St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-09-03
MISSOURI INSURANCE SWINDLER
FOUND HIDING IN MINNIE
sofa WOODS.
ARRESTED NEAR TOWER.
HIS HOME FOR TWO YEARS
AT AN OUT-OF-THE-WAY
SPOT.
HE ADMITTED HIS IDENTITY.
Kansas City officials Seize Him
While Out Hunting and Start
South With Their Prize.

DULUTH, Mimi, Sept. 2-George
Fraker, Of Topeka, Kan, the man
who was supposed to have been
drowned in the Missouri river two
years ago, was captured in the
woods near Tower, Mimi, yesterday.
Fraker's life was insured for $5S, 900,
and the heirs brought suit in the
Kansas courts to recover. The case
went to the supreme court and was
one of the most famous insurance
cases of the country. The insurance
companies were defeated in the final
decision, it being rendered last
month. 1t was always maintained
by the companies that Fraker was
alive, but his whereabouts were un-
known. Recently it became known
in some way that Fraker was near
Tower, where he was known under
the alias of Schnell. Attorney Rob
ert T. Herrick and Deputy Sheriff
Wilkinson, of Topeka, came here and
organized a party to search for him.
F'raker was found in the woods and
his capture was effected in a stra-
tegic manner. He was brought to
Duluth today and will go to Topeka
without requisition. He has been
living near Tower for six months.
He admitted his identity and said he
did not leave home on purpose to de-
fraud the companies, but that while
on the Missouri river he fell in and
swan across to land. The next day
he read in the papers that he had
been drowned, and concluded to
carry out the deception and allow
his heirs to collect the insurance.
REWARD OF $4,000.
The case is one of great interest
because of a reward of $4,000 which
was offered for his capture. F'raker
is a physician, and up to the latter
part of 1898 was physician to the st.
Elmo hotel, the leading hotel in Ex-
celsior Springs, a famous health re-
sort near Kansas City. Together
with seven or eight companions, the
doctor went fishing on the Missouri
river one day, and after dark, while
in the company of George Harvey,
| James Triplet and Jake Crowley, a
! negro, he disappeared and was seen
no more. These three parties after
wards swore positively that they
witnessed his drowning while rowing
| in a leaky boat, but after strict
| search his body could not
be recovered. Some three or
four months previous to this
he began loading up with life
insurance, taking $4,000 in the Kan
sas Mutual Life, of Topeka; SIS, 900
in the Hartford Life and Annuity;
$4,000 in the Providence Savings
| Life, of New York, and $4,000 in the
| BENEVOLENT societies of that place
a total of $58,000. Immediately after
! his disappearance the insurance COM
! panies held a conference and dis
| covered that, while the doctors in
come was only about $1,S00 a year,
his premiums amounted to 81, 900 an
nually. Besides this, George Harvey
and James Triplet, who swore to
having witnessed Fraker's death,
were men of bad character, Harvey
| being arrested only the other day
in Eastern Missouri on a charge of
having committed burglary in New
Mexico. Triplet was a well known
character in Indian Territory and
was said to have been drowned a
short time ago.
DREW ALL HIS MONEY.
Before going on his fishing excursion
Fraker had withdrawn all his money
from the bank, saying he was going
| to California to bring home the or
phan children of his deceased uncle
Forty thousand dollars of the insur-
ance money was payable to his
brother-in-law, in trust for these chill
dren. DR.. Fraker, who had practiced
medicine for eight years, was an ac-
tive leader in Sunday school work, but
held rather peculiar views on relig-
fous subjects. After a thorough in
vestigation all the companies, except
the Equitable, refused to pay the
claims, whereupon James E. Lincoln,
the executor of the will, brought suit in
the district court at Liberty Mo. which
was afterwards transferred to the
United States circuit court at Kansas
City. Robert T. Herrick was appoint.
ed Jointly to conduct the case for the
companies, and was assisted by emf
nent legal talent. In December, 1894
after an intensely sensational trial
lasting two weeks, the jury, acting un-
| der positive instructions from the
court, declared for the defense. new
trial was granted on technical points
but in February, 1895, judgment was
given for the full amount and stay
of execution granted for six months
until Aug. IL, 1895. On that day the
full amount was paid to the executor
and the companies withdrew their of.
fer Of $4,000 reward. Herrick OBJ.
tanned a clew in the latter part of 1894
which he has patiently followed ever
since, until about a week ago he
learned the whereabouts and assumed
name of the DOCTOR THURSDAY
night he arrived in Tower, together
with John Wilkinson, chief of police
in Topeka, to assist in taking Frakei
back. They learned that Dr. Frakel
went by the name Of Schnell, an6
lived with young man in a woods.
mans hut fifty miles from Tower, or
the Itasca county road A warrant
was secured in Tower and Sunday
morning, accompanied by Deputy
Sheriff Archie Phillip, they started il
"a rough wagon, over still roughel
roads, taking along provisions for five
days, giving out that they were tt
look over some timber lands.
QUITE A SURPRISE.
About twelve miles from Towe
Deputy Phillip, who was acquainted
with F'raker, under his alias al
Schnell, saw his companion in {
shanty near the woods, and on in