Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1901-11-15
N CRATHBUN ARRESTED
Man Supposed to be Dead Found
in Louisville, Ky.
TRIED TO COLLECT INSURANCE
Fle Shipped Body to Little Rock,
Ark In An Effort to Collect $4,000
Insurance On His Life-Is a De-

BE Shipped Body to Little Rock,
Ark In An Effort to Collect $4,000
Insurance On His Life-Is a De-
serter From United States Army.
Louisville, KY, Nov. 12.-Newell C.
Rathbun, who was supposed to have
been dead in a Jacksonville, Ind,
hotel last Thursday, was arrested in
Louisville yesterday. According to
Rathbun, the corpse which was
shipped to Little Rock for burial as
the body of Rathbun was the body
Of W. L. Ten Eyke. The police say
Rathbun has confessed to desertiOn
from the United States army and to
having formed plan to fraudulently
collect $4,000 insurance on his life,
but that he denies having killed the
man who died in the Jacksonville
hotel.
Rathbun was arrested at the United
States recruiting station in Louisville.
He is held as fugitive from justice
At the detectives Office Rathbun
was put through the sweating process,
and under pressure made the follow
ing statement, according to his in
quisitors:
my name is Newell C. Rathbun,
and my home is in Little Rock, Ark.
Several months ago I deserted from
the army post at Plattsburg, N. Y, in
company with another recruit by the
name Of Ellis. soon lost sight Of
him, and went to Little Rock. There
was married, and afterward took out
the insurance policies.
Il came to Louisville about ten
days ago and formed a plan to make
the Insurance company think l was
dead, so that I could collect the in
surance. l fell in with a man, who
said his name was w. L. Ten Eyke,
in front of the Salvation Army head
quarters 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 a hotel in JEFF
fersonville and then set fire to the
hotel"
Coroner Coots, Of Jacksonville,
states that he examined the stomach
OF the dead man and found traces of
enough laudanum to kill two men.
For a moment Rathbun looked at
the group of faces before him, and
then said:
you are on the right track. Good.
man is the name of the dead man. [
met him in front of the Salvation
Army Hotel and determined to keep
him drunk for several days and then
fix him."
When questioned further, Rathbun
denied having given Goodman lauda-
mum, and said he would have made
use of chloroform. He then refused
to go back to Indiana without reuuisi-
ton papers.
Just before he was taken back TO
jail Rathbun made the following state.
ment to Chief of Detectives Sullivan:
Il admit everything except that |
killed Goodman. l meant to kill him.
and kept him drunk for the purpose.
but he died of alcoholism and | was
not forced to make way with him.
Mystery about the accomplice named
Blanchard was fictitious. l acted alone
and without a confederate"
It is said that Goodman, who was
Of rowing nature, came to this city
on October 20 and put up at the Sal
walton Army Hotel. He repeatedly
told the clerk, J. c. Pelton, that he
did not have any money and did not
know how he would get out of the
city. Mr.. Pelton says that about noon
last Wednesday Goodman entered the
hotel and remarked that he had "iust
met an easy mark" who had given
him a quarter. Il have an engage.
ment with him tonight, and he is go
ing to show me how to make some
money" continued Goodman.
Body Held For Autopsy.
Little Rock, Ark, Nov. 12.-The
supposed body of Newell c. Rathbun
was turned over to the coroner YES.
terday and placed in a vault to await
an autopsy. 1t is claimed by the au-
thorities that the description of Rath-
bun does not even agree with that of
the corpse.
Chief of Police MacMahon received
the following telegram from the chief
of police of Louisville: Have arrested
N. c. Rathbun. Hold corpse you have
until further orders"