The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-11-13
DESERTER RATHBUN'S PLOT
IDENTITY OF THE BODY PASSED
 OFF 1S HIS.

The Prisoner Declares the Body is That l of Charles Goodman of Evansville, l Ind. -JeffersonviIle Authorities Will Claim the Custody of Rathbun on n Charge of Murder.
 | Louisville, Ky, Nov. 12,-Newell C..
 Rathbun, who according to the police
 has confessed that he planned to de- fraud an insurance company out of $4,-
 900 by pretending that a corpse shipped to Little Rock, Ark, was his own dead
 body, to-day admit ted, according to the authorities, that the man who accom-
 panied him to the hotel in Jefferson vile, Ind, and was found dead the next day, was Charles Goodman, who is said
 to Lave come from Evansville Ind. Chief of Detective Sullivan and Chief Applegate and Coroner Coots of Jeffer- sonville interviewed Rathbun to-day.
 Rathbun listened as one by one the cir
 cumstances which the police regard as
 proofs of his guilt were laid before him
 by Chief Sullivan. According to the OlllCtIS IldlHDuIl SuuuSllly Spld ans uP,
 and walking hastily to a window, look
 ed out for a few minutes. Then turn
 ing like an animal at bay, he faced the
 crowd of men in the room and asked in q 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 Captain Sullivan. What we are interested in is the name of the dead man."
 For 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. I 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 acquisition papers.
 Colonel John D. Rodman, United States recruiting officer here, notified Chief Sullivan to-day that no requisi- tion will be necessary for the return of Rathbun to Jeffersonville He says that Rathbun Is now a government prisoner charged with desertion and as soon as he can communicate with Washington he will have the prisoner taken over.
 The Jeffersonville authorities will make claim for the custody of Rath- bun on a charge of murder.
 Just before he was taken back to jail Rathbun made the following statement to Chief of Detectives Sullivan: T admit everything except that I killed Goodman. I 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. My story about the accomplice named Blanchard was fictitious. I acted alone and with out a confederate"
 "Blanchard," according to the story Rathbun told yesterday, was a corporal whom Rathbun became acquainted with at Plattsburgh, N. Y. It is said that Goodman. who was of a rowing nature, came to this city on October 20 and put up at the Salvation 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.
 MT Pelton says that about noon last Wednesday Goodman entered the hotel and remarked that he had just met an easy mark" who had given him a quar- ter 1T have an engagement with him tonight and he Is going to show me how to make some money" continued Goodman.
 Shortly before o'clock Pelton says he saw Goodman meet a man answer the hotel. Detectives followed the clew and found that the two men who answer the descriptions of Rathbun | and Goodman appeared in the Falls l City hotel at Jeffersonville about s o'clock. Rathbun registered for both and they were assigned to different | rooms.
 In about half an Eour they appeared | in the office and the hotel clerk says ! that the man whom Rathbun said was Ten Eyck had changed his attire, The two left the hotel saying they would re- turn.
 According to Pelton's story Goodman to the Salvation Army hotel shortly after o'clock with new coat and vest on and also collar and neck tie. Goodman told Pelton to check him off as he was going to spend the night in Indiana with his friends Goodman then went out and has not been seen at the hotel since.
 The Jeffersonville coroner to-day identified pair of trousers found in grip as being of a suit the coat and vest of which were on the corpse found at the Falls City hotel The Louisville police are not sure that he prisoners name is Rathbun. It Is believed his home is in Detroit. The lext step in the case will be to attempt 70 settle Rathbun's identity. to dis ,over the cause of Goodman's death md whether any arrests yet remain to ,e made in the case.