The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-09-12
DIR. FRAKER IS ALIVE
The Famous Insurance Swim.
dler Has Been Caught.
WAS IN HIDING IN MINNESOTA
The Court ad Decided He Was Dead
and Ordered the Policy Paid
Over to His Heirs.

! Over to His Heirs.
Duluth, Mimi, Sept. 4.-Dr. George
Fraker, Of Topeka, Kan, supposed to
have been drowned in the Missouri
river two years ago, was captured in
the &oOds near Tower, Mimi, yester-
day. Fraker's life was insured for
sos, 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, and
known under the alias of Schnell. At
torney Robert T. Herrick and Deputy
Sheriff Wilkinson, of Topeka, organized
a 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, 900 was offered for his
capture. Fraker is physician and up
to the latter part Of 1898, was physi-
clan to the st. Elmo hotel, the leading
hotel in Excelsior Springs, a 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, a 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 a
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, $15, 900 in the Hartford Life
Annuity, $4,000 i'll the Hartford
Providence Savings Life of New York,
and $4,000 i'll the benevolent societies
of that place, total Of $5S, 900.
Immediately after his disappearance,
the insurance companies held confer
ence and discovered that while the
doctors income was about $1,000 a
year, his premium amounted to 900
annually. Besides this, George aar-
vey and James Triplett, who swore to
having witnessed Fraker's death, were
men of bad characters, Harvey being
arrested only the other day in Eastern
Missouri, charged with having CON-
mitted burglary in New Mexico. Trip
lett was a we'll -known character in In
dian territory and was said to have
been drowned a short time ago.
Attorney Herrick and Sheriff Wiki
inson left Duluth ON the afternoon
train for st. Paul and will go right to
Kansas City. They did not call upon
the county authorities here, and the
latter are pretty sore in consequence.
Had Fraker refused to accompany
them, they could have done nothing
without the aid of the sheriff of this
county.