The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-08-10
ALL CONVICTED.
Knights and Ladies of Security
COnspiratOrS Lose.
Palmed Off Bodies of Paupers for
Deceased Members.
DETAILS OF THE PLOT.
Discovered by a Quarrel Among
the PlOtterS.
Planned to Secure $4,000, But
Got Only $4,000.

DR.. Michael N. Regent, Della Ma
honey, Nora O'Brien and James O'Brien
were this morning convicted in Chicago
of defrauding the Topeka fraternal in
surance order, the knights and Ladies
of Security. Margaret Sheehan, an
other defendant, pleaded guilty.
The gang had planned to get 100000,
but were detected after they had Sc
cured $500. They had a veritable
corpse trust to palm off bodies as the
dead members OF the order.
Bitter experience finally taught the
medical colleges and other institutions
which use cadavers in their business to
form a combine, it is said, and the re-
suit was the organization of the Dem
onstrators' association, of which Prof
William T. Eckley is the president and
distributing agent.
1t is from this Demonstrators asso-
citation that Regent and his pals were
accused of having secured under false
pretenses the body which it is alleged
they palmed off on the beneficiary or
der as the corpse of Robert O'Grady,
who is still very much alive. The
Demonstrators association does not do
a general retail business, but under the
law it may sell its wares to any under
taker who wishes to buy a corpse for
the purpose of dissecting it for his own
instruction.
In this case the Demonstrators asso-
citation is said to have been the inno-
cent dupe of Undertaken O'Brien, who
is accused of having told Prof. Eckley
that he wanted the corpse of an old
man with bald-head and white whisk-
ers for his own private use.
The need for this dead body was due
to the peculiar operations of Regent
and his colleagues in the order of the
knights and Ladies of Security, most
OF them were membrs of Council No
420. which has over thirty councils In
Chicago. Regent and the others were
accused of having put up job to get
their hands into the treasury of the
order, and in furtherance of the scheme
Regent, who was examining physician
of Council No. 420, passed Robert
strong, healthy man As matter OF
fact, O'Grady was old and weakly:
After he had been admitted and his
life had been insured in the order for
81 900 the alleged conspirators grew
tired of waiting for him to die, so 1T
was finally decided to get him out OF
town and secured an undertaken to play
the part of his corpse. OGrady was
therefore sent to the Soldiers home at
Milwaukee, while Undertaken O'Brien'
was instructed to get the necessary
corpse by deceiving the Demonstrators,
association. All the plans worked Wen;
The dead body was obtained and buried
at Forest Home cemetery. while just a
wear ago from the day the trial began,
on July %, 1899, the check of the ma,
tional treasurer of the Knights and
Ladies of Security was received and
cashed for the full amount of 81. 900
Three women and men tried were
formerly officers of the knights ana La
dies of Security.
The defendants were DIR. Michael N
Regent medical examiner of Illinois
council, No. 420; Miss Margaret Shee-
ham former financial secretary of coun-
ell No 42O; Mrs. Della A. Mahoney, for
Iner deputy of council No. 42O; Mrs n ora
O'Brien, member of council, and James
O'Brien, an undertaken
The counts in the indictments charged
that the defendants conspired to defraud
the society of money by substituting the
bodies of policy holders.
According to the evidence this fraud
has been going on for four years.
The specific charges upon which the
former officers were tried was the sub
stitution of the corpse of pauper named
Richard Morris for that of Robert
Robert O'Grady was at the trial, having
come from the old soldiers home in Mil
waukee where he had been sent.
At the outset the defense which was
represented by six attorneys, was given
a surprise. When asked how they plead
ed to the indictment the defendants an
swered: Not guilty" until the question
was put to Miss Sheehan. She responded
in a firm voice:
Guilty"
Have you been advised and do you
understand the weight OF your answer
asked Judge Brentano.
Il do
Over the body of the pauper supposed
to have been, passed off for Grady, a
wake was held in the undertaking es-
tablishment of James O'Brien. An ex-
pensive funeral was held, and all the rit-
ual of the society was observed in the
burial. Robert O'Grady is the uncle of
Miss Sheehan.
The game worked we'll until individ-
ual members of the band became anx-
ious to pocket all the spoils- After one
pauper had been buried a policy hold
er it was charged that DIR. Regent had
came jealous and made threats of re-
vealing the secret. On the next deal Miss
Sheehan was the fortunate one. Infor-
nation came to the supreme officers in
Topeka and an investigation was insti-
tuted.
The supposed corpse of O'Grady was
exhumed, and on the toe was found a
tag stating the body was formerly that
of a pauper, who died at Dunning A
similar discovery was made in the case
of James Kane, under whose name a
body occupies a grave in Calvary ceme-
terry.
So childlike and innocent did Mar
garet Sheehan look with her big blue
eyes and her shimmering golden hair
when she swept into Judge Brentano's
court room at the first days trial that
it seemed to many of the onlookers in
credible that she has dealt in corpses in
order to get money.
This dainty-looking little woman
made a full confession of the plot in
all it's details Two years ago Dr.
Regent was examining physician for
council No 420 of the knights and La
dies of Security, while she was its finan-
cial secretary and Mrs. Mahoney was
Dc Of h.