The Ghost of the Chicken Ranch
After E.G. Radloff faked his own death by burning another man's body in his home, the insurance company he tried to defraud is finally coming for his property.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
E.G. Radloff, who burned another man's body in his chicken house north of Green Lake in 1892 and played dead to collect on his life insurance, was yesterday named as the defendant in a suit to foreclose on his property. The Phoenix Fire Insurance company brought the suit, citing a promissory note for $1,200 held by the Seattle Savings Bank, which was assigned to the insurance company. Many will be interested to see whether Mr. Radloff will incarnate himself and come home to defend this suit or whether he will dig up the money from his disembodied jeans.
“Many persons will be interested to see whether Mr. Radloff will incarnate himself and come home to defend this suit or whether he will dig up the money from his disembodied jeans.”
Long before digital identity theft, Radloff attempted to disappear by leaving a body behind, a macabre scheme to escape his debts. Today, the site of his alleged crimes near Green Lake has been transformed into one of the city's most densely populated and desirable residential neighborhoods, far removed from the 'chicken ranch' landscape of the 1890s.
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