Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-09-13
bR FRAZER IS alive
fhe Famous Insurance Swim.
iier Has Been Caught.
~ ~ HIDING IN MINNESOTA
Court Had DECIDED He Was Dead
and Ordered the Policy Paid
Over to His Heirs.

Duluth, Mimi, Sept. 4.-Dr. George
Fraker, of Topeka, Kan, supposed 10
have been drowned in the Missouri
river two years ago, was captured I'D
the woods near Tower, Mimi, yester-
day. Fraker's life was insured for
$5S, 900. Suit was brought in the
Kansas court to recover this. The case
went to the supreme court, and the in
surance companies were defeated IN the
final decision, recorded last month.
1t was always maintained by the
companies that Fraker was alive. Re-
Gently it became known in some way
that Fraker was near Tower, ana
known under the alias of Schnell. At
torney Robert T. Herrick and Deputy
Sheriff Wilkinson, of Topeka, organized
party to search for him. Fraker was
found in the woods and his capture
effected in strategic manner. He
was brought to Duluth today, and will
be taken to Topeka at once. Fraker
will go without requisition.
He has been living near Tower for
six months. He admitted his identity,
and said he did not leave home on pur-
pose to defraud the companies, but he
fell in the Missouri river, swan across
the river and got on land. The next
day he read in the paper that he had
been drowned, and concluded to carry
out the deception and allow the col
lection Of the insurance. The case is
one of great general interest, because a
reward of $40, 1000 was offered for his
capture. Fraker is physician and up
to the latter part of 1898, was physi-
Dian to the st. Elmo hotel, the leading
hotel in Excelsior Springs, famous
health resort near Kansas City. To-
gether with seven or eight companions,
the doctor went fishing in the Missouri
river, and after dark and while in
company with George Harvey, James
Triplett and Jake Crowley, negro,
he disappeared and was seen no more.
The parties afterward swore positively
that they witnessed his drowning while
rowing in leaky boat, but after q
search his body could not be found.
Some three months previous, he began
loading up with life insurance, taking
$40, 900 in the Kansas Mutual Life Of
Topeka, SIS, 900 in the Hartford Life
Annuity, $4,000 in the Hartford
Providence Savings Life of New York
and $4,000 in the benevolent societies
of that place, total of $58, 1000.
Immediately after his disappearance
the insurance companies held confer
ence and discovered that while tn,
, doctors income was about $1,000 (
year, his premium amounted to 81, 900
, annually. Besides this, George Har
vey and James Triplett, who swore tt
having witnessed Fraker's death, wert
men of bad characters, Harvey being
arrested only the other day in Eastern
, Missouri, charged with having com
mitted burglary in New Mexico. Trip
lett was well-known character in In
, dian territory and was said to have
been drowned a short time ago.
! Attorney Herrick and Sheriff Wilk
inson left Duluth ON the afternoon
! train for ST. Paul and will go right tt
Kansas City. They did not call upo1
the county authorities here, and tn,
latter are pretty sore in consequence
Had Fraker refused to accompan,
them, they could have done nothin,
, without the aid of the sheriff of thi
county.