The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-20

trial for seventeen days and the verde
of the court-martial was that he suffel
death, and he was sent to Fort Lafay
cite to be executed.
One Of the most convincing witnesses
against him was Sheridan Shook, who
testified to changing the one hundred
dollar bill that he had given Kenneday
and this circumstance went a good way
toward indorsing Kenneday's story that
John Doe was the agent of the Confed.
crate government. Colonel Beal was
hanged at Governors Island, in Janua.
ry, 1855. Kenneday was executed al
Fort Lafayette in February, 1866 and
John Doe was to suffer death in March
| Rev. DR.. Burley was a Presbyterian
minister at Indianapolis, his charge be-
ing the old First Presbyterian church.
! Dr.. Gurley was the minister who bap-
riZed John Doe when he was a baby,
and was close friend Of President Lin
coin. John Does mother went to Indi-
annapolis and begged Rev. DR.. Gurley to
! use his influence with President Lin
coin, and on the minister's pleadings
President Lincoln stopped the proceed
ings. Lincoln intended pardoning John
Doe, but was assassinated before doing
so. After the death of the president,
John Doe was taken to the Dry Tortu-
gas, where he was afterward released
by order of President Johnson. John
Doe returned to New York, borrowed
two hundred and fifty dollars from
General Dix and was on his feet again.
A history of John Doe and his doings
would fill book of one thousand pages,
and every line would be an interesting
one. He became a "high-toned' gam
bier, all-around sport and "a confidence
man. In the guise Of a farmer, he al
lower himself to be toiled into the Phil
adelphia club house at Long Branch,
run by Phil DAILY. He played faro I'M
til he broke the bank, and left the win
ner by thirty-one thousand dollars.
He went to another gambling house
and lost it all With forged letters Of
introduction, he went to Cincinnati and
became acquainted with Washington
Mclean, owner of the Cincinnati En-
quirer" and agreed to buy Mr.. Mo
Leans country home for one hundred
and sixty thousand dollars He gave
Mclean forged draft for one hundred
and sixty-fve thousand dollars, and got
the change of five thousand dollars and
fled. In Kansas City he fioated a huge
swindling scheme, and was sent to the
Missouri penitentiary for three years.
He next appeared in Boston with all
kinds of letters and credentials, and
was taken up as a social lion. Just
how much money he made he can not
but his manner Of obtaining
it secured him thirty-one months in the
Massachusetts state prison. In New
York he bought hotel, paid for it with
forged papers, and settled the score by
serving thirty months in Sing Sing.
John Doe made victims Of the largest
banks, the greatest business men and
the shrewdest financiers Of the day.
But his money did him no good. Wo-
men, wine and cards got away with all
of it.
After talk for three hours with him,
I asked:
How much money do you suppose
you have secured by your confidence
games?"
mot less than five hundred thousand
dollars" replied the old convict. IT
have paid out over fifty thousand dol
lars in lawyers fees, and paid more
than seventy-five thousand dollars to
detectives. Now am broken down and (
have not a cent. have sister, who
told me that she has a burial lot for me
beside my mother, and will see that
am buried in it when I die The world /
Is against me. My record keeps me
from being paroled, and the board
knows that T can not work, and that T
will not starve, so they keep me in
lere. But T am about at the end of my
story. If the world had been half so
kind to me when was free as Warden
Shideler has been to me since I have
been a convict would not be here
1ow I have wanted to reform, but
,ould not. If some one would just take
,harge of me, give me a place where I
,ould run errands or do light work, I
would never betray the trust, and be-
ieve that General Foster would see
hat T was paroled."
John Doe will probably die in prison.
he cannot stand it much longer. He
las wealthy and influential relatives in
indiana. and for that reason I agreed K
o the old convict's request that his real
lame be concealed. 1.-THE story will
cad just as well about John Doe as
bout my real name" said the old con-
1ict as he hobbled off to his cell-W !
/. Blodgett in the Indianapolis News I
II