Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-11-15
PLANNED BIG FRAUD.
Rathbun confesses In tention to
Beat Insurance Company.
HIS EFFORT TO SECURE SAC, 900 FAILS
Acknowledges That Corpse Found In
Hotel Mt Jcffersonville, Ind, Was
That of Charlcs Goodman, But
Denies Killing Him.


Rathbun, who, according to the po-
lice. has confessed that he planned
to defraud an insurance company out
of $4,000 by pretending that corpse
shipped to Little Rock, Ark, was his
own dead body, has admitted, ac-
cording to the authorities, that the
man who accompanied him to tho ho-
tel in Jeffersonville, Ind, and was
found dead the next day, was Charles
Goodman, who is said to have come
from Evansville, Ind It was stated
Monday that on account of the dis
appearance of Goodman from the Sal
walton Army hotel in Louisville last
Wednesday night with the announced
intention of going to Indiana with a
newly-found friend, and his non.
return, the police thought the dead
man was Goodman. Not until Tues
day, however. would Rathbun admit
that Goodman was the. name of the
man that accompanied him to tho
Jetfersonville hotel
Says 1t Was Goodman.
Chief of Detectives Sullivan and
Chief Applegate and Coroner Coots,
of Jeffersonville, interviewed Ratfbun
Tuesday. Rathbun listened as one by
one the circumstances which the po-
lice regard as proofs OF his guilt
were laid before him by Chief Sulli-
van According to the officers, Rath-
bun suddenly sprang up, and walking
hastily to.a window, looked out for
. few minutes Then, turning like
an animal Ht bay, he faced the crowd
of men in the room, and asked, in a
shaking voice:
What is the punishment for of
lenses of this kind in Indiana? Does
the death penalty exist there?"
Never mind about the penalty,
Rathhun." said Capt. Sulliyan; 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 he said: you are on the right
track. Goodman is the name of the
dead nan. I met him in front of the
Salvation Army and determined to
keep him drunk for several days and
, then fax him" Here he stopped, and
then he said: IF ! should make q
confession. it would be printed in the
! papers. and would turn the peopla
against me-"
f, 70 Reauisition Naeded.
! He then lansed into sullen silence,
end would say nothing else. When
Questioned further. he denied having
given Goodman laadanum. end said
be mes.2d haze made use Of ehloEo-
tpsx1a Flo then refassd TO go back
TO fmaiaas. without ets4aisisioa pa
pess. COD 1oan r.. Hsa#asa I.psteh
States ,seeruisii.g etsie9. hera, Nuti6ed
Chief sta1i"tln that ~, requisstton WIN
he necessary Tor fhe return af lsathl
bun 10 JetfessonviNe. Ind. He says
that Rathbun is NOW a. government
prisoner. charged with desertion, and
rs soon as he can communicate with
Washington he will have the prisoner
taken over. The Jeffersonyille an,
| thorities will make claim for the GUS
tody OF Rathbnn on o charge of m4r-
I der.
Denies Killing Goodman.
| Further efforts to secure complete
I; confession were unavailing, and Rath-
bun was taken back to Jail just be.
fore this, however. he made the fol.
! lowing statement to Chief of Detect.
/! ives Sullivan:
II admit everything except that
! killed Goodman. meant to kill him
and kept him drunk for the purpose
but he died of alcoholism and was
| forced to make way with him. Ny
story about an accomplfce named
| Blanchard was fictitious. acted
alone ap9 without confederate"
Special jury for the Case.
| Jeffersonville, Ind, Nov. iS.-,Indge
James K, Marsh, OF the county circui,
court, will empapel special grand
| jury Monday to consider the case Of
; Rathbun. The regular term of the
! According to Coroner Coot's report Of
/ the interview with Rathbun Tuesday
! Rathbun said the plan to defraud the
/ insurance company was suggested tc
him by the fact that man who died
In Little Rock recently carried 500,
900 life insurance.
4 Ha. a Rig Majority.
/ Birmingham, Ala, Nov. 1S.--Partia
: returns from every county in Ala
bama indicate that the new consti
tuition has been ratified BY nearly 30,
600 vetes. The black belt counties