The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-08
One Believed to Have Been Dis
covered in Chicago.
Young Woman Dies Mysterious
ly i'm Boarding House.
$4,000 ON HER LIFE.
Two Persons Under Arrest,
Charged With Completely
Indications Point to Murder as
Well as Fraud.

Chicago. oct. S.-With insurance upon
her life amounting to $1,000 Mary De-
fenbach, aged %. died August %. Ina a
boarding house on Lasalle street under
conditions which the police think indi-
cate a plot to swindle insurance com
panies and two insurance societies "a
they do not point to murder. Upon bench
warrants issued by Judge Gibbon. two
persons said to be implicated in the case
DIR. August NJ Unger and Frank H.
Smiley, a detective, have been arrested
A third person who Is alleged 70 De con-
nected with the fraud and for whom
warrant has been issued, Is not yet uiA-
der arrest. 1t is said he IS out OF the
When Miss Defenbach died there were
three policies on her life aggregatinG
$4,000. ali Of recent date as follows.
New York Life Insurance company
S.. 900; Canadian order Of torcstciai
$1,000; Knights and Ladies OF Honor
$1,000.
The alleged conspiracy has been inves-
tigated with searching care by a private
detective agency. by the attorneys ana
detectives Of the insurance companies
and latterly by the states attorney him.
self
Sunday at a meeting between States
Attorney Dineen and Assistant Attor-
ney McEwan, on one side and the attor-
neys representing the insurance COM
panies and detective agency, the case
was discussed and 1t was decided %
cause the immediate arrest OF the sus-
poets. The detectives believe that a con-
spiracy was concOcted and that Miss De-
fenbach was originally one of the quar-
tette of alleged cOnspiratOrs she had
expected that her death was 10 be
feigned and that another body was TO
play the passive role Of her corpse; ln-
stead of that real death came to her.
Last April Miss Defenbach applied to
the New York Life Insurance company
for $4,000 policy. rms was feIusSu
by the company, as was also an appli.-
cation for an $4,000 policy on the GROUND
that she was not possessor Of suihclehl
property interests TO warrant SO large
risk, although she was examined ana de-
clared to be in perfect health. IN Jui4
Miss Defenbach succeeded in obtaining
from the New York company a policy
for IS, 900, and this formed part OF the
estate she left.
About the middle OF August Miss De-
fenbach also secured insurance in me
Canadian order OF Foresters 70 the
aomunt Of $1,000. About the same time
she took out policy IN the lAllBhlH anu
Ladies of Honor for 81 OO0 Two weeks
later she was dead, leaving q viii whicn
directed that a part of the pohcles
should be paid to Frank II. Smiley, her
"af3anced husband" and that her body
be cremated. Her death at a boarding
house in Lasalle avenue was attenucA
by the most horrible agony. DOCTORS
Leonard and Schroeder, the latter repre-
senting the Knights and Ladies OF Hon
or were called. They refused TO issue "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 next day the body
was cremated and the ashes were scat
tered to the winds.
Without much delay proceedings were
begun to recover the value Of the insur-
ance policies Miss Denfenbach had lefts
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 woman's career dur
ing the last few months Of her hie-
An unusual incident is connected with
the making Of Miss Defenbacb's VIII. ON
August q, Miss Defenbach called az the
office of a lawyer in the Unity building
named johnson and told him she wanted
to make her Will Some days earlier II
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.
leave her property to Frank ii. Smiley.
her affianced husband. and then she went
away. Two days afterward she return
ed and Mr.. Johnson had the win ready.
1t provided, as she had Instructed, that
after her debts were paid her property
was to go to Smiley, but she then want
ed another provision inserted. IL was
that after her death her body be crema-
ted.
This somewhat surprised Mr.. Johnson,
as he could not understand how young
and handsome woman would wish her
body burned after death, but he com
piled with the request He was 80 struck
with the circumstances however az the
cremation clause had not been in the
original instructions that he called IN
witnesses to the viii from adjoining OF
fees as a matter OF protection. Miss
Defenbach then signed and executed the
document. Two days later she was dead.
F. Wayland Brown, assistant manager
Of the Mooney & Toland detective agen-
cy. was arrested on his return from Nir-
ginia today charged with completely IN
the case.
NO CLAIM FILED YET.
New York. Oct. S.-Gcorge w. Hub
bell. attorney for the New York Life In
surance company, said today that the
company had issued a policy FOR $1,000
to Marie Defenbach a short time ago.
They had been notified OF the death ot
Miss Defenbach but have not resisted
the payment Of the amount Of the policy
as no claim had as yet been made Tor
the money
When asked whether It was usual 70
investigate all deaths. or if this was an
exceptional case. Mr.. Hubbeli replied;
mo. under ordinary circumstance we
do not Investigate but I'm a case like this
where policies from "a number OF compa-
nies had been issued so short "a time be-
fore death, I suppose this would be done
as a matter Of safety. However ! aiu
without information and cannot discuss
the matter"