The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-04-01
ANOTHER LIFE INSURANCE FRAUD.
Resurrection bv tho Deteot,vos.

determination to make or obtain money In
some way faster than the ordinary methods OF
INDUSTRY or wit. 1t was on this account that one
I oil our New York detectives the other day sur
prised a corpse-the real, identical corpse OF
man who, on the 22d OF February last died in
chicago OF typhoid fever, having, previous to
mis- death, made his last viii and testament II
Is bad enough for police officer to starte or
surprise corpse, but 1t would seem worse to
arrest one, and to proceed with hlm to Police
Headquarters, as il by his presence there he
might suggest to the deteetl7e police the pro-
pTlety OF reviewing their past career, in order to
prepare for the future, and to cultivate a
spirit of resignation. The mystery which hangs
around this brief Introductory paragraph will
be dispeed by relating the story OF Richard
Rainforth, a man whom the Chicago papers
announced as having died on the 22d Of Feb
That announcement was the first outor trans
action connected with great swindling scheme
which contemplated the defraudiug of large
number OF life insurance companies. On the
25th of February, three days after the alleged
death OF Rainiorth in Chicago, a document
purporting to be his last will and testament, "in
the name OF Goo, amen," ETC., was filed in
the County Court. This will made over
TO certain persons named therein as eX-
eCutors, and the daughter of one of
them, all the property of the pretended
dead man. They were:-Tmothy W Fuller
the sum of $1,000; Charles B. Kendall, $1,000;
and Jessie Fuller daughter of Timothy W.
Fuller, all the rest. The will was accompanied
by petition from DR.. Charles B. Kendall for
letters testamentary. The petition set forth
that the deceased (Raintohh) left property and
effects as rollows:-Three policies of life insu.
rance, amounting, in all, TO Sl4, 900; two lots in
the town of Centralia, worth about $500; three
quarters section of land in Missouri, worth
about $1,000; and promissory notes and
other items of personal property, worth about
$500. The announced death of Ranforth was
also made in the Peoria transcript, a crCum-
stance which brought Miles Rainforth, brother
Of the. deceased Richard, to Chicago, to see
about his brothers effects. He called at the
Office of Timothy w. Fuller whom he had
learned was in possession of all the information
he required. During the interviews which Mr..
Miles Ralntorth held with Mr. Fuller Mr..
Michael F. Heenan and Mr.. Henry E. Scotcn-
mer, he thought he had heard sufficient to
justify him in the suspicion that his bro
ther had been the victim of foul play. 1t
was with this idea uppermOst that he applied
to the detectives to investigate the case, and
retained a respectable legal firm to adv - with
him in the case. The executors were pressed to
prosecute their claims in the County Court at
Chicago, and to prove the will. Kendall and
Fuller, finding themselves rather hardly pushed
handed in an informal renuncation of the
executorship. This led TO an investigation as 10
what has been done with the assets of deceosed
since the death. Dr. Kendall said he was will
ing to give up all the papers he had. They con-
sisted OF policies OF life assurance, endowment
policies of the Etna Company for $1,000, taken
out June 26 1866; ST. LOUIS Mutual, dated
December IL, 1866, for $4,000, and Mutual Bene-
fit Life for $4,000. 1t was then asoertained that
the original petition for probate of the will was
missing. When placed on the stand DR.. Den
Kendall was soon exliHguished. The eXamlna-
tion ran thus:--
Q. Did you know Richard Rainforth? A. [
Q. How long have you known him? A. Four
years; knew him when he was in the army.
Q. Now, DR.. Kendall, where did Richard
Rainlorth die?
To the last query the doctor made no re-
sponse, but appeared to be agitated. Upon
being pressed for an answer, he said:-
II can't answer the question"
Ha vi q tnd n hn ntU oil
contempt.
Timothy W. Fuller was the next witness, and
when the question
Is Richard Raintorth dead? was asked, he
said, mo, he Is still living"
Then comes the confession which revealed
She plot. We give 1t as it was related in the
Chicago IY1bune:-
''Fuller went on in his statement, relating it
as speculative movement-a thing proper in
its conduct, and wrong only in its discovery.
He stated that about nine months since
there was what he called an original scheme
to defraud insurance companies concocted
by several parties whose names ne re-
fused to give. He was aware of it, and
talked it over several times, and came
to the conclusion that he could beat any insu-
rance company in the United States, and that
the plan would certainly win; that the plan, in
this instance, was to have Richard Ranforth
insure his life and die-or, rather, pretend to
die, have an undertaken TO certify to mis- burial,
and physician TO make certificate as TO the
disease of which he died, and to his death.
require. He said further that, on reflection,
after some months an opportunity offered by
which he could get out OF the scheme and
get lid of Raintorth, which he attempted
TO do by turning HIM out OF his house,
where he had boarded, courting his daughter.
This was about five weeks before the pretended
death. He did not state what this opportunity
was. Rainforth pretended to be taken sick on
the Tuesday preceding the Friday OF his death.
He went to bed in a room in the building over
No. 81 Dearborn street Here the witness saw
him five or six times prior TO the pretended
death 1t further appeared that on the day on
which he was SAID to have died, three or four
hours before the event was said to have occurred,
Rainiorth executed his will as above, the
witness not being present. DR.. Kendall was In
attendance upon the man, and between noon
and O'Clock on the day of the supposed death,
DR.. Milton Parker was called in to hold Il con-
sultation. He examined the patient and stated
that he could not survive thrty-six hours.
About o'clock on that day barber was OBJ
tanned from Delights establishment on Wash
ineton street, to shave Mr.. Rainforth, he de-
claring that while he did not fear death, he de-
sired to die Clean he had heretofore worn a
soatee and a heavy moustache. These were
shaved OFF. The services OF this unwlttlng
actor in this scheme Mr.. Fuller himself pro-
cured and tor the service the witness
paid, the Doctor being present during the
operation. About $50 O'Clock Kendall, the
Doctor and Fuller being in the room, Kendall
announced, Poor lellow, he has gone " Mr..
FuIler now states that he glanced at what he
suDnosed to be the corpse lying on the bed, and
went out. He came back about 13O. Dr.
Kendall was Just clearing the room, having
He then stated that between $50 and 7
O'Clock in the evening Rainforth disappeared,
and n corpse was brought in from hospital,
and substituted in his place.