Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-02-12
LETTER FROM NEW YORK..
Special Correspondence.
NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 1877

Two months ago the coroner's jury
was impanelled in the Brooklyn fire case,
and the work of inquests begun. The
work of this body has just been complet-
ed, and a long report, IN which the man
agement of the theatre in which the DIS
aster occurred is severely censured, and
a long list of recommendations submit
ted for the prevention of similar catas-
trophies in future. l am afraid that any
weeping the Coroner may have done in
this case must have been crocodile
tears" for he didn't lose any relatives
by the accident, and, if he gets the reg
ular fee of $3.50 for each body upon
which inquest has been held, he will re-
ceive for his work over $500, the larg-
est coroner's fee ever known. His claim
for this amount will be resisted by the
city on the ground that but one inquest
was held but as it is made according
to law the fortunate official will doubt
less collect it in full.
Meanwhile the terrible calamity which
a comparatively few weeks ago sent a
shudder throughout the land has been
practically forgotten, and will hereafter
be only occasionally recalled to mind
per ite ehh,s some ans. casual remark or newspa-
feeling of any kind. Such is life&aHna
more especially Death-in this cold
world.
A favorite subject for city writers to
display their wit upon is the greenness
of the cOuntryman visiting the great me-
tropolis, and the ease with which he is
taken in and done for By the city sharp.
One of the events of this week goes far
toward proving that verdancy is not an
exclusively rural attribute, but may APP
pear in one whose life has been spent
among the bricks and paving stones. In
the circumstances referred to, an old
New Yorker who had $4,000 worth of
diamond jewelry. on which he wanted to
raise loan, accepted the kindly offered
services of a young man who volunteer.
ed to help him arrange the matter. AT
ter various preliminary negotiations ar.
ranged by the disinterested young man.
in which he managed to gain the entire
confidence of the diamond owner, the
two drove one day to down town hotel
where the transaction was to be conclud
ed. At the door the kind young mar
took the jewels, saying he wished t.
show them to some one inside first, ant
requested the other to swat for him.
The latter did swat for him." and tina
is all the good it did him, for the zeal
Gus youth walked in the front door anC
out by back entrance. The thief ha
been caught. The $4,000 diamond
have not. Moral: City men should no
laugh too hard at their country cousin
for falling an easy prey to swindlers.
Life insurance matters are still max
ing it pretty lively hereabouts. The las
thing in that connection is the repor
that the officers of the two recently de
ceased companies are to be criminal
indicted. That's what is needed. Tn
sight of an insurance president or tw
behind the grating would be a spectacl
calculated to make the remaining officer
rather more careful than some of thel
have heretofore been.
This generalization does not seem I
have reached the fire companies to an
great extent. One of them, the "Mt
tropolitan" has indeed passed into tt
l hands of a receiver. but under no susp
cion of fraud, and its policies have a
been assumed by the old Continental,
one of the strongest institutions of Il
4 kind in America. The case of this con
v pany is an illustration of the evils a
a tendant on the present license enjoyt
e by new concerns of assuming corpora
g name so similar to that in use by son
e already established company as to CO.
h found the two. The name Continent
}. being attached to the life compan
whose failure was enveloped in such /;
# unsavory odor, has doubtless caus,
n many people little conversant with j
n surance matters to do great injusti
to the solvent institution. The Con
1t mental fire company has over three m
lie lions of assets against one quarter of
le million of liabilities. Moreover, its VI
re untary provision of Safety Funds depC
" tied at Albany and its corresponding
T. serve in Office, already amounting
l. three quarters of a million, and constal
* ly increasing, renders its failure a 81
le pie impOssibility.
In In recent letter l spoke of some
IS the curiosities of hard times in N
b. York. Since then there has come unC
my notice another practice which
ty prevailing scarcity of the circulating I
at dunn has caused to be quite gener
'e. This is the selling of wedding presel
Sc by newly married couples who find tt
ul cannot live entirely on love aad r
,s- leaves, and need more In the way of s.
ed staptial comforts than their purse Y
nv afford. In q fashionable wedding it