The Washington weekly post., 1900-10-09
POISONED FOR $I2, 600
Alleged Insurance SchemeRe.
coils Upon PlOtter.
NET DEATH SHE PLANNED TO SHAN
Marie Defenbach Died a Axsuizins Death
inChIeag go Tive Days After She Had Made
Her wfli-Bedy Cremafed, rs She Had
Directed-Three Men. Arrested for Cea-
spiraey, Suspected Of Marder-Peiiee In
yestigatins the Crime Within Crime.

Chicago, Oct s-The prosecuting au'
thorities OF Cook County last night laid
hands on what they regard as one OF the
startling crimes OF the country's history.
Charges of conspiracy. back OF which are
allied iHsinuations OF murder. are lodged
against three men, all OF whom are in GUS
tody.
These men will have TO answer allega-
tions of a carefully laid plot to swindle
an insurance company and two Insurance.
soeieties-a plot which, 10 is said, pro-
gressed with the growth Of fear .nto the
actual death, by poison, it Is thought, OF
the insured person.
According 10 the theory on which the
prosecution will proceed. the dead person,
young woman Of Chicago, was originals
one OF the quartet OF cOnSpirators. She
had expected that her death was 10 be
feigned and that another dead body was
10 play the passive role Of her corpse; in
stead Of that. real death came 10 her.
The person" whose death adds a new
phase to what otherwise would have been
a simple insurance swindle was Marie De-
fenbaeh, twenty-three years old, and the
three persons arrested upon bench war
rants issued by Judge Gibbons are Dr.
August NJ. Unger. Frank II. Smiley, and
F. Wayland Brown. The latter is as
sistant manager OF a detective agency
He was arrested to-day on mis- return
from Virginia.
When Marie Defenbach died there were
three insurance policies on her life. aggre-
cot i'm Ill - H. l.
sued in the following company and asso-
Citations: New York Life Insurance Com
pany, 5000: Canadian Order of Foresters
5000. and Knights and Ladies of Honor,
s. 600.
The alleged conspiracy has been inves-
dgated with searching care by private
detective agency, by the Chicago attorney
and detectives Of the New York Life In
surance Company. and latterly by the
States attorney himself. Yesterday at a
meeting between States Attorney Deneen,
Assistant States Attorney Willard NJ
McEwen, Edward OBryan, attorney for
the New York Life Company, and Edward
Maher, attorney for the detective agency,
the case was canvassed, and il was decid-
ed to cause the immediate arrest Of the
suspects.
Refused SIa, 200 Policy.
Last April Miss Defenbach applied to
the New York insurance company for a
$4,000 policy. This was refused. but later
one for 5000 was taken out. On or about
August 10 last she also secured Insurance
in the Canadian Order OF Foresters to the
amount of 5000. AT the same date she
took out policy in the Knights and La
dies Of Honor for 5000.
An unusual incident was connected with
the making Of Miss Defenbach's will. On
August q Miss Defenbach called at the Of
fee in the Unity Building Of a lawyer
named Johnson and told him she wanted
to make her will. Some days earlier DR..
Unger had, ii is stated, told his lawyer a
woman would call on him for this pur-
pose, and she announced she had come
in accordance with the appointment She
told Mr.. Johnson she wanted to leave her
property TO Frank H. Smiley, her afi-
anced husband, and then she went away.
Two days afterward she returned and
MIR. Johnson had the will ready. 1t pro-
vided. as she had instructed. that after
her debts were paid her property was 10
go 10 Smiley, but she then wanted another
provision inserted. 1t was that after her
death her body be cremated. This some
II. H. =
not understand how young and hand
some woman would wish her body burned
after death, but he complied with the re-
quest. He was so struck with the circura-
stance, however, as the cremation clause
had not been in the original instructions.
that he called in witnesses from adjoin-
ing offices as matter of protection. Miss
Deferbaeh then signed and executed the
document. Two days later She was dead.
Died Tive Days After Making VIII.
Her death was attended by the most
horrible agony The attending physicians
refused to issue a certificate of death.
bat the coroner's jury later. and fater the
body had been embalmed. found a verdict
of death from dysentery. The next day
the uody was cremated and the ashes
were scattered to the four winds of hea-
ven.
Without much delay proceedings were
begun TO recover the value Of the insur-
ance policies she had left. This was re-
sisted by the companies, with the result
that the fraud was discovered.
New York, Oct. S.-George W. Hubbell,
attorney for the New York Life Insur-
ance Company, to-day said that the COM
pany had issued policy 10 Marie Defen-
bach for 5000 a short time age They had
been notified Of the death of Miss Defen.
bach, 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
IL this was an exceptional case, and, If SO,
why. Hubbell replied:
mo under ordinary circumstances we
do not investigate. but in a case like
this. where policies from a number Of
companies had been issued SO short a
time before death | supposed this would
be done as a matter OF safety. However,
] am without information and am not
prepared 10 discuss the matter In detail. :"
The tSree men under arrest were later
arraigned before Judge Gibbons, and In
default of $1,000 bail each, were eom-
mitted 10 jail