The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-12-14
WAS FRANK LANGIN.
James LOnegran" Convicted of Murder
at Fond du Lac Was a WeII-KnOWn
Resident of Kenosha.
SENT TO PRISON FOR LIFE.

He Had So Carefully Concealed His Name
and Identity That It Did Not Become
Known Until After His Conviction-was
Convicted of Killing Police oficer Prins-
low over Year Ago The Family Are
Frustrated by the Fate of the Man.
When the people of Kenosha read in
the papers last evening that 'James
Lonegran, of Fond du Lac, had been
convicted of murder in the first de-
state prison for life it awakened little
interest in the city, but this morning
the whole city has heard with the
greatest surprise and sorrow that
Games Lonegran" was none other than
Frank Langin, of this city, a son of
the late Dennis Langin, commonly
known as "Lawney'' Langin. The
news of the discovery of the identity
of the silent prisoner at Fond du Lac
was announced here last evening and
on account of the CONNECTIONS of the
young man the news spread like wild
fire. Everyone in the city will sym
pathize with the family who have re-
ceived such terrible blow
The crime of which Langin was
convicted and for which he will spend
the rest of his natural life behind
prison bars occurred over year ago at
Fond du Lac. A number of notorious
crooks, of which Langin is supposed
to have been one, had made the dis
coverY that one of the mail carriers in
the city had in his sack letter which
contained an order for $500. A p1au
was made to rob the carrier. Things
went we'll with the robbers for while.
They assaulted the man and as they
were in the act of robbing him Officer
Prins1ow came to his assistance. In
the fight which followed the officer was
killed. For some time no arrests were
made in the case. The evidence pro-
duced showed that Langin left the city
on a freight train the night of the
murder and for some time afterward he
wandered about the Northwest. His
two companions were arrested and
finally he fell under the eye of the
detectives and was returned to Fond du
Lac to answer the charge of murder.
At the time of the arrest he gave his
name as James Lonegran, and since
that time no statement has ever been
made as to his real identity.
When the case came up for trial the
two companions who had been with
Langin were released on account of
the efforts of the English consul and
the Kenosha man was called upon to
bear the brunt of the affair. Coming
into the trial he declared his innocence
before the bar of justice and the evil
dence as presented shows little to
prove the guilt of the Kenosha man.
His family soon learned of the trouble
and hired J. C. Slater of this city to
defend him. Everything possible was
done to save him from conviction but
the pre- JUDGE against Langin was so
strong and the murder of Prins1ow
was so atrocious that the jury convict
ed the man. The officials of the coun-
ty, including the district attorney,
were inclined to believe in the limo
cence of Langin and at one time the
district attorney made a proposition
to no11e the charge against the Keno
sha man if he would make a signed
statement betraying his comrades as
the true murderers. This Langin re-
fused to do and the result was that he
will spend the rest of his life behind
the bars. The conviction of Langin
will not put an end to the case as the
friends of the man in this city will
see to it that the case is carried to the
supreme court and if the man is not
guilty they will move heaven and
earth to get him out of the state
prison. In the meantime the convic-
ton of Langin has been terrible
blow to the friends and relatives of
the man in this city. Langin has al
ways been a wanderer. For many
years he had not lived under the par
entail roof and he was considered one
of the smoothest crooks in the state.
He had led a chechered career and the
people of this city outside of the i'm
mediate relatives of the man had al
most forgotten his existence. For the
last few years hethad been making his
home in the northern part of the
state,