The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-09-19
a COLLEGE MAN's STRANGE CAREER.
wicinsitudes In the Life of Man who
Was Cremated In Missouri.

Was Cremated In Missouri.
John r. Dufln, who died at the Pins
hospital, and whose body was cremated
nt the Missouri Crematory, was well
known at Belleville, and seems from his
own statements while there TO have had
a very eventful life.
Dublin, whose real name was Hamlet
Shakespeare FELTON,, was released from
the penitentiary at Chester, Ills, Feb. 23,
1890. upon q pardon Issued by Governor
Fifer. having been sentenced to that in
stitution By the circuit court OF St. Clair
county, April 8. 1888, for twelve years
Tor forgery. Duffin made his appearance
at Summerfield, a 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 gentleEnanly bear
ing soon gained him many friends In
that locality, and 1t was not long till he
began transacsing legal business, making
loans, ETC, for a number of the wealthy
and prominent farmers at Lebanon town
ship. On April /, 1880, he secured a
blank note at the First National bank of
Belleville, with whose officers he had be-
come acquainted through acting as agent
for the SummerfieId farmers, and ON
April 12, 1880, he returned the note.
signed by Mr.. Jacob Schmitt as principal
and Messfs. William r. Padfield and
Julius Winkler as securities, and got
$1,000 ON the note, which was drawn for
"a, 106. 20, 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 Duffin had fled, and.
though large reward was offered for
his capture, he was not apprehended till
June, 1882, when lie was accidentally
met with in Decatur. Ills, By Mr.. e. A.
Winkler, of Summerfield. Ills, son of
/ Julius Winkler, one of the sureties on the
note. He was at once arrested and
brought TO Belleville, where he was tried
April 3. 1888, and sentenced, as stated,
to twelve years in the penitentiary at
| Chester, Ills.
Dnffin 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 by one Randolph
Duflin. who had him baptized into the
Catholic Church as John Randolph DUFF
fin, although his real name, he claims, " as
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 Hary's Inn. Oxford, England
BE also claimed 70 have visited South
America, China and other foreign lands
and to have been a member of Walker.
hlibustering expedition to Nicaragua
l. While in Jail at Belleyille. and alss
while in the penitentiary. he wrote many
poetic effusions 10 friends here and fol
the press. That he was talented ther,
was no doubt among those who came in
contact with him, and he protested
against his conviction for forgery ant
claimed that he obtained the signature.
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