National Republican., 1885-03-25
r1NNEeAN's CHARITY DoDe e.

Three Months In Jail for Wholesale
swIndlIng A Susceptible Nebrns-
kan.
Peter Finnegan was convicted in the
criminal court yesterday Of violating Soc
tion $3.50 Of the Revised Statutes by send
ing letter through the mails with intent
to defraud. This is the case which oc-
Cured here in October last aud was fully
published in The REPUBLGcAN ut that
time. Finnegan representing himself to
b. Alice A. Baker, formerly Of Omaha,
Neb., wrote to Mr.. Clark Woodman, Of
that place, asking for assistance. The
letter stated in substance that she had
left home expecting to marry. but had
been deceived and deserted, left alone
aud penniless, and if no would assist her
to return she would not only repay the
money but be ever grateful, &c. Mr..
Woodman sent money here to Riggs
CO., with request to investigate and not
pay it unless satisfied
EXPOSITION WAS NOT BEING PRACTGcED.
1t was this inquiry which lod to the
/ discovery of the fraud. which 1t was sub
scqucfftly ascertained had been practiced
/ freely on several other persons.
After the case had been made out. De-
tec.ivo Edelin,. after repeating the cir
! cumstanccs connected with the arrest,
| stated that when he got Finnegan at
| headquarters he admitted writing the
| letter, aud said that poverty led him to
| commit the act. He had wife aud sew.
eral small children and did not know
what to do for them, aud poverty drove
! him to do what he had done.
/ The detective said at that timo ho
/ thought this the only case against Finne-
/ gan, but since then number of other
/ letters had arrived,
ONE OF THEM CONTAINING S25.
These were road in evidence. The
following was from u wholesale grocer of
Omaha, Neb.:
! DEAR ALICE: received your letter this
/ morning, and was glad you had received my
| letter, ana that you appreciate what nave
done, as ! feel that have helped poor girl
! out Oi trOuble-one that will repay me s0ne
way when the opportunity offers, ii one ever
/ should present itself. You ask me TO send you
I S-b--Sl5 to redeem your trunk uild 50 to get
/ You some little things to cut. Now, II you are
coming second class you cannot get sleeper,
but II your ticket is via Chicago or st. Louis
could send you n pass to either place, so that
YOU could take a sleeper from there, as you
! there | could not ggt anything from Bnltt-
more or would send II 50 you could come
oil the way first class. To help you pay
| for sleeper and meals ! have sent you
| So. Hs | know YOU Will nave hard enough
time travelling anyway. hope YOU viii get
hDmC once more, ana that you VIII always
find In myself Il trde friend. As | wrote you
! may 20 To Chicago and st. Louis this wega
and II / meet you there would look after your
getting home. Whil am sending TINS money
without any personal acquaintance with you
lvei II will be appIec ated, aud rest assured
your secret will be known to none but our
selves. / hope you Will write me as soon as
you get this, and when you get home expect
to see you, II not before.
Another Omaha man. a bank presi-
dent sent $1J. with his card.
W,th the reading Of these letters the
government closed its case. The de-
frndant announced that they would have
to accept the case as presented by the
prosecution, as they had no witnesses to
call, aud the argument ensued. The jury
wore out Twenty-Five minutes, an re-
turned II verdict Of guilty.
Mr.. Phelps. in suing for c1emency in
the sentence. read letters from different
per,uns showing that Finnegan had been
u tenn perate, hard-wOrking man, and had
TRIED TO MAKE AN HONEST LIVING.
The counsel appealed in behalf Of the
wife and two children that tho court
would impose as light a Jail sentence as
possible, taking into consideration the
tact 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 business, 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 dis
posed TO mitigate the sentence in the case
and after commenting OH the fact that q
mans wife and children are always the
sufferers in such cases, he was sentenced
to three months in jail.
Fiunegan was evidently surprised at
the lightness of the sentence, and for n
few seconds 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
Merciiul Judge in Heaven meet you with
the mercy you have extended to me.
thank you." He was then reconducted
to Jail.