The Monticellonian., 1901-11-22
ARKANSAS STAIE NEVS.
Terrible Crime Committed With the Object of Defrauding an
 Insurance Company.
OCCURRENCES OF WEEK BRIEFLY STATED
Movement Started at Pine BIun' to Organ ize a National Law and Order League
 Among Colored PeopIe.-Jealous uus-
Rathbun Under Arrest.

Newell c. Rathbun, who attempted to defraud an insurance company out Of $4,000 by having it appear that he died at hotel in Jeffersonville, Ind. and whose supposed remains were shipped to Little Rock for burial, is under arrest at Louisville, and will have to answer to the charge of mur- der. The facts in the case are as fol lows. Rathbun, several months ago, was stationed at Little Rock as re- cruting officer for the army. There he met young lady to whom he pro- posed that they get married. After setting up housekeeping he was to se- cure body, burn the house and hay the body appear as his remains. The wife was then to collect his life in surance, and later they would take up their residence in some foreign coun- try. The lady to whom this proposi- tion was made refused to have any thing further to do with Rathbun. Shortly thereafter he was married Miss Susie Lundy, Of Little Rock, daughter of a well known and respect ed journeyman tailor. Rathbun was then ordered to Plattsburg, N. Y, ' last. Nothing more was heard from him. until his wife received letter November 2d, stating that he had se- cured a furlough and was en route to pay her a visit at Little Rock Then came the news of his sudden death at Jeffersonville, Ind. His supposed re- mains were shipped to Little Rock, Those who knew Rathbun declared the body was that of some other party. Detectives went to work on the case, and in less than twenty-four hours the real Rathbun was arrested at Louis vile, where he had re-enlisted in the army under an assumed name. He made confession in which he admit ted everything. He gave the name of the man whose body was shipped to Little Rock as Goodman. Rathbun met Goodman, an indolent character. in Louisville, spent considerable mon ey with him for liquor. and induced him to go to Jeffersonville, where they took a room at a hotel Rathbun reg istered for himself and Goodman, giv- ing his own name as Wm. Ten Eyke. and that of Goodman as "Rathbun . It was noticed that Goodman was con siderably under the influence of liquor when the man retired. The next morning Rathbun went to breakfast alone, stating that his friend" desir- ed to sleep till noon. When the man failed to show up for dinner the door found to be dead In the meantime Rathbun had not returned to the ho- tel, and all efforts to locate him failed until his arrest at the army headquar- ters in Louisville. Rathbun had left a batch of his letters in the pockets of the dead man, from which it was at first inferred that the body was that of the ex-soldier. The coroner's in quest developed the fact that the mans death was due to laudanum poisoning, enough of the drug being discovered in his stomach to kill half dozen men. There is little doubt but that the drug was administered by Rathbun.
 Rathbun has also confessed that his wife was implicated in the scheme to defraud the insurance company. He intimates also that he had other ac- complices, but if names have been giv- en the authorities refuse to make them public.