The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-12-07
SI4.ooO!
The Trial of Heman Is. Chapman. of La Sale
Charged with Embedding that Amount
from the u. y. Express Company.

y The trial Of H. b. Chapman, of La Sale
c charged with cmbczzemcnt to the amount Of
c sl4, O0o began in the Circuit Court on last Tues
= day, with Mayo and Ball, Of Ottawa, and Dun.
t can, of La Sale, for the prosecution, and Judge
{ Eldrcdge and Chas. Blanchard, Of Ottawa, and
s. H. Davis, Of La Sale, for the defense, Most
of Tuesday was occupied in getting the jury,
= On behalf of the people, Mr.. Duncan made the
opening statement. He said
The charge against Chapman was that he had
cmbezzled Sl4 600 in money package sent rom
S Chicago ria L. $. Express to La Sale, consigned
to MathiesOn * llccclcr, Of the Zinc Works, ana
giycn in La Sale to Chapman, u dcliNcryman to
deliver at the works. The money Disappeared
The defendant claims he was robbed oi 1t by IA
party of three men. This package was given to
Chapman on saturday, Sept. lith, I" deliver
He had also in the wagon sewing machine,
keg of wine and roll Of drawings. After dclV-
cring the wine he started for the office Of the
Zinc Works. He passed the rolling mil about
$50 +. VI, when In was seen by Joln 'ruhil,
who was going from his work, who say, he was
looking back and around him with his hand to
hi, fOrchcad) in a suspicious manner; after he
passed Chapman, Chapman continued 10 look
about in every direction. He was seen also 10y
number Of boys playing in a pile OF sahd under
the fence, he passing with horse trotllng. Inc
BOYS were about - feet from where ne claims
to have been robbed. The boys heard or saw
nothing Of the robbery; in five minutes after he
passed he came back, lying on the seat About
The same hour "Nick" aud Michael Walters were
at the Zinc Work. collecting; Nick was III the
office and Michael sat in the buggy at the gate
about 200 feet from the scene OF the supposed
robbcry-at II point where he could see every
thing on the road. They aftcrward met chap
man on the hill and passed him. From The scene
of the robbery to furnace of the work Is but CD
feet The 80 or 80 men working here are not en-
Iclo,cd by walls, nor were they doing any work al
the time to make noise 80 that the least cry ol
alarm would have reached them. lhcy hcaId
nothing nor was any alarm given by him at any
time Of the robbery. On the opposite side OF lhcI
ravinc, below the road, was working man nam
ed Dillon, who saw Chapman rs hc drove down
the road and back and he saw no one near him.
After the robbery, instead Of taking the natural
route home he took II roundabout way where
! the roads were bad and where houses were lew.
From the time he passed the boys I'LL he got mo
the ncighborhood Of buildings and met other
people, he sat upright on his wagoIl-scat ana
showed nothing unusual in his appearance
When hc got home, instead Of going TO the front
! of the house he drove in at the rear, when he
never did before, and tied his horse 10 the fence
| He say, he was pressed and wanted To respond
| to a call Of nature; but instead Of going into Al
privy II feet from him he went to barn 800 feet
! away. When he got to the house he had moth
| ing in the wagon but his empty leather pouch
and "A roll Of valuable drawings for Mr.. Mathle'
son. He SAYS as soon as he recovered after be.
| ing robbed he threw the pouch in the bottom OF
the wagon When he went to the barn he took
the pouch with hun and left the drawings III tlcI
wagon. He was in the barn some time. When
he came out he closed the door, and went into
the house, going directly to bed, telling his wife
to write note to McBoyle, the express agent,
| his principal, saving he had been hurt and want
ed to see him Immediately, but told her on no
account To mention the robbery. There was
red spot on his forehead, marks on his throat
and marks on his back, caused by his being tore
ed back on the wagon seat. On Sunday the
forehead mark had disappeared The next week
he went to Chicago. On Wednesday he went to
Mr.. Lester, OF the company, III Chicago, to get
the key Of his (LesterS) room as lie wanted to
sleep there that night; and Lester gave him the
key and also money to 20 to the theatre. But
that night he went to Mendoza, ria the c., Is. ~
10. railroad, where he told Aiken, of the st.
James Hotel, that his mother was dying and he
must get to La Sale without waiting for train.
Aiken procured for him liyery-rig and driver
who drove him to La Sale. When they had
come to within thrcc-iourlhS OF a mile Of his
house he dismissed the driver, saying he
would walk the rest al the way, and did so.
There was no one sick at his house and his moth
cr has been dead some years. Mr. Duncan sug-
gcsrd the only solution OF the facts was, lie had
''plantcdn the money and was DESTROYS to know
if it was safe. The guard-strap of the pouch
was cut; it could be cut by the robbers IN two
ways, one of which would have left "A mark on
the pouch the other way is by cutting from the
under side The strap shows II was cut IN Meth
or way but that it must first have been unhuckl-I
ed and cut while the pouch hung suspended by |
it. On Saturday evening, said MIR. Duncan, after
he VAS visited by Mr. McBoylc, he went out OF
the house, returning while friend vas there to
whom he related how he had been assaulted,
chlOroiormcd and robbed of the money, his watch
and his revolver
On Wednesday morning, Mr.. ;. IL, Davis
opened for the defense. We shall only repeat
such remarks in Substance as show statement
of facts different from the prosecutions view
1t is denied that there was anything susp iclous
in his looking about him when seen a; the rolling
mill The defense stand ready to impcach the
witness Dillon if he swcars he saw Chapman all
the time he was on the road near the works on
this day. Chapman was suspected within TWO
hours after the robbery, and james Murtha orig
mated the theory of his guilt He and Dr. fraser
visited Chapman ana examined his wounds, ana
then DR.. Fraser said the wounds could not have
been scli-inilictcd as charge Chapman is inno'
cent and II will be shown that he was first as
Isuutcd then chloroiormcd and robbed Tor We
will show that il was possible fer men to rush
out upon him though no one saw the men there
before; and such acts do not take great deal OF
timc--suCh deeds are done "in hurry and he
had no time to give an alarm at the time OF the
robbery. When he came to his senses he thought
lit his duty to tell first the express company who
were the losers, but since he was dcathly sick
he went home to relieve himself, changing his
course going out OF his way rs not To let any
one see him vomiting, &c. When home he went
To the DaTll lllSltul pi lnc IlNl bcNhl0t
ALWAYS been his habit He told his wife to say
nothing in the note of the robbery because he
did not want the boy who carried it to know OF
it and spread the news before his principal knew
| uf it, He went homc by the back way because
ID was the natural way, and because he always |
went there. As to his Chicago experience, Mr. !
! ID. said Chapman had been sent Tor To identity !
three men said To- have been captured there. He
went on Monday expecting To return At once
His wife had Just been delivered and was unwcll
-,.li Iron warn, NIll As In def -
ed day after day in Chicago, he grew desperate,
and returned when he could. lie had there been
accused of the crime and had given the officers
permission To search his premises and wrote his
| wife to that effect. He went Ia the depot ON
| Wednesday to 20 home hut had 10 give up hisl
| pass and remain there. He then went to Il rcla
! tive who gave him money To 80 home. To cs
cape the express company he went ria Mendoza,
north of town. A. the driver was anxious Ia get
| home, and had fulfilled his agreement Chapman