Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-10-09
SAMUEL LAPPN.

the ELdE9-A Complete S-lLllI OK me I
1affair, Together With q Review of the +
Scran0rd Case.
Topeka Commonwealth.
A CO1MoNWEALTH reporter has been [
in possession for week, of Information
TO the effect that Samuel Lappin, ex- |
State Treasurer of Kansas, was about to
be arrested and brought to the State for
trial upon the old charges against him.
For obvious reasons, the news has not
been given to the public before, and
would NIT now, except that the rumOr
has become more or less known, and
that by this time the arrest has prOba-
bly, been effected and the prisoner Is, /
more than likely, now on his way to To
peka. The papers were sent out on the
night Of Monday, September 22nd, and
unless some unforeseen accident has hap
pened, Mr.. Lappin win soon be here TO
answer the long list of charges against
him. In view of the fact that since the
fOrgeTies were committed a number Of
years have elapsed and there are half a
million people in the State who were not
here then, the following review of the
case viii be of interest at this time. 1t
has been compiled from the vOlumniOus
reports made of the affair itself and the
two ScraffOrd trials, which appeared in
The COMMONWEALTH during the last nine
years.
On the 9th of December, 1875, it was
discovered by the Board of Commission
ers of the Permanent School Fund, that
forged bonds to the amount of $4,000,
had been purchased for the Fund. On
the same day, two members of the Board,
without previously informing any one of
their journey or intention, went to Kan
sas City. The Board had previously
been in correspondence with a party call
ing himself y. ). Klbby, and writing
/ from Kansas City, in regard to the bonds
which they had discovered to be fraudu-
| lent, and they went to Kansas City, to
! ascertain, if possible, who took from the
Kansas City pOstOf1Ce the letter adj
dressed to j. S. kibby; and the result of
the visit was a conviction In their minds
that the recipient of theletters was Sam
uel Lappin, State Treasurer. On
the next day, December 18th, they
informed the Governor Of their sus-
piciOns. Between the 18th and Goth of
December, the Commissioners were at
work, detectives were employed, and the
result was an accumulation Of facts which
confirmed the belief of the Commission
ers that Mr.. Lappin was connected with
the sale of the forged bonds to the School
Fund. So quietly and judiciOusly were
these steps taken that in Topeka not
over half dozen persons not engaged
In the investigation knew of its incep-
ton. When everything was ready, the
explosion was deferred two or three
days on account of the sickness of Mr..
Lappin. 1t was not until the afternoon
Of December Goth that the matter be-
came in Topeka a matter of street COM
ment, and that to very limited extent.
The first authentic Information given the
public was in the shape Of a telegraphic
dispatch sent from THE COMMONWEALTH
Office to the Associated Press, and the
g
December d of the following CORES
pondence: The letter of Governor Os- /
born to Attorney General Randolph, /
bearing date of December 18th, taking /
note Of a previous conversation and |
urging "the utmost possible energy to /
discover and bring to punishment the |
persons guilty Of these frauds" Second, /
the letters from the Commissioners to /
the Governor, Feciting the fact of the |
discovery of the forged bonds, and |
stating that they were satisfied that Mr. |
Lappin, the State Treasurer, is liable to /
the State for the amount of money paid /
out as aforesaid, and that he should be /
required to refund the same" Third, a /
letter from the Governor to the AttOr- |
ney General, directing him to institute .
IN the proper Court, and at the earliest /
possible moment, the necessary legal /
proceedings against Samuel LaDpin. State |
II CcL6 CLs anu tic buLGl1EB Oh lis BDuL-
for the recovery of the money thus /
WrOngfully taken" Fourth, a letterfrOm /
the Governor to State Treasurer Samuel |
Lappin, inclOsing the report of the Com /
mlssiOners, and requesting his resigna- |
ton. Fifth, a letter from the State /
Treasurer to the Governor rendering his |
resignation, and saying: 81 shall be glad /
to have the case heard at the earliest F!
possible moment" Sixth, a letter from
the Governor to the State Treasurer, &C /
cepting his resignation. There was pub /
ished with this correspondence a copy
of a forged bond, and one Of the coupons |
thereto attached.
At this point it is proper to state that /
prior to his resignation, Mr.. Lappin had /
retained as counsel Hon. A. III. Horton /
of AtChisOn, lat present Chief Justice of /
Kansas, and Guthrie & Brown, of To- /
peka. Governor Osborn announced in \
his second letter to the Attorney Gen. /
eral that he had employed Peck & Ryan, |
(the latter, at present Congressman from /
the Topeka district of Topeka, to assist /
him, the Attorney General, in the con-
templated prosecution. Governor Os- /
born then appointed John Francis State /
Treasurer, and the funds Of the State /
were turned over to him. On Deem Der /
18th the Commissioners addressed an
other letter to the Governor, In which \
they charged that Lappin had also +.
forged school district bonds of Mitchell, /
Jewell and Republic counties, bought by 1
the Commissioners Of S. Whitcomb, /
Thomas ManfcTd and Richard Miner, T
respectively, to the amount Of ST., 848.74
Governor Osborn then addressed a letter
to Attorney General Willard Davis, /
urging him to at once begin the prosecu-
ton. On December 30th Mr.. Lappin /
was arrested and placed In the charge of
the Sheriff
On December 81 Mr.. Lappin went TO I.
Seneca, his old home, TO try to obtain IN
demnity for bOndsmen, and was accom-
panied by Deputy Sheriff Miller. He /