Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1884-10-09
SAM LAPPIN'S CRIME,
The Kansas State Treasurer Who Com.
mitted Frauds on the School Fund.
Ten Years Fugitive from Justice, md Now
About TO be Arrested.
Ills Family and Fortune Wrecked, and Others
Who Suffered for His Crime.

says a Topeka special 10 the Cnlca-
90 Times: Steps are being taken for the
arrest of Samuel Lappin, ex-state
treasurer of Kansas, in view of which
the following history Of the case will
be read with interest:
On the 9th of December, 1875, 1t was
discovered by the boaid Of commits
sioners of the permanent school fund
of the state of Kansas that forged
school bonds to the amount of $4,000
had been purchased by the board for
the fund. On the same day, two men,
bcrs of the board, without previously
informing any one of their journey or
intentions, went to Kansas City. The
board had previously been in CORE
spondence with party calling himself
j. S. Kibby, and writing from Kansas
City in regard to tho bonds which they
| had discovered to be fraudulent, and
they went to Kansas City to ascertain,
| If possible, who took from the Kansas
City postOilicc the letters addressed to
j. S. Kibhy, and the result of their
visit was Il conviction in their minds
that the recipient of the letters was
Samuel Lappin, state treasurer of
Kansas. On the next day, Dec. II,
they informed Gov. Osborn of their
suspicious. Between the llth and 2Oth
of December detectives were employ
ed, and the result was an accumula-
| ton of facts which confirmed the belief
of the commissioners that MIR. 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 a 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.. Lappn. The first authentic in
formation given to the public was the
publication in The Commonwealth of the
following correspondence: A letter
from Gov. Osborn, bearing date Dec.
II, taking note of a previous conyersa-
tiOn and urging 1.-THE utmost possible
energy to discover and bring to pun
ishmcnt the persons guilty Of these
frauds" Second, letter from the
commissioners to the governor, rccit-
ing the facts of the discovery of the
forged bonds, and stating that they
were satisfied that MIR. Lappn, the
state treasurer, is liable to the state for
the amount of money paid out as
aforesaid, and that he should be re-
quircd to refund the same" Third, Il
letter from the governor to the attor-
ney gcner; directing him to "insti-
tute in the proper court, at the earliest
possible moment, the necessary legal
procccdiny, against Samuel Lappin,
state treasurer, and the sureties on his
bond, tor the recovery of the money
thus wrongfully taken" Fourth, n
letter from the governor to State
Treasurer Samuel Lappin, inclosing
the report Of the commissioners, and
requesting his resignation. Fifth, n
letter from the state treasurer to the
governor tending his resignation, and
saying, 81 shall be glad to have the
case heard Mt the earliest possible mo-
ment." Sixth, II letter from the gov
ernor to the state treasurer, accepting
his resignation. There was published,
with this correspondence, Il copy of q
forged bond and one of the coupons
thereto attached.
At this pontitis proper to state that
prior to his resignation Mr.. Lappin
had retained as counsel Hon. A. II.
Horton of Atchison Cat present chief
Justice of Kansas and Guthrie Il Brown
of Topeka. Gov. Osborn announcedin in
his second letter to the attorney gen.
cral that he had employed Peck n
Ryan (thc latter at present congress
man from the Topeka district, of To-
peka, to assist Atty. Gen. Willard
Davis in the contemplated prosecution.
Gov. Osborn then appointed John
Francis state treasurer, and the funds
of the state were turned over to him.
On Dec. 80 the commissioners ad-
dressed another letter to the governor,
in which they charged that Lappin had
also
FORGED SCHOOL-DISTRICT BONDS
of Mitchell, Jewell, and Republic coun-
ties, bought by the commissioners of
S. Whitcomb, Thomas Manford, and
Richard Miner, respectively, to the
amount of Sl7,SiS.74. Gov. Osborn
then addressed letter to Atty. Gen.
Davis, urging him to at once begin the
prosecution. On Dec. 80 Mr. Lappin
was arrested. On Dec. 81 he went to
Seneca, his old home, to try to obtain
indemnity for bondsmen, and was ac-
companied by deputy sheriff. He did
obtain ouch indemnity, and Mr.. Jacob
Smith, of Topeka, went on his bond,
and he was released at Seneca on q
telegraphic dispatch from Sheriff
Wade, of Shawnee county.
On Jan. 8, 1876, dispatch was re-
ceived from Seneca that Lappin had
gone to Chicago. When he left Topeka
there was a shortage in his cash ac-
count of $3.50, of which he was in
formed, and upon his continued alb
sence, though out on bail, Gov. Osborn
caused his arrest while IN Chicago on
Jan. 13. The arrest was made by
Sheriff Drought, of Wyandotte county,
and Lappin was that night confined in
the armory. On his arrival in Topeka,
on Jan. 10, he was bound over until
the 10Th for preliminary examination,
his attorneys going on his bond. On
the 18th Lappin was again arrested on
two additional charges of forgery, and
the prosecuting attorney, Mr. Ryan,
gave notice that twenty-seven new
counts, charging forgery, would be
added Bail was fixed at $l5, 900, and,
failing to give bonds, Lappin was COM
mitted and locked in Jail. The prosecu-
ton had by this time come to the con-
clusion that Lappin and his brother-in-
law, Charles G. Scrafford, who was
supposed to be his accomplicc, intend
ed to flee from the country, and had
selected South America as place of
refuge. On the next day the case was
continued until Feb. l.
On Saturday night, June 10, Lappin
made an attempt to escape from jail.
being assisted by a colored man named
Bob Odell, who had been an inmate
and was liberated few days before.
The sheriff's officers, becoming aware
of the attempt, received Lappin as he
was in the act Of crawling through the
seat-hole of the water-closet in the
courthouse. 0dell had cut a bolt,
which held the bar that locked all the
cell-doors, and thus released Lappin
from Ills cell, and had then "boosted"
up the burly form of the ex-state Off