Evening star., 1901-11-12
N. C. RATHBUN ARRESTED
HIS SUPPOSED REMAINS LYING IN
LITTLE ROCK.
Latest Development in the Mysterious
Death In Hotel at Jeffer-
sOnyille, Ind.

Newell c. Rathbun, who was supposed tt
have died in Jeffersonvlle, Ind, hote
last Thursday, was arrested in Louisville
yesterday. According to Rathbun the
corpse which shipped to Little Rock
for burial as the body of Rathbun was the
body of W. L. Ten Eycke. The Louisville
police say Rathbun has confessed to deser-
ton from the United States army, and to
| having formed a plan to fraudulently coll
lect $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 ar
! rest was made on information from Sergt.
| Skinner of the United States recruiting
station. Rathbun 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 underwear. Rathbun
said he had bought the garments from a
soldier friend. Another circumstance was
his knowledge of army affairs about Little
Rock. He passed the examination and en-
listed Saturday.
At the detectives office Rathbun, under
pressure made the following statement
according to his inquisitors:
My name is Newell c. Rathbun, and my
H.
moths ago 1 deserted from the army post
at Plattsburg, n. Y, in company with an
other recruit by the name of w. H. Ellis.
1 soon lost sight of him and went to Little
Rock. There l was married, and afterward
took out the insurance policies
Il came to Louisville about ten days ago
and formed plan to make the insurance
company think was dead, so that could
collect the insurance. l fell in with man
who said his name was w. L. Ten Eycke,
in front of the Salvation Army headquar
ters 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 it
in a hotel in Jeffersonville and then set fire
to the hotel.
While we were in Jeffersonvlle we took
a number of drinks, and Ten Eycke got
drinking. l put the letters addressed to
me in his pocket and left. did not kill
him. l then came to Louisville and went
to the recruiting office and enlisted. My
real home is in Detroit.
The police are trying to establish the |
identity of the dead man. One of their |
theories is that he was tramp that Rath-
bun had fallen in with. The police have
telegraphed 20 the Little Rock authorities
to hold the corpse
a gold watch bearing the name "W. H.
Ellis was found on Rathbun. He refuses |
to say where he got it. The police say the
handwriting of Lou Root" the recruit,
was very similar to the signature wv l.. !
Ten Eycke on the Jeffersonville hotel reg |
lSter- coroner C0OtS OF JefterSOnVllle states ]
that he examined the stomach of the dead |
man and found traces of enough laudanum
to kill two men.
A dispatch from Little Rock, Ark says:
The supposed body of Newell c. Rathbun |
was yesterday turned over to the coroner |
and placed in a vault to await an autopsy. |
It is claimed by the authorities that the |
description Of Rathbun does not even agree |
with that of the corpse.
Attorney Henry NJ. Armistead. who has |
been representing the interests of the FAM |
lily visited the, residence where the body |
was lying. and stated that Mrs. Rathbun |
was very hysterical and nervous. She had |
seen the body only once, and that was but |
a brief glance. and since that time had |
been too nearly Frustrated to again un-
dergo the ordeal. Mr.. Armistead declares |
that there is not the remotest evidence of |
on the part of any member of |
the family in the preparation of any
fraud.