Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-09-26
From the Atlantic Monthly.
JACOBS INSURANCE.
Ii resulted in a lawsuit.

IL ltcutltu III lawsuit.
The elimination was on the sixth day
of September, lSSl-that strange yellow
day that attracted so much attention in
the eastern and middle Sta,es-and the
place Of the trial was Albany.
Jacobs farm house was near the Cove,
about seven miles below Albany. From
/ his door he could look down on the Hud-
son. The Cove, BY the old landing. with
It's decayed houses, was also visible. The
cars racing along the farther shore Of the
river were a lively feature. A dozen
miles lower down the valley the river
hides behind the Catskills
On the l7th day of September, Of the
year previous tc that of the yellow day,
Jacob was awakened in the night. He
heard his pigs >luealing and bucking,"
as he termed il, against his house. He
went out, half dressed. and found the
pig-pen heap of embers. Mary, his
wife, and Will, I'M, his boy, came out
They found all the pigs, but they were
scorched and knocked about, and one
died in a few minutes of his burns. The
family went 70 bed again, but did not
sleepmuch.
In the morning, Jacob got out his in
surance policy, md he and Mary and
Willie looked it over. They did not see
anything about a pig-pen in it, and so he
put II away again.
4 week later Jacobs small barn, four
rods south Of his house, burned. 1t was
in the daytime, il the afternoon. Jacob
came back from Albany at FIVE o'clock,
and saw only the vacancy. Willie said
that at three o'clock it was on fire. Some
of the neighbors had come, but nothing
could be done. 1t was of pine boards,
thirty years old, and empty.
The insurance policy had " all abou.
the barns" in it. Jacob, therefore, went
down TO "Silas's" at the Cove, and made
application for an award. They had a
local insurance company in town. They
had seen enough of large companies
the mutual affair at home was better.
Jacobs policy was in the home company.
As soon as Jacob told his story, Silas
said i, was all right.
The committee came next day. They
awarded Jacob one hundred dollars. 1t
was satisfactory.
Five days later Jacobs large barn,
farther away from the house and on the
other side, north toward Albany where
all his hay and wagons and implements
and crops were, suddenly took fire and
burned up.
l. was astonishing What could
have caused it: 1t was heavy loss this
time. Jacob had hard work to get his
horses out and save them; all else was
consumed. 1t was a very mysterious
FIRE: all three of the fires had been mys-
,erious. The last fire occurred in the
edge of the evening, just as 1t was grow
inc dark. Jacob was at home in his house
and did not know of the conhagration till
a woman came from the next house,
screaming.
u didn't know you had any enemy,
jacob. said old William Kamter, just al
ter the fire.
Il didn't, either" said Jacob, gloom
Hy.
There was comfort in the fact that the
property had been insured. The day af-
ter the burning, Jacob went again to the
Cove and made his application.
Something seems TO be after you, Ja-
cob, said Sllas, eyeing him keenly.
Yes" said Jacob, sadly.
Silas wrote the required papers, and
said the committee would come up soon.
The very next morning, at nine o'clock,
the committee were on hand and exam
lining the place where the barn had stood.
They were ''at il" more than two hours
There was a great deal of measuring and
making inquiries; they said that 1t was
heavy loss. Besides the long examlna-
ton of the place where the large barn
had been, they had the curiosity to &c
and look once more where the small
barn had been, and poked in the ashes oI
the hog. pen, and walked about the prem
ises. One of them carried book, anc
io,ted down the measurements and othel
items.
The committee delayed making any
award. They said it was an important
matter, and they would take time.
After three days Jacob went down tt
the Cove and Inquired of Silas. The ans
wer was that the board would meet be-
fore the end of the week, and that some
thing would be done about it. Some o
Jacobs own immediate friends ant
neighbors belonged to the board. H'
spoke to them about it; they seemed re
ticent.
There was delay and another visit o
the committee, with more measuring, ant
first and then second meeting of tn
board. After about fifteen days, howev
er. Silas walked up from the Cove, dis
tance of two miles, and left letter wit
Mary for Jacob.
When Jacob came in to dinner ne 60
the letter. 1t had the insurance comPan
heading, and said