Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-05-03
Special to Evening Teller.

city will be the scene within the next |
two weeks Of the execution OF two |
Americans, C. 7. Richardson and Will
liam Mason.
They were convicted Of numbering |
two men here for life insurance mon
ey, Richardson being the insurance |
agent, and Mason, his brother-in-law, |
an assistant agent By order of the |
court they are to be shot to death.
C. S. Harlo, the examining physi-
clan and the third member of the con-
spiracy, is also under sentence OF
death.
Long Drawn Out Case.
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 a man named Devers, decoyed
from Ell Paso, and a man named Mitch
ell said to be brother of Mason.
The prime mover in the plot was
Richardson, whose real name Is Hol-
bert. He was Rochester lawyer who
ran away to Mexico with seven in
dictments hanging over his head for
running a divorce mill" Mitchell!
was another Rochester lawyer who
followed him later. With the help OF
DR.. Harle of Chihuahua, they poison
ed their victims with strychnine after
having insured their lives in a New
York company for $4,000.
| Detectives Investigate.
After the murders, the gang, except
Halre. moved to Texas. Suspicion
was aroused and detective was sent
to Texas. Posing as lumber mer-
chant he worked into intimacy with
them.
He took part in another plot to steal
$40 600 and had himself arrested with
the others. Besides the men there
are two women mixed up in the at
fair.
The discovery Of the insurance plot
was quite accidental In the fall 81
1902, while looking over some MeNi'
can policies, the solicitor general OF
the insurance company in New YORK
noticed a peculiar coincidence in two
Chihuahua claims,
The claims came through the same
agent. Richardson, were certlneo ~
nv the same doctor, Harle, ana III oo''
cases DR.. Harle had been the exaihlh
ing physician. The men had noti
died after short illnesses.
! One of them, Henry Mitchell, IN
sured for $4,000, had died on Febru
ary IL. The other, James DoVers' ma
\ been insured for $4,000 and died o
Z February %. Yet the Mitchell claii
y was presented in February and Tn
4 Devsrs claim not until July In Dol
= cases the insured had no other reis
n tive than the beneficiary.
4 In the first case the benenclarv W.
Hulburt's wife; in the second Ca
In was william Mitchell, who post
as Devers' half brother.
\ Richardson Endorses Cheek.
Il 1rnon investigation it was shown Z
men had died and been buried
etated. It wasn't case OF "ouryn
taa rocks on the company.
Then the check for the Devers Ga
came back to the New York panK'
os endorsed by C. t. Richards
4 otberwise Hulburt. The otner
haen previously paid to his wite'
murdered Harry Mitchelis sister
As.or the crowd had removed
Do,,as Texas, a detective nan
60, was sent to Dallas in the gu
of a lumber merchant. he succe'
al in meeting Hulburt and after
4rro had become intimate Hulo
broacbed a scheme to cheat the ms
800 companv out of $4,000. He
he had had experience.
Detective Gray proposed tha'
rs,.re Gray's brother-in-law tor
mn as a beginning. A detective nal
rvans was imported by Gray as
hrotber-in-law. When the sen
had been thoroughly worked up aho
the preliminary steps taken the w
crowd. including Gray, was arreste
fellow-detective Of his had
ready overheard Mitchell and
hurt scheming to kill OFF Gray.
accident in the prison at Ell +
Mitchell discovered what Gray II
was. . -
II Fit Lasts Two Months
Mitchell at once went into a
cataleptic at which lasted two m.
Medical experts watched him Sho
o,sTed that he was shamming.
- al the usual tests failed He pai'
tne slightest heed to needles
- half an inch into his foot.
He was dropped into a tank OF
water and dropped to the D
stiff His teeth were clenched a.
y was fed on milk introduced IN ?.
d his nose by glass tube. f1nan
detectives hit upon the idea OF Il
wb,skey with the milk.