The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-11-17
LIFE INSURANCE SWINDLERS.
RATHBUN CASE RECALLS SOME
AMAZING FRAUDS,
A 'Dead" Man Goes with His Mother
20 Collect the Policy on His Life
A Grave Robbed to Furnish Proof
OF ATTENDS His Own Funeral.

tried 10 swtndle the Metropolitan Life
Insurance Company at Little Rock out OF
1900, and Is now under arrest charged
with numbering the man whose body was
believed TO be his, recalls some remarkable
attempts to get money by fraud from life
insurance companies.
Rathbun has said that ne had intended
10 get the lead body into some hotel. then
set fire TO the building after having left
papers and letters Of his wi In the dead
mans clothes. When the hotel was burned
he expected, he said, hat the dead body
would be at least so badly scorched that
no one could identify 1t.
A case based on plans tust like Rath-
buns occurred In 1872 In Baltimore. A
man named W. 8. Goss had his life insured
for $4,000. One policy was for 5000 In
the Mutual Life Of this city, one for the same
amount In the Connecticut Life, and another
for $4,000 in the Travellers Of Hartford
and a fourth for IS 900 In the Knickerbocker
Of New York. Goss and his brother-in-
law, William Undertook. according to the
account given by Goss's brother, went to
= frame cottage In the country Goss's
lamp went out.
Undertook hurried to q neighbors "a
get another lamp. On his return he and
two friends discovered that the Gotta &c
where Goss was stopping was In flames.
After the fire had been put out a body
% burned as TO be past recognition or
Identification. was found in the ruins.
II Coroner held an inquest. The YER
tersely, thus: Nv. S. Gcss came to his
death by the explosion of an oil lamp
III insurance companies made an In
vestigation. Certain facts strengthened
a suspicion Of fraud. But there was abso-
lutely nothing in the way of direct proof.
However, the companies refused to pay
the insurance money. The widow brought
suit. The action against n company
rs a test took place in the Circuit Court
Of the United States at Baltimore,
The jury. after a elaboration OF FIVE
hours, brought in a verdict for Mrs. Goss
for the full amount of the insurance, with
interest. This verdict was rendered in
June o, 1873.
Twenty-four days afterward. Udder-
Kook, learning. that the companies had
made motion for a new trial, contending
that Goss was alive, arrived at the hotel
of the little village of Fennerville, Chester
county, Pa. 1t was Q o'clock at night.
He was accompanied by a man whom he
spoke of as his friend, but did not mention
bis name.
The next evening he drove away In a
buggy with his friend. He returned alone
at midnight. A week afterward the body
vi ~ lbahiA W N tNAAAA NJ NAo "DcoH al NAA'
neighborhood. The body was that Of
U~dderzook's friend. A dirk knife or some
other sharp instrument had caused the
mans death, the Coroner's jury decided
udderzook was arrested and put on trial
for murder.
In the course OF the trial il came out that
Goss, following his death" at the cottage
fire. arrived at the Central Hotel, Phila-
delphia, where he registered as A. c. Will
son" He then went TO Cooperstown, Pa,
uhara ha hna r1aI snIna rnnufhS and affair
ward to Newark, y. j., where he lived
till June 25. 1879. On that day he went to
Philadelphia where in The William Penn
Hotel he met Udderzook. The two then
went to Tenneville.
A. c. Wilson'S body found in the woods
a week afterward was fully identified as
hat of toss by Baltimore citizens. So
Goss lost his life in his effort TO secure that
$4,000 insurance; His brother-in-law,
U~dderzook, lost his life, too. for doing away
with "A. c. Wilson He was convicted
Of the murder of Co.'S and was hanged
on Nov. ~, 1874.
William Radlor. a Young married man
was living alone in 1892 in a house near
Seattle, Wash, when II was burned TO
the ground. In the ruins we're the charred
remains of a man. IL wal decided that
that II was Radlof's. A portion Of his
trousers that had escaped destruction
was identified by neighbors who knew him
we'll. His wife was visiting her parents
at Tacoma.
A handsome young man named Louis
Kostrauch who had boarded with the Rad
lois was absent, too. II was known 10y
the neighbor- that Kostrauch was de-
voted TO Mis. hadlof The authorities
came 20 the conclusion that Ko-trauch had
murdered KadlOf lie was arrested. lie
had a love letter In his pocket from Mrs,
Radlof. also a money order made out fof
her by her husband The police searched
no further But other people did
n Ma dINptNsrsi thar uIf hin fWt months
Radon hat taken out s55 .OOJ Ia life iHzur-
ance, s2u,OD iu the New York Life. 5000
in tho Equltabl" and ti5,OO IN the Mutual
IAtr. kOrtrauch, squr'l~d 10 ~" wall 10y
certain discuNsUts, cpnfrs-d that "a few
days after Radon had ras-rd he medical
examination be- and hadlur went b. thf
dead ~ night 90 a ormrt'fy aud dug up tht
body Of u - lsvln, % Hrlghhnf u abpui
che -ain" ag' a- Radon, Who had died d
month lsfupf Tho lEIy 49, thru stripped,
auaif Of hail,n o. trIuHsr- a,rr drawn DNrl
ths hmhs aui 10 h.-ly sss laid tu hailun
lid The Iuu-f NaH fltu ~f uI NJ"
ltfluf started tiu .afuH 10 Ftt iuf Nal
fraHrHHY ha-IIaurl HaII tlai % uar tli
Intention ~ ittdlHn aui ilWHIt afrr tis)
49, thr g. 900 IA. nsst iu '%"rHHnh Fl"i'
fsg Nulii rllYF tlr lfr lHsuUaU.r money
S. attrml iu l.aivIuk 90 htr u.-ufar,r
CliuIauy WlfNHuf any u.ad lai' De- 600
ras al al t,sA pla's iu fu.ilH '' iis
ini-sisI NuIm $40 thr NartHIII.u latr 4
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hlsnIau faHt taraf th. taTHar Ii. OIL
taIu.i h.Iu ih. iHuf.I rt.U' ~ tF 'fu
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