The age-herald., 1901-07-20

One of the most remarkable crluina4S lis this age of expert crime has just received sentence of five years In the peniten- tiary at Columbus, O., through the efforts of the United States district attorney for the Middle district of Alabama, acting for the Pension office at Washington, runs a Washington special dispatch to the Cincinnati Enquirer, and a picture of the man is printed with the story and across this picture is his convict number "33524.n
 The name of the man Is Ben de Lemos, and his crimes are all forgery and in con nection with the pension office. He was convicted on but one of eleven indict- ments filed against him. It was for stealing $700' from an old negro named Thomas Cook, of Lowndes County, Ala bama, where de Lemos lived. He had secured the pension for Cook, but failed to tell the negro of that fact, aDproprfat- ing instead the checks as they came from Washington, signing them Thomas Cook his (X) mark" and drawing the cash, as 1t was proved.
 This action in itself seems but clumsy work. It is the career of the man that
 
 pert criminologists of the capital and of thes pension office, and his latest action has added to his notority for doing uni que things. This is his farewell address before going to prison, and is preceded by the following letter from the attorney to whom he was indebted for his conviction and sentences:
 Department of Justice.
 Office of the United States Attorney,
 Middle District of Alabama,
 June 12, 1901. Hon. H. Clay Evans, Commissioner of Pensions, Washington, D. C.-Dear MT. Evans: Inclosed herewith will be found a unique document viz, Ben de L1emos' farewell address on his departure for five years stay in the penitentiary at Colum- bus, o. You will remember the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal on May 2s. Yours truly,
 "w S. REESE" The address is as follows:
 "A CARD.
 ITO My Many Friends: Now that the long struggle-nearly four years-with the courts for liberty Is over, and while on the eve of my departure to a far distant State, there to be confined under sentence of the law, I deem 1t my duty to publicly &C., knowledge my sincere thanks to the many friends who have so nobly stood by me during my trials; and to my attorneys, who have so ably defended me. To my friends who have materially aided me, to those whose sympathy has given me strength throughout the trying ordeals of the past four years, my profoundest thanks are rendered, and to each and all my gratitude Is beyond expression. Es- pecially to those of my home county, and among whom I have lived for the past thirty-two years, what else can I say? The ties of friendship, of love, formed by an association of so many years, can never be severed by me. My heart will ever go out to them, my noble friends of old Lowndes. To individualize might be out of place; it would be a most difficult task without doing injustice to many. To my attorneys, Judge John c. Winter, Colonel F. G. Caffey and Hon. c. A. Whit ten who have so ably and unself1shly represented me, I return my sincerest thanks and express to them my warmest gratitude To Hon. Warren s. Reese, United States district attorney, I extend my grateful acknowledgements While he has done his whole duty, he has never gone. beyond it. and has ever been most civil and courteous. 1 am also profound ly grateful to Captain J. W. Dimmick, clerk of the court, and Captain L. J. Bryan, United States marshal, for the many favors and kindnesses extended to me during my trying ordeal, and these