Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-10-09
Chicago Detective Makes : COMES.
sion In the Defsnbach Insur.
snes Fraud Casa
Young Woman Agrees to Pretend
Dssth il Order to Secure
Insurance.
Hsr Coz snspirators Bstray Her and
Administer Poison, Causing
Her Death.

agency who was one OF the men arr
rested yesterday in connection with the
insurance frauds which ended with the
death OF Marie Defenbach August 25,
has made full written confession Of
his part in the crime, duplicating with
him DR.. August NJ. unger and Frank
Wayland Brown, assistant manager OF
the Mooney & Boland agency. the other
two men under arrest. The confession
is in the hands Of States Attorney De-
neen.
When the case goes on trial Smiley
will turn states evidence and the full
details of the plot will be exposed.
States Attorney Neneen expects that
all three men will be convicted of con-
spiracy to defraud the New York Life
Insurance Company and the two benev-
olent orders. the Canadian Order Of
Foresters and the knights and Ladies
of Security, but it is very doubtful
whether any charge OF murder can be-
formally made on the evidence avail
able.
AT least one other man connected
now under surveillance for suspicious
actions at the time OF Miss Defenbach's
death. and it is not improbable that
several other conspirators inside and
outside the agency can yet be connect
ed with the crime. How far the con-
spiracy ramified in the detective SER
vice and how many other frauds were
attempted by the same people con-
not yet be told.
Smiley and DR.. Unger were both arr
rested before daylight yesterday morn
ing, while Brown was found by dee
tectives at the Hotel Cecil, where he
had gone upon arriving in the city Sum
day evening. He came here from
Cleveland earlier than the detectives
had expected. and tho they had for a
| time lost track of him, they succeeded
in discovering him soon after he arose
in the morning.
All three men were brought before
Judge Gibbons, who had issued the
bench warrant for their arrest. and
held in $4,000 bail each. None of them
could furnish bail and all We're placed
| In the county Jail. They secured a con-
Istinuance of the preliminary hearing of
their case until October 49, The grand
Jury will undoubtedly have acted, how
ever. before that date.
/ The points In the case that can now
be made out are about as follows: In
/ the first place Unger and Brown; in
tsconnection with Miss Defenbach, ar
ranged TO take out life insurance in the
4 latter's name, With the understanding
A chat she was to pretend death, after
4 which a real corpse was to be substi-
tuted for her body and cremated ac-
4 cording to Sarrangements. While she was
spirited away to share the profits with
her partners.
In carrying out this plan Smiley and
probably other persons were brought
Unto the case Three policies on Miss
Defenbachs life were secured. One Of
4 these was for 5000 in the New York
4 Life Insurance Company. made payable
1 TO DR.. Unger Another was for $4,000
lin the Independent Order of Foresters,
i.Companion Court No. H. payable to
Smiley, who posed as Miss Defenbaci1's
4 af1ianced husband. The third was for
4 $4,000 in the knights and Ladies Of
4 Honor. payable TO Marie Huntsman
4 alleged 10 be a niece OF Miss Defen-
i bach, living in Germany, but actually
fictitious person. DIR. unger held
a papers purporting to be a power OF at
torney from thi sniece. Miss Defen.
bach also executed two days before hel
y death a will in favor OF Smiley, SO thai
isif any Of the policies were contested ht
could step in in place of the real bene-
Il ficiaries and cut out the direct heirs q
:. Miss Defenbach, who might have
+ otherwise secured the money.
WhenEit came to the point, however
"a Miss Defenbach met actual instead o
e lfeigned death President John Boland
slaof rhe Mooney & Boland agency, be
I lieves her8death was due to poison ad
: ministered by DR.. unger, without tn
! knowledge OF the other conspiratork
and that the plan to kill her was sud
> denly made because the doctor wa
y afraid that otherwise the crime woult
be revealed, az it had been in the Re
.gent cases. AS Mrs Defenbach's bod.
! has been destroyed there Is propably n.
5 proof on which his conjecture can b.
Isustained.
Al Smiley's confession, which elaborate
/ the facts OF his connection with thes
& transactions. il contradicted in man.
points by the statements OF DR.. Unge
and Mr. Brown. as they made them Il
J. the county Jail yesterday. Both Of tn
: meninsis that here was nothing wronl
!. in their actions and say that, howeve
! bad the charges look they are innocent
STORY OF THE CRIME.
The tragedy which clothes the bar
statemen. of this complicated network
of crimes is5 one Of the most thrilling Il
the criminal annals Of Chicago, and III
0 way in which Miss Defenbach was be
& trayed by her accomplicer. bound TO he
n apparently by SO many tier. ip enough I
d excite the horror Of men for whom or
: binary tales OF criminality have only tn
J. most Impartial interest
8 She was a young woman of proposes
e eing appearance. about Is years ole
4 Tho in the best OF health. she was Of
: nervous temperament and at time
e moody. she had lived in Chicago mos
. of the time since; she eloped from he
: fathers home at Rolling Prairie. Ind
: about five years ago. For time an
2 helped her mother In q bakery store o
i West Van Buren, street, ana later eil
7 had q little store In partnership with he
. sister Mrs. Ada Wells. who has live
4 in several parts Of the city recently, he
4 --latest address having been Thirty-nint
!, street and Ellis avenue.
! Miss Defenbach was q great favorit
; an an artists model. and many photo
GRO sp%r