The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-12-10

The Baron Who Smoked Himeofl
10 Deeth-0apeain .Colvosoress
q Bridgeport.

Aoe suspicious engineered ~ the
circumstances Of the sickness and
death Of Walter Dwight, of Bing.
hsmton. who procured insurances
upon his life in September to The
amount of $256. 900. suggest Q number
Of cases in which attempts we're made.
with various results, to recover large
insurance. on policies issued nut .
short time before death. One noted
case was that Of Barno Bella Olnyi, of
Pesth, Hungary. In 1874. owing 10
. series Of reverses. mis- possessions.
which . few years before had been
worth 81, 900, 600. were lcst, aud even
his house was mortgaged n its fnll
value. Determined that his wife
should never know of these misfor.
tunes. he insured himself for 500. 900
guilders 10 Eve difiernt companies.
STIMULATING with them that the money
should be paid over to bis family in
case If his death within year. Since
be Was but forty-6ve years old and q
of powerful frame and in excellent
health, the companies were quite
willing 10 accept from him the 1900
forms necessary to bind the conditions.
He had become famous as horseman
ami hunter, and while his means
lasted had been enable to crafty his
sporting proclivities. But from the
day that he obtained possession Of the
last policy be led . di6srent life.
although bis house was still maintained
in it, usual elegance. He was no
more seen in the park, ct his GLIB or
at the hunt Every morning he left
home directly after breakfast and did
not return until dinner.time. After
dinner be disappeared again and re-
manned until midnight " later. No
one knew where he kept himself: His
full figure became attenuated. his eyes
lustreless, his Aorid color . sickly hue,
and his strong voice cracked and
feeble. His family and friends at.
tempted to disuade him from his
seclusion and medical treatment Was
urged. but all to no purpose. Ore day
he Was unable to leave his bed.
Physicians examined him and declared
that he was hopelessly afflicted with
quick consumption. Within fourteen
days he died. His will bequeathed to
his wife the insurance policies, and
acquainted her for the 6rst time with
the loss of his entire fortune. The
insurance companies refused to meet
the claims designated in the policies
upon the general ground that Baron
Bella had procured the insurance with
the intention Of Deliberate suicide.
They searched for his place Of retreat
to suhstain such a theory. After
prolonged search it WAS ascertained
that in January, 1874. ten months
before his death. he had rented for
one year . email apartment in dirty,
unfrequented street. The room Was
opened, A sofa, . table, two chairs
and two chests constituted the furni
ture. One Of the chests contained q
few articles ofclothing and . dozen
long tobacco pipes. 10 the other were
about two hundred cigars. worth about
2 kreutzers each. and half pound of
smoking tobacco. From tho wrappers
found in the chests, it Vas estimated
that $500 of these 2-cent cigars and
about q hundred pounds Of smoking
tobacco had been consumed within ten
months. Chemical and medical ex.
aminations were made BY both parties.
and the absorption Of poisonous
quantities of nicotine into the system
BY sucking was finally assigned ~ the
cause of death.
The body of James c. Wallis. of
Johnson County, NO., was discovered
by HE daughter at the roadside near
bic residence. ut about 5 p. N. on Sep.
tember %. 1873. Wallis had left
home at about o'clock, avcwedly to
paw one Quick, . neighbor, . bill of
$50. At 5 o'clock the daughter saw
he horse upon which he had ridden |
nut running up the road with an
Empty saddle. She mounted the |
lnimal and rode back. A short dis. |
ance down the road che found an
Envelope addressed to her father, and
iurther on other papers and his
were found. Her fathers
,ody lay at the edge of . growth of
woods which the highway intersected.
Death had been caused By Q gun-shof
extending through both lungs
md penetrating the heart, and which
lad been inflicted BY . pietol found
orty-6ve feet away from the body.
1t the Coroners inquest physicians
eeti6ed that q man 90 wounded could
'ever throw . pistol forty.6ve feet nor
'alk 30 far; it also appeared that Mr..
Wallis had not called at Mr.. Quick's
'hich was only . mile away, during
he afternoon. The body was yet
'arm when discovered, BY the
aughter. and there Was evidence
hat the fatal shot had been fired only
few minutes bef,re 5 o'clock.
|etween l o'clock aud the time of the
iscovery no one had seen Mr.. Wallis.
here was no evidence on the ground !
ear where the body lay ola struggle.
I'd no marks of violence other than
70 wounds npon the body. In the q
lit for the recovery of insurance to
'e amount Of t23. 900 that followed
'ortly after his death. it was shown
at he did not have $50 when be left {
,me, and that the roll Of bills which
, showed to his wife. representing it !!
be that amount. was only about $50,
hich. without her knowledge, be had C
forwards placed in . box In which e
usually kept bis cash. It Vas also s
oven that be was heavily in debt,
v pressed. for money and had no
aspects Of meeting the premiums o.
'on hls policies. The insurance T.
mpanies were relieved from pay n