The Radloff Insurance Plot Unravels

All that now remains to be revealed in the Radloff case is the whereabouts of Radloff himself. After a long siege on Friday evening, in which she resisted Chief Jackson's efforts to extort a confession, Mrs. Radloff at last admitted her knowledge of the conspiracy of which Kostrauch had already told a graphic story. Radloff is currently wandering the California forests, while his two associates are in jail awaiting trial.

When Chief of Police Jackson arrested Mrs. Radloff, she initially maintained an air of injured innocence. However, after four hours of questioning—and the production of evidence in her own handwriting found in Kostrauch's pockets—she broke down and confessed. She admitted her husband is alive and that they had orchestrated a scheme to swindle insurance companies. She claims she was not a party to the crime, stating that her husband told her he had a corpse buried in the 'chicken yard,' but that she refused to assist in the plot. She also revealed that they had discussed insuring her husband's life for $100,000, though they ultimately aimed for $50,000 to avoid suspicion.

When the Chief informed her sister, Mrs. Ida Wright, that a confession had been secured, the sister was initially defiant, but Mrs. Radloff ultimately confirmed the news to her, leading to a tearful scene. Mrs. Radloff, looking pale and weary, appeared before Justice Neagle yesterday, where she waived her right to immediate examination and remained in custody. Her co-conspirator, Kostrauch, has already pleaded guilty to charges of arson and grave robbing.