The San Francisco call., 1901-11-13
RATHBUN TELLS
STRANGE STORY
Admits That He Planned
to Defraud Insurance
Company.
Prisoner Denies That He Is
Responsible for Good
mans Death.

LOUISVILLE, KY, Nov. 12.-Newell c.
Rathbun, who, according to the police,
mas confessed that he planned to defraud
an insurance company out of $4,000 by pre-
tending that corpse shipped to Little
Rock was his own dead body, to-day ad-
mftted, according to the authorities, that
the man who accompanied him to the
hotel in Jeffersonville, Ind, and was
found dead the next day was Charles
Goodman, who is said to have come from
Evansville, Ind
Colonel John d. Rodman. United States
recruiting officer here, notified Chief Sui
llVan to-day that no reQuiSition will be
necessary for the return of Rathbun to
Jacksonville, Ind. He says Rathbun is
now a Federal prisoner, charged with de-
sertiOn, and will, as soon as he can COM
municate with Washington, have the pris-
Oner turned over.
The Jeffersonville authorities will make
claim for the custody of Rathbun on
a charge of murder Rathbun said to
Chief of Detectives Sullivan:
Il admit everything except that killed
Goodman: l meant to kill him and kept
him drunk for that purpose, but he died
OF alcoholism and l was not forced to
make way with him. My. story about an
accomplice named Blanchard was ficti-
tous. l acted alone and without con-
federate."
Goodman Was of a Rowing Nature.
1t is said that Goodman, who was of a
rowing nature, came 10 this city October
19 and took up quarters with the Saliva
ton Army, He repeatedly told the clerk
that he did not have any money and did
not know how he would get out of the
city.
The clerk, j. c. Pelton. saws that about
last "Wednesday Goodman entered the
hotel and remarked he had met IAN easy
mark who had given him a quarter Il
have got an engagement with him at
O'Clock tonight and he is going TO show
h0y To T1aG
Goodman.
Shortly before o'clock, Pelton says, he
saw Goodman meet a man answering the
description of Rathbun in front of the
hotel. Detective Donohue followed the
clew and found that two men who
answer the description of Rathbun and
Goodman appeared in the Falls City
Hotel in Jeffersonville about s o'clock.
Rathbun registered for both and they
were assigned to different rooms.
In about half an hour they reappeared
in the Office and the clerk says that the
man whom Rathbun had said was Ten
eyke had on a different coat and vest than
when he went TO the room. He had also
added a collar to his attire. The two left
the hotel, saying they would return.
More Evidence Against the Prisoner.
According to Pelton's story Goodman
returned to the Salvation Army Hotel
shortly after o'clock with a new coat
/ and vest on and also a collar and neck
tie. Pelton says he joked him about the
change in his appearance and Goodman
said he had got the clothes from an ''easy
mark he had met in the morning. Good
man told Pelton to check him off, as he
was going to spend the night in Indiana
with his friend. Goodman went in short
time and has not been seen at the hote
since.
The Jeffersonville Coroner to-day iden-
titled a pair of trousers found in Rath-
buns grip as being of a suit the coat and
vest of which were on the corpse found
at the Falls City Hotel.
The Louisville detectives to-day received
kilograms from the Chief of Police al
Little Rock giving an exhaustive descrip-
ton of the corpse forwarded from JEFF
fersonville as that of Rathbun. In almost
every particular the description tallies
with that of Goodman.