The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-20
rs HE PLAYING DEAD?
Most Probable Explanation of
RadlOff Mystery.
INSURANCE MONEY THE PRIZE.
How Radlon Might Have Substituted a
Stolen Corpse to Represent Him
in the Ruins.

mystery. 1t is evident, however, that
they have discovered something of impor-
lance and that they probably know the
solution of the mystery, from the fact that
the inquest on the remains found in the
ruins of Radlof7s house has been again
postponed from o'clock yesterday after
noon until O'Clock on Friday afternoon.
The best reason for the postponement of
the inquest on the human fragments is
that the coroner and the police are not at
all sure that they were ever inhabited by
the soul of William Radloff; on the other
hand, it is pretty safe to say that those
astute gentlemen are convinced that
William Radloff is as lively a corpse as
ever was seen, and that his
soul has not yet travelled beyond
deaths veil. Instead of inhabiting the
realms of bliss-or otherwise-in spirit, it
is altogether likely that he is living in
comfort somewhere on this earth on that
big roll of bills, calmly waiting for the life
insurance companies to put up $4,000.
Mr.. Radloff lived on little clearing in
the woods, just far enough from the city
to be secluded, but just near enough to be
fairly accessible. Here he superintended
the Matching of chickens by his poultry,
while he Matched other things in
his mind - intangible things, but
capable of producing big results
for William Radloff. How easy
it would be for man of his ex-
emplary habits and robust health to in
sure his life for large sums of money, put
corpse from the neighboring cemetery
in his place, set fire to the
house. thus burning the corpse be-
yond hope of Identification. and
then disappear, leaving mute evidence
of his death behind. That would be an
easier way of making money than
raising chickens, or dickering in
mining stocks or real estate. Louis
kostrauch is the kind of a man
who would be an able second
in such an enterprise. According to all
accounts he is averse to work, but even
the LATEST man will work hard for few
days to secure a cool $55,o0o. He is natur-
ally bright and has his wits sharpened by
good confederate.
So the two sit together oyer the fire in
the lonely house carefully working out the
scheme. They know that such small
house as that they inhabit will not make a
hot enough furnace to destroy a'body, for
the furnace of crematory takes three
hours at white heat to reduce
a corpse to ashes. Such house as Rad
lofts would be burned up in half an hour.
So they steal away to the cemetery, take
body which is far advanced in decay,
place it where exposure to the air wal
hasten that decay, while they are carrying
out their other preparations.
Greenwood cemetery lies on the left
hand side of the county road, about fifteen
minutes walk from the northeast corner
of Woodland park and three miles from
Radloff's house. 1t is surrounded on
three sides by dense woods, the
fourth bordering the county road.
The nearest house is about twenty
roads away, but cannot be seen, owing to
a curve in the road and the thick forest.
The main entrance is through iron doors
under an arch. which can be opened by
anyone at any time. There are traces
of a heavy wagon having entered
the cemetery, but the marks
have been partly obliterated by
rain followed by hot sun. The graves
are all in the northwest corner, and are
nine in number. The soil of each gives
touched, neither are there traces of per-
sons having walked about the graves.
The graves and their surroundings
were examined closely yesterday
by PosT-INTELLIGENCER reporter and an
other person, but the conclusion reached
in each case was that, if work had been
done recently. the rain had first softened
the earth and then the hot sun baked it,
making the surface appear rough and
solid. Evidently the resurrectionists had
done their work well. They had
plenty of opportunity, for they might
have removed all the bodies buried in the
cemetery and destroyed the traces of their
work without fear of being disturbed. The
cemetery has no sexton. 1t is on a road
little travelled at night and in the midst of a
forest. There is broad road leading
to within ninety feet of the graves and
several boards are laid on the ground in d.
rect line 10 the mounds. In the latter
part of February a man was buried in the
cemetery, aud about three weeks ago
woman. In such long intervals be-
tween interments any grave-robbers
would have plenty of opportunity
to work undisturbed. With such a prize
in view they would do their work we'll
The earth would be carefully replaced and
pains taken to remove every appearance
of its having been disturbed. The weather
having been given q chance to play its
part, then any investigation of the GENE
terry would result in a checkmate to the
officers of the law.
To open all the graves to find if one
occupant was missing would cause great
trouble and require time. Legal require
ments must be observed, and thus chance
was against any such course being taken.
Having succeeded thus far, the schemers
take the body away and hide it somewhere
safe from discovery, leaving the weather
to aid them in the work of destruction.
Then Radloff goes and boards the insur-
ance companies. They are naturally glad
TO have business walk into the office in
that way. for they usually have to rustic
for it. The man is sound phyically, and
appears to be sound morally; he is good
risk and they take him. He is careful to
clinch the bargain by paying premiums in
every case, and in two cases receives his
policy.
Hungry for money though he was, Rad
LOFT was careful 10 let st least some time
elapse before playing his last and winning
card-burning the house with his substi-
tute. Perhaps he uses the interval to raise
money by the sale of some mining stock
and thus secure the means of living in
the interval between his fictitious death
and the receipt of the coveted
insurance money; though this may be a
plausible excuse for carrying SI,5oo home
with him. Then he sends his wife away
on visit TO her parents and prepares for
the crime
Thn stnlar, cnrrse rnaY not haze hair of