The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-13
He MEANT TO KILL
RATHBUN, THE LOUISVILLE PRS
ONER, CONFEssEs TO PAR
TIAL GUILT
DENIES DELIBERATE MURDER
Goodman Was the Name of the Man
Found Dead in the Hotel at
Jefersonville. Ind,
Last Week.

z LOUISVILLE, KY, Nov. R.-Newell c.
Rathbun, who, according to the police,
has confessed that he planned to de-
fraud an insurance company out of Sl-
0c0 by pretending that a corpse shipped
to Little Rock, Ark, was his own body,
today admitted. according to the authori-
ties, that the man who accompanied him
to the hotel in Jeffersonville, Ind, and
was found dead the next day, was.
Charles Goodman, who is said to nave
come from Evansville Ind.
Today Rathbun listened as one by one
the circumstances which the police re-
gard as proofs of his guilt were laid be-
fore him by Chief of Detectives Sullivan.
According to the officers Rathbun sud
denly sprang up, and walking hastily to
a window, looked out for a few minutes.
Then turning like an animal at bay. he
faced the crowd of men in the room ana
asked in a shaking voice:
What is the punishment for offenSes
of this kind in Indiana? Does the death
penalty exist there?''
Never mind about the penalty, Rath-
bun,'' said Sullivan. What we arc in
terested in is the name of the dead man."
For moment Rathbun looked at the
group of faces before him and then he
said: you are on the right track Good
man is the name of the dead man.
met him in front of the Salvation Army.
and determined to keep him drunk for
several days and then fix him.
When questioned he denied having CIV
en- Goodman laudanum, and said he
would have made use of chloroform He
then refused to go back to Indiana with
out requisition papers.
Further efforts to secure a complete
confession were unavailing, and Rath-
bun was taken back to Jail. Just before
this, however, he made the following
statement: Il admit everything except
that killed Goodman. l meant to kill
MN, and kept him drunk for the purpose,
but he died of alcoholism, and I was not
forced to make away with him. 1 acted
alone and without confederate,
1t IS said that Goodman, who was of a
rowing nature, came to this city Oct 90
and took up quarters at the Salvation
Army. He repeatedly told the clerk. ].
Z. ,Pelton, that he did not have any
money, and did not know how he would
get out of the city. Mr.. Pelton says that
last Wednesday, shortly after z o'clock.
he saw Goodman meet a man answerino
Rathbun's description in front of the
hotel.
Detectlye Donahue followed this cline
and found that the two men who answer
the descriptions Of Rathbun and Good
man appeared in the Falls City hotel in
JeHersonville about s O'Clock. Ratbba.n
registered for besh and they were assign
ed to different rooms. In about half an
hoar they appeared in the office and left
the hotel saying they would return.
Ihe Jeffersonville coroner TODAY idenfl-
ned e pair of trousers found in Rathbun's
grip as being of a suit the coat and yest
OF which were on the corpse found at the
Falls City hotel
Ihe Louisville detectives today received
Ielegrams from the chief of police at
Little Rock. giving description of the
corpse forwarded from Jeffersonyille as
mat OF Rathbun. In almost every par
ticplar the descriptions tailed with that
of Goodman.
The authorities of Little Rock. Ark.
nave announced that they will have the
supposed Newell c. Rathbun, now under
arrest at Louisville, KY, brougI< here
TO testify in the inquest over the corpse
sent here as the body of Rathbun. whose
life was insured Tor 81, 900. 1t is supposed
that there will be enough acouaintances
OF Rathbun to identify him positively
when he is brought back.