The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-07-06
INSURANCE. AGENTS.


/ INSURANCE. AGENTS..
! / picked him out for an insurance
man as quick as l saw him. There
was no fhistaking that glance of 10
ventory with which he took in my
age, occupation, parents long 81
short lived, age of great grandfather
when he died, pulmonary complaint
on my mothers side, and summed
complaint on my fathers, ETC., etc
Before he ever spoke to me he would
sit looking at me for an hour at d
time with great tears in his beneve
lent eyes as big as soap bubbles
grieving because one SO young, and
YET SO fair, wasn't insured. Then biz
would clasp his hands and gaze
yearningly upon me, as if TO say
/" Why, why will you not take out q
policy ?" rs5 ma
Oh, but it was touching to hear
that old man 60 on at the table and
toll Of the hundreds Of families whom
he had rendered comfortable and
happy by inducing husbands and
fathers to be insured. And he did il
out Of pure goodness of heart and
love OF humanity, t0o,-that was the
best of it. The satisfaction it afford.
led him was all the reward he want.
ed. .- s~ I
II, in moment of weakness, ]
should yield to his persuasions and
get insured, | shouldn't want to re-
main in this vicinity long. So
anxious is he to have families reap
tho benefit of insurance / should be
afraid that well-meaning but impetu.
GUS old man would contrive to get
me killed for the satisfaction of
handing the insurance money over to
my widow.
was greatly touched by a story
this venerable insurance man told
about his search for poor woman
who had policy on her husbands
lite, in a company ho represented, in
order to pay it to her, having heard
causually that she wanted it. think
he was occupied some fifteen years
in his hunt for that woman and yet
only one payment on the, policy had
ever been made But it is so much
the custom of life insurance compa-
nies to do this that it is hardly nee
essary to mention that.
At length his efforts were reward
cd. He found the poor woman with
her six children in q miserable gar
ret, trying to earn q living by split
ting up tooth-picks at one cent q
thousand. Lying in corner was
her brute Of husband, dead drunk.
But will let the agent tell it In his
own words:
| was sure had found the right
woman, but ! went about carefully
to find whether she still kept the
policy. i had to be cautious, you
know, or might drive the poor wo-
man wild. "Have you nothing to
maintain yourself by said |, +" save
this tooth-pick mandatory Y'
Nothing whatever" she replied.
MY husband ought to support W,
but he don't. He's a good man
when he's sober, but no amt ever
sober. He can make good wages
when he amt drunk, but he has
been drunk ever since l know him."
Didn't he-now be calm, madam,
control yourself-didn't he have a
life insurance policy?"
No; stop, though. Yes, now I
recollect; he did have one, but that
was q good many years ago, (sigh.
ing.) He only made one payment
on it, and then let it run out,
"Where is that policy r.
Dunno. Kickin' round the
house some where, l 'sposo. Saw it
in an old barrel in the loft, last time
| remember it; that's well on to a
dozen years ago. But what use is il?
Its run out long ago."
Madam" said !, impressively,
scarcely able to repress my emotions
for fear the policy was lost, "the
company represent never allows
any policies 1t has issued to run out,
no matter if nothing has been paid
on ii"
With this she fastened to the loft,
and to my unspeakable joy There the
insurance man produced pocket
handkerchief and wiped away some
tears she soon returned with the
policy had been searching Tor
fifteen years, torn, some, tbs true,
and considerably soiled, but for the
most part there. The endorsement
was torn of, but the signature of our
President was all right, and that was
enough. Thereupon paid the over
joyed woman fifteen thousand dol
lars, the amount Of premium"
And the man not dead yet 2" L
inquired.
Well, yes" said the insurance
man, she was dead drunk, but our
company don't draw any fiGe dis
tincuons under such clrcustances."
We all wept at this touching re-
cital, and one Of the party could not
refrain from catching the good old
man in his arms and embracing him.
The FAT CONTRIBUTOR.