St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-02
ROBBED HIS TOMB.
The Remarkably Strange
Story Of a Kansas Man in
Need OF Money.
In the Vain Effort to Defraud
a Lie Insurance Com
pany,
Ee Stimulates Death and Fills
His Coffin With Sods
and Earth.
Later on He Actually Desc
crates His Own NeW-Made
Grave.

Herald. In the spring of 1887 Il young
man named George Reddington.
living on a piece of government
land in the then unOrganized
county of Kearney, in Kansas, applied
for a $1,000 policy of insurance on his
life. He gave his agesas twenty-five
years. and made his wife, resident of
Canandaigua, n. Y, the beneficiary.
Mr.. Hubbard looked at the matter with
some suspicion. but as every
thing seemed regular the policy
paid. TwomOnthS LATER RcddingtOn'S
death was reported to the company, but
no claim was as yet made for the amount
of the policy by the wife at Canandai-
qua. The case was investigated, three
comrades of the late ReddinEton were
arrested and confined in the jail
at Garden City, and after some months
incarceration. Bishop, one of the trio,
made a confession and was released.
while the two others were soon set at
liberty. In September. 1889, young
Reddlngton's wife, who Tor several
years had supposed herself widow,
received word from him that he was
alive and well, and would soon be home.
Bishops story, while possessing some
OF the weiId phases of Stephenson or
Haggard. differs from their tales i'll that
1t is strictly true.
I'VE had met at Kansas City," says
Bishop, land were looking for work.
Each of us had little money, and did
not care to accept dlStaSteiul situations.
We concluded to 20 out TO Western Kan
SaS and take up quarter section of gov
ernment land each, in the hope that we
might sell in a few years and real
iZe something handsome. We didn't
know much about the business, and
thought maybe by sharp work we could
do little better than common farmers.
We went TO Lakiu. picked out four quar-
ter sections and uIlt shanties or dug
outs i'll a cluster. two across each half
section line, with township road run
ming between them. SO that we might
all four front on the SAME highway.
In Kansas every section line Is a Lawful
road. We had guns and ammunition,
and hun,ed Il good deal, but didn't do
much work outside OF building the
houses. There were some neighbors,
and by travelling eight OF ten miles we
could tind half dozen nice girls, and
we used to spend the evenings and
Sunday afternoons with them.
"ReddinglOn diun't tell us he was
married at first, ana used to take the
girls of the neighbOrhOod around the
Same as the rest of us. Along in the
spring of 1887 Reddington proposed that
WE DO Up SOME INSURANCE COMPANY.
He said he had $4,000 on his life al
ready, and only wanted about $4,000
more. ii we would help him he would
give us each $4,000. keep $4,000 himself
I, IN, cta h.,,
$1,000. We talked about the matter
good deal, planning about it as we ran
around or while we were at home.
Finally we all agreed, but it was fall
then, for we had 10 wait while after
ReddingtOh got his last $4,000 in
the Provident Savings company. Then
we wrote TO his mOther-in New York
state that Ne would telegraph her in
few DAYS that George was dead, and
that she must answer us. directing that
be be buried, as she was too poor to pay
for the shipment East. But just after
we sent the letter an early blizzard
came along and caught the mail train
about Arkansas City and held it there
five days. In the meantime we went
ahead with the scheme. Rinele and
stayed around at ReddingtOn's sod
house and went with Sherman up to the
Andrews ranch to visit. Reddington
was going with Miss Magee, who lived
with the Andrews family, AS they
came back ReddingtOn was supposed to
fall over the bluff and hurt himself. He
and sherman came back about IL
O'Clock, and Reddington was bruised
little, but not much. Next day
Ringle went after adoctor, and the play
was for Raddington to be awfully hurt
inside, for we didn't think any doctor
ont there knew much about that. The
doctor wasn't at home, but we saw him
coming in the afternoon while we were
PLAYING seven-up, and Reddington
Jumped into bed. The doctor examined
him and asked a lot Of questions ard told
us boys he was pretty badly hurt. He
left some medicine. We all stayed with
him that night, and the next day Sher-
man went up TO Andrews and Rlngle
stayed with me at ReddingtOn'S. The
blizzard was Oh all day. In the even
Ing | went up TO Andrews, that was
three miles, and had Ringle come home.
] told them George was worse, and that
night about / O'Clock he was supposed
to die. About 3 o'clock Sherman started
to Lakin
AFTER A COFFIN,
and we tussled with Reddington
ured him. He was longer than when he
stood up. Along about the middle of
the afternoon Sherman got back with
the coffin. and we put it on two chairs,
and after dark ReddingtOn and went
out and cut lot of SOdS 10 put in when
we came to bury it. Ringle went over and
got an old bacL elOr named James to come
and dig a grave next day, and while he
was gone Mrs. Andrews and Miss Mag
gle came over to see the corpse. We
aw them coming, and Sherman hung
his coat over the window, while Red
lingtOn climbed in the coffin and | went
out and helped the women across the
draw or ravine. 1 held the horse
and they went in. Sherman had Sc
cured the lid on and the glass
plate was over the face, so they
could see George. He lay still, and there
wasn't much light in the dug-out, so
they couldn't see anything wrong.
They came out crying, and Miss Mag
gle said she was engaged to him. and he
was just as good as her husband. | was
sorry for her, About O'Clock | went
over to MIR. Barney's. about two miles,
and
GOT HIS TEAM TO HAUL THE COFFIN.
We came back, and Mr.. Barney and
his man came along and helped to put
the coffin III the wagon. While l was
gone Reddington and the boys put in
the sod and then George went down in
the little cellar which we had dug in
case of cyclones. The coffin weighed
about all right. When we came back
from the graveyard l stopped
off at Stoddards, Ringle went
TO Adliss' to stay all night and
Sherman went to Andrews. Next morn
ing we all went back to Reddington's
cabin. and he was all right. walking
around. He said it was a good deal of
suspense, and he was afraid after all
some one would examine the coffin; he
didn't know how it was going to go. So
we sat down and played seven-up till
RingIe went TO Ornica to see if there
was any mail and 10 send the telegram.
We didn't know the mail was caught in
the blizzard or we wouldn't have tele-
graphed.
'When Ringle came back he stopped
at my shanty and got the shovel. So
after he came back Reddingt0n took tho
shovel, bid US all goodbye and went to