Morning journal and courier., 1886-03-24
ISsURING wOMEN,s LIFE.
Curious Facts About the Work-The e Sharp Practices of Some Women.

Curious Facts About the "Ork-Fhe
 sharp Practices of Some Women.
 From the New York Mail and Express
 Of the many life insurance companies of this city, only one is managed by women in the interests of women. The attorney for the company, when asked yesterday by a re- porter for some particulars regarding its work, said:
 ''AlI the officers are ladies of wealth, and they accept no salary. What they claim is that if 8 woman desires to insure she should have the same unrestricted freedom as man has in such matters. The company was started in 1883, and is now on pay ing basis. It has hundred agents, and it's large agency in Philadelphia is managed by woman. Some of the statistics that we gather will surprise the public, I think. For instance, have just received the re- port of the English registrar general for last year. It shows that out of every 1 1000 living persons, 4S7 are males and 513 females; that of births, to every 100 females born there are 103 510 males; and that at every age of life the death-rate is lower among females than among males. From his fig ures he shows that the mean expectation of life of males is fl g, and of females .62. He also finds a-diminished death-rate in both sexes, and that the improvement in living is shown to be greater in females than in males. This proves a statement made in 1S41 by one of the English government actuaries, that on general principles, if there should be asgener- al improvement in living, it would first be manifested in females In this country we find from statistics that the same things prevail. This making 8 special subject of woman insurance has had the effect of in- ducing women to insure who never before thought of the subject, and as a rule it is being taken up with a great deal of inter- est.'
 ''Have there been any attempts made by them to defraud2'
 ''Yes, there have, but where we find iso- lated instances of women insuring by fraud there are numerous cases of men doing the same thing. One thing observed in such business is that although women are fight ing for equal rights and all the privileges that men have, yet they don't want to assume the same responsibility, and when trouble comes they want to shield themselves be- hind their sex. The experience of our com pany has developed the fact that women ought to be held to the same accountability as men, for they have shown themselves equally as shrewd in putting up, pressing and even creating insurance claims any man have come across in my experience. We have cases where women have attempted to insure husband in failing health, but we have had no cases that I am aware of where deception has been practised as to age. A we'll planned but unsuccessful at tempt to get money from us wrongfully was made not long ago by a woman who held an accident policy in the company Her policy was for $25 a week indemnity and $5, 900 week in case of death. We limit the period of liability to twenty-five weeks, and we take them on very low rates, for one of the conditions is that if person is able to do any portion of her regular work our liability ceases. This woman fell, sus- taining no injury, but receiving quite shock to her nervous system. Within two weeks after, as we found out, she took 200 mile trip, returning after ten days and going at her regular business again. After month or two she presented claim, together with doctors certificate, and asked for $250 on account, partial payment of the iabil- ity. For the sake of being liberal we gave her this, thinking that would end the matter of course. But at the end of six months what does this enterprising woman do but present us bill for indemnity for the en- tire of that time! We had personal knowl- edge that she had not been disabled dur ing that time, and it was perfectly evident to everybody that she had not. We refused to give her any more, and she knew so we'll that she had no claim in law that she gave it up. A curious fact observed about woman insurance is that the moment the applicant learns that there is any doubt about her being accepted she is ten times more earger than ever to be insured. have known women come again and again to the examining physician, when told that there was something wrong about the hearts action or otherwise, hoping that at each succeeding time the symptoms would be less marked"