New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-23
A FEEBLE INHIBITION or TIE POISONEho
THESE. TOO. TRIED TO DEFRAuD THE INsUIs
AyCE CoMPAN IEs-THEIR METHODS WERE
MILpER THAN THE MEYERS THOUGH

FULLY rs INGENIOUS

FULLY IS INGENIOUS.
"Thc Meyer poisoning cases which nave ]us' Gun,
10 light form horrible a tale as the most ih''"
fanci.r could wish 10 read" said an ola nNui"h''
man. "Yct the number Of times that people nave
committed crimes I'm order secure Insurance money
Is far larger than most people suppose As an ordi
nary thing however. people are too much alr'lu Vi
detection from the keen agents of the Insurance com
panie to try anything very risky, but there nave peh
some Interesting cases.
There was one that came 10 my knowledge IN d
Western town some years ago-I think 1t was in
Seattle. \ German couple. whom might as wei"
call Lew came to the place in the spring ana took
borsc on he far outskirts Of the town. They struck up
a friendship with young man named 'ohhs"h wiz"
was empoye in liquor shop III the Town. Inc
couple became slightly acquainted with ie" Others
In the place, but they didn't tell people much about
their affairs Levy gave out that NE had considerable
money and that ne had come to the Pachc slope lor
his health. They kept servants.
zone day Mrs. Levy started on visit TO some
friends in Tacoma and babe her husband dem"Is'ra
tive farewell. The next morning, bright ana carly
one Of Lcvys acquaintance, whom Levy had asked
particularly to to see him, drove out TO The
cottnce II was nothing but smoking ruins. The
man ran through the burned hallway TO what had
been Mr.. Lcvy's room. ON the bed lay the charr'u
body of a man. with the skull frIghtiully crushed in
The police came out of the cOitaI" poSthaNte,
and as a result of their Investigations Johnson. the
numbering Levy and firing the house to cover mp his
crime. 1t ranspircd that Levy had drawn several
hundred dollars from the bank on the previous alter
noon and that johnson had been with him at the
time. Moreover Johnson had been seen walking
toward the Levy homestead late the previous night.
\ Ratchet covered with blood lay under the bed In
LEWIS room. 1t WAS plain that young Johnson's
plaus had fatally mscarried. He had evidently en-
Tered the house while Levy was asleep, smashed Ill
his head with the haichet and then set fire to the
cottage thinking that all traces Of the murder would
be burned.
"Mrs Levy was tcegraphec for. She came back
from Tacoma Oh the next train and did commendable
amount OF weeping and wailng over the uniimcly end
of her loved spouse. After the funeral Mrs. Levy
took tbe preliminary steps to get the 10000 insur-
unce ON her husbands life. The company, after max
ing due inquiry into the dreadful murder prepared To
Pay just at tits time Johnsons examination came up
To the surprise d every body he proved coprs
fhereupon sent of II, best detectives to try to get
some further facts in the case lac began Operations
al small bury Ing ground couple Oh miles lr~n Inc
village He found there grave that i'a Deem iatey
disturbed in fact ,hre va, no d nTS bcr pc"Te
go Yes. he just abont Mr.. Levy hlsn ANA
builG. ,u ,o,.c,,vo cam.
pleted his chain of evidence and had MIS-. Levy ana
Johnson arrested for mtrmLi to d'rarn III" d ,at
night or two before the hrc they, with Mr. Levy; hai
aug up the body in the graveyard haa place. n Oh
Then Mrs. Levy had gone TO Tacoma 10 be- out Of The
way. Mr.. Levy had drawn his money late al nlghI
had nrr To the hOisr. and then had departed ior
regions unknown. The trio supposed that suspicion
would naturally be- directed To Johnson who was 10
lang ush In jan, Leyy's murderer, until Mrs Levy
did the proper amount of mourning ana gc me IN.
money Then Johnson would prove his ann
he and Mrs. Levy would Join the husband in Germany
and all wOnld live happily till the end OF their DAYS
the $50 600 Before he left the town Mr.. Levy
had asked the ncighbor to call him In The morning
in order that the burning OF the house might be- dis
covered.
at was a pretty game and II almost worked Levy,
by the way has never been caught. The other two
I'm nriso