The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-12-17
ATEPRISON FRAUD
Alexander Let's Finds En-
ployment for His Talents
Even Behind the Bars.
SWINDLED A CONTRACTOR
he Was Shipping Clerk and Sent
Goods to His Own Friends
Now He Is Out of Work.

The movement which was recently
started in this city to secure the pardon
of Alexander Let's, who. is serving a
term in the Trenton State Prion for
en1bezzling the funds of the Pennsylya-
MIA Railroad Company. in whose freight
department he was a trusted employe,
has practically been given up. William
Knnk. his counsel who defended MIN
so skTlfully that it required the ingenu-
ity and ability of that astute lawyer
Prosecutor Winfield and three trials l.,
convict him. has abandoned Mr.. Let's
to his fate. This state of affairs has
been brought about by the discovery that
even while in the State Prison Mr..
Let's could not break away entirely
from his evil inclinations and succeeded
in defrauding even when in the garb
of States eonvfce and inside the mas
sive stone walls of Trenton Prison.
AS is well known, all the State prison
ers are put to work when they reach
that institution. and efforts are made to
give man that employment in which
he was employed before his imprison-
ment and that which is best fitted TO
his training and skill. When the author
tiles learned that Let's was used to fig
ures and had been sort of an account
q IL.
was a good workman, quick at figures,
and handy with his pen. He was what
is ca1led a good prisoner: that is. he
obeyed all the rules. attended strictly
to his work and gave the authorities ne
trouble whatever. So we'll did he con.
duct himself that he had not been long
in the prison when he was given the re-
sponslble position of shipping clerk for
one of the contractors named Tobin.
AS such it was his business to mark the
packages of goods which were manufac-
tured in the prison with the name and
address of the person to whom the
We're consigned and also 20 see that thel
were loaded upon the wagons which tooA
them to the freight depot to be shipped
to their destination. Mr.. Tobin was
much pleased with his shipping clerk
He was bright and quick, had consider
able executive ability about him and
things in Tobin's department ran alon<
smoothly.
After while Mr. Tobin began to re-
ceive complaints from his consignees
that goods which the books at the prison
showed to have been sent to them had
never reached their destination. At first
Mr.. T'obin thought this very strange
He consulted Letts and Let's took ou
the books and showed how he hat
shipped the goods to their destination
and he was as much surprised as Mr..
Tobin that they had gone astray. He
started an inquiry among the freight
officers and there the whole thing came
to light. 1t appeared that Let's had been
shipping the goods to his friends in
stead of the men to whom they had been
sold. When Let's was accused of this
he stoutly denied that he had done any
thing of the kind but Mr.. Tobin had
had enough of his nice shipping clerk
and demanded his removal. Mr.. Let's
was then locked up and kept in con-
finement instead of being allowed to go
to work. When Lawyer Klink heard
of this last transaction of his client, he
became very much disgusted with him
and reHnquished the efforts which he was
making to secure his pardon.
Every one who has any knowledge of
the circumstances of Mr.. Let's latest
Klink refuses absolutely to say anything
about the matter The State Prison au-
thorities will barely admit that there
was any trouble. They say that Mr..
Tobin complained to them that Let's
had shipped a package TO mis- wife or
time ago and really didn't amount to
anything. They deny that Let's is
cell as a punishment for his transact
ions in Mr.. Tobins goods, but say he
is simply confined in his cell, as are
to the state of the labor market, there
Is no work f0r them to do