Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-06-27
When the Company Was Respops,h,.

The other day a denizen Of urs
Park, who had just taken out a q, noo
policy on his life, got his contract viz
the company. prominent Eastern 40
ISOLATION whose President gets so- ooo
year, and, when he came to read nv
conditions through, was so ama1aS
that his hair stood up on end and =
cold shudder ran down his yertehra,
column AS he remarked, "There's Toe
gin-cocktails gone where the woodbins
twlneth, the premium payable omar
terly in advance, beng 500. 40, and tbo
average gn-cocktail of commerce heinz
taken as basis of calculation at fss
teen cents, currency. AS soon as bis
hair had subsidized sufficiently to enahls
him to keep his hat on, he fastened TO
the eloquent agent who had. as Il
were, roped him in, and said unto him
See here, | want to ask you some
thing Well, my dear sir, what is
it?" said the agent. "What | want to
know" continued the policy-holder
sis this: Can | die in any wav 50 40
to have my family get anything under
this policy?" "Well." said the agent
thoughtfully but candidly, ~ don't
know. If you are hanged, or killed in
a duel, or commit suicide, or die
drunk, you can t. l think it's an omen
question as to whether any insurer
however ingenious, can successfnllv
die and bind the Company as a matter
of law. Of course we pay risks fire..
! quently, Int that is an action of grace
and as an Notwithstanding as one
of law. Put suggestions case to me-
and I'll give you confidential and
candid opinion. Fire away" well"
| said the victim, "suppose | make a
! mistake in my age-how is that? For
instance, | was born Dec. 10, 1916: am
thirty or thirty-one? My father had
fifteen or sixteen children-I am not
sure which; if said fifteen and it was
sixteen, or sixteen and it was fifteen.
how is that?" "Well," answered the
agent, 1.-The application being part
of the contract, technically YOU
wouldn't be entitled to recover any,
thing, but l don't suppose the
Company would be likely to
kick if you didn't die too socn. Ask
me something hard" "Then sup
pose | was travelling and / had been
down to Mobile, and when | was on
my way back | died at Columbus
Ohio, how would that be for dep
81 guess technically your policy
would be vitiated," answered the
agent; "you see voyaging south of S5
degrees north violates the contract"
"Yes, but wouldn't die south of 35
degrees, and suppose | died of a flash
of lightning, how then" "In the
eye Of the law-the insurance law, az
construed by over 1850 lawyers,
continued the agent affably-' that
would make no difference. When YOU
set out on journey south of 35 de-
grees the law regards you as on that
journey, and, therefore, south of 50
degrees till you get home. II you
started for New Orleans by way OF st.
Paul, and died at st. Paul. you would
legally have died at New Orleans, and
while in prosecution of a journey un-
dertaken in violation of your contract
with the Company. And as for the
flash of lightning, that doesn't alter
the technical aspect of affairs. If you
hadn't been going to Mobile, somebody
else would have been killed al Column
bus. 1t is as clear as st. Louis water
isn't. Ask me something hard. Buta
flash of lightning, IN any case
"Is an act of God, like an earthquake,
or deluge, or something of that IN
usual sort, and we don tinsure against
that. Then, again, if you die of govt,
consumption, or any disease OF tlat
sort, that is prima tacie evidence thas
you had the seeds of the disease i'm
planted in you when yon made your
contract with the Company, and
technically, at least, it would be IN
validated. The law (as was well OBJ
served by worthy Judge who had
good deal of insurance stock, and used
to get up early on dividend days,
the law doesn't give cuss for what
you meant it goes by what you
said. LET us imagine that am
bitten by Spitz dog or killed by
murderer said the unhappy VIC
tim, with a trace of Irritation,
in his manner, "what then!
why" answered the imperturbable
agent, "there again 1t is debataDie
point. The law assumes that you VIII
keep out of the way of Spitz dogs;
you amt alive to your own interests,
you can't expect us to suffer, can your
| | leave it to your own good sense. 10
! it reasonable to expect our Western
| General Agent to go round seeing tha'
you have your legs encased in stove
pipe and shin up lamp-posts with rea,
sonable diligence'-as the law provides
Whenever a Spitz opens business
And, rs for being murdered. ifyou Keep
the company Of murderers, you, III
measure, perish in violation OF llle
law and wilfullv violate and Vitae
your contract with the Company.