The Mena weekly star., 1908-09-03
MYS- TERY OF GRANNIS
Was Gus Frye Blown to Atoms With Dynamite or Is He Enjoying S10,000 Insurance Moneyl
From the News Democrat

Is Gus Frye, formerly of Grannis, enjoying his own insurance money, or are the mangled fragments moul- dering in the grave all that remains of him? The New York Life h. surance Company says that he IS alive and in hiding. The coroner and his jury of F men tried and true said he met his death last Aug ust by the explosion of dynamite while making a blast in we'll What is the solution of the mys- tery2
 To help settle the matter the company had the grave opened this week and the fragments carefully examined Measurements of the bones of a foot and leg were made and these will be com pered with the known size of the man in order that the truth may be ascertained.
 The story as told by the complain at law recently filed in the clerks here IS full of interest. On July 3, 1907, Gus Frye, a laborer of Grannis went to the branch office of the N l Y. Life at Shreveport, La, repres- enting himself to be a prosperous farmer and owner of a large peach orchard near Grannis, who, while visiting in Shreveport decided to take out a S10,000 policy in favor of his wife and three small children He made a payment of Sl0 at the time to bind the contract.
 On August 4 he paid the first an nual premium of $329.40 and re- ceived the policy. It now devel- ops that this money was borrowed from one of the local banks here, Frye representing to be a farmer who had contracted for a team of mules in Louisiana and being tenn porarilv short wished to borrow the money to pay for them. He sec ured the loan by giving mortgage on the team which in reality was never purchased, it is said.
 About foru days after receiving the policy, he proposed to the school authorities of the town of Grannis to dig well at the rear of the school house. and made the price so reasonable that contract was made. During the next two weeks he worked at this we'll and got down about II feet.
 On August p the complaint al- leges, under a pretense of a desire to break up by blasting, material to be excavated, he was lowered into the we'll with a quantity of dynamite or other high explosive and caused his helper, Roy Lett, to withdraw the bucket and rope and to depart on an erand requiring fully an hour.
 The company believes that Frye with the help of a confederate and co-conspirator (probably his wife) placed fragments of dead body of man in and about the well, arran- ged the dynamite so it would ex- plode in few moments, ascended and went into hiding from which he has not yet emerged
 Be this as it may it is fact that a terrible explosion occurred and when the people arrived they found mangled portions of body. The pieces were too small to recognize, only one foot remaining intact. No clothing of any description was found, 1t IS said.
 Q. l.. Gregg, a justice of the peace ot Ozark township, was acting cor oner at the time. and held the in- quest. The verdict of the jury was to the effect that Gus Frye came to his death blythe explosion of dy- namite shells while making blast inthe we'll
 On Sept. 20, Mrs. Emma Frye, widow of the deceased, submitted proofs of Gus Fryes death, and on October, 25, the New York Life In surance company paid $2 300 to her and 7,500 to John F. Logan who had been appointed. curator for the children--H Harry, Mabel and Jessie Frye.
 There was no suspicion. ot fraud until the last week of May, 1908 The company then began careful an d far-reaching investigation which is still in progress. The re suits of the exhumation at Grams have not been made public. Mucf interest attached to the case whlcf will probably come to trial in Octo Der next.
 In the meantime the bank at tho town of Grannis will hold the none, for the children, and if it is fount that there was no fraud they will b' we'll cared for, The widow ha the money pai1 her and if will be