The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1895-09-07
fRAkER MYSTERY SOLVED.
Found Living in the wiIds OF
Northern Minnesota.
Located in the Woods Fifty Miles
From a PostoAice.
Attorney Robert t. Herrick of Topeka
Proves Himself Greater Than all the
Professional sieutls-Fraker Now
In willing to Go to
Missouri. Without Extra
dition Pnpers.

Duluth. Mimi, Sept. Living in the
wilds of northern Minnesota, fifty miles
from Il %postoffice, with only a boy for q
companion, DR.. George w. Fraker. who
damned of the most gigantic and
successful insurance sWindles of mod
ern times was today captured by Off
GERS who have been on his rack for the
past two years. Up to August II last
there was a standing reward of 100000
for his arrest, offered by Insurance com
panies.
In the latter part of 1893 Dr.. George
w. Fraker was physician to the st.
Elmo hotel. a leading hotel In Excelsior
Springs, Mo-, a famous health resort
near Kansas City. Together with seven
or eight companions the doctor went
fishing on the Missouri river one day,
and after dark, while in tie company OF
George Harry, James Triplet and Jake
Crowley. he disappeared and was seen
no more. These three parties after
wards swore positively that they wit
messed his drowning while row
ing in a leaky boat. but
after strict search his body could
not to be recovered. Some three or four
months previous to this he began load
Ing UP with life insurance taking $10.-
600 in the Kansas Mutual Life of Tope-
ka. s1a,00G in Hartford Life and Annu-
ity. $500 in the Providence Savings
Life, of New York, and 5000 in benev-
olent societies of hat place. a total of
$5S, 600. George Harry and James Trip
let, who swore to having witnessed
death, We're men of bad char
acter. Harry being arrested only the
other day in eastern Missouri on the
charge of having committed burglary
in New Mexico. Triplet was a we'll
Known character in Indian territory and
1t was said he was drowned a short
time Age
Before going on his fishing excursion
Fraker had drawn all his money from
the bank. saying he was about going to
California to bring home the orphan
children of his deceased uncle. Forty
thousand In insurance money was a
able to his brotiler~in Jaw in trust for
the children. After a thorough nves-
tgatton all the companies except the,
Equitable refused TO pay the claims,
whereupon James Lincoln. executor of
the will, brought suit in the district
court at Liberty. Mo, which was after
wards transferred to the United States
circuit court of Ka.rsas City.
Robert II. Herrick was appointed
jointly to conduct the cases for the com
panies, and was assisted by eminent
legal talent.
In the latter part of 1894. after an in
tensely sensational trial lasting two
weeks. In December. the jury, acting
under orders from the court. declared
for the defense. A new trial was grant
ed on technical points. but in February,
1890. Judgment was given for the full
amount, and a stay of execution granted
for six months, until August u, 1895.
On that date the full amount was paid
to the executor. and the companies
withdrew their offer of $40, 900 reward
Herrtck, who deserves to rank with the
best detectives of modern times, OBJ
tanned a clue In the latter part of 1894.
which he has patiently followed ever
since, until a. week ago he learned the
whereabouts and the assumed name of
the doctor. Thursday night he arrived
In Tower. together with John Wilkin-
son, chief of police of Topeka, to assist
In taking Fraker back. They learned
DR.. Fraker went by the name of Schnell
and lived with a young MAJ in a woods
mans hut fifty miles from Tower on
the ltaska country road. A warrant
was secured at Tower and Sunday
morning, accompanied by Deputy SHEER
iff Archie Philip. they started for the
place. Fraker and the boy We're arrest
ed and handcuffed. When the warrant
was read he was thunderstruck, but
admitted his identity at once. He was
rough to town, together with his COM
panion. Fraker readily agreed to ac-
company the officers to Missouri with
out waiting for extradition papers and
was taken Gown this morning. In con-
versation he stated that he expected his
relatives to get a portion of the insur-
ance money and himself some also. He
had been greatly benefited, he said. by
the waters OF a spring where he stopped
and had made arrangements to buy the
place. He would have spent $40. 900, he
said, In Improving the place.
DR.. Fraker was brought to Duluth
this noon on the Iron Range train In
charge of Deputy Sheriff Phillip and ac-
companied by Attorney Robert It. Her.
rick of Topeka. Kas. He was lodged in
Jail pending his removal to Topeka,
which will take place as soon as the nee
essary formalities are observed. Fraker
will go without any opposition.