Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-18
rprc1AL rELEoRAM TO THE DISPATCH 1

PHILADELPHIA, December 17.-Within
80 days the family of Mr.. Gowen will receive
in the neighborhood of $780, 900 insurance
money, and of this amount $171, 900
is placed in three big companies,
the New York, the Equitable,
and the Mutual. None of these companies
will contest the policies. or the three, the
Equitable is the heaviest loser, Mr.. Gowen's
policies in that company amounting to $780,
900. The policies are all over three years old,
and so, under the rules of the company can
not be disputed on account OF suicide.
In lhe New York Life Insurance Com
pany there is 81, 900 to be paid out Only
few days before his.death Mr.. Gowen was
in the company's Office in this city, and re-
ceived $4,000, the amount of an
endowment policy that had expired.
He informed the company that
he wanted paid-up policy for the $61 200
worth of life insurance that he was then
carrying. Such a paid-up policy would
have amounted to $1,000, and so, as affairs
the company would have been in pocket
about $55, 900.
THEY REGRET IT NOW.
The company sent o solicitor around to
see Mr.. Gowen, and after considerable talk
he was persuaded to let his insurance in
that company stand as it was. The other So
900, bringing the amount to 81, 0OO is in the
shape of an endowment policy.
The Mutual, of New York, escapes very
luckily with only $4,000. Besides these
amounts that are positively known. insurance
men think Mr.. GoWen had smaller policies
scattered around which will bring the
sum total up to $4,000. Why he should
have wanted paid-up policies can of
course only be guessed at, but one insurance
Gowen had the suicide idea in his mind when
he asked for the paid-up policies
his idea being to prevent the
companies from losing so large an amount of
money by taking his own life, or else that be
held his reputation SO high that he did not want
it smirched by even the thought that he had
killed himself so that his family might get the
insurance money"
The amount Of premiums Mr.. Gowen paid
every year, another insurance man thought
would amount to between Sl00 and $4,000
The funeral Of Mr.. Gowen took place to-day,
from his late residence at Mt. Airy. In ac-
cordance with the wishes of the family the ser
vices were strictly private. and were conducted
by Rev. DR.. 8. E. Hill, pastor OF Grace Episco-
pal Church of which Mr. Gowen was promi-
nent member. The interment took place at
Ivy Hill cemetery, where two of Mr.. Gowen's
children are buried.
WORKING ON NO THEORY.
A telegram from Washington says: Detective
Lindon. of Philadelphia, Major Moore Super
intendent of Police of this city and Policeman
Cross, the officer who first saw Mr.. Gowen's
dead body, had a consultation tonight, in re-
gard to the affair. Lindon was sent here with
instructions to make q thorough investiga-
ton of the case. He says he believes nothing
now, and proceeds neither on the theory that
it was suicide nor murder, but simply to
ii A. a. 49, =
wishes to establish definitely Is the approx
mate time at which the shooting took place. AS
the body was cold when found, at II CLOCK. tits
thought the shooting must have taken place
not later than o'clock IN the morning, when
it was still too dark TO see without gaslight.
The gas was not turned on when the body was
found. and as Mr.. Gowen would hardly have
turned it off himself after shooting the bullet
into his brain. the question arises did some one
else turn it of. This is the main spring Of the
murder theory.