The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-12
Placed Under Arrest by United
States Authorities Charged
with Being a Deserter From
the Regular Army
MORE SERIOUS CHARGE
MAY BE PREFERRED
He CIeverIy Planned TO Collect
Insurance Policy on His Life
by PaIming Off Body Of Another
as His 0wn-Now Suspected
of Murder

Louisville, KY, Nov. 11.-Newell c,
died in a Jacksonville, Ind, hotel last
Thursday, was arrested in Louisville
today. According to him. the corpse
which was shipped to Little Rock for
l.. Ten Eyke. The police say Rath-
bun has confessed to desertion from
the United States army and to having
formed plan to fraudulently, collect
$4,000 insurance on his life, but that he
denies having killed the man who died
in the Jacksonville hotel.
Rathbun was arrested this morning
at the United States recruiting station
in Louisville. He is held as q fugitive
from justice.
The arrest was made on information
from Sergt Skinner, of the United
States recruiting station. Rathbun, it
is alleged, enlisted under the name Of
Lou Root, Detroit" Sergt. Skinner
had read the story of the Jeffersonville
case and circumstances connected with
the new recruit aroused his suspicious.
One of these was the fact that the man
had on a government suit of under
wear. Rathbun said he bought the gar
ments from a soldier friend. Another
circumstance was his knowledge of
army affairs about Little Rock He
passed the examination and enlisted
Saturday.
At the detectives office Rathbun was
put through the sweating process and
under pressure made the following
statement, according to his inquisitors:
my name IS Newell C. Rathbun and
my home is in Little Rock, Ark. Several
months ago, deserted from the army
post at ,Plattsburg, N. Y, in company
with another recruit by the name of w
H. Ellis. soon lost sight of him, and
went to Little Rock, There l was
married, and afterward took out the
insurance policies.
II came to Louisville about 10 days
ago and formed a plan to make the in
surance company think / was dead, SC
that | could collect the insurance.
fell in with a man who said his name
was w. L. Ten Eyke, in front Of the
salvation Army headquarters in Louis.
Vile, and told him of my plan and he
obtain a corpse from some place, put
| it in a hotel in Jeffersonville, and ther
set fire to the hotel.
while we were in Jeffersonville W.
took a number of drinks and Ter
Eyke got drunk. I think his dealt
was caused by drinking. l put the let
tiers addressed to me in his pocket an(
left. / did not Kill him. then came
to Louisville and went to the recruiting
office and enlisted. My real home i
in Detroit
The police are trying to establish TIL
identity of the dead man. One of thei
theories is that he was a tramp, tina
Rathbun had fallen in with. The polio,
have telegraphed to the Little Rocl
authorities to hold the corpse. A golC
watch bearing the name wv. H. Ellis,
was found on Rathbun. He refuses t
say where he got 1t. The police say
the handwriting of Lou Root" the re
cruit was very similar to the sigma
ture 'W, L. Ten Eyke" on the Jeffer.
sonville hotel register.
Coroner Coots of Jacksonville, states
that he examined the stomach of the
dead man and found traces of enough
laudanum to kill two men.