Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-03-17
TIE DWIGHT CASE.
Insurance Companies Defeated After = vi
Fight.

xIS0Gs
The New York court of appeals has
handed down decision in the famous
Dwight life insurance cases there being
seven of them. The appeal made by the
insurance companies is dismissed with
costs.
Col. Walton Dwight was well-knowL
citizen Of Binghamton, N. Y. He applied
to every life insurance company in the
United States in the months of August
and September, 1878, and sought to obtain
insurance on his life to the amount of $3.50. :
600.
He succeeded in obtaining $4,000 ill.,
surance in the Equitable Life Assurance
Society Of New York. 10000 in the Man.
haitian, 81, 900 each in the Germania Of
New York, Mutual Benefit of Newark. and
Northwestern Of Milwaukee, Wis.,; s1o,-
600 each in the New York Life, Washing
ton of New York, United States of. New
York, Metropolitan of New York, Etna
of Hartford, Travellers of Hartford. Union
Mutual of Augusta, Me. National of
Montpelier, Vt. New England Mutual of
Boston, State Mutual of Worcester, Mass. !;
Mutual of Springfield. and Berkshire OF
Pittsield, Mass, and g, 900 each in the
Brooklyn of New York, Home of New
York, and National of Chicago The
total of the policies he obtained was 1856,
600.
Each Of them was on the plan of quar-
terly payments. The unusual amount of
his insurance was made known at a repre-
sentative meeting of different companies,
held at the Astor house, for the purpose
of forming an association for the inter-
change of information in suspicious cases.
Incidentally one officer mentioned that his
company had taken a risk that he thought
was suspicious. because he had discovered
that the insured man had concealed the
fact that he had raised blood. One after
another the agents of the different compa-
MES said that they had taken risks on the
same man. This led to investigation. In
one case the premium on the first quar-.
ter had been paid, and an effort
was made to prevent the agent from ac-
accepting it. In another case one of the
companies made formal tender Of repay
ment of all the money received from
Dwight and refused to receive any more
money from him. Allthe insurances were
effected between August 1S and Septem.
ber 10, 1878. On the 18th of the follow
ing October Dwight was taken sick. The
second quarterly premium had not been
paid. On the 18th of November Dwight
was reported dead. The case had then
excited wide interest. One company Sent
to Dwight IN his sick bed and told him
that they believed he meant to play some
trick. Dwight replied /:
"When am dead cut me to pieces and
see what you can find out"
He made ample arrangements for the
physicians to make thorough autopsy O
his body. A reputable undertaken took
charge of the corpse, and fourteen reputa
ble physicians signed 4 statement of facts
that appeared at an autopsy. The insur
ance companies were represented at the
autopsy. The doctors agreed as to tho
facts, but they disagreed as to the conclu
sion to be drawn from those facts. DR.
Delafield, who represented the Equitable
company, came to the conclusion that the
man died Of paralysis of the heart
DR.. John Swinburne concluded that III
died of asphyxia. DR.. Burr, the at
tending physician, said that there wa
malarial trouble and congestive chill
These different opinions were founded OF
the same facts. The general opinion
in Binghamton was that the insuranc.
companies were trying to evade the pay
ment of a just debt. The coroner refused
to hold an inquest. Application was made
to Governor Robinson, who compelled ths
coroner to hold one. The coroner selected
a jury of doctors, whose verdict was tha
there was no evidence that Dwight died o
unnatural causes. The representatives OF
the insurance companies were not allowed
to ask questions at the inquest. The par
ticulars of tho case were widely published
The Equitable society finally conclu, 'et
to ray the amount of the claim against it
and did do 50. The Home company fol
lowed suit. The other companies resolved
to fight their claims in the courts and hav,
been defeated.