Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-01-18

would be calamity to the State
and to the prisoners TO dispense
with any one of these places.
\ SwindIer and His Pals Caught az
Their Little Game,
40. II. p. Sehorn, of Muir
freeSborO, man hitherto consider
ed to have been of irreproaehable
character, has just been shown up
ia q sWindling transaction that, for
a deep-laid and nefareous money
making scheme, surpasses anything
that has ever occurred in this part
OF the country. Sehorn was, until
this occurrence, an Odd Fellow in
good standing. He was prOmi-
nent past-grand-master and lis
word was gospel in Odd Fellow
circles. His accomplice in the trans
action was d. G. Howell, of Chat
tanooga. Some months since, Sc
horn conceived the idea of getting
fictitious names upon the records,
having them insured in the Odd
Fellows benevolent society of
Chicago, and then manipulating
it so as to collect the insurance
money. He was agent for the So
ciety in this State, and induced
many of his Odd Fellow brethren
to take out policies in the Chicago
society. Procuring the records,
he inserted il one made out in 1848
two fictitious names---JameS Lively
and Thomas Abby. Soon after ac-
complishing this he caused to be
written to the lodge an application
for reinstatement, purpOrting TO
have come from Thomas Abby, and
inclOsing the necessary fee. No one
in the lodge had ever heard of Abby,
but SehOrn pretended that he knew
him, and on his advice the fictitious
Abby was reinstated to the Chicago
society as a member of some lodge
in good standing, which was one of
the acquisitions to membership.
SehOrn and his accomplace, How
ell, came to Nashville, presented
themselves before DIR. Cheek, and
had Howell examined under the
name of Abby. A blank furnished
for SehOrn was then made out, the
pretended Abby saying that Howell
was his cousin and was to be his adj
ministratOr in case of death. These
papers were forwarded to Chicago,
approved there, and Thomas Abby
became insured in the Chicago So
society. When the Ashtabula dis
aster occurred, Howell, who had, in
the meantime, procured Alloys
card from the Strangers lodge in
MurfreesbOrO, fastened to the scene
and pretended TO find Alloys card,
bearing his name and that of his
lodge, plainly visable, although it
was defaced by fire and water. This
card was turned over to the Odd
fellows of Ashtubula, and trans
mitted by them to the MurfreesbOro
lodge. The question then arose
rs to what family Abby left, and
where were they. No one knowing
anything about him, Mr.. SehOrn
suggested that notice be published
in the Nashville American, stating
the facts and inquiring for relatives.
Howell seeing the notice, presented
his claim as nearest kin, and quail
ficatiOns as administrator. He was
appointed to the latter position,
and after proper steps collected the
insurance money from Chicago. 1t
amounted to nineteen hundred dol
lars. Howell collected the money
and divided with SehOrn. Then
the railroad company on which the
disaster occurred was sued for dam
ages, and two thousand dollars col
Iected from them. This was also di-
Vided. Both SehUrn and Howell
confessed the crime. Other like
schemes were contemplated, in
which cOnspiratOrs in Nashville
and Shelbyville were 70 take part
The fictitious parsonage in this
scheme was John S. Martin. He
was TO be represented by one of the
cOnspirators, who was to board in q
room beneath Il certain doctor
whose name has not yet developed
and was to die there, the doctor
alone attending him through his
illness. A coffin filed with eartf
to the weight of the corpse was Il
be introduced into the room, anC
the sick was to disappear at nigh
and the coffin be removed the fol
lowing morning to the colOred Gem
etery, as a matter of economy, anC
inferred. The doctor and the un
dertaker were TO certify 10 the
death and to draw not only money
from the United Brotherhood, bu
from any other associations int
which they were to introduce tn,
conSpiratOr. In another case {
corpse was to be eXhumed at Nash
vile, and to be carried to the wood,
and so mutilated and burned a
to prevent recognition, and theI
bring subOrned witnesses to recog
niZe it as the remains of jaime
Lively, another fraudulently enter
ed member of the Murfreesbort
lodge, now insured in the odd Eel
lows benevolent society, Chicago
and the United Brotherhood of Leb
anon, Pennsylvania. Howell cam
TO Chattanooga from Ohio durinj
the war, and was city marshal @
that place. Sehorn is an elder il
the Presbyterian church. The eX
posture of their heniOus crimes fel
like bombshell in their respectiv
cities. Great excitement exists bot
in MurfreerborO and Chattanooga.