The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-05-25
WALTON DWIGHT'S DEATH.
THE RECENT ABSURD THEORY THATHE
rs NOT DEAD, NUT ALIVE.
what Oncer OF One OF the Interested Life
Insurance Companies Has 60 Say the
Buhiect-RecnlIing Some Cases of Frauds.


subject-RecnlIinR Some Cases of Frauds
According to despatch from Pittsburgh,
Pa. published yesterday. the Vice President OF
New York life insurance company. which had
q large risk on the life Of Col. Walton Dwight
OF BinRhamton. told a reporter OF that city that
his company had reason to believe that Col.
Dwight was alive Inquiries made yesterday
In the offices OF those New York companies that
granted policies to him elected the information
that no Vice. President OF any such company
had lately been in Pittsburgh. nor could the
wrtor learn the source or origin OF the story
An officer OF a company In which Col Dwight
was insured said:
while all evidence in the case Is such ms
would satisfy legal mind that Walton Dwight
is dead. and while none OF the companies. 80
far as we can learn. that are either contcsting
or expect to contest the claim Of tho legntees
under Dwights will have any intention OF rails
ing n question in regard TO the fact Of the death
there are. nevertheless. many gentlemen con-
nected with the life insurance interests as on
GERS, counsel. physicians. and special agents
or detectives. who are strongly impressed with
the suspicion that Dwight is alive.
" This is particularly true Of persons who
| knew Dwight's peculiar history and tho numer-
GUS gigantic schemes in which he engaged in
| past years. In August last while going through
| bankruptcy without money or credit he applied
| TO every company in the country for the largest
amounts they would carry, asking for nearly
| issued. about $4,000 n year. He obtained
n quarter Of million dollars OF insurance
| on the quarterly premium plan, thus obtain
| ing the largest possible amount OF insurance
/ Tor the least possible time allowed 10y n life
insurance company lie made ell tho policies
! payable TO his estate. because IL he had made
! ihcm payable 10 his wife. her creditors would
have got It all as she is now insolyeDt. and
| going through bankruptcy with debts reAching
! n sum greater than the entire amount Of his in
! surance Before he obtained his last policy
! some OF tho companies had become alarmed
| Some recalled their policies, some whose poll
| cies had been delivered refused 10 accent the
! premiums while others rendered back pre-
| miums and demanded the return Of the policies
] All these proceedings were taken hy the com
| panies while Dwight was apparently in perfect
AS soon rs hchad obtained his last policy he
! made his will. He knew that In order 20 have
| his will valid he must got through bankruptcy
| before no died. In his Will he declines 20 pay
! ans. debts that he can be discharged from by
! bankruptcy. After making his will he spends
/ one month hunting and fishing Then he comes
| g Biughamton sick. Instead Of calling in his
| family physician Of Aiteen years standing no
| calls in pr. Burr, who had never treated him
/ before. Friday the 18th of November arrived.
! He got his dis hargo In bankruptcy nj half past
! ioqT IN ne afternoon. and he died that night at
Prom half pnst until the time Of his death
| he was alone with one man. Tho doctors alb
| The doctor and undertaken were sent for to-
| gether The body was in the hands Of the un-
/ WlAHlH lMful1 minutes hitfF inc al
| legged death, and i was kept from, public view
| until Monday. tho lSth. when. in shaded room.
Or. Francis De.aheld. stranger. performed an
| autopsy In the presence OF fourteen doctors.
| who were there simply as lockers on. Notes
! were made concerning the condition in which
| the body was found to be-. All the doctors
signed the notes. but no opinion was expressed
In the notes az 10 the cause Of death, After the
freely Dr. John Swlnburno made a wriitan
| report that the death was produced by asphyxia
by slow strangnailon. DR.. Burr made
| tive chill. DR.. Delatield made n report that the
| death was due 10 paralysis OF the heart. DR.. c.
death was revealed. The rcst Of tho doctors
were undecided. The nrst two reports were
special report. which WINS u.s. not sw,orn are'q ~ ;
was, first published, and It was rectiyed
! ty the public AS the report Of the autopsy which
| had boen signed by the fifteen physicians; thus
| q false inpressio ion was given tothe public. The
| i9cis revealed by the physicians who attended,
| Dwight showed that his illness was "a brief and
| not serious one. II hal not affected his pulse
nor his temperature. He had not lost flesh. He
| was a man Of great muscular strength. was over
| six feet high, weighed 200 pounds. and the au-
! iopsy showed that all the vital organs were
healthy and vigorous Itwas also shown that
and that the barber had trimmed his hair and
| whiskers closely
Now while majority Of the persons con-
nected with the life insurance interests are OF
| the opinion that Dwight committed suicide,
! Dwghts history. entertain n suspicion that
| Dwight is alive. and that "a corpse resembling
" 1t is trus that the records Of the War Depart
| ment in Washington show that Dwight at tho
| pattle OF uettySburg was wounded by "a ball
| passing through the upper third Of the left thigh
| and splinterng the fcnur. and 1t is equally true
| that at the inquest upon examination, a per-
| fe fly smooth bona was found.
| IL is true that Walton Dwight had a square
set Jaw. but the corpse had such n narrow jaw
| that the ordinary plate used by dentists for OBJ
| tanning casts was too large to DO used success
iully u getting cast OF the teeth. II Is alleged
that Walton Dwight had long Grecan nose
| while the Of the eorugn mipht ln
| termed hooked, II was So very Rquiline. 1t is
true that Walton Dwight, as shown by his vari-
| Gus applications to tho companies. was six feet
| three inches In height. while the corpse was
| only six feet ono inch and seven. eishths; but
| tnen al these discrepancies might be due to
,' presume, the SUSPICION that Dwight is
| alive Is strengthened by the many similar cases
| which have boen met with in the experience Of
| the life insurance companies. To illustrate:
| The Itna Life INSURANCE Company was kept in
tho courts four years by Mrs. Wackerlc. who
| brought suit against the company for $4,000 on
the life OF her husband. alleged by her to be
dead A corpse had been found and identified.
and verdict of accidental death returned by a
Coroner's Jury. The public press took up the
cause OF tho poor widow. and the insurance
| company was bernted as a soulless corporation.
| Last November Wackere turned up alive in
| California, and was induced TO como East by the
| company TO the astonishment OF his wiies en-
dQrs5ers. r,....--
| claims OF 10000 each, ono OF them seven years
| ago. ana tho other eight years ago. Within the
| past three, months both tho individuals have
| Deem tOunu alive.
One OF the largest New York life insurance
| companies has had within the last six weeks a
very peculiar case. A man was insured for
| S. 900 for tho benefit OF his wife Ho took a
| journey with gentleman friend. The gente-
| man friend brought back corpse which he
alleged was tho late. policy holder. The be-
| reaved widow Identified the corpse. The dis
consulate friend identified him. He had been
| accidentally killed. II WAS said dozen or
| more reputable citizens, whose honesty is not
| in the least doubted. swore positively to tho
| Identification, What was the sequel2 Tho late
| lamented policy holder was found alive The
corpse was discovered to be the BODY OF a man
who had resided in noighboring town.
Tho cases OF Rainforth, Desbouis. Douat
| McFadden. Davis, Goss Udderzook. Palmer,
| Hearns. Wallis, and many others are fresh in
| the minds Of insurance officers and II is not
strange that some who have suffered by their
| experience in the past should look nj this
| Dwight case with a great deal Of suspicion. |
case OF the century. and further believe that
| when n clear investigation Is had in proper
court the press and the public will fully endorse