Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-04-29
Clever SWINDLE
IS UNEARTHED
BY DETECTIVES
Strange Case of Disappear
ance" Results in Arrest of
James LaFrance.
DUMMY" BODY is FIXED
Had Been Fitted Up With Missing
Mans cIothes-insuranee Amount
ing to S15,5oo Had Been Paid.

Local officers Of the Modern Wood
men believe they have uncovered one
OF the greatest insurance swindles Of
the age. The story in all of its inter
esting details outdoes all the venture
some literature in which Nick Carter
or any of its contemporaries ever fig
ured. The tale, if published in mar
rative form, would perhaps make one
81 the six best sellers and would,
without any doubt. be as fascinating
and gripping as Conan Doyle at his
best
Space will not permit TO give all
the exciting data which the detectives
for the Woodmen have secured in re-
gard 10 the case, which is thought TO
be unique among "disappearances. ="
The central figure in the matter is
one James G. LaFrance, aged %, a
young Frenchman who seemed pos
sessed Of more than common intelli-
Rence. He and his wife lived at Cres-
well. Ore, at the time our story
opens. and after selling a farm for
some $4,000, went to Portland, for the
purpose OF entering the real estate
business. He appeared 10 have con-
siderable means and soon became
cutie prominent in the city's activi-
ties. II was in April and May, 1912,
soon after his arrival, that he took
out three insurance policies. One was
with the Postal Life Insurance com,
pany Of New York City for 10000
one with a local company Of Seattle
called the United Artisans, Of which
lc was local secretary, for $500, and
one with the Modern Woodmen for
$4,000 which was issued May Is. 1912
The latter policy was mailed to him
al Portland and on June Il. he was
initiated and taken into the order.
HE DISAPPEARS.
II was on June Is. the day follow
ing his admission into the Woodmer
trip. He is said to have been quite
% an angler and his favorite haunt was
q Journey Of 30 miles out by trolley
up Clackmas river. This outing he
took walking from the power station
when he left the trolley, up the
stream. That was the last that wa:
seen Of La France.
a rigid search was made for the
young man. La Frances wife report
ed the matter To the police and tC
the new spapers and big stories of hi!
disappearance were used, but Ii
France could not be found nor coulC
q C,ew be secured as to his where
abouts. On June 2S, a party Of bust
ness men from Portland on a fshinl
trip happened by the power house OF
the Clackmas river, when suddenly
man came ont of the bushes declaring
he had found a dead mans body OF
the river The party went down I,
investigate and found the remains o
a man where Il had evidently fallen
when an attempt had been made u
cross a log. for the body was undo
the tree. The dead man held a fish
ing rod in his hand which had bee
broken in two places, presumably b.
his fall The clothes were those woT1
by La France on his last trip. In hi
pockets we're letters addressed TO l.
France and at his side was his lunc
basket containing the same foo
which La France had purchased O
the day OF his fatal fishing trip. !
the basket was the groceTyman bi
for the goods which had been charge
70 La France. The neck had bee
broken. the head severed from tn
body and the face and hands badl
decomposed so that il was Impossible
TO identify the body, but there wa
no doubt that il was the missing Por
land real estate man for here were hi
clothes. his mail and his lunch ba
let. and even the size corresponds,
MONEY PATD OVER.
All OF the companies conducted a
investigation. The Modern Woodme
sent man to Oregon. Everybody i
ENInV H0l0 nINNEI