The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-09
Foul PLAY IS SUSPECTED
ARRESTS FOLLOW THE SUDDEN
DEATH OF A YOUNG CHICAGO
WOMAN
INSURANCE COMPANIES ACT
Deceased Was Suspected of Con-
spiracy to Defraud, and Now
Her Alleged AccOmpIices Are
Charged With Murder.

upon her life amounting to $4,000, Marie
Defenbach, aged twenty-three, died Aug.
rs in a boarding house on La Sale ave-
nue. under conditions which the police
believe indicate a plot to swindle an in
surance company and two insurance So
cieties, If they 90 not point to murder
Upon bench warrants issued by Judge
Gibbons, three persons said to be impli-
Gated in the case, DR.. August M Unger,
Frank H Smiley and F. Wayland Brown,
have been arrested. The latter is as
sistant manager of a detective agency
in this city. He was arrested today on
his return from Virginia. When Miss
Defenbach died there were three policies
on her life, aggregating $4,000, all of
recent date as follows:
New York Life Insurance company,
S., 900; Canadian Order of Foresters,
IS, 200; Knights and Ladies of Honor,
81 900.
The alleged conspiracy has been inves-
tigated with searching care by a pri-
vate detective agency, by the attorneys
and detectives Of the insurance COM
panies and latterly by the states attor-
ney himself.
Sunday, at meeting between States
Attorney Deneen and Assistant Attorney
William McEwen, on one side, and the
attorneys representing the insurance
company and the detective agency, TIE
| case was discussed and it was decided
that a conspiracy was concocted and that
Miss Defenbach was originally one OF
the quartette of alleged consprators 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.
WANTED A 500 POLICY.
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 possessed Of sufficient
property interest to warrant such a risk
She was examined and declared to be
in perfect health. In July Miss Defen-
bach succeeded in obtaining from the
! New York company a policy for $1,000,
and this formed part Of the estate she
! left.
About the middle Of August Miss De-
| fenbach also secured insurance In the
| Canadian 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
directed that part of the policies should
be paid to Frank H. Smiley, her ''affi-
| anced husband" and that her body be
CISIldlSQ. I1SE OSdlI DIT d boarding
| house on La Sale avenue, was attended
by the most horrible agony Drs. Leon
| ard and Schroeder, the latter represent
| ing the knights and Ladies of Honor,
| were called. They refused to issue q
! certificate of DEATH but the coroner's
! jury later and after the body had been
! embalmed, found a verdict of death from
| dysentery. The next day the body was
| cremated and the ashes scattered to the
| winds.
Without much delay proceedings were
! begun to recover the value of the in
! surance policies Miss Defenbach had
| left. Owing to the unusual circum-
| stances surrounding her death the hurried
embalming of the body, followed the
| next day by cremation, payments of the
| policies were refused and immediate
| steps were taken to trace the woman
career during the last few months of her
| life.
The three men under arrest were later
arraigned before Judge Gibbons and i'll
default of SIS, 900 bail each, were COM
mitted to Jail.
1t was learned today that besides the
policies taken out on Miss Defenbach's
life. several others had been applied for
In each case $4,000 was sought.
INSISTED ON CREMATION.
An unusual incident was connected
with the making of Miss, Defenbachs
| will. On Aug. q Miss Defenbach called
at the office Of a lawyer In the Unity
| building, named Johnson, had told him
she wanted to make her will. Some days
earlier, it is stated, DR.. Unger had told
! his lawyer woman would call Oh him
| for this purpose and she announced she
had come in accordance with the ap-
! pointment. She told Mr.. Johnson she
wanted to leave property to Frank H.
| Smiley, her aff1anced husband, and then
| she went away.
| Two days afterward she returned and
Mr.. Johnson had the will ready. 1t pro-
| Vided as she had instructed, that after
| her debts were paid, her property was to
| go to Smiley, but she then wanted
another provision inserted 1t was that
after her death, her body be cremated
| This somewhat surprised Mr.. Johnson
as he could not understand how a young
| and handsome woman would wish her
| body burned after death, but he com
| piled with the request. He was so struck
| with the circumstance, however as the
| cremation clause had not been In the
| original instructions, that he called in
| witnesses to the will from adjoining Of
| fees as a matter of protection Miss
| Defenbach then signed and executed the
document. Two days later she was dead.
| NEW YORK., Oct. 6.-George W. Hub
bell. attorney for the New York Life In
| surance company, said today that the
company had issued policy for S., 900 to
Marie Defenbach short time ago. They
had been notified of the dea tn Of Miss
! Defcnbach, but have not resisted paying
the amount of the policy as no claim had
as yet been made for the money.
When asked whether it was usual for
the company to investigate all deaths. or
| hi vol
| Mr.. Bubbell replied:
mo. under ordinary circumstances, we
| do not investigate, but in case Ike this.
| where policies from a number of COM
panies had been issued SO short time
before death, I suppose this would be
done as q matter OF safety. However. 7
am without Information and I en- not
| Ia 41,a