The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-12
A NOVEL SWINDLE.
GETTY BY THE ALLEGED DEATH OF MAN
WHO NEVER LIVED.


GETTY BY THE ALLEGED DEATH OF A MAN
WHO NEVER LIVED.
by TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.
NASHVILLE. Tenn. Jan. IL. 1879.
A. O. H. p seborn. of Murfreesboro'. q
man considered hitherto to have been of ire
proachable character, has just been shown up
in swindlng transaction that for a deep
laid and nefarious money making scheme surpasses
anything that has occurred in this part Of the
country. Seborn was, until this occurrence, an Odd
Fellow in good standing. He prominent Past
Grand Master and Past Grand Representative. and his
word was gospel in Odd Fellow circles His accom-
plce in the transaction was d. c. Howell, Of Chatta-
nooga.
AN INSURANCE ASSOCIATION swINDLED.
Some months since Seborn conceived the idea
Of getting fictitious the records.
have them insured in the Odd Fellows Be-
ncvolent Society. Of Chicago. and then manipu-
late so as to collect the insurance money. He
was agent for the society in this State and induced
many of his Odd Fellow brethren to take out policies
in the Chicago society Procuring the records.
he inserted in made out in ls4s two
fictitious names. Thomas Abby and James
Lively. Soon after accomplishing this he caused
to be written to the lodge application for rein
statement, purporting to have come from Thomas
Abby, and enclosing the necessary fec. No one
in the lodge had ever heard OF Abby. but Sc
born pretended that he knew him. and
his advice the fictitious Abby rensta ted This
was done so that Abby might be represented to the
Chicago society that he was member of some lodge
in good standing, which of the acquisitions for
admission membership Seborn and his accomplice
Howell came to Nashville. presented themselves he
fore Dr. Check and had Howell examined under the
name of Abby: blank. furnished for Scborn,
then made ont the pretended Abby saying that
Howell was his cousin ana was to be his
s.,atr in Of 10
forwarded to Chicago. approved there and Thomas
Abby became insured in the Chicago society.
FICTITIOUS DEATH.
When the Ashtabula disaster occurred Howell who
had in the meantime procured Mbys card from the
the scene and pretended to find Mby's card
bearing his name and that of his lodge.
plainly visible although it was defaced by fire and
lows at Ashtabula and transmitted by them
to the Murfrecsboro lodge. The question then
arose as to what family Abby left and where
we're they2 No knowing anything about him.
Scborn suggested notice in the Nashville .fmsr-
ican stating the facts. and inquirng for relatives
Howell seeing the notice presented his claims
nearest of kin and qualifications as administers
tor. He was appointed to the latter position
to tS' A"s 5000. ' Howell collected the money
pany ON which the disaster occurred sued for
damages and $4,000 collected from them This was
also divided. Both seborn and Howell confess the
crime.
Other like schemes contemplated, in which
consprators in Nashville and Memphis were To- take
part. The fictitious parsonage in this scheme was
John z. Morton. He was to lie represented
by ono Of the conspirators who was TO board in
room beneath a certain doctors. whose name has
not yet been developed. and was to die there.
the doctor alone attending him through his
illness. coffin. filed with earth to rep
resent the weight OF the corpse was 20 be
introduced into the room. and the sick man was to
disappear at night and the coffin be removed the fol-
lowing morning to y colored cemetery matter of
economy and Inferred the doctor aud undertaken
were 10 certify to Mortons DEATH and 10 draw not
only the moicy from the United brotherhood. but
from any other associations into which they were to
introduce the to-consprator. In another case
corpse was to be cxhumed at Nashville. to be
carried 20 the woods, and mutatcd and
burned to prevent recognition and then bring
suborned witnesses TO recognize ~ the remains OF
James Lively, another fraudulcntly entered member
Of the Murfrccsboro Lodge. now insured in the
Odd Fellows Benevolent Society ut Chicago,
and the United brotherhood of Lebanon, PA. Howell
came TO Chattanooga from Ohio during the war; AMI
City Marshal of that place. Scborn Is All elder
in the Prcsby church. The exposure of their
previous crimes fell like bombshcll in their
spcctive cities, great excitement existing both in
Murfreesboro and Chattanooga to-day
Seborn Is q jewcllcr All his property attached
by the Chicago society to-day He claims pecuniary
oinbarrassmcnts led him 10 pcrpctratc the swndle.
Howells property at Chattanooga was also attached