The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-01
HUGE FRAUD ||S CHARGED;
 |ND|CT THREE
Alleged Insurance SWindIe h. voIving S100,00O Aired When Federal Grand
 Jury Reports to
 Judge Grubb

| Ghosts Of an alleged death re- turned Wednesday to haunt Euell Strand Allbritton, Joseph Earl AL brittn and Albera AiDrado when the federal grand jury returned in dictments charging them with con spiracy to defraud insurance com panies of more than $100,000. Bills returned by the grand jury charged the trio with using the United States mails to defraud and con- spiracy to use the mails in a scheme to defraud.
 It is alleged the three men ran the car they were driving into a river near Gadsden last August and claimed that E. s. Albritton had been drowned. Mrs. Albritton filed suit against the insurance com- panies seeking to recover on pol icies insuring the life of her hus- band in sums approximately S110,000. She secured judgment against one of the companies which refused to pay.
 A search was instituted for All britton and he was found in Hoquiem, Wash, by George Bode- ker's National Detective agency. Allbritton was arrested and re- turned to Etoyah county. where he was indicted in circuit court. The investigation was continued and his ! son, J, seph Earl s'ibritfon and .sl- bert Abrado, a Mexican, were ar rested in connection with the al legged conspiracy.
 Grand Jury Hears Facts.
 1 Facts in the alleged scheme to de- | fraud the insurance companies were l presented to the federal grand jury l when it met in Birmingham Monday. | The indictments were returned when | that body reported to Judge w. |,
 Grubb In federal court Wednesday. | Allbritton is confined to the EtoWah 1 county jail awaiting trial in the | state circuit court.
 Allbrittons alleged scheme to de- fraud the insurance companies re-
 suited in more litigation than that | immediately concerning him. MT. | Bodeker, who had a contract with
 one of the insurance companies in
 volved to find the supposedly dead | man, filed suit in circuit court in | January in an effort to recover a fee
 for finding Allbritton. He alleged | that the life insurance company had
 refused to carry out itS part of the
 contract.
 | Other Indictments.
 | Samuel Bloom and Max Gross, pro
 prietors of the bankrupt Charm | Blouse Shop. were indicted on two
 counts for alleged conspiracy to con | ceal assets from trustees in bank ruptcy, and for perjury. It is alleged
 that they removed a large part of
 the stock of the Charm Blouse Shop | to other cities, after which they
 threw the business into bankruptcy. Sixteen indictments were returned | including proprietors of two Blr-
 mingham drug stores. for alleged | violation of the Harrison narcotic | act. Indictments for violation of this ] law stood next in number to those l for violation of the federal prohibi- tion law.
 | The final report made Wednesday | showed that 66 cases had been, in
 vestigated, 42 true bills were re- turned. with 22 no bills and ? cases
 continued. Among those indicted
 were pr. Robert A. Jones, Jennie
 Reed, Billie Smith. James $. Moore,
 Lonnie Allen. Mamie Mays, Lon G.. Norris of the Morris Drug company.
 William NJ. Nelson of the Nelson
 Drug company. Chris Mortzekos,
 William J. Mathis, J. H. Sharp. Dr, N B. Burchfield. Arthur c. Robert son. H. c. Upchurch, C. II. Reeder
 and Dr. H. l.. Keller, all being
 charged with the violation of the
 Harrison narcotic laws Joe Warner | and John Jones were indicted on a l charge of breaking into the United | States postoffice at Lovick. Ala; Jo-
 seph K. Cypress. Sol Cypress. Smith | Pamplin. C. E. Robbins. Ezekiel Watts. Lonney Holley, Tony Thomp-
 son. Vernon Long, Sam Thomas and | Robert F.. Kendrick were indicted on
 charges of conspiracy to violate the
 national prohibition act. William
 Smith and Billie Osborn. indicted on
 a charge of violating the Mann white
 slave act; William H. Paxton, indict- | cd on a charge of using the mails to | defraud; A. F. Schrimscher, indicted on charge of violating the national
 motor vehicle act; l.. C. Logan. in
 dicted on charge of stealing gov ernment property. and Robert Page,
 indicted on charge of larceny of l interstate freight.
 The federal grand jury. the first | since the September court term, was organized Monday afternoon at l
 o'clock by Jim c. Smith, assistant United States district attorney. who also conducted the investigations.