Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-03-29

EXTRAORDINARY CAREER OF A WEST
ERN FoRaER.-The New York papers con-
tain the particulars of the arrest in that city
of John Side, a Western forger, Tor a crime
committed three years ago, together with
long descriptions detailing his wanderings
while fugitive from justice, which read
like romance. We condense the narra-
| tive:
Side is 3S years of age, and a native of
Union county, Ohio. His father is a very
wealthy farmer there. Sides father had
his money deposited in the Farmers Bank
at Marion, Ohio. On the 23d of September,
Side forged his fathers name to check
on the bank for $4,000, cashed the check
and lett for New York on the following
day. Until his arrest he was roaming
about the cOuntry-hunted down. The
officials of the Farmers Bank at Marion,
and of the First National Bank of New
| Jersey, through which the Ohio bank did
its clearances with New York, offered a
large reward for his apprehension, as they
alone suffered by his financial operation,
Sides father being, of course, secured
against loss by the terms of his deposit
On being arrested he told the story of his
| life from the commission of the forgery.
| When he left Ohio on the oath of Septem-
| Der, 1869, he engaged in cattle speculation.
and lost all of the $4,000, but $500, with
which sum he reached New York city,
and departed Immediately for San Fran
cisco. Arriving there, he went to work in
undergrad at salary of 500 per
month; he worked there four months and
then left for Arizona, where he work ed in
| the gold mines for six weeks. This not
proving agreeable, he went to New Mexi-
co and hired out as driver of cattle or
peon for $50 a month. The freedom Of this
life proved desirable, and he stayed at it
for six months. Then the deadly malaria
of the marshes attacked him, and he was
stricken down with fever. He recovered
and made his way TO Fort Sill, in the In
dian Territory, where he picked up pre-
carious living for two months. Then his
wanderings brought him to Fort Scott,
Kansas, but he only remained there two
weeks. Striking out again he went to the
city of Des Moines, Iowa, and bred out as
a common farm hand, receiving stipend
of $40 month. This experience, he says,
|
father, who went on from Union county,
Ohio, to see him. He represented to his
father that a man by engaging in the lum-
Der business there would make fortune
on little capital, and the father advanced
him $1,000. When his father went home he
left Des Moines for Leavenworth, Kan,
and there lost the greater part of the 1920.
Seeking fresh fields and pastures new, on
the 25th of September, 1871, he left Leaven-
worth for Prescott, Arizona. Arriving
there he went 10 work on gold claim, but
his venture not proving successful, he left
and travelled to Denver, Col, where he ar
rived without red cent in his possession.
From this place he again wrote to his
father, who sent him $500. He then deter
mined TO return TO Prescott, Arizona, and
LETT Denver with party OF ten others,
among whom were Mountain Joe and Ari-
iona Bill, two famous Western despera-
| does, the latter of whom has committed
more murders than any rufian alive and
| uncaptured save himself. On the road
| from Denver TO Prescott, The party were
suddenly surprised by a war party of the
Apache Indians and completely surround
| ed. Seeing the Indians were in over
u,ho,nj,. S,roroth ,ho rar,,, ,,,oJo ,;a,,.o
,,a,, 49, -, ,
srrrondorod rho,, ro.o a., - ~ -
| dies, corralled and taken through lie Gran
into ,bo Goo, prc,.,o r.. -. 80" ',s.'
tbev wero narcbod aIono ,ha dasnoro 80
Watching FIR everv chance Of osoaro ~,
nrosor,ea ,,so,f howoror ana ,io, 49,, ~,
hands and loo, v,i,ho,,, o,,a.,, - A.,
pra;rie tbe;r A n,cbe oontors ,,ooniro, ,,,a,oh
and gnard owe. tben, SILL ana he oo,,-
ror;ons r,o,;,,,oa -, ,,,o .... .