The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-10-01
Graveyard Life Insurance in feW'A
yQnia.

ure Of the methods of d sH lite e ;ssSranc ~
the business Of grave in6rmiti es' and a
An old man, bent W. , s,,;t ara;," "ia 80 .
m nnsst 10 r rl1, n5 The money, he
sgen' Ito. 70 afehoooss,esllromised him for the
ss;a; ;,a n az ~ Hiring his life, but the
prlv PRIV. set, 81 u, b pay the amount. The
agen ao ,v."s0a professional" in the
ous having risks taken on his
o., uos'l 10 ,.ying the part Of dying man,
u, 10 ;ieality his health is as good rs
Mnon fage man at his time of life.
sMe professionals charge S5 per ST.
an but it seems that they are duped by
my agents in the following manner:
A professional consents to be insured
for $1,000, and is paid IS cash.
Generally speaking, he never reads
what he signs, nor does he care much
What it is. He thinks the papers are
1or an application for single policy for
$1,000. The agent who has him in
hand gets his signature half a dozen
times on as many different papers. He
d told that it is necessary, a. the com.
pany is q very strict one. The truth is,
the old man has signed for three or four
policies, for 81 900, $4,000, $4,000, and
5000, for which, however, he receives
: single fee Of IS only. He imagines
that he has been insured for $1,000,
whereas the amount on his life is SILL
900. This is the way in which such
large sums Of insurance are placed on
the lives Of the old people. Old women,
helpless and paralytic, poor and palsied,
sre hoodwinked in the same way. The
agents then peddle the policies around
the country to whoever will buy. This
"watered stock, ".as it is called, forms
q leading article for barter in many
back country marts. 1t is common
expression that you can't throw q stone
in Eastern Pennsylvania without hitting
. graveyard life insurance agent with
policies to sell. He has paid IS to the
subject and owns Gil 900 worth of
policies. They are in Al companies
that pay full face value Of the policy.
The agent thus carries on his sale:
"Now, sir, privately, you know. be-
tween you and me, this policy for 81, 900
cost me $40 before got it issued by the
company. Lie No. ~ The subject
is a good one, first class wont live six
months. Lie No. 2. Now, the policy
jnSt q, it stands cost me S25. Lie No.
81 Twill let you have it for $50, and |
wouldn't be = bit surprised but you'd
hear Of the old paralyzed skeleton being
dead in less than six months" Lie
No. 4.
The policy is sold and duly assigned,
for which the company receives 81. the
agent makes $40, and the holder Of the
policy hunts up his subject to inspect
him aud speculate upon the probabilities
Of his early demise. It is safe to say
that there is more money made in the
sale Of policies than in any other branch
Of the neiarious traffic.
An aged woman consents to have her
life injured FIVE times by as many differ
ent parties for $1,000 each. She then
supposes there Is $1,000 insurance on
her life, whereas she has been tricked
and dipped, and in reality there is $685.
600 On her. which, il she knew all the
facts, would startle her out Of her wits.
These aged people never do know how
much insurance Is on their lives. An
Old woman boasted the other day that
~ ms insured for $4,000. The fact
= (but she does not know it), she is i'm
sufod for e220, 900, and the policies are
NJ u her neighbors, who are anxious.
y Waiching and praying for her death.
6heis lively ~ . cricket, and laughs ct
t1tAea Of her dying for the next ten
y16l3. To her intimate friends she
~: "Oh, they'll al get tired Of this
bpee I'm hah ready to die"
One Of the leading young attorneys at
&labar to-day remarked: "This insu-
49, mania 6 . terrible thing. "A few
NaEs ago . client Of mine down country
swnad 8 fine farm, clear Of Oh debt, and
~ money In bank and good credit ev-
aJWhefe. He was induced to 60 into
~ Srsvsyard Lilo insurance speculs-
~ audit has utterly ruined him. Why,
knonthly assessments amount to q
- 800. He carries policies on old
- ri old women, but they don't die.
VIA tAe policies were sold to him the
agsats represented the subjects to be
h1Nly Ia their graves. The assess-
unfain in on him, and, for three
- 10 has been bled until now his
- ~ home, biz III, has been swept
hem him, his credit at bank il gone, and
~ i on the verge Of despair. In few
! uenths 10 win have to throw up hispoE
ioas Thy axe bad stock, and nobody
ym bny them. He can not unload.
! ~ min u complete. There sre many
elhas Int like him. Farms are going
1o0A - neglsct, and families heretofore
aeluus are heing ruined. No won
- TT nen &re tempted to murder
49, tAey have insured and who viii
~ ~. About . week ago the farmer
Z ~ u Had : death occur in his f.
- ~ q, 900; bat whom hs came to
allss On his policy he received only
Qn ths company saying that there
~ only about 40 In that class, in-
I'D d 900. / Vas asked 70 enter
- against the company, but when I
1anined the policy, ! saw that the
lpany promised TO pay only 20 much
ocrding 10 the number in the class Of
hich tie insured ms : member. / told
- clisnt that be VA very lucky In get
The $50. = Il
B fblicies III thee crooked companies
- 81 value Just = speculative stocks
aAscted By tho changes IN the bull
- hon 10 Executive Mansion. A
] - I'm holding policies on old poo
Dsaneet 8. - Insurance exchange.
: q tAsir sabiects ars reported dy-
- sl3ehEly better, 0theEs ahout
T. Z. Tia policy on, the subject
= dJ11g appfeci1ass = y4lne, and
4XSaEaTfSS EaAKsS.AAAAS -. 49, G68wAsHxA 49,