Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-03-24
HE is VERY MUCH ALIVE AND
CUNFE.SSES HI; Is SlCk
OF HIDING.
HISTORY OF ONE OF THE BOLD
EST INSURANCE SWINDLItS
EVER ATTEMPTED.

alive and travelling toward WauSau, |
the county seat of Marathon county, in
which Romeo is located. Moreover, he |
is in the hands Of Sheriff Kraby, of
Winnebas5o county, and is not likely to
change his course of travel ThrIn has
confessed that he is alive, and it is
now certain that the Northwestern
Mutual Relief association, of Madison,
as well as half dozen other insurance
companies are each several thousand
dollars better off in consequence of his
having been found. This is the end
of the long chase after the chief actor
in one of the greatest insurance frauds
ever attempted.
The insurance companies holding pol
icieS ON Thrun's life amounting to
$57 900 decided December %, or nearly
two months after his supposed death,
to defeat the claims of the pseudo wild
ow by bringing Thrun into court. The
trail was by that time an old one. The
Pinkerton detective agency was en-
ployed, and by watching letters be-
tween ThrJn and his wife, who had re-
moved to Fredonia, a small town thirty
miles from Milwaukee, he was located
in the pinerieS Of northern Wisconsin.
He left before the detectives reached
there. Next he was traced to Iowa.
then to Montana, and then the trail
led into Chicago. Before he could he
found the news was printed in the
Chicago papers that Thrun was in that
city. The publication caused him to
leave without delay, and the next trace
the detective agency had Of him he was
in Mississippi. From there he went to
New Orleans.
He was travelling under the name Of
r. S. Martin, and decoy letters were
awaiting him at the New Orleans post
office. Last Sunday he called at the
general delivery for letters, giving his
name as Martin. Col. T. NJ. Boylan,
the New Orleans agent OF the Pinker-
tons, stepped up to him as he left the
window and said: Il want YOU" Thrun
was at first indignant, but was taken
into custody. Afterwaru he confessed
that his name was Thlun, and consent
ed to be brought back without requisi-
ton papers. He was completely tired
out with his efforts to escape detectives.
|
men that the captured man is but the
instrument i'll u big conspiracy to de-
fraud the insurance companies, and il
was limited that some men occupying
Important positions would become inn
plic;lted if Thrun made an effort to save
himself by involving others. The in
surance policies on Thrun's life amount
ed to $1,000 in the following compan-
! les:
Northwestern Mutual relief. of
MauISOu p w"
! Northwestern Mutual, Milwau
kee 1O OOo
Mutual Life. New York. -. 10 GOO
Aetna Life, Hartford. ......... 10 600
Accident policy in Aetna Life. 600
Metropolitan Accident, Chicago J 600
Equitable Life, New York. 80. Is 600
| The policy in the Equitable Life was
not accepted by the company's in
spector. The Northwestern Mutual, of
Milwaukee, the Mutual Life, Of New
York, and the Metropolitan Accident
settled with tie supposed widow
through Claim Agent Hansen, of the
| Wisconsin central HaYsen received
some $4,000 from the three Companies
and gave them back their policies. The
Aetna Life refused to settle at any
| price, and led the movement to contest
the claims Of Mrs. ThITun by the produc-
! ton of her husband alive.
Shrew Mrs. Thrun
A Chicago dispatch says that Secre
| Hntp ito
Accident association, one of the COM
panleS which compromised Mrs. Thrun's
claims, was pleased greatly when he
heard that her husband had been cap
tured.
IF Thrlm does not break down." Mr..
Bunker said, his return will only end
the suits on the policies Which are
still unsettled. l don't see how he can
be convicted Of any rhine. When Old,
Experienced underwriters like Mr.. Pal
mer of the Northwestern Mutual, say
they would not know what do with
the fellow il they had him, i am iii
, doubt about his conviction. 1t Will be
hard to show conspiracy between the
pair He can say that he made up his
means Mrs Thrrn sat in my office
here for two hours talking over her
claim. She is the smarteSt woman !
ever met When | told her that S1l.-
600 was Il ridiculous insurance on her
husband she asked me how much |
carried. | told her and she replied that
was like her husband in considering
insurance Il good thing to have. She
admitted that there were grounds for
doubling his death, but the coroDe1's
jury had said he was not alive.
''She said she would rather have him
back than have the money on the poll
cleS, but she wanted one or the other.
She was in no hurry about the payment
of our policy. We shall not try to get
back what we paid for the return OF
our policy. 1t was only S275, anyway.
No; the other companies which settled |
can do nothing to recover their money. |
1t is gone. But / can tell YOU there are |
some mysterious things in this case be- |
sides the action OF Thrun'S. 1t looks /
to me that it was a widespread scheme |
to reap big harvest and only failed |
because I'hrln did not place the dead
body OF a man in his house instead OF