The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-10-13
sensation IN cHcA1..|
An Alleged Conspiracy to Defraud
Insurance Concerns Brought
to Light.
MARIE DEFEnBAcH WAS The VICTIM.
She Appears to Have Lent Herself
10 the Scheme and Then to Have
Fallen n Victim to the Other
Three Conspirators, Who Have
Been Arrested.

Been Arrested.
Chicago, Oct. 9.-With insurance
upon her life amounting to $4,000
Marie Defenbach, aged %, died, Au.
gust 25, in a boarding house on La
Sale avenue, under conditions which
the police believe indicate a plot to
swindle an insurance company and
two insurance societies, if they do not
point to murder. Upon bench war
rants, issued by Judge Gibbons, two
persons said to be implicated in the
case, DR.. August NJ. Unger and Frank
H. Smiley, a detective, have been ar
rested. A third person, who is al
legged to be connected with the fraud,
and for whom a warrant has been is
sued, is not yet under arrest. 1t is
said he is out of the city.
Three Policies On Her Life.
When Miss D~efenbach died there
we're three policies on her life, aggre-
eating S12,O 900, all of recent date, as
follows: New York Life Insurance
Co., $1,000; Canadian Order of For
esters, $1,000; Knights and Ladies of
Honor, $4,000.
The alleged conspiracy has been in
vestigated with searching care by a
private detective agency, by the at
torneys and detectives of the insur-
ance companies, and latterly by the
states attorney himself.
Arrests Decided Upon.
Sunday, at a meeting between
States Attorney Deneen and Assistant
Attorney General VIM. McEwen on
one side, and the attorneys represent
ing the insurance companies and de-
tective agency, the case was discussed,
and it was decided to cause the i'm
arrest of the suspects. The
detectives believe that a conspiracy
was ccncocted, and that Miss Defen-
bach was originally n of the quar-
tette 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;
of that real death came to
her.
An AgonizinE Death.
Her death. at a boarding house on
La Sale avenue, was attended by the
most horrible agony. Doctors Leon
ard and Schroeder, the latter repre-.
the Knights and Ladies Of
Honor, were called. They refused to
a certificate of death but the
.coroner's jury, later, and after the
body had been embalmed, found a
verdict of death from dysentery. The
day the body was cremated and
the ashes were scattered to the
Payment of Policies Refused.
Without much delay proceedings
begun to the value OF
the insurance policies Miss Defenbach
had left. Owing to the unusual cir.
cumstances surrounding her death.
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's career during the
10 iS" IIolllS VI utT HE. 7
A Peculiar Incident.
An unusual incident is connected
with the making of Miss Defenbach's
will. On August 81 Miss Defenbach
'alled at the Office of a lawyer in the
nifty building, named johnson, and
old him she wanted to make her will.
some days earlier, it is stated, DR..
Jnger had told this lawyer a woman
would call on him for this purpose,
she announced she had come in
accordance with the appointment.
Terms of the Will.
She told Mr.. johnson she wanted
leave her property to Frank II.
smiley, her affianced husband. and
hen she went away. Two DAYS after
ward she returned, and Mr.. johnson
the will ready. 1t provided. as
he had instructed, that after her
lebts were paid her property was to
70 to Smiley, but she then wanted
mother provision inserted.
Wanted to be Cremated.
1t was that after her death her
NC SicIhdteu. InlS somewhat
urprised MI. Johnson, as he could not
understand how a young and hand
ONE woman would wish her body
'urned after death, but he complied
Nth the request. He was so struck
With the circumstance, however, as
he cremation clause had not been in
original instructions, that he
allied in witnesses to the will from
GJoining offices as a matter Of pro-
ection. Miss Defenbach then signed
nd explained the document. Two
avs later she was dead.
Detective Arrested.
Chicago, Oct. 9.-F. Wayland Brown
manager of the Mooney &
dafapftyo oDoro, .-u