The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-06-21
A COLLEGE MANS STRANGE CAREER



vicissitudos ia the Life Of ~ Man who
Was Cremated in Missouri.
John R, Dufiln, who died at the Plus
hospital, and whose body was cremated
at the Missouri Crematory, was well
known at Belleville, and seems from his
own statements while there to have had
a very eventful life.
Dufin, whose real name was Hamlet
Shakespeare FELTON,, was released FROM
the penitentiory at Chester, MS, Feb. 90,
1890, upon a pardon issued 10y Governor
Fifer, having been sentenced to that i'm
stitution 10y The circuit court Of So. Clair
county, April g. 1888, for twelve years
for forgery. Dufiin made his appearance
at Summerfeld little town in the
northeastern part Of st. Clair county, in
the fall Of 1879, and secured work as a
farm laborer.
His intelligence and gontlemanly bear
ing soon gained him many friends in
that locality, and it was not long till he
began transacting legal business, making
loans, etc. for a number of the wealthy
and prominent farmers atLebauon town
ship. On April 1, 1880, he secured a
blank note at the First National lsank Of
Belleville, with whose officers he had be-
come acquainted through acting as asagent
for the Summerfield farmers, and ON
April 12, 1880, he returned the note,
signed by Mr.. Jacob Schmitt as principal
and Messrs. William II. PadAeld and
Julius Winkler as securities, and got
S4, 600 ON the note, which was drawn for
$4,108.70, payable in four months.
The bank officials did not suspect any
thing wrong in the matter until two
weeks had passed, and then, upon com
municating with the parties whose
names were on the note, they learned
that the signatures were forgeries. In
the meantime Dufin had fed and,
though a large reward was offered for
his capture, he was not apprehended till
June, 1882, when he was accidentally
met with in Decatur. Ills, by Mr.. e. A.
Winkler, of Summerlield, Ills, son OF
Julius Winl,ler, one of the smeties on the
note. He was at once arrested and
brought to Belleville, where he was tried
April 8, 1888, and sentenced, as stated
to twelve years in the penitentary al
! OueSteI, HIS
Duffln made pathetic address to the
jury that convicted him, in which he
said he was an orphan and was born un.
der the English flag in Spanish waters
and had been adopted 10y one Randolph
Duffin, who had him baptized into the
Catholic Church as John Randolph DUFF
fin, although his real lname, he claims, ,wai
Hamlet Shakespeare FELTON,. He com
pleted his collegiate education at Etor
college, England, studied law at Har
ward university, and completed his law
studies at Mary's Inn, Oxford England
He also claimed to have visited Soutl
America, China and other foreign lands
and to have been member of Walker
filibustering expedition to Nicaragua.
While in Jail at Belleville, and ais,
while in the penitentiary, he wrote many
poetic effusions to friends here and fo
the press That he was talented ther,
was no doubt among those who came il
contact with him, and he protested
against his conviction for forgery anC
claimed that he obtained the signatures
of the parties to the note by fraud. Gov
ernor Fifer granted him pardon after h,
had spent nearly seven years of hi
twelve year term, when it became eyi
dent that consumption, with which dis
ease he had been suffering for som
months, would soon end his days.-St
Louis Globe-Democrat