeral, an exhausted attraction
Of Barnum's Museum In 1854, Barnum
loaned Nichols limited sums Of money, TO Sc
cure which Il mortgage was executed, aud in
"a Barnum loaned n. acceptances to the
amount Of say s. 000 and also in February,
50 to the amount of S. 500, taking security
by mortgage \ cholS then, in return for la
vorS, off Red to raise 1000 for Barn.im, il he
OBJ would furnish The acccptances. Barnum
dcclnrd, but Nichols, wrote letter Saying
that arrange mcnts were already made for dis
counting that amount, and the party who was
to dscount the paper, supposed 1t was for =
(N's) accommodations and HOW It would hurt
his N'S) credit if the accepances did lot
come, as 1t would be supp oscd that Baruum
was rot willing to trust him. Nicnols in thut
letter to Elrnun', Says:
In case you do rot want the accommola-
ton | want you to write me as it you fad
been absent, and state that you prefer to let
me have what money may need, instead IF
lending your namc. We nave c,ncltd ii 10
second 10 terry, which has gone well, and [
hare about all The prizes rU.' Ba,num then
sent on the 81, 600 acc rtanceS, the proceeds
! of which We're to he sent to Is; in New York.
But the money did not come forward, and
Barnum wrote Nichols sharp letter. in reply
| to winch n said that he could get the money,
but that he wanted BaInum's four 81 900 az
| ctptances. being more easily negotiated than
the 50 600 and that the two $4,000 ones
should be returned to New York Barnuln
sent the four 81 900 acceptances, bat received
10 money, ana louhd LhaI NlcHOlS nau nStu
the ent,rr s., 600 for his own benefit. Bar
num- Of course, made noise about such treat
mcnt, aud Nichols, going to New York, ad-
mtted the fraud, and said that he had been
enticed Ivy a black-'eg to advance the black.
leg money with which to gamble. That for
two or three nights he furnished the black leg
with small amounts, and in the morning after,
received large returns for his mouey, and finally
went to the gaming hell himself, and in one
night lost $4,000. Nichols begged Of b. to
betriend him, and save him (N.) from CON.
uniting suicide his family from ruin, aud their
| mutual relatives from disgrace. BarIum came
on to Cleveland, got what security he could,
and then declined any mere business transae.
tons with Nichols.