Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1884-11-06
The Story of Lappin,


The Commonwealth Yesterday an
nounced that Samuel Lsppin was back
in the Shawnee county jail from
whence he flitted-if the word "fiit"
can be applied to so ponderous a body
- SO many years ago; back again, and
so tired that he fell asleep as soon as
he reached the shelter Of his cell.
Lappin's case adds another to the
million illustrations of the truth, "the
way Of the transgressor is hard" He
was "well fixed" when he was the
financial "boss" up in Nemaha ooun-
ty. He was big, gross, dull-eyed
man, eager for money and hard-faced
in its accumulation, but many people
blindly associate bowels with benevO-
lence, and in spite of his iierceness for
money Lappin enjoyed sort of popu-
larity among his townsmen. He never
did any real, pure unselish good that
we have heard Of, but he was an "en-
terprising citizen, (which may signify,
after all, only very mean man who
pushes the public along before him as
a screen for his own covetousness;who
discourses on railroads, court houses,
and even churches, because they are
good for his own town lots. II all the
orthodox theologians are not mis-
taken, there has accumulated by this
time great deal of enterprise" in
hell.
In time Lappin appeared in a state
convention at Topeka as candidate
for state treasurer. His face, and
such little scraps of his history as had
become public property, ought to have
warned the convention, but it did not.
He was nominated largely through the
efforts of a man who was his direct
opposite in character; as big-hearted
as Lappin was narrow; as careless Of
money as Lappin was tenacious about
it; as much beloved as Lappin was
disliked; as honorable as Lappin was
trickey; the late Nathan Price. 1t
was big, broadshouldcred honest
Price making speech about "honest
old Sam Lappin" that nominated Lap
pin, a man OF iron covered with tai
low.
Lappin was hardly ensconced in
office till change was noticeable in his
appearance. He became pre-occupied
and sOmbre, and one day it was dis
covered that "honest old Sam Lappin'
was forger.
They put him in jail-he who had
been so much of man in Seneca, and
had been intrusted by the state with
her treasure-but that jail was nothing
to what followed There clupg to him
in Jail and everywhere a soldier, OF
rather child of fortune, whose
sketches Of life in South America the
readers of the Champion looked ovel
not many months ago, and to this mar
Lappin owed the miserable gift of lib
erty. Better for him had he gone
through it all; the trial, the verdict Of
guilty, the standing up in the court
room, pierced by 4 thousand eyes, tC
hear the sentence of the Judge. He
fled from comfort and shelter, ever
with disgrace, to peril, wandering
exile, forlornness, and disgrace still
Guided by his faithful friend, he wen
north, then to Duluth, through thu
long chain of the "fresh, unsaltet
seas, to Montreal, then to Sout
America. lie was heard OF in a vague
unrealistic way, much as we hear o
the sea serpent, on the coast Of Soutl
America, where there is no rain, wher'
the earth shiyers, hot as it is, will
weekl ly earthquakes. Now he was il
Lima, then at Valparaiso, then he hat
gone to Uruguay, always wandering
VI the pitiful history Of his family il
these years we do not care to speak
once happy, by his act made inlinitel,
miserable. The only figure we regart
is the fugitive, wandering in desert
or Andcan SHOWS; thinking all tn
time OF the pleasant homes, and tn
wide streets, and the rows of mapl
trees, and the court house and tn
public square in Seneca.
He was safe enough in South Ameri
ca, but he could not stay there. and 81
in some way he got away to the north
ward from below the equator to abov,
the tropic of Cancer. He found him
self in Washington territory, in his ma
tive country at least, where he coul
hear from his old home in few days
and perhaps see once in while tn
Courier or Tribune, wrinkled an,
greasy and worn in the mail bags, o
from being blown about the streets
but still with enough legible to shoy
up the old familiar names in the lega
notices and the advertisements. II
could not wear his own name h
' called himself Richardson, and Rich
ardson, it may be, stood in group
and heard some inan from Kansas tai
= about the country. The story goe
{ that he went around and peddled book
I and pictures, and it maybe that i
some houses the women talked to hir
, about their homes in sunny Kansa.
which they left to come TO water
$ Washington territory. Then he &C
/. up and left the house and wake
( away; but he met a man from Kansa
c at last, by name Weissbach, once
, small politician out at Frankfort, an
who has gone to Washington tcrritor,
I and with his oflice.secking instinct ha
4 Upt m hn mnynr nf tho l;tfln ait,. ,,f ~,
. coma. He saw Lappin. and hopn