The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-12-05
SPOILED.
A MAN AND HIS WIFE ooNsPIRE TO
DEFRAUD AN INSURANCE
COMPANY.
The Wife Acts Wen Her Part, But Letter
Betrays the Husband, Who
is Arrested.

GALVESTON, November ga clever ruse
to defraud the Travellers Insurance COM
pany, of Hartford. Conn.,, was exploded
here today. The facts briefly are as fol-
lows: On the evening of October % G. ].
w. Johnson ane his wife were walking on
the central wharf accompanied by two of
their neighbours little girls. Reaching
lonely part of the wharf splash and
scream was heard. The watchman
fastened toward the spot and met
Mrs. Johnson and the little
girls running away and was informed by
the apparently distracted wife that her
husband had tripped on a chain and fallen
overheard and drowned.
After indicating the spot she, with the
little girls, left the wharf Search to re-
cover the body of Johnson was instantly
began, and the bay where he was said to
have disappeared was dragged in every
direction until almost midnight without
avail, and was continued for sometime the
following morning with like results.
The more the case was investigated the
stronger the belief became that Johnson,
had not fallen into the bay and drowned,
but was alive and well and had adopted
this ruse with the connivanoe of his wife,
for the purpose of accomplishing some
other scheme. Investigation disclosed the
fact that the dav prior to his disappear
ance he had calledat the agency of the
Travellers Insurance company in this city
and secured two policies numbered oil and
day days l0r stating es at tE SOd iDr iG eSs
policies were drawn that he intended to
leave next morning for Denver, Col, No
vember 2. Mrs Johnson, dressed in deep
mourning and accompanied by the gentle
man at whose house herself and husband
had been rooming, appeared at the agency
OF the Travellers Insurance company and
gave notice of her husbands death, and
stated that she held two policies on his life
against the company amounting to $4,000.
The proper notification was drawn up by
G. M. Guinard, agent, and signed by Mrs.
Johnson.
In the meantime Mr.. Guinard commui-
Gated the suspicion that Johnson was not
dead to the insurance company's headquar-
tiers at Hartford, and was directed by them
to place the matter in the hands of the po-
lice, and at the same time to proceed in the
matter of adjusting the loss with Mrs.
no suspicion of fraud existed. This course
was followed and on the 14th
inst. Mrs. Johnson appeared before COM
petent authority and made oath that she
saw her husband fall into the bay on the
day above mentioned and drown. This
was forwarded to the company's head
quarters. In the meantime Chief of Police
Jordan, who was directing the capture of
Johnson and securing evidence of the
conspiracy to defraud, located his man by
letters in New Orleans, and through the
active cooperation of the chief of police of
that city landed Johnson in this CITY today.
johnson made a clean breast of the
whole scheme. He stated that on the
night of his supposed disappearance he
threw log with iron into the bay and his
hat after it. When he did this his wife was
to scream while he ran rapidly west to the
union depot and boarded the GAO north
bound. train. He kept his wife advised Of
his whereabouts under the alias of ~. ].
Wirth,' 81. Writ" and 81. ]. West"
cover in New Orleans until she
had collected the money when she was
to join him and they would leave fer parts
unknown. That in all she did here she had
implicitly followed his instructions.
Mrs. job nson, when Intercepted this
morning, not knowing her husband was in
the adjoining room, emphatically asserted
to Chief OF Police Jordan that her husband
was dead; that she had seen him disappear
beneath the waves. When shown letter
she had written to him as ~. J. Wirth, !"
she still insisted he was dead.
When the door was thrown open and john
son was led in she was speechless, but
threw herself into his arms and wept as if
her heart would break. After she became
somewhat composed johnson told her to
confess all, which she did.
Johnson is Al years old and native of
Port Gibson, Ontario county, New York.
He resided ten years in Fond du Lac, Wis,
where he was engaged in the dairy bus
mess and has son attending school,
and where he was divorced from his
first wife. Johnson claimed to
have resided in Texas seven years and MAJ
ried his present wife at Victoria, Tex. He
says he is the nephew of Bonanza King''-
John W. Mackay Affidavits to defraud
have been made against Johnson and
wife, and their chances for term in the
penitentiary are excellent.