Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-21
CONFLICTING IN
STORIES TOLD BY
JAMESLAFRANCE
Local Office Of Woodmen Re-
ceive Oregon Paper Telling
of Insurance Fraud.
ATTORNEYS ARE PUZZLED
Defendant Claims Two Medical Stu
dents Of Portland Aided in
Placing Body.

The local Offices of the Modern
Woodmen are in receipt of a copy of .
the Morning Oregonian, issued May 8, /
which gives several accounts of the /
manner in which James c. LaFrance, /
alleged 10 have swindled the COM /
pany out of $4,000 secured the body !
which he palmed off as his own one |
year ago next month. LaFrance is in |
custody at Portland, and at different |
times has told various tales relating /
20 the manner in which he secured the I
Cadaver. all OF which conflict with one /
another.
One story, the first told by la
France was to the effect that he was
aided in the fraud by two medical stu
dents Of Portland who transported the
body 10 the place where il was found /
and another is that La France and
companion found the body along the
river and the idea Of the fraud was
suggested by the companion at that
time. Later he told a different tale
in which the companion was freel
from all blame in connection with the
affair. La France stated TO the states
attorney at one time that he had no
aCcomplices and that the scheme was
carried out by himself alone.
The Daily Oregonian says:
The explanation involving the med
zeal students was given by La France
when he talked 10 Mr.. Evans for sew
eral hours on the night Of the day he
was returned from Marshfeld. He
gave the names OF his alleged student
confederates as A. J. Ferger, an alias
later assumed by himself, and George
NJ. Ray and blamed them for suggest
ing the insurance fraud idea 10 him.
lie further declared that they had ar.
ranged all details. only requiring him
20 supply them with a suit Of his
clothing. some lodge receipts, an en-
velope bearing his name and address
and other articles to put in the peck
cts OF the clothing on the fake La
France body. On June IS he had gone
only as far as the Oaks and had then
doubled back into the city and secured
the job cutting ties at Donald, Ore,
a station 20 miles south of Portland
on the Oregon Electric line.
MONTHS IN SECLUSION.
lie had lived practically in seclu-
sion several months, coming into
town occasionally and appearing on
the streets and staying at various no.
tells, including the Multnomah, without
disguise. On one of these occasions,
he said, he accidentally met Ferger
on the street and was berated sound
ly for his indiscretion. His statement
% o. Ia . ba
students varies from 81 500 TO $500.
The prisoner stuck to this story
several days. Then he switched to
the yarn about the finding and en-
balming of the body. In telling this
he said that ne and his companion
tore the side off a tent, which they
found near wOodsman's cabin and
wrapped the body in it, Concealing il
In the brush. They had then return.
ed TO Portland and gone back with a
Jar OF formaldehyde and an embalm
ing needle This was within a few
days. and before a week was out
they had returned with more embalm.
ing fluid, fearing that they had not in
jected enough the first time TO pre-
serve the body. The only thing to do
then was to wait until the weather
got so warm that a few days in the
hot sun would decompose the features
Of the cadaver beyond recognition.
District Attorney Evans attaches no
particular credence TO any of La
Frances explanations about the body
but admits that any Of them may be
true or partially true. He is in hopes
that publicity may attract the atten.
ton of some person who can shed
some light on the subject. He has had
Frank Beatty. his special investigator
making the rounds of the cabdrivers
and eNpressmen in Portland with La
France in the faint hope that the pris
oner might recognize one of them as
the driver who took the body to Esta
CadG. but so far La France has failed
20 do so.