Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1882-10-13
MISSOURI STATE NEWS.

Cnrtou. Gt6trnd,.tjsn. in . Willow. Suit
sfor tho Insurancs ON Her Husbands
fife. "a
| One of the most sensational suits on
record hasjust been decided In tho United
States Circuit Court at St.. Louis. In 1855
William Wackerle, farmer at Carver
Minn., married Waburga Schneider, and
they lived together on the farm until 1862,
when he enlisted in the Ninth Minnesota
Regiment, in which he served until 1864,
when he was discharged for physical disa-
bility. He returned TO the farm for year,
when he sold it, aud after that worked as a
common laborer and railroad hand at various
places. . In Milwaukee, Wis, he took out
two insurance policies on his LIE, one in the
-Etna Life and the other in the Mutual Life
OF New York. Both were made payable to
his wife. In 1868 he moved to Sacramento,
CAL. and 1870 to Quincy, Ill. In the fall of
1872 he left her at that place, ald was next
heard Of at Marshall, Texas, and was shortly
afterward employed on the Texas Pacific
| Railroad, near Shreveport. On the 25th of
December, 1872, man was killed by being
iuu oNSi ny passCuSCl uCaA CuiCNC.
port, and, an inquest being held, some pa
pers were found on the body Indicating that
the deceased was William Wsckerle. This
was not deemed sufficient Identification
by the coroner's jury, ald they re-
turned their verdict that j, the deceased
was an unknown person." Mrs.
Wackerle did not hesr q; the matter until
January, 1873, and in the meantime had
paid the premiums on the two policies for
that year. As soon as she was informed Of
the death she went to Marshall, Texas, AMI
Shreveport, La, to gather evidence that the
deceased was her husband. She submitted
these proofs to the company, but they
deemed them insufficient, and refused to
pay the insurance. She brought suit against
the Etna In the State Court Of Louisiana at
Shreveport, retaining Hon. Alexander
Boardman, now Judge Of the Ulited States
District Court of Louisiana, as her counsel.
On the trial she obtained Judgment against
the company, and defendant appeAed to the
Supreme Court Of Louisiana. Pending this
appeal, Joseph Wimmen, an attorney in
the employment of the defendant, went
back to California and brought back man
claiming to be William Wackerle, the sup.
posed dead man. He was produced before
the Supreme Court and numerous a1idavits
were presented testifying that he was the
identical William Wackerle on whose life
the policies Of insurance were taken. Mrs.
Wackerle, however, denied his identity, and
pronounced him fraud. But the Su.
preme Court took different view, and re-
versed the decision Of the Circuit Court
of Shreveport. On the strength of this de.
cision, Wackerle, real or fictitious, as the
case may be, applied to the Government for
pension and obtained it, drawing the full
amount for sixteen years, from 1864 to 1889.
Mrs. Wackerle brought suit in the United
States Circuit Court for the st. Louis dis
trict against the Mutual Life of New York.
large amount of testimony, oral and from
dispositions, was offered on both sides, about
equally divided as to the identity of the
man. Several witnesses who knew Wack-
erie In Minnesota and elsewhere testified
that the man produced b! the insurance
company is William Wackerle. Among
these witnesses is John Waekerle,a brother,
who seems sincerely to believe the man Is
what he represents himself to be. The
" claimanto swore directly to be-
ing the husband of the plaintiff
in the case, and detailed number of cir
cumstances and events connected with their
life. But on cross examination he could
not tell how many children they had, where
or when they were born, or how many were
living or dead. He could not even tell the
names Of all Of them. Several other things
which husband could net fail to know he
either had no remembrance or knowledge of.
His direct testimony was ,ot exactly broken
down, but his cross-examination was of
such character as to leadto the belief he
is playing the part Of impstor. The jury
found verdict in Mrs. Wackerle's favor,
for $6,597. Mr.. Shepley, for the insurance
company, announced that he would appeal
the case. The theory o. the attorney for
Mrs. Wackerle Is that tie individual who
has personated her husband is none other
than Chris. Wackerle, bother of the de.
ceased husband. a.-