Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-07-22
Ten Years of the Life of Her.
man Chapman.
FROM "PEN' TO DEBTORS PRISON.

quilted He serves seven hears IN rem
itentiary for Perjury and Upon His Re-
lease Is Practically Imprisoned for Life
rs n Poor Debtor-His Devoted Wife's
Persistent and Effective work-A Suit
for $4,000.
CHICAGO, July pa suit was entered in
| the circuit conrt in this city Saturday in
| which Herman b. Chapman is plaintiff, and
! the United States Express company, Thos.
| b. Platt and other directors of the company,
| defendants the suit being for trespass and
| the damages put at $4,000. The begin
| ming of this suit is the sequel one of the most
remarkable cases on record in the operation
| of the poor debtor law in this state, and il
the suit goes to suit him, Chapman will OBJ
| tain some redress for ten years whose start
ling incidents seem more like the details OF
an intricate plot of romance than the hap
| penings of real life.
| Tried for Robbery and Perjury.
| In 1878 or 1879 Chapman was an employe
of the United States Express company at La
| Sale, Ill 1t was part of his duty to de
| liver express packages II the consignee s.
| One day package came containing ga 900.
| This was given to him to deliver TO the zinc
works and from that time all traces of il
was lost. Chapman claimed that he was sci
| upon and robbed on his way to the zinc
works. The company claimed that he stole
| the package He was indicted for embezzle-
ment and tried in the La Sale county cir
| cult court. On the trial he testified in his
own behalf and the jury acquitted him. He
| was soon afterward indicted for perjury al
| legged to have been committed when testify
| ing in the ENLIGHTENMENT case. On this IN
| dictment he was convicted and sentenced to
| seven years in the penitentiary.
Judgment in Civil Suit.
Meanwhile the express company began a
civil suit in the United State, circuit court
| for the recovery of the money. March -,
| 1850, the case was tried 10y jury and a
| judgment for Sl4, 600 together with $50 81
costs was recovered, but Chapman's possess
| ions did not near meet the judgment, amount
| ing only to n few hundred dollars At the
| trial of this suit neither Chapman nor his
| attorney were present, the record shows.
Chapman was at that time in the peni-
| tertiary. A special writ of capias al salts
| faciendum was sued out Armed with this
writ Deputy United States Marshal r D.
| Sherman went TO Joliet Oct l. 1884, the day
| Chapmau's term in the penitentiary expired,
| and arrested him as he stepped out of the
wardens Office after his discharge He was
brought t. Chicago and lodged in the debtors
department of the county Jail, under the
| poor debtors law.
| Amounted to Life imprisonment.
Chapman was being conducted to what
| then appeared life sentence in jail The
debt was Sl4. csc 81 He was allowed 81 -
on this for every day he spent in jail But
| on the other hand the debt was drawing
interest at the rare of per cent, or $50 per
year. At this rate the longer he staid in jail
the longer he would have to- He seemed &c
think this way himself, for his efforts to get
out by writ Of habeas corpus were innumer-
| able Every United States circuit or district
| judge who held court in Chicago was applied
to, but without avail
| His Wife's Persistent Devotion.
| In all his troubles his wife remained
devoted to him. She exhausted every effort
in his behalf. Finally she came to the con-
clusion that if the judges couldn't let him
out because of the law she would try to have
the law changed. She set to work with this
end in view She besieged the legislature a,
the session of 1887. She got everybody who
had any influence Interested i'll her husbands
case She got Mrs, Judge Tuley interested
and then she got the judge interested She
| interested the Woman's club and other or
| CARNATIONS. At last the legislature acted
| and enacted a statute providing that person.
| held in custody ON capias AL satisfaciendun
| should not be held longer than six month.
| after turning over all their property mol
| exempt, to the creditor. This law went into
effect July l, 1881, and that day Chapman
| was released.
A Mandate from the Supreme Court
Chapman had taken an appeal from the
| Sl4, OOG Judgment in the circuit court to til,
| supreme court of the United States Thai
body moves slowly, but Chapman waited
| Friday the supreme court issued a mandate
| to the clerk of the United States circuit
court, setting aside the judgment and re
| sewing motion to dismiss the case for
fu ure argument. With the judgment gon
the capias which was issued ON it falls to tn,
| ground, and it looks like Chapman's nearl,
three years in the county jail were years O
| false Imprisonment
| Always On Hand With That So. so.
| The exI'rcss company was careful to com
| ply with every provision of the law in orde
to keep him i'll jail Among other prov ision
of the law is one requiring the creditor L
pay $3.50 for the debtors board weekly il
advance" This has been construed yer,
strictly by the courts in the interest Of Der
sonal liberty, and it has been held that 4 cal
only be paid for one week at a time. and tina
on the very day II Is due, payment on an,
other day before or after not being aIloWa
BILE. Chapman's board fell due Tuesday, an
Tuesday of every week for nearly tire
years the amount was paid. The expires
company had boy whose duty il was to Sc
that it was paid, and nearly every Tuesda
morning during this period that boy wa
waiting in the sheriffs Office to pay the So )
; when Chef Deputy Gleason arrived to ope
| the Office
| A Long Lone that Doesn't Turn.
Chapman has suffered beyond the lot c
moss men, but the devotion of his wife an
her activity in pressing for his rights hav
at last horne fruit and Chapman may no,
} not only enjoy liberty but recover hand
some sum in redress of grievances Tim
| has brought other changes to the actors i
this drama Ashbel II. Barney, the rres
dent of the company, in whose name th
original suit was brought, is dead: Lon:
Jones, although made defendant to I'll
suit brought Saturday, is no longer Unite
States marshal for the northern district c
Illinois. and Morrison r. Waite who @
chief justice of the supreme court of th
United States signed the writ that ker
Chapman locked up, is no more
The Presidents Movements.
WASHINGTON CITY, July 22.-The pres
dent and Mrs Harrison went again to Dee
Park Saturday afternoon, where they wi