The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-12-26
by HIS VlFE'S EFFORTS. IS
A Convict Is Proven Innocent
and Pafdoned 35
AFTER TWO YEARS In PRISON.
a Romantic Case Which Illustrates
the Weakness or the Law...A 4
woman Spends Her Fortune
and rawns Her Jewels. Y

and rawns Her jewels.
| PIrTsnuEGH, Dec. 25.-To.day Frank
+. Aldrich, under seven year, stn.
tenco for fobbing an Allegheny man OF
$4,000, received his pardon. Il was tho
Christmas eitt OF his wife, who knew
him TO be innocent, proved, after two
years OF hard work, that her husband
had been falsely accused and wronpfully
convicted. She has even gone further,
and has found the men who committed
tho crime, although tho detectives have
been unable 10 locate them. Since they
took the $4,000 they have made several
trips to Europe, but go far have not betn
caught.
When tue doors OF Riverside c,osed on
Frank Aldrich two years ayo the,plut kv
little woman found herself poss4 sseu Of
about IS 900, the earnings Of n lifetime.
and the tirm belief that her husband
wns innocent. She Ia Que OF tho Me.
Leans, of Oaio, and is near relative Of
John Mclean, Of tho Cincinnati En-.
qtircr : s.
Mtf. Aldsich first interested tho Rev.
Mr.. Beatty, OF Columbus O. in the case
He wro,o letters 10 the Pennsylyania
Pardon Board and to Warden Wright.
From that she Travelled all over he
country, porcurlng evidence and enlist.
lps IN her cause prominent men, At
Harrisburg she found n friend in Secre.
sary OF State Stone, aud in Washington
she enlisted the Sympathies aud powers
Of Senators q iGy and 1ugalls. She went
from clsy to city and stimulated the
police 10 greater efforts. Her money
tailed, but her own jewels shs took and
sold. The result WIS ehe proved case
Of mistaken identity. Her case wap so
strong that even in the face Of Il scor,h.
ing letter from Judge Collier the pardon
was granted.
STORY OF THE CRIME.
The story OF the crime for which Frank
Aldrich has unjustly suffered is f4mi,.
iar to all. Two Years ago old Mr.. Lemon
was buneoed ont OF $4,000 in Ale.
gheny. The job had been n clever one.
Every track had been covered. No elue
could DO iound to the confidence men.
All there was, WAS but an lndistinct
memory OF Il face left on the mind Of old
man Lemon.
While all the local officers were at sea.
Matt Plnkerton, Of Chicago, appeared on
the scene and represented himself as one
OF the great detectives OF that city. He.
however, aFterward proved to be no rel.
ative ci the Pinkertons, and was net
connected with that agency. IIe met
Mr.. Lemon, and for 81, 200 offered to 10.
cate one OF the three men who had
swindlcd him. Connected with N;utt
Pinkerton was 4 wcil-knoWn bunco man
named Quinn, who had served termin
the st, Louis Penitentiary. This man had
II grudSe against Frank B. Aldrich,
Eho,b by theway, was well known in show
circles. The description given by Mr.,
Lemon tailed with that Of Aldrich, and
Pinkarton bad no trouble locating tho
man at Windsor, Oat. Detective Muir
ply, now Chief Murphy, of Allegheny,
went with Pinkerton to Canada,
Alter considerable trouble in the
courts there Frank Frank Aldrich was
brought back and given a trial. Mr..
Lemon declared Aldrich was the man
who played the game the day he Lost
his $4,000. Aldrich was convicted and
sentenced by Judge Collier TO seven
years i'll the Riverside peuitentiary.
Befofa la was arrested Aldrichs
home was at Stanford, Kas. He had a
neat house there, all paid for, and a
happy httle vile. They had no chill
dren. Atdfich vas we'll known, He
wes a circus man and bore good rapu, E
ta.ion. AT the trial half dozen OF tho
best citizens came from Stanford to
Pittsburgh and testified as to Aldrich's
character, and also to the fact that AID
rich was at his homo in Kansas at the
time the old man gave I'D his senses
and his $4,000 in Allegheny. One Of
these witnesses was Frank Cox. the
owner OF tho Frank Cox Bank, of S,an- Z
ford. W. D. Porter was then District
Attorney, and he built his case on the
i4ct tnat Mr.. Lemon identified Aldricb,
His idea caught the jury and he lost
home and freedom. :.
No go With the brave little woman
bis wife. She commenced line Of work
which has ultimately secured bis par
don. Prominent men cvsrywhero Rbe
interested in tho case. She proye,, Matt
Pinkerton to ba u blackmailer and only
q few days ago the Chicago papers pub
lished columns showing up Pinkcrtou's
crooked actions in other matters.
She took up the idea that her husband
must have born 4 marked resambIanra
to the real criminal, and started datcc.
tiyes to hunt ior hunro man who 70.
sembled Frank Aldrich. =
THE REAL orM,sA1. rr,n,r,,,,
un, ,'n.hoa, A'a,a =, : A"iA hn OUT.
lIe' Nir'uvua "efe correct. and man
named Ludlow-fanous all over tie
world as q confidence msu-was ionnd
to be tho man who reou, a;5 80 a. iu
with two asgocint,R VIZ wboso o'u ~ lne ]tb
known to tho Mica 1iosu ~ s,naaa1 na,hes are
The proof shown 'UC 70 9t;af ssrerai Ss cillep.
50 copclusjyc that he 60 ,v;,iiu.,hy ,HuInhy ";s
affidavit that Aldr;ch wss sr'IInsty M. Y, mace
Thc Chicago PinI,srtnn - end to' .L Ine ;I man.
burrh police made sin sin;iar hn' sta. tne tltts-
They had traced the 'ias ra,, S,Intiements. ',niaa