Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-01-02

niles from Philadelphia. 1T passed
INTO the hands of Mr.. Wilcox, who =
applied franklin with paper, and IL
emains, still in working condition,
n the Wilcox family to the present
lay. 80
FAILURE AND FORGERY.
Rev John Darrai, Turns Out Forgor
From the Alba Union.
1t becomes our painful duty as q
Of local atfsirs, to speak of
The fall of one of the prominent bust
ness men of our city. The sore dis
tress into which the estimable wife
and two daughters of the fallen man
are thrown makes the subject sad
one indeed to speak OF, and to this is
added the severe blow which has
wounded the church in the house of
its protested friends, the Rev. John
Darrah having long been known in
this community as an active and APP
parently zaelous member. of the M. l..
Church. In his fall the cause Of re-
ligion has received severe blow
which is felt not only by the particu-
lar church organization of which |
he was member; but by Christians |
of all denominations in the commune
ty, who all feel keenly the disgrace
brought upon the church by the
crimes of one that took a prominent
part in church work.
On Wednesday evening last the in
telligence spread through the city
that Mr.. Darrah had failed in BUSH
ness and admitted that he was guilty
of forging promissory notes; also
that Fred Seifert had seized all of
Darrah'sproperty, grocery homestead
and household goods, to make good
amounts due him from Darrah. Of
course these reports engendered con-
siderable excitement in the city, and
it has not yet abated.
Many stories and rumors have been
differentiation in regard to the collapse
and it has been difficult for the COM
munity to tell what to credit and
what to disbelieve. We can only give
what we are told by persons who
ought to know without vouching for
the correctness of our information.
The discovery of the forgery was
made in this way. Fred Seifert be-
ing in possession of some promissory
notes for small amounts apparently
executed by various responsible farm
ers of the county in favor of John
Darrah, some which were approach
ing maturity, had begun to think of
realizing some mouey on them. He
had taken them as collateral security
for money loaned Darrah. One of
them had the name of Lewis Beck
signed to it. Seifert meeting Mr..
Beck told him about having note
against him. Mr.. Beck was surprised
and said that there must be some mis-
take about it as he did not owe OAR
rah anything. The two men then
went in and confronted Mr.. Darrah
who, we are told, admitted to them
that he had forged the note. About
this time Mr.. w. A. Lemaster, anoth-
err Monroe county farmer, came along
in front of the grocery, and Seifert,
having note or two with his name
attached, accosted him. He, too, pro-
nounced the notes against him a for
gerry, and Darrah could not gainsay
the statement. Then, as matter OF
course, Seifert demanded Of Darrah 8
settlement of the thousands of dollars
due him. Darrah then turned ovel
to him the entire stock of groceries
&C., in the store, and in conjunction
with Mrs. D., decided to him the
homestead, and gave him a bill OF
sale on all the household goods which
Darrah claimed belonged to him
| These documents are on record. The
books being too tedious to schedule
were al once delivered to Seifert, ex.
cept what were claimed by other
members of the family than Darraf
himself. Seifert did not remove any
other goods from the house, but
through his attorney, Mr.. Coen, told
, the family to stay in the house, rem
free, and take care of it and the
household effects. We understand
that after the bill of sale was execut
ed, other creditors in town went t.
the house, and Darrah and the family
turned over to them considerable
amount of personal property not in
Guided in the bill of sale, becaus,
claimed by other members of the
family. Seifert is popularity charged
with cruelty toward the family, bu
we do not think the facts warrant thu
charge, as, if we are correctly inform
ed, the family did not expect to be in
Abba next day, when they turned tn,
goods over to him.
Mr.. Darrah left Abba that nigh
, and has not returned. He is not ex
pected to return Of his own accord
The number of forged notes used b,
him as security for borrowed money
seems to be large, and new holders o
them have been making their appear
now and then since the collapse. FREQ
Seifert has about fifty notes, we be
lieve, Mr. Eli Detar few, Mr.. Nc
. Bride some, and others are held by
other parties whose names we do moi
remember. The money borrowed or
these notes constitute but a compare,
lively small part of Darrah's liabili
ties. Seifert says he will have some.
thing like two thousand dollars to
pay out in cash for -four in the pur.
; chase Of which he has loaned Darrah
: his credit and which he thought had
been paid for, He will also have to
pay off mortgage of $500 on the
homestead, given by Darrah to secure
| 4uiS' Az al n vi IJOiI
her. The most distressing loss prob
ably, is that of Mr.. M. r Hall, an ell
derby farmer who has been living il
town for a few years past, brother
in the church, who had the utmos
confidence in Mr.. Darrah, lending
him money, going his security, anG
!, going into partnership with hin
sometimes in shipping grain. Hi
loss is reported at about one Thousand
, dollars and he will have to sell prop
erty he can i'll afford to spare in or
der to pay.
, Darrah's liabilities as far as yet as
certained foot up about $4,000 ant
!, his assets are minus. The question
whether he took any money will
him or not, 10 not settled but there i
, mystery what has become of tn,
money he handled recently, if he dit
not take away any of 1t. Among the
sums he is said to hay,
received are 5000 from Mr.
Val Fuller and $500 from
+ Mr.. VIM Chisholm in advnce fol
r corn he was to ship in and some $65,
90 from Mr.. E. w. Byers, advanced
on -four. Besides this there were va
0 rious small sums borrowed from
number of different men only few
( days before the collapse. Such cir
D cumstances are differently interprete,
( by different persons, some thinking h
was trying in every way to get none
, in order to take it away with him ant
& others think 1t was because he was re
ally hard up. Perhaps time will tel
, how it really was.
This is the way the Chicago 7ri5
:. ane talks about their mud: .
ii There has never been a time whe
Chicago was so blessed with mud q
now. There is mud on the street
/ and on the sidewalks mud on wae
I ons and horses; mud splashed upo
: shop-windows, and street-lamps, an
st0re-signs, and men and women
. mud everywhere. Everything
1 filthy and every one is filthy, from tn
/ most prominent citizen to the lea
important yellow dog that paddle
In 4 AZ 3 4 y