The Grave Robbery Insurance Scam

A bold attempt to swindle life insurance companies of a large amount of money has recently been brought to light at Seattle. One day last week William Radloff's house, north of the city, was burned to the ground and in the ruins were found human remains which were supposed to be those of the owner. It was shortly developed that Radloff had but a brief time previous taken out several life insurance policies, aggregating $36,000. This started the detectives to work. Radloff was married to a young woman whom rumor said was very intimate with a man named Kostrauch. Mrs. Radloff was in Seattle at the time of the fire, and after some investigation Kostrauch was arrested under the belief that he had committed murder to obtain Mrs. Radloff and the insurance money, she being the beneficiary named in the policies. Close confinement brought out a confession from Kostrauch, who said that a plot had been entered into by himself and Mr. and Mrs. Radloff, and that the remains found had been obtained by robbing a grave, and that Radloff was alive and had started for Australia where he expected his wife to join him after collecting the insurance money. The empty grave and other details were verified, and now all parties, except Radloff, are under arrest on the charge of arson—the most serious one that can be brought.