The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-24
STORY OF THE CRIMES
INSURANCE swINDLERs MUST PAY
 DEATH PENALTY.
At Chihuahua File of Soldiers With Rifles Will End Extraordinary Conspiracy to Rob New
 York Life. -

New York, Nov. 23.--Details of the crime for which c. T. Richardson, O. s. Harle and William Mason, Arnerf- cans, have been sentenced to be shot at Chihuahua, Mexico, were furnished last night by Attorney Harry H. Bottome of this city.
 The infiiction of the death penalty marks the end of an extraordinary con spiracy to cheat the New York Life Insurance Company. Mir. Bottome was solicitor general for that company when the murders involved were com mitted in 1909. The details of the crime and the great detective story that followed have never been printed before.
 The three criminals have fought ex- tradition and appealed through the Mexican courts for three years. Hull burt was Rochester lawyer who ran away to Mexico with seven indict- ments over his head for running a divorce mill" Mitchell, alias Mason, was another Rochester lawyer who fol- lowed him later. With the help of Dr. Harle, of Chihuahua. they poisoned with strychnfne two other Americans, whom they had caused to be insured in the New York Life, and collected $25.000 on the policies.
 These two Americans were Harry Mitchell, brother of Mrs. Hubert. and James Devers, a broken-down mining man. Hulburt. calling himself c. T. at Chihuahua.
 Detective on Trail.
 Alter the murders the gang, except Harle, moved to Texas. Suspicion was aroused, and a detective named Gray wa ssent to Texas. He posed as a lumber merchant and was supplied with lumber orders from New York, n~- spoke to Gray's little girl The men met, got intimate and Huiburt preached scheme to cheat the insurance com pany out of $50.o00. He said that he had had experience.
 Detective Gray proposed that they insure Gray's brother-in-law for s50.- O0O as beginning. A broken-down detective called John H. Evans was i'm. ported by Gray as his brother -in-law. He was dying of consumption and Brfgnts dfseRse. William Mitchell posed as Evans and two reputable pi1v- sicians examined him and pronounced nim a good risk. He was known as Meridith when he was not Evans.
 The whole crowd. including Gray, were arrested on November i. Dr' Harle. who was still in Chihuahua. was induced to come into the United States and was arrested. He was put througb the third degree and made a confession aDout his connection with the two Cbfhuahua claims. The proceed,nrs against Mitchell and Hulburt on the DaIlas plot were dropped. All three This was in June. 1903.
 Ineh the strange story of the two ,nurdered Americans came out little oy little, as the case was tried and Ietrleu. Hulourt it appeared had s brought a former stenographer away rom Rochester as his wife. He went to Mexico and changed his name to Richardson. Then he got the insu- rance agency
 This wife of his-his second wife she was-had been Helen Mitchell Her brother. Harry Mitchell, came down from Rochester, via New Mexico. ana lived with them in Chihuahua.
 The Sudden Death of Harry.
 After while they got Harry Mitch ell insured for $15,0oO in favor of his sister, Helen. Then one day. Feb- ruary II, 1902, Harry suddenly died. Dr. HaEle. who was called in, said in the claim papers that it was spinal meningitis.
 Sometime before Harry Mitchelrs death, Hurlburt, the agent, had gone up to Fl Paso There he met a strand cd mining man named James Devers. He persuaded Devers to accompany him to Chihuahua, and he and Devers went to live at a cheap boarding house as half brothers. Devers, without his Knowledge, was insured for $1O.O0O in favor of this "only relative" The papers were coHcocted by Harle, Hurl- burt and Merdith. The evidence shows that they soak him with whiskey that contained bichloride of mercury. The quantities were too small, so one day Dr. Harle was called into attend him. -The- three men went into a back room of the boarding house and an hour later the doctor announced that Devers was dead. It was dyentery he said. Devers had been poisoned with strychnine in cheese.
 Devers died on February 22. The claim was not filled until July, in order to avert suspicion. When it was filed Meridith or Mitchell wrote to the company that he had delayed be- cause he intended visiting New York. He had given up the plan now, how ever, and would he please send the check for $10.O00 to Fort Worth. ''Meridith" made over the check to Hulburt, and it was the endorsement. "C. T. Richardson" on this creek, that set suspicion at work