Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-05-05
Life Insurance Agents.

PHILADELPHIA, according to the follow
ing, which is from the Dispatch of that
city, Is inflicted with a very intrusive and
persistent sci of life insurance agents, who,
when they get hold Of subject, poster
him almost to death:
THE FATE OF BENJAMIN p. eUNN
His name was Beujamin p. Gum, and |
he was the agent for an insurance com.
pany. He came around to my Office four. |
teen times In one morning to see if he |
could not persuade me to take out life |
insurance policy in his company. He used |
to waylay me on the street, at church, in |
my own house, and bore me about that |
policy. If | went to the opera, Gum |
would buy the seat next to me, and sit |
there the whole evening, talking about |
sudden death and the advantages of the |
ten-year plan. If | got into street car
Gum would come rushing In at the next |
corner, and sit by my side, and drag out
lot of mortality tables, and begin TO ex
plain how l could beat his company out of
fortune. If | sat down to dinner in
restaurant, up would come Gum, and
seizing the chair next 10 me, he would tell
a cheering anecdote about man who In
sured in his company for $50,0U0 only last
week, and was buried yesterday. If 1 at
u IL,
aud wept as they threw the earth upon
his coffin, would hear a whisper, and,
turning around, there would be the indom.
table Benjamin p. Gum, bursting TO say
Poor smith Knew him well. Insured
for ten thousand in our company. Widow
left in comfortable circumstances. Let me
take your name. Shall II"
He followed me everywhere; until at
last got so sick Of Gums prosecutions
that left town suddenly one evening, and
hid myself in secluded country village,
hoping to get rid of him. At the end of
two weeks | returned, reaching home at
one in the morning. had hardly got into
bed before there was a ring at the door
bell. looked out, and there was Gum,
with another person He asked if Max
Adeler was at home. / said was the mar.
Mr. Gum obst rved that he expected my
return, and thought he would call around
about that insurance policy. He said be
had the doctor with him, and If would
come down he would take my name and
have me examined Immediately. was
too indignant to reply. / shut the window
with a slam, and went to ted again. After
| breakfast in the morning | opened the
| front door, and there was Gum 81 ting on
| the steps with his doctor, waiting for me
| He had been there all night As came
out they seized me, and tried TO undress
me there on the pavement in order to eX-
anime me. retreated and locked myself
up in the garrot with orders to admit no.
body to the house until came down stairs.
But Gum wouldn't be baffled. He actually
rented the house next door, and stationed
himself in the garnet adjoining mine.
When he got fixed he spent his time
pounding on the partition and cry ing,
Halo Adeler Adeler, / say How about
that policy? Waut to take her out now :"
And then he would tell me anecdotes
about men who were cut off Immediately
after paying the first premium. But paid
no attention to him. and made no noise.
Then he was Silent Tor nlIilc,
Suddenly, one morning, the trap door of
my garret was wrenched of, and, on look
ing up, saw Gum, with the doctor and q
crow bar, and lot of death rates, coming
down the ladder at me. l fed from the
house to the Presbyttri rian church close
d by, and paid the sexton $50 to let me
: climb up to the point of the steeple and
sit astIide of the ball. promised him
. $40 more if he would exclude everybody
from that steeple for week. Once safely
on the ball 300 feet from The earth, l made
myself comfortable with the thought tha
| had Gum at a disadvantage, and de
E termined to beat him finally if had tC
stay there month. About an hour after
ward, while was looking at the supert
view to the west, heard a rdstling around
1 on the other 9th, side of the steeple.
, looked aRound, and there was BENJAMIN
P. Gum creeping up the side of that spr'
l in balloon, in which was the doctor anC
: the tabular estimates of the losses Of hi
r company from the Tontine system. A
o soon as Gum reached the ball he threw
his graphing iron into the shingles of tn
i steeple, and asked me at what age m,
9 father had died, and II any Of my aunt
e ever had died of consumption or live
/ complaint.
Without waiting to reply, slid dow
q the steeple tothe ground, and took the frs
y train for the Mississippi Valley, In tw
y weeks l was Ia Mexico. | determined 4
}. 60 to the interior, and seek some wild spo
u IL some elevated r giOn, where no Gun
II would ever dare to come | got on
e mule, and paid q guide to lead me- to tn
q summit of Popocatapel We arrived Q
II the foot of the mountain at noon. w
y toiled upward for about four hours. Jus
e tore reaching the top beard the soun
of voices, and upon rounding a point c
rocks, who should see but Benjamin
Gum, seated on the very edge of ii
crater, explaining the endowment plan
lie his guide, and stupefy ing him with mo
W tality table, while the doctor had the otht
y guide a few yards off, examining him
OF see if he was healthy Mr.. Gum ro'
p and said he was glad to see me, becau
d. now we could talk over that bushes
in about the policy without fear of inteIru
he tion. In a paroXysm of rage pushe
y. him backward into the crater, and he fe
ut a thousand feet below with a heavy thu
Id As he struck the bottom, heard vol,
re screaming out something about mon 70
OF feiture;" but there was a sudden convu
n sion Of the mountain, a cloud of smok
IN and heard no more.
It. / know it was wrong. know had I
ld right to kill Gum in that manner; but
to forced rue to do it in selfdefense, and
a hope his awful fate will be a warning
at other insurance agents who remain amor
OF US.