The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-07
REQUEST TO
 MRS. BURDICK 7 .ltnur Pennell Left Her ( $25,OOO.. HE WAS 4 DEFAULTER Said to Have Robbed Clients
 of About $200, 900. Had His Life Insured Heavily to Reimburse Them, and Then
 Committed Suicide, Runs
 the Story.

BuAalo. N. r., April s.-The commer- cial this afternoon publishes a story in which it Is alleged that Arthur R. Pen nell, who was killed in an automobile accident on March 10, was . defaulter to the extent of from 3150.ooo to S2oo,0oo. The story, The Commercial says; leaked out as the result of a legal dispute over two life insurance policies.
 Wallace Taylor, who was Pencils att torney and intimate friend, is referred to by the paper as saying he had sus- pected irregularities put that he had no proof of any such wrong-doing.
 Incidentally 1t has been learned that Pennell made provision for the payment to Mrs. Edwin L.. Burdick of $250oo out of his life insurance.
 Was Heavily Insured.
 Pennen carried over s2oo.00o life insur- ance in order, The Commercial says, that after his death the Eastern estates to which he is alleged to have been a de- faulter, might be able to recoup the losses which they sustained through him. In, his will Pennell named as admins trator of his estate his brother, J. Fred erick Pennell. He left to his adminis- trator settled instructions that upon his death he should make good in full out of his estate all the losses which had been buAtdAneu through ms ueIalCatlOuo-
 The Commercial adds that Penneil had contemplated suicide for two years.
 According to the story, The Commer- cial further says: "Pennell induced friends in the East who had known his family and the family of his wifs. to place money in his hands for investment. He acted, in fact as their financial agent He would inform them of some good in- vestment which he had come across, which would pay an excellent rate of interest, and they would send him money. The money which was sent to him for investment, 1t Is alleged. he spent. and when. the payments fell due he made the payments out of his own pocket Had Planned Suicide. VI
 ''rhe fact Is known" The Commenflal continues, that Pennell planned two years ago to throw himself in front of a train at Peekskill and to make 1t appear that his death was accidental. He stop ped off at Peekskill on the way back to New York, with the intention of com hitting suicide in that way, but his nerve failed him. Recently he told the story of the Peekskfll incident himself
 During the Pan-American Exposition he sought for days for an opportunity to commit suicide in a manner that would make 1t appear accidental. He had an idea that he could be run over in some way while at the Exposition but never could nerve himself up to the point where he could throw himself under a train or drop under the wheels of a trolley car."
 It appears there were two life policies which had not been handed over to the administrator. Those two policies had been assigned by Pennell to Attorney Wallace Thayer, in trust. In one he was referred to as Wallace Thayer, trus- tee." and in the other he was designated as wallace Thayer, as trustee" The insurance companies took legal council in the matter and held up payments.
 J. Frederic Pennell. the administrator of the estate. was called in and insisted on having more information before he would consent to the payment of any in- surance money to Mir. Thayer as trustee. It was then that the story of Pennell's alleged dedication and his plans to com init suicide were made known.
 Thayer Will Not Talk.
 The s25.0OO insurance money assigned to Thayer by Pennell in trust is supposed to be paid over to Mrs. Burdick in accord ance with the provisions of the bond for $5oO0o which Pennell gave prior to his death. MT. Thayer will not talk about it. In fact. he had declined to give even the administrator of Pencils estate any in-  formation concerning it.
 The administrator went to MT. Thayer for the purpose of finding out the nature of his trust. MT. Thayer would not talk. He said PenneIl had left sealed instruc- tions advising him how he was to dispose of the $25.00o. and that. as a lawyer. he could not divulge the nature of that transaction.
 The administrator urged that he was entitled to know the nature of the trust before he could consent to have the money paid over.
 MT. Thayer still refused to say what the trust was. Thomas Penny, attorney for the Pennell estate accordingly charged the insurance companies to pay over no money to Mir. Thayer. The probability is that the $25.OO0 will be paid into the courts.
 MT. Penny said this afternoon that if Pennell had swindied any estate in the