McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1885-04-09
TIE PUNrsnMENr TOO 1IGHE
Dealing With Capital Rascais Who Hav'
Stuf,,dfed Far and Vide.

Stutndfed Far and Vide.
Washington special: An Omaha man has
caught cunning rogue. Peter Finnegan was
convicted in the criminal court yesterday OF
violating section $3.50 OF the revised statutes
by sending a letter through the mails with In
tent to defraud. This Is the case which
occurred here in October last and was fully
published at that time. Finnegan, represent
Ing himself to be Alice A. Baker, formerly OF
Omaha, Neb., wrote to Mr.. Clark Woodman,
of that place, asking for assistance. He
would start of In this manner with four
page letter:
81 beg leave to address you, and hope to
meet with your sympathy. / am poor CIR
from Omaha, Neb., in trouble, and knowing
you to be good man come to you. and do
hope to make q confidant Of you. and that you
will never in life have cause to regret it. got
deceived by q young man in Omaha, and L
came east to Baltimore to hide my shame. The
good Lord called my baby to himself, for
which | am ever grateful Lord help ;, me-
am now so fixed am not able to WORK
After writing in the same strain he would
wind up by saying: 'Lord, look down on me
this day of my life, and keep me and guide me
in Thy way. hope that you will answer oy
return mail.
"Yours, unfortunate, in Christ,
sALICE A. BAKER"
In reponse he would receive a conciliatory
letter and the money asked for. Quite a NUM-
Der of letters in response to those he wrote
were found on him, showing that the Dusi'
ness was lucrative one the scheme resort,
ed to was noTel and well planned, and worked
well to his advantage. The accused being an
expert penman was enabled to carry on the de-
ception without detection for long time
His detection and arrest was effected by Mr..
Clark Woodman, of Omaha. He received one
of tlre piteous appeals and was asked to direct
bis answer to an address in this city. He sent
$50 to Riggs 81 Co.'s bank and requested them
to have the police discover whether the case
was mertorous one or not. The lnvestlga-
ton resulted in the arrest OF Finnegan anu
his wife.
After the case had been made out, Detective
Edelui, after reporting the circumstances con
nected with the arrest, stated that when he
got Finnegan at headquarters he admitted
writing the letter, and said that poverty led
him to commit the act. He had a wife aud
several small children and did not know what
to do for them.
The detective said at that time he thought
this the only case against Finnegan, but since
then a number of other letters had arrived,
one of them containing s25. These were read
in evidence The following was from whole
sale grocer of Omaha, Neb.:
DEAR ALICE: l received your letter this
morning, and was glad that you had received
my letter, and that you appreciate what nave
done, as feel that have helped poor girl
out of trouble-one that will repay me some
way when the opportunity offers, II one ever
should present itself. You ask us to send you
s20-S15 to redeem your trunk and So to get
you some little things to eat. Now, II you are
coming second class you cannot get sleeper,
but If your ticket is via Chicago or st. Louis,
i could send you pass to either place SO that
you could take sleeper from there, as you
will M Il hf no firaI ont yyhn
there. l could not get anything from Baiti
more or would send it so you could come al
the way first-class. To help you lay FOL
sleeper and meals ] have sent you SD, as
know you will have hard enough time travel
ing anyway. 1 hope you will get home once
more and that you will always find in myself
true friend. As l wrote you may 60 to Chi
ago and st. Louis this week, aud if l meet
you there would look after your getting home
While I am sending this money without an!
personal acquaintance with you, feel 1t Will
be appreciated, and rest assured your secret
will be known to none but ourselves. l hope
YOU will write me as soon as you get this, and
when you get home l expect to see you, IL not
before"
! Another Omaha man, bank president, sent
SIS with his card. With the reading of these
letters the government closed its case. The
defendants announced that they would have
to accept the case as presented by the prose
tuition as they had no witnesses to call, and
the argument ensued. The jury were out
twenty five minutes and returned with vcr-
dict of guilty.
Mr.. Phelps, in suing for clemency in the
sentence, read letters from different persons
showing that Finnegan had been temperate,
hard-working man, and had tried to make an
honest living.
The counsel appealed in behalf Of the wife
and two children that the court would impose
as light a jail sentence as possible, taxing into
consideration the fact that the prisoner had
already been six months in confinement.
Finnegan, in reply to an inquiry from the
court, said that he came here from st. Louis,
and had never made dollar out of the bust
ness, the letters with money in them coming
after his arrest. He had tried hard, but could
not obtain work.
Judge Macarthur said that he was disposed
to mitigate the sentence in the case, and after
commenting on the fact hat mans wife and
children are always the sufferers in such cases.
he was sentenced to three months in Jail.
Finnegan was evidently surprised at the
Hghtuess of the sentence, and for few sec
onds could not speak. Then he burst forth
thanking the judge, while the tears rolled
down. his cheeks as he spoke, and in closing
said: ''May the merciful judge in heaven
meet you with the mercy you have extended to
me. l thank YOU" He was then reconducted
to jail.