Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-06-20
INSURANCE.
Theory and PFastics-A warning TO
Insurcrs-Obey the Letter of the
C0ntFacf-EOOk 20 Your
Bone.

To the Editors Of the Appeal
| Having been for many yeaTs a sub
| scriUeT and resder Of your valuable
/ paper, ami having noticed, with admit
ration, the position you always take on
| the side Of justice and right, l have ven-
tured 10 azE for small space for few
words IN regard TO the above. There
are hundreds Of men who insure their
property and their lives who merely
] glance a. the heading VI their policies,
! which Tecltes the cOmpany's contract TO
pay given sum to the assured, leaving
! unreal almost 8 volume of conditions
and -jpu.ations which follows in fine
/ print, ami which often virtually takes
| back all which has before been con-
/ trscted. The assured then having OBJ
| tanned bis policy and paid his premium,
/ relying on this as a security for future
! contingencies, deposits the same away
/ for safe keeping and ii no fire or death
occurs to call for the performance OF
any contract by the company all goes
on well, and the premium Is received
/ Uy them from yesT 10 year, but In case
Of fire 10 the property or death Of the
/ assured, then comes the tug Of war;
| some flaw Is often found by which the
| company creep out and the assured are
| informed that their policy is worth
| less. The above caution and remarks
are given from hearing q case in point
on Friday last in the first circuit court
Of this city, where worthy citizen OF
Shelby Depot had for many years in-
sured his property in one OF our city
insurance companies, and from time to
time renewed said policy. Becoming
afflicted with blindness, and otherwise
| incapacitated from taking care Of his
| business, he, by q deed of gift, conveyed
| the property insured to his wife and
children and paid the renewal premium
in the usual way to said insurance COM
pany in the presence OF and in company
Of his wife, by whom he was led to and
from the cOmpany's Office. Not being
able to read from blindness, and the
wife honestly thinking what belonged
to herself and children her husband had
a right TO insure as their agent and pro-
tectOr, received said renewal policy and
carefully laid same away with tie eX-
pectsti0n that all was right. Soon there
after they were awoke in the dead Of
night TO find their house and store wrap
ped in flames, which was reduced to
ashes. Without a doubt resting on their
minds the blind husband, led by his |
wife, appeared at the pslatisl mansion |
of the insurance company, and present. |
ing their claim for damages under said |
policy, were told TO their disnay |
that their insurance policy was void |
from some technically which gave |
the company the TlgaJ to refuse pay
ment. Not a breath U. suspicion or fault !
was to be found as to the origin and re-
suit of the fire, but simply that the law
furnished them loOphOle to evade the
payment Of their policy, and they mag
Unanimously (?) took advantage Of it.
The assured, feeling this an outrage on
justice, brought suit for the amount in
sured, and, notwithstanding the case
was most ably conducted by the counsel
for plaintiff, and it was shown beyond q
doubt that 10 fraud had been peTpe.
trated or praCticed on the insurance
company, ana not the slightest addi-
tiOnal Tisk had been encountered by the
existence Of this deed of gift, coupled
with the fact that the husband and
wife were unaware OF this deed affecting
the policy or requiring to be made
known. The court, however, informed
the jury that the Law was such that they /
were compelled to find averdict In favor
of the insurance company. ] do not
intend here any reflection on the court,
quite the contrary II space would allow.
My object here has been 10 open the
eyes OfsOme innocent victims who, IN
for years, and perhaps for
are contributing toward the
support Of palatial mansions for insur-
ance cOmpany's offices, and magnifi-
cent residences for their secretaries and
and then when rendered
homeless by fire or lifeless by old age or
,s.E-v, Il 6, {
helpless widow and children tn be in
iOrmed, as on this occasion, thst, owing
10 little flaw in their policy, it is void {
and worthless The above Tecited case '
S one Of peculiar hardship, and warn
sveTy man CT woman to think twice be- |
ore paying their honest earnings for in
and re8d carefully all the con- I
iitions imposed before parting with '
jingle dollar for which, as in the above t
.ase, you may never get any return. t
OBSERVER. {