The Forrest City times., 1901-11-15
ARKANSAS STATE NEWS.
Terrible Crime Committed With
the Obsect of Defrauding an
Insurance Company.
OCCURRENCES OF A WEEK BRIEFLY STATED
Charter Granted for a New Road, Backed
by the Goulds-AIIeged Assassin Ar
rested for Crime Committed Five
Years Ago.
Ratbbun Under Arrest.

Newell c. Rathbun, who attempted
to defraud an insurance company out
OF $4,000 by having it appear that he
died at hotel in Jeffersonville, Ind.
and whose supposed remains were
shipped to Little Rock for burial, is
under arrest at Louisville, and will
have to answer to the charge of MUIR
der. The facts in the case are as fol
lows: Rathbun, several months ago
was stationed at Little Rock as a re-
cruting officer for the army. There
he met young lady TO whom he pro
posed that they get married After
setting up housekeeping he was to Sc
cure a body, burn the house and hav=
the body appear as his remains. The
wife was then to collect his life in
surance. and later they would take up
their residence in some foreign coun-
try. The lady to whom this PROPOSE
tion was made refused to have any,
thing further to do with Rathbun.
Shortly thereafter he was married
Miss Susie Lundy. Of Little Rock.
daughter of well known and respect
ed iourneyman tailor Rathbun was
then ordered to Plattsburg. n. Y,
from which place he deserted October
last. Nothing more was heard from
him. until his wife received letter
November I'd. stating that he had Sc
cured a furlough and was en- route to
pay her visit at Little Rock. Then
came the news of his sudden death at
Jenersonville. Ind. His supposed re-
mains were shipped to Little Rock.
Those who knew Rathbun declared the
body was that OF some other partv.
Detectives went to work on the case.
and In less than twentvfour hours the
real Rathbun was arrested at Louis
VILE, where he had re-enlisted in the
army under an assumed name He
made confession In which he admit.
Ted everything. He gave the name Of
the man whose BODY was Skinned 10
Little Rock as Goodman. Pathbun
met GOODMAN. an indolent character.
IN Louisville snent considerable mon.
ey with him for liuuor. and induced
MIN to go to Teffnrsonville where thew
TOOK room at a hotel Rathhun reg
1stered for himself and Goodman civ.
Ing MS own name as VIM. Ten Fvke
and that of Goodman as "Rathhun &"
i' was noticed that Goodman was con.
siderably under the influence of liouor
"hen the man retired. The next
morning Rathbun went TO breakfast
aiohe stating that his friend desir-
ed TO sleep till noon. When the man
lalled to show up for dinner the door
or his room was forced and he was
round to be dead. In the meantime
hathbun had not returned to the ho-
Tel, and all efforts to locate him failed
until his arrest at the army headuuar-
ters in Louisville. Rathbun had left a
match of his letters in the pockets of
the dead man, from which il was at
hrst inferred that the body was that
or the ex-soldier The coroner's in
quest developed the fact that the
mans death was due to laudanum
poisoning, enough of the drug being
discovered in his stomach to kill half
dozen men. There is little doubt
out that the drug was administered
by Rathbun.
Rathbun has also confessed that his
wlfe was implicated in the scheme to
oe1raud the insurance company. He
lhtimates also that he had other ac-
completes, but If names have been Civ
en- the authorities refuse to make
them public.