The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-09-25
, PARALLEL. TO THE Goss CASE.

respects closely resembles the Goss case
Some time during the summer of 1869 an
agent of life insurance company in Chi
cago called upon Pinkerton, and informed
him that the association he was connected
with had that day been notified 10 liqudate
policy of insuran amounting TO six
thousand dollars in favor of the widow of
man who had beel drowned in Lake Erie
under the following circumstances
1t appears that the deceased had been
employed as n common sailor upon
schooner which piled between Buffalo ana
Chicago, and that upon the arrival oil the
vessel at Buffalo after her last trip, the cap
tain had reported the man as having peen
lost overheard during the voyage. The
mate of the vessel, who seemed to take
great interest in the matter, Immediately
called upon the widow in Buffalo, and aid
ID her in nrocuring the evidence necessary
IN obtain the insurance. This included his
own affidavit to the fact that, upon one
lark night, while the vessel, during his
watch. was beating against stiff head-wind
nearly opposite Cleveland, the man had
been knocked overheard by the boom; and
although he had ordered yawl to be low
cred and manned as soon rs possible. yet
the wind was blowing so fresh. the sea run
ming so high. and the schooner moving at
efforts TO find the man proved abortiye, and
he had no hcsitat on in swearing that he
must have been drowned. The captain.
who was in his berth Mt the time the acct
dent happened, soon reached the deck,
when the facts were reported to him, and
his evidence cUrroboratcd that of the mate.
Besides, the mans identity was fully esiab
ishcd, and everything connected with the
affair seemed 20 clear and conclusive that
the company unhesintingly resolved to pay
the insurance on the following day.
The agent narrated all these Circumstan-
ccs to Pinkcrton. and asked his opinion rs
TO whether there could possibly be any fraud
in the case. He replied that the evidence
adluced by the claimant certainly present
ed very plausible aspect; nevertheless,
the active and Jealous part taken by the
mate, his intimacy wi h the family and the
pressing anxiety cyinced BY him for the
speedy settlement threw shadow Of doubt
upon his mind, and he was unable to resist
the force of his own con, lotions that there
might have been collision between the par
ties to swindc the company. In view of
this, he advised them to suspend the pay
ment until he could investigate the matter
more fully. which was acceded to.
Fortunately for the successful execution
Of Plnkerton's designs in working up the
case he happened to have in his employ an
intelligent and reliable man. who was a
mariner by Pre- fession, and had sailed upon
the lakes for several years.
This man, after having been fully in
formed upon al that was known of the af-
fair, was directed to engage himself as one
of the crew of the schooner which was
then lying in the port of Chicago, with the
same officers that were upon her when the
man was lost overheard.
He was at once employed, and forthwith
went abroad, with instructions to endeavor
by a Jealous discharge of his duties and
respectful and obsequious department to the
mate, to gain his confidence to such an ex
tent that, in time, he might he induced to
make disclosures which would aid them in
reaching the truth.
The vessel sailed shortly aflcrward maxi
ing a round trip to Buffalo and back, when
the man reported to Pinkerton that lie had
made considerable progress in securing the
20 d-wil and friendship of the mate, who
already began to treat him as an equal, and
had several times spoken of recommending
him for promotion, should he ever become
master of vessel himself
This was quite satisfactory to his chief
who directed him to make another voyage
and continue his efforts to augment the
confidence of the mate, hoping thereby to
secure speedy contamination of his plans.
One calm night, after they had passed
Mackinac, when everybo " was asleep ex-
cept the mate and himself who were alone
upon deck, they became engaged in a con-
fdential conversation upon the subject of
their early lives and their future prospects,
the last of which the detective assured him
were rather inauspcous, so FIR as he was
concerned; whereupon the mate asked him
If he would like to make n thousand dollars
within very short time. This, he replied,
would be the most acceptable proposition
that could be made to him, as his purse was
unusually low ju.t then, and therefore he
could hardlJ conceive Of anything he would
not cheerfully do to replensh his finances
with so large an amount.
very well, them" said the mate; II
will put you in the way tf accomplishing
this, provided you can keep n secret, and
obey my instructions the letter.
Upon his assurance that he could fulfill
both requirements, he then disclosed TO him
the whole secret of the scheme for defraud
ing the life insurance company, which he
acknowled led TO have been conceived by
himself, and executed through the cooper
alton of the supposed drowned man, who
was to be joint recipient with him in the
proceeds.
lie further said that during the night of
the casualty he ran his vessel very near the
shore, and as he was "coming about" the
man, provided with ife-preservcrs, gu city
let himself down into the water and swan
ashore. He had been assured of this from
the individual himself, who was then alive
and WE'LL but had concealed himself until
the insurance money could be secured. He
also informed him that the company had
declined making the payment until they
81 81.
still living.
'Now," continued he, ''what | want YOU
to do is to get discharged ON the vessel
at Cleveland, then go to the cemetery near
est the lake shore, find the grave of man
recently buried, hire n reliable man TO ac-
COMPANY you. and in the nighttime eXhumc
the body, dress it in sailors garb, and de-
post it upon the beach, in the vicinity of
the town, where it will soon be discovere
and pre- sent the appearance of having been
washed ashore from the lake. Before do
ing this, however, you will telegraph in my
name to the woman at Buffalo, directing
her to come at once to Cleveland to receive
tidings of her husband; and as soon as the
body is discovered, have her on hand TO
view and recognize it IA that of her dear
departed. And this exhibition, if there hap
pen to be spectators present, should be- at
tended with appropriate demonstrations of
lamentation and mourning.
"Sne will then, with your assistance,
have the body reinterred with such funeral
ceremonies as the solemn occasion calls
for; after which you will both return TO
Buffalo, where | will meet you, with an af-
flavit prepared for her to execute, cstab-
fishing the identity of the body, which, with
your testimony that you assisted in the bu-
rial services, ETC., will doubtless secure to
us the liquidation of the insurance" Then
shaking him cordially by the hand, he con-
cluded Snow, my friend, if you carry out
faithfully these injunctiOns, pledge my
honor as a man that the moment the insur-
ancc money is paid, you shall receive a
thousand dollars"
He, of course, promised implicit com
pliance with everything required and with