The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-09-10
COL. CHAs. cI,nKsoN IN TROUBLE.

We are not only surprised but panied
at the following, which we find in the
Commonwealth, having known and re-
spected Col. Clarkson for several years
On Tuesday, Col. Charles Clarkson
was arrested and taken before Justice
Bar, on charge of obtaining money by
false pretenses. 1t is claimed BY the
prosecuting witness, DR.. Stormont, that
in December. 1867, Col. CIarkson asked
of him loan of $50, representing that
Prof. Denison, President of the Agri-
cultural College, owed him $3.50, paya-
bic in State scrip, which would be due
in short time, and out of which the
loan was to be reimbursed. It turned
out, however, that the boot was on the
other leg, and that, instead of Denison
owing GARRISON, Clarkson owed and is
still owing, Denison a large amount
GARRISON was held to bail in the sum of
$1,000, DIR. Tefft being-his surety.
This may be regarded as the opening
gun of campaign, in which an army of
swindled creditors are arrayed upon the
one side, and the obese. titled Clarkson
upon the other. AS everybody knows.
the Colonel was, during the last three
administrations, chief clerk in the Office
of the Secretary of State. His capacity
was good; his presence unctuous and
agreeable; his manners beaming and
kindly; his conversation oily and be-
nevolent; his piety unquestioned. He
believed in doing the greatest number,
and held, with the late Lord Palmer
ston, that the greatest number was num-
Der one.
With such graces of mind and person.
we are not surprised at the number and
variety of his victims; although, as q
general rule for the guidance of bust
good collateral security is preferable to
mere professions of personal pietv, for
the one is palpable and tangible, while
in many instances a writ against the
other would be returned s'no goods
found
The Coloners modus opera,adi was
about as follows: There was then no
money i'll the treasury, and scrip was at
ninety cents or lower. a consultation
of the almanac would inform the oper-
ator at what times quarterly salaries
were due. Then he would write to the
parties, and suggest to them that if they
would send their scrip to him, he wonld
collect 1t and pay them its face in thirty
days, or he would see them personally,
and obtain the scrip on the same terms.
Then he would proceed directly to the
bank, sell the scrip at the market price,
pocket the proceeds, and leave the con-
hdlng strangers in the lurch. Could
there be stronger evidence of fraud?
In this way fell Denison, Nudge and
Plat, of the Agricultural College, Hum
phrey, Spriggs and Brewer. of the Dis
trict bench, Hammond, of the Board of
Capitol Commissioners, and in this and
similar ways fell citizens Farnsworth,
Farnham, Smith, Brewer and others, of
Topeka, and Adams, Brown, Parmrlee
and Chamberlain, of IeaVenwort and
so many others in various portions of
the State that we have not space to
enumerate them. 1t is believed the
Colonel's business in this line aggregat-
ed not far from $4,000.
We print this with considerable re-
luctance, and only because we believe a
newspaper should give the news, no
matter whom it hits. We like the Col
onel personally, and should not have
alluded to the matter had it not gone to
the courts.