The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-01-18
BEN E.ARNSHA.W I'm JAIL.
a Famous Character Accused of
Forging County Orders.
CAUGHT WHEN TRYlNGT TO PASS'0NE.

Hehas Several Others in his Pocket.
He had Represented Himself as
Another NIan-IYhen Arrested he
Tries to Swallow tho Teu-Tale
Paper, but It is Taken from Him.
Ben Earnshaw, who became motor
ious in the Wetzel county ballot box
outrage, by which John o. Pendleton
was given majority for Congress, was
the central figure in very sensational
case yesterday, and as result he is
now in jail to await trial as n torger.
Earnshaw came to Wheeling last week
and visited three or four banks with
several orders purporting to be made
by the Wetzel county court. One was
for $1,000, and was in favor of w. ].
Pruden, a contractor who built a
also four other orders, one for $3.50, one
for $3.50, one for 81 200 and one for 81 500.
Failing to secure the cash for the
order, he went to the Office of Simpson
& Hazlett, and Mr.. Hazlett said they
would try to get the orders cashed.
Earnshaw left the order, for $1,000 and
went home to Wetzel county. On
Tuesday he returned by appointment,
and was told that the orders had not
been sold yet, and directed to return
yesterday at noon.
He came back yesterday, when de-
cidedly sensational scene was enacted.
Mr.. Hazlett had taken occasion to in,
Quire into the genuineuess OF the
orders, and had learned that they were
bogus. The name signed as president
of the court was not the name of the
president, but ii. R.Thom pson's sigma
ture as clerk was forged, as we'll as the
endorsement by Pruden on the back.
MIR. Thompson came to the city yester-
day, and just before time for Earnshaw
to call, he was seated in the rear office
of the firm, in company with Chief OF
Police McNlchol.
When Earnshaw came in Mr.. Hazlett
again questioned him pretty closely,
and he repeated that his name was
Pruden. Just then the door into the
back room was thrown open and Mr..
Thompson and Chief NIcNichol walked
out.
"Hello, EarnshawW said the former.
Earnshaw turned deathly white, but
responded, GLOW do you do, Thomp-
son ~
GLOW is this?" said Mr.. Hazlett.
''You told me this was your name on
this order" And he laid the order on
the counter and pointed at the name
Pruden.
Quick as flash Earnshaw grasped
the order, crumpled it up and thrust it
into his mouth. Chief McNichol caught
him by the throat, and he took the pa
ly in his hand that Lieutenant Lukins,
who had been waiting conveniently
near, had to use considerable force to
open his fingers.
The order was badly crumpled up
and torn in two, but easily made out.
The writing was all very much alike,
with bad attempt to makea difference
in the different signatures.
Squire Gillespy committed Earnshaw
to, Jail for hearing at p. m. Earn
shaw said the orders were good, but
did not do it. The blank orders were
torn from an old book used at the time
Earnshaw was president of the county.
court himself.
At the hearing held in the county
Jail office last evening by Squire Gille-
spy, Col. Arnett appeared as the prison
er's counsel, while NJ. d. Post represent
ed Prosecuting Attorney Howard. MIR.
Hazlett and Capt. McNichol told the
above. The order was produced. 1t is
signed "David Dulaney, President"
MIR. Dulaney was president of the coun-
ty court, but the present incumbent of
that Office is James Jollf.
Mr.. Thompson also told the story of
the arrest, and said the order was a
forgery. He identified Earnshaw.
Messrs. Dobbins. Sands and Eckhart,
cashiers of the Dollar bank, National
Bank OF West Virginia and Peoples
Bank, testified to Earnshaw's having
Mr.. d. G. Morgan also told the story of
the arrest. He opened the door for
Captain McNichol and Mr. Thompson,
He said the only thing Earnshaw said
after his arrest was, "This is too bad"
which remark he repeated several times.
The state rested here, and Colonel
Arnett asked that the case be adjourned
till 4 p. m. to-day, when he wished to-
offer testimony as to how his client
was done, and the justice fixed the bail
at $1,000 This nearly took Colonel
Arnett's breath away, and he suggested
that it was pretty high, but as he was
not prepared to give bond at that time
discussion OF the amount OF bail was de-
ferred.
The famous former crime of Earn
shaw is naturally recalled at this time.
While the recount of the ballots was in
progress by the county court, of which
Earnshaw was president, he received n
telegram. summoning him home, and
saying that his wife was sick. He testi-
fed in subsequent Investigation that
he knew the telegram was sent by.
Charles z. Wells. OF Glover's Gap, who
had been at New Martinsville that day.
November %, 1888. The name signed
to it was frank j. Black, but Black tes-
tilted that he did not send it and never
authorized anybody to sign his name. ].
This was to gain time and arrange q
plot to alter the result OF the vote. 1t
was rather in the interest OF Judge
Fleming, who was beaten by General
Golf for governor, than OF Pendleton,
who was beaten by Atkinson for con-
gresham, but on Earnshaw's return to
New Martinsville he scratched both
Goff's and Atkinson's names off large
number OF the uncounted ballots. The
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