The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-12
PLAN BROKEN UP.
Scheme to Defraud Insurance
Company Comes to Naught.

Louisville KY, Nov. 12-Newell c..
Rathbun, who was supposed to have
died in a Jeffersonville Ind, hotel
Thursday, after having been insured
for $4,000 in Little Rock, Ark, has been
here According to Rathbun, the body
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 deser-
ton from the United States army and
to a plan to collect fraudulently $4,000
insurance on his life. but that he denies
having killed the man who died in the
JeferSonville hotel The death of the
man in Jeffersonville, the doctors say,
was due to laudanum poisoning. Rath-
bun was arrested about IL o'clock this
morning at the United States recruit
ing station in Louisville, where he en-
listed Saturday. He is held as 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 Sergeant Skinner had read
the story of the Jeffersonville case and
the new recruit aroused his suspicious.
Lou Root" or Rathbun wore suit of
government underwear, but explained
to the sergeant that he had bought the
garments from a soldier. Another sus-
picious circumstance was his knowl-
edge of army affairs about Little Rock.
At the police station Rathbun made
this statement:
MY name is Newell c. Rathbun and
my home is in Little Rock, Ark. Sew
eral months ago I deserted from the
army post at Plattsburg, N. Y, in COM
pany with another recruit by the name
of w. H Ellis. 1 soon lost sight of him
and went on to Little Rock. There
was married and afterwards took out
the insurance policies.
Il came to Louisville about ten days
ago and formed a plan to make the in
I
that I could collect the insurance. 1
fell in with a man who said his name
was w. L. TenEyl1e in front of the Sal
walton army 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 a
hotel in Jeffersonville and then set fire
to the hotel.
while we were in Jeffersonvil1e we
took a number of drinks and TenEyke
got drunk. / think his death was
caused by drinking. 1 put the letters
addressed to me in his pocket and left
/ did not kill him. 1 then came to
Louisville and went to the recruiting
office and enlisted. My real home is in
Detroit
The police are trying to establish the
identity of "TenEyke,'' the dead man,
where it had been sent as that of Rath-
bun One of their theories is that he
was a tramp. The police have tele-
graphed to Little Rock authorities to
the name of wv. II. Ellis" was found
in Rathbun's pockets. He refuses to
say where he got it, The police say
the handwriting of Lou Root" the re-
cruit, is very similar to the signature,
'fW. L. TenEyke.' on the Jacksonville
hotel register
Coroner Coots of Jeffersonville states
that he examined the stomach of the
dead man and found traces of enough
1audanum to kill two men.
Rathbun said later that at Piatts-
burg, N. Y, he and a corporal fixed up
plan to collect the $4,000 insurance.
said:
THE plan was to slip a stiff into
some hotel, then set fire to the building
after having left letters and papers of
mine in the pockets of the .stiffs'
clothing. OF course when the hotel
burned we expected the stiff to be
burned too, or at least SO scorched that
no one could recognize him"
He says the corporal came to Louis
vile, and under their arrangement the
corporal was to secure the stiff
Rathbun hints that the corporal drug
ged the victim, if he was drugged. He
says he does not know where the cor
pOral is now.