Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-04-17
in
Farm Fire
Unraveled
Youth Burns Home Contain.
ing Skeleton Of Negro in
Effort to Thow Officers
Off Trail.
X-Ray Photo Upsets Plan

Lancaster, Mo-, April l6.-(Special
Telegram. )-Interwoven in the affairs
of Orval Dooley, wealthy young
farmer near here, was a thread OF
finances creditable to a Wallingford.
The burning of his $4,000 home Sat-
urday, the finding of charred bones,
presumably his own, and the subse-
quent discovery that they were those
OF an imported skeleton, have brought
to light a nfasterful and intricate plot
to defraud.
Dooley was last seen about Sat
urday night by one of the tenants OF
his farm. At 10 his wife and 7-year-
old son returned from Queen City
and found their home in ruins. Sun
day human bones were found in the
ruins. Everyone accepted the theory
that Dooley had perished in the tlre.
Bones Upset Plans.
Then A. D. Morris. prosecuting at
torney for Schuyler county, began an
investigation. The bones were
scraped of debris and each was found
to be perforated with the regularity
of taxidermist preparing specimen
for mounting. An anatomical special
ist was called. He said the bones
were those of negro, the thickness
of the skull indicating that, and that
they had been strung on wires, tor
study or surgical reference.
Dooley was known here as an
| energetic, ambitious, youthful Midas,
| whose touch turned cattle and sheep
| into negotiable currency. While the
town boys talked in items" Dooley
was dealing in hundreds" While
the bankers here were building cot
tages, Dooley was constructing a
palace on his farm.
And so it has gone on for months.
The banks have loaned him money.
It was not until recently, when the
Kicker National bank at Quincy
loaned him $4,000, that the other
banks here became uneasy.
Sold Mortgaged Cattle.
1t was learned Dooley had given
| 200 head of cattle as security wheH
he really had only go. Recently he
sold the cattle while they were still
under mortgage.
1t was the same with hogs and
! sheep. Dooley, with his magnetic
personality, had convinced the bank
ers that he would repay all his loans,
and on the strength of his promises
ithey recommended that the bank
at Cuiney~sioan him the money.
Last week the Quincy bank demand
led repayment. Several times it de-
| manded it. Then followed the fre
and the subsequent disappearance OF
Dooley. 1t has been brought to light
| that Dooley's liabilities were between
| $4,000 and 100000.
/ Has Life Insured.
/ The week previous to the FIRE
i Dooley had taken out $4,000 in lie
insurance from two companies, stipu-
lating double pay in case of death
| by accident. The policies were made
payable to his wife and son. His
| home was insured for $4,000.
| But whatever plans Dooley had
whatever ingenuity he showed in de-
vising them, he overlooked one i'm
portant detail, the destruction of an
| X-Ray photograph of his lower jaw
This detail caused Mr. Morris to in
struct the coroner not to issue a GER
; tihcate of death.
Photograph Undoing.
The photograph was taken by hi:
brother-in-law, DR.. Roy Fouts, o.
Falls City, .Neb., few weeks age
Dooley had dental work done by .
dentist in Coatsville. He brough'
the pictures to show the source o.
trouble and neglected to take then
home.
During the investigation the jaw
Bone of the skeleton found in tn,
ruins was being examined. Th1
dentist was among those present
He produced the old plates. They
) were not similar in any respect.
When the family was confronted
with the evidence they admitted tina
Dooley was not dead, at least not il
I the fire.