The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-11-26
DEFRAUDING AN INSURANCE COM
pANl.
An Ingenious Attempt Co swtndle Ia
Lie Assosiation Of America out sf
siO,OOo-Ths Perpetrators sets Ten
Asnrs la the rsniltnllnrN

Perpetrators sets Ten
Years Ia thr psnitsntiary.
PROM the It. Joseph, Mo Gazette
There has been on trial In the Circuit
Court, criminal term, for the past three
DAYS, a very Interesting case, in which
benjamin +. Bcthurum was charged
with having forged certain papers con-
nected with obtaining al insurance up
on the life of one John Adams, who. il
j. charged. was a fictitious person. At
the time OF Bcthuum's arrest, some
two years ago. we gave in the Gd.en, a
full count of the matter. The trial,
which has Just closed. developed about
the same state Of facts.
Ii seems that about the fall of 1872
Bethurum was the local agent Of the
Life Association Of America nj Fill
more, Andrew County. and proposed 10
a Young man by the name OF stephens
10 enter upon a scheme for making
money. which, he explained TO stephens,
should be the insurance Of II Of their
lives under a fictitious name, obtain n
policy, report the insured dead, and
then have some fictitious assignee of the
policy, for whom they could act, and
collect the money. In January, 1873,
Bethurum and Stephens came TO st.
Joseph. Stephens going before the eX-
aiming surgeon ofthe Life Association,
and representing himself Ia be John
Adams. lie was examined and passed.
Bethurum took the application To the
company, paid the premium, and re-
ceived the policy for $4,000 for
Adams lie told the officers of the
company that he had overtaken Adams
on his way from Fillmore 10 ~. Joseph,
=. talked insurance to him. and persuad-
ed him 10 have his life insured He
said Adams was going on 10 his home
i'm Pennsylvania.
In the following April An assignment
of the policy was made to Thomas He'd
rick, another fiction, and the assign
ment was registered on the books Of the
company.
In December, 1873. he went to Ne
braska City. aud called at a newspaper
Office and procured the publication Of
a notice of the drowning OF two men in
the Missouri River just above that place,
named Levi Sigma and John Adams.
stephens all this time was 10 represent
or act as Thomas lledrick. lie wrote
a letter from Nebraska City, at Bethu-
runs dictation, informing the company
of John Adams death and asking for
a blank proof of death.
The blanks were forwarded 10 Thorn
as Hedrick, at Nebraska City, and were
taken out Of the post-ofice by Bethn-
rum. Bethurum and Stephens then
went before "A notary Of that city, Mr..
Thomas Is. Stevenson, and made proof
Of death-Stephens making the afiida-
Wit as claimant, with liedrick and Be
thurum As witnesses, 10 the death OF
Adams. using the name of III. y. Cook.
The proof was ent 10 the company,
Stephens writing another dictated letter
as ThOs. Hedrick. Bcthurum pro-
duced to the company a letter 10 him
self. purporting to be from Thomas
Hedrick, authorizing him To collect the
money due him on the Adams policy 4;
but the company refused to pay him un-
less he could produce apower OF attor-
ney. lie had one drawn and went 10
Wichita. Kan. and, ~personating He'd
rick. acknowledged il before NJ. ;.
Adams. a notary Of that place. lie
brought back with him "A blank letter
head Of Mr.. Adams. on which he dictat-
ed aud Stephens wrote "A letter from
Hedrick 10 Bethurum, p%urporting To en-
close q power Of attorney. The power
Of attorney was brought tothe company
here by Bethurum and the money again
demanded. By this time the officers Of
the company, who had all along been
confident that a fraud was being porpe-
trated. and suspected Bethurum n the
..-....l a.t.r - - I.-.Yu.. 4ff-fi4tl ~
his guilt. and procured a warrant for his
arrest, and the Sheriff took him into
custody just a. he was expecting to re-
cciye the money.
He was charged with "uttering and
publishing in this county a forged as
signment OF the John ADAMS policy, a
forged application for insurance on the
same mans life. a forged proof a
death. and a forged power Of attorney
Bcthurum was recognized beyond al
question A. the man who had personal.
ed IIedrick at Wichita, Cook al Mr..
Stcphens's Office, and as the man wis
reported the drowning II Adams to th,
Nebraska City papers. Stephens was
witness for the State, and gave a full
history Of the affair. He said all tn,
IIedrick letters We're written in his
hand. in order that the company miglt
not detect Bcthurum, he being the cor
respondent with them a. their agent
The jury returned a verdict Of guilty
on All the counts Of the indictment, and
the punishment was assessed NJ two
years Imprisonment in the penitcntia-
ry on each, making a total punishment
Of eight years.
Bethurum proved a good character
up to the time Of his arrest, but beyond
that did not make any defense or at
tempt to explain the circumstances tn,
prosecution placed him in.