Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-05-21
'N[[[Y'S Wild DREAMS
The Story Of His Projects and
Crooked Practices at Muncie,
Indiana
10 Had Innumsrable For Getting
Rich. But They Didn't
Work.
Remarkable Genius For Interesting
People in His Ventures Final
Downfall

fss q
Muncie, nd, May 21.-Charles F. W.
Nicely, former treasurer OF iile posttoff
Ace department. of Cuba, and resident
of this city, has caused the postal de-
partment loss estimated from 100000
to $780, 900. In the history of the govern
ment's postal department no such loss
has ever before been imposed upon it
by q trusted employe or executive de-
partment head.
How much of this sum the govern
ment can eventually recover. what pro-
portion of it was handled by Nelly and
his associates With criminal intent. and
whether prosecution of any of the ac-
cused parties can ever be successfully
had are questions which only the legal
and postal departments of the govern
ment 1T Washington can answer in the,
end. Now they do not know.
The shortage is in surcharge stamps
and cash. In connection with this there
has been floated to a limited extent in
Cuba part of an issue of Fraudulent
stamps, printed in this country from
government plates supposed 10 have
been destroyed.
All this shame and dishonor have
visions of that often-called good fell
low Charles r. w. Nicely, the Colonel
Sellers of Indiana. Since his birth in
this city in 1859 he has been known
thruout the political and financial cir
clee of the stateas dreamer Of dream
ers who believed that eventually
''smootllness' would make hin, a mil
lionaire, a prince of Monte Carlo. And
the dreams have ended in the nastiest
scandal the national postotfiee depart
men ever has been called upon to face
Public sentiment here is entirely
against him. While there is open room
for doubt that he primarily Intended TO
sWindle the government. there is no
question among those who know him
and his characteristics best that he did
plan to make the government his tinan-
cial partner in a number Of Wilde
Cuban schemes. and While doing so was
tempted.
In the fall he has taken down With
him a number of men who yielded To
his alluring fantasies and have now be-
fore them a life struggle to repolish
furnished regulations.
His parents We're farmers who re-
moved to Delaware county from Penn
sylvania. Nicely received his early edu-
cation at the Muncie high school from
which he graduated in 1877.
subsequently he studied law with
Blount q Templar for three years and
then began practice a the local bar.
Y Aluneie was not a tempting field for
Young lawyer. and he removed to St.
Louis and thence to Kansas City.
He dropped the law and engaged in.
The commission business witha man by
the ls11se Of Brundage. The firm event
ually fhileT, ~leaving a bad impression
upon the minds of southwestern people
who had dealings with 1t.
Even at this time C1sS1) Nicely showed
that disposition. so we'll exemplitied in
the happy but unfortunate Colonel Sell
lers. of seeing gold in the moon. of pre-
ferring to sell gold bricks rather than
work hard and legitimateiy for success,
of building financial castles whose
foundations9rested upon assets IF nil
He was clever. Very early. in nonor
of certain characteristics, Muneie peo-
pie nicknamed him Farmer Nicely
and later Fair Weather" Nicely. "A
story, sustained by the court records OF
q Delaware county, is told of him which
Will exempHfy his extraordinary finan-'
Z ciaf sense.
His mother desired to dispose of the
4 farm Which his father had left her and
the children at the time of his death, To
have the saleas conveniently made as
possible she and the children transferred
all their interests in the land to the son
s Charles. II was the intention Of the
mother to have him transfer the land to
q prospective purchaser and on receiv-
ing the money to distribute it rightly
to her and the children.
Eut Napiys5&nn getting tho a nd int
nisy possession. morIgaseli Il fer his own
benefit and then failed to redeem the
mortgage Court proceedings followed
in which the veracity of his mother was
called into question. With the utmost
apparent sincerity Nelly testified in Tbs.
case that he did not believe his mother
was telling the truth.
In this manner he got off first in this
transaction. which seemingly paved the
way for the greater and more important
ones in Cuba.
File returned to Muncie from the
southwest in 1854 or 1855 and purchased
the Evening News. In 1892 this Was
changed to the Morning News In 1892
With Frank ]. ClayDool he founded the
Farmers Record. for a time the official
organ Of the F. NJ. B. A., and which, not
paying. was later sold to the American
Farmer Company Of Springfield, o.
While owning and controlling the
{ News Nicely dipped heavily into the re-
publican politics of Delaware county
and the state, altho in no sense was he
looked upon as an influential leader. He
was more properly a convenient '.polti-
cal servant" for the men who were the
real leaders and thru this connection
temporarily gained the name and fame
OF shaping the destinles of his party in
Indiana.
Upon gaining possession of the News
printing plant in this city he proceeded
to equip 1t as no printing office in the
smaller or many of the larger commu-
mites of the state ever have been equip
ped. He purchased font after font Of
type. whether the cash for lts payment
was a. hand or not. He supplied him
I self with the best Of presses. and every
thing modern in printing apparatus
that was worth getting hold Of he Sc
cured. He seemed to be able to hypno-
: tixe sellers. and they poured in their
goods as fast as he ordered.
Out Of this grew the Nelly Printing
Company. and his declaration that he
proposed to secure for himself all The