Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1900-10-10
SHE DIED FOR MONEY.
Investigation Of Mysterious Death
Leads to Two Arrests.
LIFE INSURANCE PLOT.
New York Life Insurance Company
and Two Fraterna1 Societies
Interested.

Chicago, ILL.,, Oct. S.-With insurance
upon her life amounting to $4,000,
Marie Defenbach, aged %, died August
25 in a boarding house on La Sale ave
nue., under conditions which the police
believe Indicate plot to swindle an in
surance company and two insurance So
cieties, if they do not point to murder.
Upon bench warrants issued by Judge
Gibbons, two persons said to be lmph-
Gated in the case-Dr. August Nj. Unger,
Frank II. Smiley and +. Wayland
Brown-have been arrested. The latter
is assistant manager of detective agen-
cy in this city. He was arrested today
on his return from Virginia.
When Miss Defenbach died there was
three policies on her life aggregating
$1,000, all of recent date, as follows:
! New York Life Insurance. $1,000; Cana
dian Order of Foresters, 5000; Knights
of Ladies of Honor, $4,000.
! The alleged conspiracy has been inveS-
/ tigated with searching care by private
detective agency, by the attorneys and
detectives of the insurance companies,
and latterly by the states attorney him
self.
Arrest of Suspects.
| Sunday, at a meeting between States
! Attorney Deneen and Assistant AttOr-
ney William NJ. McEwen on one side and
| the attorneys representing the insurance
companies and detective agency, the case
was discussed and it was decided 70
cause the immediate arrests Of the sus-
poets. The detectives believe that con
| Splracy was concocted and that Miss
| Defenbach was originally one of the
quartette of alleged conspirators. She
| had expected that her death was to be
feigned and that another body was to
| play the passive role of her corpse; in
stead of that, real death came to her.
| Last April Miss Defenbach applied TO
the New York Life Insurance company
for a $4,000 policy. This was refused
| by the company as was also an applica-
| ton for an $4,000 policy ON the ground
that she was not possessor Of sufficient
| property interests TO warrant so large Il
risk, although she was examined and de-
| clared to be in perfect health. Iii July
Miss Defenbach succeeded in obtaining
from the New York company policy
for $4,000 and this formed part of the
estate she left.
About the middle of August Miss Def
enbach also secured insurance in the Ca
madam Order of Foresters to the amount
| Of $1,000. About the same time she took
out a policy in the Knights and Ladies
of Honor for $4,000. Two weeks later
she was dead, leaving a will which di-
rected that part of the policies should
be paid to Frank H. Smiley. her "affi-
anced husband" and that her body be
cremated.
Died in Agony.
Miss Defenba chs death at a boarding
house in La Sale avenue Was attended by
the most horrible agony. Drs. Leonard
and Schroeder, the latter representing the
knights and Ladies of Honor, were
/ called. They refused to issue a certiti-
cate of death, but the coroner's jury later
/ h 1,l L
/ found verdict of death from dySentery.
The next day the body was cremated and
the ashes were scattered to the winds.
Without much delay proceedings Were
begun to recover the value Of the insur-
ance policies Miss Defenbach had left
! Owing to the unusual circumstances sur
rounding her death. the hurried embalm-
ing of the body, followed the next day by
cremation, payments of the policies were
refused and immediate steps were taken
to trace the womans career during the
last few months of her life.
Miss Defenbach's Will.
An unusual incident was connected with
the making of Miss Defenbach's will
On August q Miss Defenbach called at
ing named Johnson and told him she
wanted to make her will. Some days
earlier, it is stated, DR.. Unger had told
this lawyer a woman would call on him
for this purpose, and she announced she
had come in accordance with the appoint-
ment. She told Mr.. Johnson she want
ed to leave her property to Frank II.
Smiley her affianced husband. and then
she went away. Two days afterward.
she returned, and Mr.. Johnson had the
will ready. 1t provided, as she had in
structed. that after her debts were paid
her property was to go to Smiley. but
she then wanted another provision insert
ed. 1t was that after her death her
body be cremated.
This somewhat surprised Mr.. Johnson.
| as he could not understand how young
and handsome woman would wish her
body burned after death, but he complied
with the request. He was so struck with
the circumstance, however, as the Gre
nation clause had not been in the orig
inal instructions that he called in wit
nesses to the will from adjoining offices
as matter of protection. Miss Defen-
bach. then signed and executed the doom
ment. Two days later she was dead.
The three men under arrest were later
arraigned before lodge Gibbons and in
default Of $4,000 bail each, were com
mitted to jail
1t was learned today that besides the
policies taken out on Miss Defenb ach's
life several others had been applied for.
In each case $4,000 was sought.
No Claim Yet Made.
New York, Oct. S.-George w. Hub-
| bell, attorney Tor the New York Life In
surance company, said today that the
company had issued policy of $4,000 to
Marie Defenbach a short time ago. They
! had been notified Of the death of Miss
| Defenbach bnt have not resisted paving
the amount of the policy, as no claim had
as yet been made for the money.
| When asked whether it was usual fo,
! the company to investigate all deaths. or
if this was an exceptional case, and if so,
Mr.. Hubbell replied:
mo, under ordinary circumstances we
! do not investigate, but in case like this
where policies from a number Of COM
| panies had been issued so short a time
before death, | suppose this would be
! done as a matter of safety. However I