The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-05-06
TOOK LIVES FOR INSURANCE
Prime Movers In the Plot TAD Been
Run Out of the United States
win indictments Hanging
over Them.

regarded as improbable. this city viii
be the scene within the neat two
weeks Of the execution Of Two Amer. .
leans. c. r. Richardson and William
Mason. They re- convicted oi muir
dering two men here for life Insurance
money. Richardson being the insur.
ancc agent and Mason, his brother in- .
law. an assistant agent by order Of
the court they are to be shot 10 death. .
C. s. Harle the examining physician
and the third member OF the conspi.
racy. Is also under sentence Of death.
The case has occupied the MEXICAN
courts for the past five years and is
one Of the most extraordinary IN the
criminal annals Of the republic The
two victims Of the conspiracy were
man named Deyers, decoycd from
III Paso, and man named Mitchell,
said to be a half brother Of Mason.
The prime mover In the plot was
Richardson. whose real name Is HUI
bert. He was Rochester lawyer
who ran away to Mexico with seven
indictments hanging over his head
for running divorce mill Mitch
ell was another Rochester lawyer.
help Of Dr. Harle OF Chihuahua.
they poisoned their victims with
strychnine after having insured their
lives In New York company for
$4,000.
After the murders the gang, eX.
cept Iarlc. moved to Texas. Sus.
picion was aroused, and a detective
was sent to Texas. Posing as a lum
Der merchant, he worked into init
macy with them. He took part In
another plot to steal $4,000 and
had himself arrested with the others.
Besides the men there were two
women mixed up In the affair.
The discovery Of the insurance plot
was quite accidental. In the fan OF
1902, while looking over some MeNl.
can policies. the solicitor general OF
the insurance company in New York
noticed peculiar coincidence In two
chihuahua claims The claims came
through the same agent, Richardson,
were certified by the same doctor
Harlc. and In both cases DR. liarlc
had been the examining physician.
The men had both died after short
Illnesses one Of them. Harry Mitch
ell. insured for $4,000. had died on
February H. The other. James Deycrs.
who was insured for 10000, died on
February %. Yet tho Mitchell claim
was presented In February. aud the
Devers claim not until July In both
cases the insured had no other rcla-
tive than the beneficiary In the first
case the beneficiary was liulburts
wife; In the second case Il was VII
liam Mitchell. who posed AZ Dcyers'
half brother.
Upon investigation It was shown
that the men had died and been bur
led as stated. II wasn't case Of
"burying the rocks on the company
came back to the New York bank.
II was endorsed by c. r Richardson,
otherwise Hulburt The other had
been previously paid to his wife, the
murdered Harry Mitchells sister.
After the crowd had removed 10
Dallas. Texas, detective named
Gray. was sent to Dallas In the rulso
OF a lumber merchant. lie succeeded
in meeting Huhurt and after IA"
two had become intimate llulburt
broachcd scheme 10 cheat the In.
surance company out Of $4,000 lie
said he had had experience. Dotcc
tive Gray proposed that they insure
Gray's brothorin law for $4,000 as
beginning \ detective named
Evans was imported by Gray as his
brotherin law. When the schcm,
had been thoroughly worked up and
all the preliminary steps taken the
whole crowd including Gray, was ar
rested A fellow detective OF his had
already overheard Mitchell and Hui.
burt scheming to kill of Gray by
accident In the prison at III Paso,
Mitchell discovered what Gray really
was.
Mitchell at once went into a sham
cataleptic III that lasted two months
Medical experts watched him and de.
clared that he was shaming. But all
the usual tests failed He paid not
the slightest attention to needles
stuck half an inch into his foot lie
was dropped into tank OF cold water
and sank to the bottom stiff. His