Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 October 1872 — A "Liberal Retormer" [ARTICLE]

A "Liberal Retormer"

From the’ Laporte Herald. Most of our readers have heard how that Alf. Leonard, laie clerk in the Northern Prison and a busy, conspicuous leader and nianager of the Dt-in-ocratic-Liberal-Reforni party of La- : porte county, “skinned out” the other ntght for parts unknown, taking with* him divers sums of money belonging ito other parties. Just how much lie 1 carried off in his absquatulafion is not ' known, and will not soon ( if ever) be ! ascertain elf. He cleaned out the prison safe (all save So cents) before his flight, putting in his pocket some 83,P00 or 84.000 of State fimds; —Be was agent for several msuraime-cmn-pimies, ami probably took some 8700 ;or SBOO ot their assets with him. He also had an agency sot-selling steami ship tickets and drafts from New i York, amt doubtless fobbed a heavy i Latch of receipts from this source.— It is estimated that Alf. has embrzzled in all from $7,000 to SIO,OOO. The 'prison directors, we hear, are very close-mouthed and reticent about the ' amouut stolen from that institution. It is given out that Leonard’s bond . wi 11 sec tyre_t l ie. St at e aga in s t lall—kissL ; hut if, as reported,-he has forged sig- I natures to hjs bonds in other in.p’ay.ed tiie sauia ! game on this casb<-in which event ■ trouble must arise. The last act of ‘ Alf. before his final exiX was to issue dare well Jiddres.s to the_Sniora) ami i religious people of La]>orte\(-minty,” I imploring them not to vote Tor that ; bad, corrupt'man, Dr. Shermahdl