St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-06
Bob Musgrave, Insured for
$4,000 in Several East
ern Life Companies,
Set Fire to a Hut Near TerPe
Haute, Ind, in Which
He Had Lived.
A Skeleton Found in the
Ruins, Claimed to Be That
Of MusgPave.
Later, However, Arrested in
Flesh by PinkeptonS at
st. Paul.

Benjamin Robert Musgrave. known
as Bob, Old Boy" and having a half
dozen other aliases, was picked up by
Pinkerton operative just as he was en-
terlng the postOffice few minutes after
O'Clock last evening. Musgrave is
wanted at Tcrre Haute, Ind, to answer
charge of attempting to Swindle inSur-
ance companies for a large sum of
money. He had $4,000 insurance. so
the story goes, and it was represented
that he was burned up in hut OH the
WabaSha river, about eight miles from
Terra Haute, Aug. %, last. Aninvesti-
CATION from the insurance companies
followed, and it was learned that Mus
grave had secured a museum skeleton
from Parsons d Co., of st. Louis, for
sos, and it was shipped to T. y. Buns
ham at Terre Haute Aug. IA. 1t was
placed in hut on the WabaSha. The
hut was burned down Aug. @. He had
taken ouj two insurance policies in the
United States Mutual Accident asSocia-
ton. of New York, and also a third
policy, aggregating S15,OOO, for the
benefit of his mother. Two other
policies had been taken out i'm the
his name for the benefit of Kate Burton
Mclaughlin, which made a total insur-
ance of S25, O0O. 1t was claimed that
MuSgraye had been burned up in the
hut and demand was made for the insur-
ance. He bad q sister, married to a
farmer named Markle, who lived in the
ueighborhoOd. This brother-in-law
N q fa- CIR foiNf 81. -
the skeleton was told. Musgrave was
arrested in Chicago early in October,
but escaped from the officers. Since
that time detectives all over the country
have been on the lookout for him. At
the time OF the discovery of the gigantic
fraud, cuts of MuSgrave appeared in
many sporting and daily papers, and
sketch of his exploits was published.
He came from Leeds, England. about
i've years ago, and is now about thirty
years old. His parents located at Terre
Haute. His father died, leaving asmall
estate. of which he was administrators.
His mother and two sisters are still liv-
ing. The brother-in-law Markle claimed
that he did not settle up the estate as he
should 10. Musgrave went to Chicago
and represented himself as being the
agent for an English syndicate
that had 87,700, 900 sterling as. a capital.
He made claims of operating heavily
and was known by the sobriQuets of
Bob, old boy" and ''that d fat ras-
CAL" Stories of his swindling were
sent to Chicago from Kansas City
anu other places. When he
Escaped From the Officers
in Chicago. about month ago, ali trace
of him was lost until last evening.
Supt. John c. McGinn and Chief
Clerk Campbell, of the Pinkerton
agency,wer seen by a GLOBE man who
Cleaned the story from them. They
stated that upon arrest MuSgraYe APP
peared very innocent and stoutly de-
MED any guilt, but after being lodged
i'll the central police station admitted
that he is the mau wanted. He broke
down and shed tears and said he
wanted to have conference with one
of the agents. This conference will be
had to-day. He went under the name
of William Senior in ST. Paul and said
lie was working on fail IN. On his per-
son were found several letters; one was
ftom Indianapolis. Ind, signed George
+. Kirkland, and stated that unless he
sent S25 by Oct. 20 his trunk would be
sold to satisfy a debt. Another letter
was dated at Edwards, p. o., Van Couver,
and was signed Your affectiOnate Sis
ter, A" The mother is spoken of as
being better than she was. 1t also
said: Fired is afraid to forward that
letter to Ed b." and asks what should
be done with it. Again the letters says:
lyon speak about sending the black
trunk. We would very readily do so if
we could, but Fred SAID they would fol-
low it up and take YOU" The letter
also contains a caution as TO what he
says in hls letters, as Fred opens all OF
them. lie is reminded in the letter that
he promised his mother and sister Il
home as long as he lives, and the sister
says she never expects to have another
home, and if she had home to take her
mother to she would be happy. 1t is
also stated that no one ever takes notice
of them any more.
Supt. McGinn, in speaking about the
identification of Musgraye. said he was
changed in appearance. and it is diff
cult to recognize him from the pho
tOgraphs." He read from letter.
received from the Chicago office,
in which it was stated that the brother
in-law, who knew him Intimately,
walked block behind the man in Chi
cagO without being sure enough to call
him by name. He had discarded his
glasses and was much changed in gen.
eral appearance. 1t is thought that the
man has been in st. Paul at least a
month, as the first letter found on his
person was dat ed Oct. -.
A requisition has already been made
for the man by the Indiana authorities.
Superintendent McGinn telegraphed
that he had arrested his man. He ex-
poets Sheriff Stuart, of VigO county,
Ind, and Detective w. Z. Dwyer. of
Terre Haute, TO ar rive in st. Paul
Saturday morning to fully identify
Musgrave, and take him to Terre
Haute,