St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-10-13
The Insurance Irregularities

NJ.
The Insurance Irregularities.
There does not seem to he, us we had
hoped, any extenuating circumstances
III the case of the irregularities of f. ID.
Hopkins, of the firm of Bowman g.
hopkins, as mentioned in last weeks
CatedOnidn. To he sure, Mr.. Hopkins
is yet away, and has not been heard in
the matter; so what light he could
throw on the case if he would, is all
conjecture. His prolonged absence and
silence, together with newly discovered
transactions, force the public generally
to the conclusion that he has acted dis
honestly and fraudulently. We might
fill columns with rumOIs and stories
that are current, but we do not see that
1t would serve any good purpose, and
shall refer to only Il few which are sup
posed to he authentic ''Spccials" from
some of the Insurance companies have
been here during the past week, over
hauling the books and papers of Bow
man 4 Hopkins, and the revelations.
us reported, are sad and significant.
On forcing the private drawer of Hop
kins, letters were found directed to
Bowman & Hopkins, from some of the
Insurance companies they represented.
demanding settlement of dues, etc. In
the same drawer were found checks
filled out to these companies to cover
such Indebtedness, but never sent. The
check stub in the book, represented the
debt as cancelled, and Bowman SAYS he
found the suppressed letters andchecks.
The Travellers Insurance Company
"speciaf fails to find ten policies, ol
any account of the same. These policies
are executed ut the home office, and all
that is necessary to put them in force L.
| to have them filled out and signed 10y
local agents. The inference which som,
draw is this, that Hopkins has filled
them ont, and taken the insurance
money, making no record of the same
As each policy MAY cover SlO.Wm, tn,
amount of the possible deficit is large
| What other discoveries these specials
have made, we do not know. but it l.
evident that IA thorough Investigation
is due the parties as we'll Is the public
If Hopkins has dctaultcd i'll thirty ol
fifty thousand dollars. some body ha,
lost that amount. Ii he has made out
those ten policies, some one holds them
bubble burst. and Hopkins lett til,
state. 1t is time the matter was thor
oughly ovcrhauled. For ourselves ",
cannot but think that if Mr.. Hopkins
wrote those ten policies. he must he i'll
sane. us many have thought. Any san,
man would have known that such ;
scheme would have miscarricd. How
ever the case may prove So far as MIR
Hopkins is concerned. his family an,
the public.
This failure has failed Charles Whca
ton of West Concord. as we stated las
week. Since then Woodbury. \ Rus
Sell. merchants of the same place, hay,
suspended, because of endorsing Hop
hins' paper, and some others i'll tn
same place are expected to suspend fo
the same reason. These men do no
know how deeply they are involved
partly, We understand. through thei
own carelessness, aud partly throug
deceit of Mr.. Hopkins. That ia, Will
, they have been imjudicious and carele>
in signing notes brought by Mr.. Hop
| kin>. they claim that MI. Hopkins ha
procured their endorsement of paper L
. take up matured notes which never ha
their endorsement. If this is the cas-,
| the parties embarrassed by this tailur
do not know to what extent they ar
holden. and We are prepared to hear {
an increase of liabilities. and the >u>
+. peIsi"n of other parties involved.