The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-03-16
One Who Attempted to Work Insur,
ance Company for $1,000.
ALSO ENGAGED IN HORSE STEALING
Officer Christensen's Clever Capture
and the Prisoners Subsequent
Confession to Him.

Minneapolis, Harch l0.-A mysterious
case of supposed suicide which occurred
at Sioux City last September has been
solved through the clever work OF Sheriff
Christensen of Lyon county in arresting
Theodore E. Schomperlen for horse steal.
ing. Incidentally, the clearing up of the
suicide case sets at rest any efforts OF
the heirs of the supposed victim to col
lect 5000 life and casualty insurance
secured through Minneapolis agents OF
the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance com
pany of New Jersey and the Mutual
Casualty company Of. Minneapolis.
The man now held a prisoner in the
Lyon county Jail at Marshall, not only
admits the theft of three different teams
of horses, which he sold at cut prices
but he owns that he planned the fake
suicide at Sioux City in the hope of Sc
curing the insurance money, and later
when the insurance companies were slow
in settling, he says he sent a letter to
the CHIEF of police of Sioux City, claim.
ing that he and three other men had
murdered the man who was supposed tc
have committed suicide.
All that tangled web of circumstance
availed him, nothing; He turned to
horse stealing, as more promising field
for a man. who would get money without
earning it,, and now that has brought
him to grief, thanks to the doughty
sheriff of Lyon county. The tale read.
like chapter from a yellow back novel
with heroes galore and villains a plenty
The Minneapolis Journal prints the in,
teresting story;,rq go IT.,
The name of the supposed suicide was
Theodore Z. Schomperlen, but the name
of Sheriff Christersen's ihorsethief was
Benjamin. Remembering the suicide case
and the name of Schomperlen as the vic
tim, the sheriff, realizing that his pris.
oner of the same surname was an all
around crooks, and that he had operated
in Sioux City, had a suspicion that this
Benjamin. might be, the, Theodore who
was supposed to have committed suicide
There was no sweating process EN-,
ployed, and no promise of leniency to
the prisoner, but through kind and con-
siderate treatment he secured confes-
sion of all the facts. Since the occur
renee, this man has gone under the name
of Benjamin, who is his brother, whom
he closely resembles, and who is now in
Manitoba, Can. The. pretended suicide
was for the purpose of defrauding in
surance companies of 5000.
The suicide theory being met with
suspicion, later the prisoner wrote a
letter to the city marshal of Sioux City
claiming to be one of a party of foul
persons who had murdered Schamperlen
and had placed his clothes on the river
bank, with not attached, to show it to
be a case of suicide. The prisoners con-
fesion TO the sheriff in this matter is as
follows:
"Yes, my right name is Theodore E
Schomperlen, and you need not call me
Ben any more. I am the man who pre-:
tended to commit suicide at Sioux City
last fall took the name of Benjamin
who is my brother, and who is in Man
itoba. On. Sept. IL, 1905, | secured a
suit of clothes of darkgray mixed
color, with brown derby hat, and plac-
ed the coat, pants and hat on the river
bank near the railroad yards. l pinned
a letter in the coat pocket and in the
letter | told that l had committed sui
eide. ee
SIN January, 1876, thinking my folks
might pot get my insurance on suicide
1 wrote a letter to the chief of police
saying that the supposed suicide was
case of murder instead, and | put
down the initials of the murderers, who
were. f. j., G. f. and H. NJ. and the
person doing this writing, and that the
other three were with me when l was
writing the letter. / mailed the letter
myself to the chief of police at Sioux
City. L had $4,000 insurance in the Mu-
tual Life of New Jersey and $1,000 IL
the Mutual. Casualty company OF Min
neapolis. Neither my parents nor broth
er know about this but all suppose | am
dead. So don't. call me Ben any more
but call me Theodore, my right name.
Z On Feb 81, Schomperien hired -
team of white horses and buggy from
the livery of Snyder & Revall, Marshall
to be returned the following day. The
team remaining absent, the firm tele
phoned to the sheriff, having suspicion
that IL was stolen. Meanwhile the sher