Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-09-06

FARLEY, THE FoRCER.-The Madison, Wis,
Journal gives the following account Of the
proceedings Of Farley, alas Piper, alias
Clark, who was recently arrested in Wis
e0nsin, on a requisition from Gov. Dillrng-
ham, and brought to Rutland tor trial for
certain iorgeries on the Banks Of Rutland
and Addison counties, committed in 1858 :
Farley" under various aliases. has been in
what he calls the - business Of altering checks"
and raising money on them, for many years;
and is one Of the shrewdest, boldest and most
successful operators in his line Of any man in
the country. He has bled the banks at one
time and another to the extent Of many thousand
dollars. The forgery for which he Is now ar
rested was committed in March, 1868, and con-
sisted Of the passing of forged drafts on New
York, on the banks Of Rutland County, Bran
don, Middlebury, VergenDes, Orwell and Bel
lows Falls, Vermont, where be had been spend-
ing some little time operating as a sheep and
cattle buyer, and having raised the money on
these drafts, all within n hours, he left for
parts unknown, and could not be traced beyond
Bennington. The officers OF Vermont banks
have been after him ever since, and utterly deny
that they ever made any settlement with him,
and seorn the imputation that they would be
guilty Of eompounding felony. They said they
did not make or save their money in that way
In the course Of their searchings after him they
have had four requisitions on Governors Of
States for him, and have had him
arrested twice, but he always managed TO get
of through some legal bubble or otherwise. 1t
appears that he has secured friends high in
official position, has bought up police and de
tectives to & large extent in prominent cities,
and has confederstes at many points who are
always ready TO come TO his rescue, 20 that By
strategy and bribery he has been able to pursue
his nefarious business with impunity, and has
grown bold in iniquity, so that after his arrest
here he svowed what his business had been, but
de6ed any one to prove anything against him,
and offered to bet that he would get out Of this
scrspe. He claimed that he was simply a gen.
eral distributing agent, who took money out Of
rich bankers who could afford to lose it and dis
tributed it around among the people generally,
and ought to be regarded as public benefsc
tor.
lie scorned to do mean thing, he did, and
cared nothing for money for himself He told
some with much gusto how he had "come it,
over the wary bankers, and how he had won
over policemen and other officers Of the law TO
his side. His liberal dispensing of money, and
genteel address, had gained him quite a number
of friends here, who appeared to take a good
deal Of interest in his welfare and feel much re-
greet at the difficulties into which he had fallen,
and hoped be would free himself of them The
sympathy felt for him by some was increased by
the suppositiou, which proves to have been un-
founded, that he had paid back some Of the
money which he had taken from the Vermont
banks, and that this was an attempt to get
more out of him, almost in the ma
ture of black mail, after he had once settled.
Had he been lees genteel and liberal rascal he
probably would have found fewer sympsthizers.
Full particulars Of the manner in which his !
IDENTITY was fret detected here, would be in |
eresting, but We are requested not 20 to into de-
tsils. We may say, however, that a photo /
graph and circular offering a reward for him. |
vas received here some years ago by one Ct our |
banks, was drawn out Of pigeon hole by acci- |
lent, and young lad first pointed out the sim /
lsrity Of the photograph and description to the
iashing gentleman Farley" aourishIng about
he city and, after consultation, the documents
we're placed in the hands of Under Sheriff Nc
Dougsn, who preceded to work up the case with
lis accustomed shrewdness and skill. The pbo-
ograph, Of which the one sent here and else
there was copy, by the way, was left behind
y Farley" then passing undJr the name of
'iaik, in an empty trunk, when he left Yer
iont.