The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1903-02-22
PRETTY WOMAN AND MURDER.
AN INSURANCE sWINoLE THAT
AwAKEs THE SLEEPER.
Remarkable Confession Of One Of the
conspirators, led to the Arrest of
the Chief Of the Gang. Who
Is an Italian.

Is an Italian.
New York, Feb. 2i.-In a remarkable
confession. Frank Foster. aged and
trembling. laid bare In the Harlem po-
Hce court today the manner In which
seyerai OF the largest insurance com
panies In the country. doing business
lin Chicago and Western cites, we're
swindled out OF more than 100000
Il was an astounding statement in
which we're the mingled stories Of
beautiful women and aged hags He
told Of healthy persons substituted for
dying people who were insured and de-
tails OF the greatest plot Of the cen
tury against risk companies were un-
folded.
AS a result OF the confession Joseph
Trepani. chief OF the conspirators. was
held to await the action Of the grand
jury. Foster told how the Union
Central Life Insurance company. the
John Hancock company and other
large risk concerns were defrauded
Il am compelled to talk" faltered the
old man. because my conscience will
not let me keep still"
But stranger than his weird tale was
that OF more humane interest. OF a
beautiful girl tortured TO death by the
arch-conspirator OF the gang A tale
OF direful influence welded over a
young woman who was buried in an
unmarked grave. the victim OF one OF
the many conspiracies.
Lying in an unmarked grave in St
Michaels cemetery In a plot conse-
Grated by a church In whose tenets she
did not believe, Is the body of the
beautiful, unfortunate and misguided
Sarah Weber victim OF the cruelties
and tortures Of the now famous band
Of dummy insurance swindlers.
She was forced to take a dishonor-
able part in the vast conspiracy to rob
Insurance companies, and, though pro
testing against doing wrong. she was
held, her family believes. by the hyp-
motto influence of Guerino Cicone. the
fugitive leader of the band. until un.
der the abuse OF Cicone her tired ma
ture gave way and she died She went
out Of the happy home life of her fam
lily nearly two years ago. and since
then nothing had been heard from
her. II was not until last week that It
became known Sarah Weber had been
in some mysterious way buried in st.
Michaels cemetery as Sarofino Cicone.
Then the earnest investigation was
began that has convinced Assistant
District Attorney Paul Krotel that
Sarah Weber had been bounded and
tortured to death.
The gigantic insurance swindle. in
which Sarah Weber had been forced
to take part against her viii. was dis.
covered through an error made by the
swindlers in submitting proofs OF
death to the John Hancock Insurance
company.
Sarah Weber first came to the no
tice OF Assistant District Attorney
Krotel through this $500 policy and
the alteration Of the records in the
morgue attached to Bellevue hospital.
She died suddenly on June p. 1902.
and her body was sent to the morgue
in a cheap pine coffin with he tag
bearing the inscription: Sarah Web.
er."
In the book Of registry OF deaths in
the morgue is this significant entry:
"Sarohno Cicone changed from Sarah
Weber"
False proofs OF the death Of Sarafino
Cicone were submitted to the John
Hancock InsuraD, comnay and it
was through this deceit that Sarah
Weber was buried in St Michaels
cemetery.
From Mr.. Weber and others MIR.
kotrel learned the real story OF the
sad life OF Sarah Weber. and from the
investigation he was led to say;
Sarah Weber has been bounded and
tortured to death by Guerino Cicone
and other members Of the conspiracy.
They forced her TO take part in the
frauds against her will"