Evening star., 1900-10-08
DIED IN GREAT AGONY
Peculiar Circumstances of Death of
Chicago Woman.
HER LIFE INSURED RECENTLY
Authorities Think She Was Victim
of Plot to Defraud.
H r EE NJ EN- ARREST

CHICAGO. October S-With insurance
upon her life amounting 10 $1,000 Marie
Defenbach, aged twenty-three died August
% in a boarding house on Lasalle avenue
under conditions which the police believe
indicate plot TO swindle an insurance COM
pany and two insurance societies. IL they
do not point to murder.
Upon bench warrants, issued by Judge
Gibbons, three persons said 10 be implicated
in the case-Dr. August VI. Unger Frank
III. Smiley and F. Wayland Brown-have
been arrested. The latter Is assistant man
ager of detective agency. He was ar
rested today on his return from Virginia
When Miss Defenbach died there were
three policies on her life, aggregaung sl2-
900. all of recent date, as follows:
New York Life Insurance Company,
5000.
Canadian Order of Foresters $1,000
knights and Ladies' of Honor, sa.op0.
The alleged conspiracy has been investi-
gated with searching care ny private de-
tective agency, by the attorneys and de-
tectives of the insurance companies and
latterly by the states attorney himself
Decision to Arrest Suspects.
Sunday, AT meeting between States At
torney Deneen and Assistant Attorney w
NJ. McEwen on one side and the attorneys
representing the insurance companies and
detective agency, the was discussed
and ii was decided to cause the immediate
arrest of the suspects. The detectives be-
Eeve that a conspiracy was concocted and
that Miss Defenbach was originally one of
the quartet OF alleged conspira tors. She
had expected that her death was to be
feigned and that another body was to play
the passive role of her corpse: instead of
that, real death came to her.
Last April Miss Defenbach applied to the
New York Insurance Company for a S1o.-
coo policy. This was refused by the COM
pany, as was also application for an
5000 policy. on the ground that she was
not possessed of sufficient property inter-
ests to warrant so large a risk, although
she was examined and declared to be in
perfect health. In July Miss Defenbach
succeeded in obtaining from the New York
company policy for 81 900, and this form
ed part of the estate she left.
About the middle of August Miss Defen-
bach also secured insurance in the Cana
dian Order Of Foresters to the amount of
5000 About the same time she took out a
policy in the knights and Ladies of Honor
for So, 600.
Provisions of Her VIII.
Two weeks later she was dead, leaving a
will which directed that a part Of the
policies should be paid to Frank H. Smiley,
her "affianced husband and that her body
be cremated. Her death, at a boarding
house in Lasalle avenue, was attended by
Schroeder. the latter representing the
Knights and Ladies. Of Honor, were called.
They refused to issue certificate or death,
but the coroners 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
scattered to the winds.
Without much delay proceedings were
begun to recover the value of the insurance
policies Miss DefenbaCh had left. Owing
to the unusual circumstances surrounding
her demise, 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's career during the last few months
of her life
An Unusual Incident.
an unusual incident was connected with
the making of Miss Defenbachs will. On
August 81 Miss Defenbach called at the
office of a lawyer in the Unity building
named johnson and told him she wanted to
make her will Some days earlier DR.. I'm
ger had it is stated told this lawyer a
woman would call on him for this purpase,
and she announced she had come in ac-
cordance with the appointment She told
MIR. johnson she wanted 10 leave her prop
erty to Frank H. Smiley, her affanced hus-
band, and then she went away. Two days
afterward she returned ana Mr.. Johnson
had the will ready. 1t provided she had
instructed that after her debts were paid
her property to go to Smiley, but she
then wanted another provision inserted. 1t
was that after her death her body be ere
mated.
This somewhat surprised Mr. Johnson. as
he could not understand how young and
handsome woman would wish her body
burned after death, but he complied with
the request. He was SO struck with the
circumstance, however, the cremation
clause had not been in the original instruc-
tiOns, that he called in witnesses from add
joining offices as a matter of protection.
Anf4 Nissr i and i
the document. Two days later she
dead.