The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-11-12
NOT lEAD,AFIER ALL
Insurance Case Mystery Being
Cleared Up
RA1HBUN ARRESTED IN LOUISVILLE.
Man Whose Supposed Dead Body Was
Sent to Little Rock, Ark, F0r
Burial COnfesxes n Scheme
d. To DefrNUN,


to DefrRud.
LOUISVILLE, KY, Nov. 12.-Newell
G. Rathbun, who was supposed to have
been dead in Il .Jeffersonyille UnuJ no.
tel last Thursday. has been arrested in
Louisville. According to ItathbuD, the
corpse which was shipped to Little
Rock for burial as the body of Rath,
bun was the body Of W. J.. Ten Eyke.
The police say Rathbun has confessed
to deserton from the UuHed States
army and to having formed n plan to
fraud,ilenily collect $4,000 insurance on
his life. but that he denies haring
killed the man who died in the JEFF.
fersonville hotel.
Ralhbun was arrested at the United
States recruiting station in Louisville
He is held rs Il fugitive from Justice.
The arrest was made on information
from Sergeant Skinner of the United
States recruiting station. Rathbun en-.
listed under the name OF Lou Root
Detroit. Sergean, Skinner had read
the story Of the .Itfiersonvllp case. and
circumstances connected with the new
recruit aroused his suspicious. One of
these was the fact that the man had
on Il government suit OF underwear
nathbln said he had bought the gar.
ments from soldier friend Anothe,
circumstance was mis- knowledge Of
army affairs about Little Rock.
He passed the examination and en-.
listed Saturday.
At the detectives office Rathbun was
put through the sweating process and
under pressure made the following
statement according to his inulisl
tors:
My name is Newell G. Kathbuu. and
my home is in Little Rock, Ark. Sev
eral months ago l deserted from the
army post ut Tlattsburg, \. u. in com,
pany with another recruit Of The name
Of W. III. Ellis. soon lost sight OF
him and went to Little Rock. There
was married and aftprwnrd took out
the insurance policies.
81 came to Louisville about ten
days ago and formed Il plan to make
the insurance company think was
dead. so that could collect the nsur.
ancc. fell in with Il man who said
his name was W. R Ten Eyke in front
Of the Salvation srny headquarters in
Louisville and told him of my plan
and he agreed to help me. Our plan
was to obtain a corpse from some
place. put it in hotel in jefferson
vile aud then set fire to the hotel.
"While we were in .Ieffersonvile We
took number of drinks. and Ten Eykt
got drunk. think his death was caus
ell by drinking | put the letters al
dressed to NE in his pocket and left.
, did no, kill him. | then came to Louis
vile and went to the recruiting office
and enlisted. My real home is in Dc
troit.'
The police are trying to establish the
identity of the dead man. One of thcil
theories is that he was n tramp that
Rathbun had fallen in with. The police
have telegrnphed to the Little Rock
authorities TO hold the corpse. A gold
watch bearing the name "W. H. Ellis
was found Oh Itathbun. He refuses To
sny where lie got it.. The police say
the handwriting Of Lou Root" the re.
cruit, was very similar to the signature
"a. l.. Ten Eyke" on the Jcffersonville
hotel register.
Coroner Co0tS of Jcffersonvilp states
that he examined The stomach of the
dead man and found traces of enough
laudauum to Kill two men.