Evening journal., 1901-11-12
RATHBUN NOW
UNDER ARREST
Man Supposed to be Dead
Found in Louisville
ShippcdBOdV to Little Rock, in an
Effort TO Collect $4,000 In
SuranCe on His Life

Louisville. Ky. Nov 12.-Newell c.
Rathbun. who was supposed to have
been dead in a Jefersonville. 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 a plan to fraudulently
collect $4,000 insurance on his life,
but that he denies having killed the
man who died in the Jeffersonville
hotel.
Rathbun was arrested at the United
States recruiting station in Louisville.
He is held as fugitive from justice.
The arrest was made on information
from Sergeant Skinner of the United
States recruiting station. Rathbn en-
listed under the name of Lou Root"
Detroit. Sergeant Skinner had re-
ceived the story of the Jeffersonville
case, and circumstances connected
with the new recruit aroused his sus-
picions One of these was the fact
that the man had on a government
suit of underwear Rathbun said he
had bought the garments from a sol
dier friend.
Rathbun's Statement.
At the detectives Office Rathbun
] ,sf oh, ~, fv,r-
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 / deserted from
tho army post at Plattsburg, ~ Y, in
company with another recruit by the
name of Ellis. | soon lost sight of
him, and went to Little Rock There
l was married, and afterward took out
the insurance policies.
81 came to Louisville about ten
days ago and formed a plan to make
the insurance company think / was
dead, so that | could collect the in.
surance. | 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 il in a hotel in JEFF
fersonville and then set fire to the
hotel
while we were in JeffersOnville we
took a number of drinks and Ten
Eyke got drunk. think his death
was caused by drinking. put the
letters addressed to me in his pockets
and left. / did not kill him. | then
came to Louisville and went TO the
recruiting Office and enlisted. My real
home is in Detroit"
The police are trying to establish
J the identity of the dead man. One of
their theories is that he was tramp
that Rathbun had fallen in with. A
gold watch bearing the name "W II.
Ellis was found on Rathbun. He re.
fuses to say where he got it.
Coroner Coots, of JeffersOnville
states that he examined the stomach
Of the dead man and found traces OF
enough laudanum to kill two men.
Rathbun said last night in an inter
view that at Plattsburg Barracks, ~
Y, he and corporal fixed up the
d plan to collect the $4,000 insurance
i He says the plan was TO slip a stiff
into some hotel, then set fire to the
y hnilding after having left letters and
papers Of mine in the pockets of the
stiff's' clothes. OF course. when the
I hotel burned we expected the 'stiff
? to be burned up, too, or at least sc
. scorched that no one could recogniz,
him"
T. He says the corporal came t
' Louisville and under their agreement
the corporal was to secure the stiff.
Body Held Eor Autopsy.
= Little Rock, Ark. Nov. 12.-Th'
supposed body of Newell c. Rathbm
p. was turned over to the coroner yes
"a. terday and placed in a vault to awai
L. an autopsy II is claimed by the an
thorities that the description Of Rath
BIN does not even agree with that o
j. the corpse.
:; Attorney Henry NJ Armistead, VIII
Il has been representing the interest
q. Of the family. visited the residenc
To- where the body was lying. and say
e. that Mrs. Rathbun is so hysterica
r. and nervous that she hardly know
al what she has said. He declares tina
y she has seen the body only once, an
that was but a bref glance and sine
If that time has been too nearly pro-
nj trated TO undergo the ordeal again
Chief OF Police MacMahon receive
re the following telegram from the chi,
ls of police ~ Louisville: "Have arreste
lc n q Ratbbrn TIo1a co,rs. 500, ba,