Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-07-26
MRS. wACKERIE,S WiCKEDSEss.


How She Putsued an Insurance
Company with \ False claim, and
How The Fraud was by Accident
Exposed.
From the Detroit Post and Tribune, July l6.l
In May 1869, William Wackerle,
then residing in this city, took a
policy in the Ntna insurance COM
pany upon his life, Of $4,000, paya-
BILE to his wife, Whlburga Wack.
erie, in the event Of his death. Sub
sequently he went to California,
and his wife followed him little
later, and afterward they went to
Quincy, Illinois, to reside. This
was in 1870. Having resided there
a short time, Wackerle again left
his home, and, it was supposed by
his wife, went South. Mrs. w. went
to st. Louis in pursuit Of him, and
from there to Texas, where she be-
lieved he had gone. At Shreve-
port, Louisiana, she got informa-
ton that the year previous a man,
who, from the description, she be-
lieved was her husband, had been
killed on the Texas and Pacific
railroad, by being run over by a
train of cars, nine miles from that
city. She set herself to work to
gather proofs of his death, in order
to get the insurance. Affidavits
of the train men were obtained, in
one of which deponent is made to
say on the 25th Of December, 1872,
a man by the name Of Wallace
Wackerle, well known to the de-
ponent, having worked with him
on section 2 of the Texas and Pa
cifc railroad, was killed by being
run over by the freight train" =
"And further, that he saw Waek
erie after his death, and knows him
to have been the same person whom
he knew alive by that name" In
another one of the affidavits a train
man swears "That on the 25th Of
December, 1872, one William
Wackerle, laborer on the Texa,
and Pacific railroad, was killed al
a place about nine miles from the
city of Shreveport, by being rur
over by a train of the Texas ant
Pacific Railway Company that hi
was present and saw said William
Wackerle, deceased, when his body
was sent to Shreveport, La, foi
coroner's inquest and interment
that he has frequently heard tn,
deceased spell bis name Week
erie to deponent."
The Etna Insurance Cempan,
was not entirely satisfied will
these afidayits aud determined Il
make a thorough investigation
Their agents questioned the mel
who made them and found then
ignorant freedmen, who did no
know what they were swearing to
who admitted that they did no
know the name of the man killed
that they could not read or write
or spell their own names. Afida
Wits of the roadmaster, paymasteI
assistant treasurer and foreman G
the gang to which the man kille
belonged were obtained, and fror
these it appeared that his nam
was Frank Ettine, an employe Q
the road; that neither Of them ha
ever seen or heard of VIM. Wack
erie. Upon this the insurance con
pany refused to pay the loss.
Mrs. Wackerle then commence
suit in Louisiana. She was yer
active in procuring testimony; ha
the body exhumed and claimed /
have identified it, although it ha
been buried four years. The jul
gave her verdict for the flu
amount claimed with interest. Th
!, insurance company took an appeI
to the Supreme Court and the cas
was set for hearing this week.
Now comes the strangest part
the story. The facts about tn
trial happened to come to the eal
of Joseph Weinmann, Of Faribaul
Mimi, who knew William Wacl
erie well, and he wrote immediate
to the Mutual Life Company,
New York, where there was an il
surance of $4,000 waiting the deci
ion on the other policy, and h
letter was forwarded to the Htl
Office. lie said that he himself W
the First Lieutenant Of CSmpaI
II, Nlnth Minnesota Volunteer
during the war, and that Wacker
was a private in his company, ha
ing enlisted from Carver, MINI
that the latter Wasin California al
nc had been in recent correspon
ence with him concerning Cover
ment bounty, and there could
no mistake Of his being alive. I
Rtna at once dispatched their a
iuster, Mr ]. w. Webster, to Fa
bault, where he found Mr.. Wei
mann TO be just what he had rep
sented. A letter from Mr.. Wac
nle dated in January. 1878, a