Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-10-16
WON ON A BLUFF.
HOW A FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLAR NSUR-
ANCE POLICY WAS OBTAINED.
Playing With Life and Dsath-0ns Little
Trick That Robbed the Profession Of
Classic Liar.

| Inc lie insurance. dSbHI udu Ocou
telling some good stories Of his expert
ence in the business, and when he had
| finished the drummer rose up and
stretched himself.
~ came very near being life insu-
rance man myself" he said, as he sat
down, ''but 1 overreached the limit in
the beginning and quit after the first
| week"
"Tell us about it," chorused the
crowd, always ready for yarn.
"Well," he said, when l was about
twenty l was very young man, and
thought was cut out for the life insur-
ance business. l had plenty of friends
and had job on commission and 81 a
week salary. | went al it with a rush
and buttonholed everybody l knew. l
| talked life insurance all the time and
had an idea that what l didn't know
couldn't be learned. The real facts in
the case were, l simply didn't know any
| thing. I had the gift of CAB and was
persuasive in my style and that went
| long way TO hide my weakness. AS to
| laws and liabilities, and that sort OF
thing, may say was absolutely ignor-
ant. The first week I was at ii l made
ten strike, so to speak, and run in
about four men. One OF them was for
$50, OOO."
A FIT SUBJECT FOR A RISK.
The old insurance man looked up
quickly.
81 had met him at the hotel and he
had told me he was a travelling man.
| He dressed we'll and was smooth
| talker, and when he asked il l could
| insure him for $4,000 l was paralyzed
with Joy. The manager OF the company
was cautious, but my man answered all
| the questions in the blanks, passed the
medical examination and put up the
requisite fee like a little man, and l
sent in the application and in three or
| four days l called in the evening at
his hotel with the policy. l met him
! in the office with handsome woman, his
wife, he said when heintroduced me, and
| he told me to call again at nine o'clock
| as they were to take the fifteen minutes
! to ten train and had some business that
! demanded attention before nine.
Promptly on time l appeared and was
shown upstairs to my friends room.
The lady was there, looking radiant,
! and l began to think the life insurance
business was the finest thing on earth.
| handed out the policy, which, by the
way, named the wife 3. beneficiary, and
| in the cheeriest way possible she took
it and locked it up in her bag, and with
| a pretty little nod to him and hearty
| shake Of the hand for me, she excused
| herself and said she had to join a party
| OF friends and would meet her husband
at the station. Then she left with the
bag, and her husband locked the door
after her.
THE AGENT HELD UP,
"Let me see," he said as he sat down
and took out his pocketbOok, II believe
| the premium on that is in the neighbor-
| hood of 81, 500"
Fifteen hundred and sixty, to cover
everything" replied.
"Can you change thousand dollar
| bill?" he inquired.
l laughed at his little joke.
'No," said, 81 can't, Pm afraid" and
| | took out roll of money which / hap
pened to be taking to man up town.
1--WE got eight 500 bills here, but that
isn't enough,
'Give it to me-" he exclaimed, max
ing grab for it,.
jumped back and for the first time
noticed the face of my friend. There
was business all over it and ugly bust
ness.
What do you mean?" : almost
yelled.
Don't be so loud" he whispered. 81
mean to have that money"
"Well, guess not" l said coolly as
pulled a pistol which had in my pocket
as guard for the money / was carry
ing and what l expected to get from
him, though had scarcely thought to
use it under these circumstances.
That's all right, my chicken" he
laughed. III you kill me it will cost
your insurance company, for that policy
is good for it, 1 guess"
l dropped my gun as II the man had
shot me. OF course the policy was good
for its face and its face was $4,000. l
ouldn't kill him and take the chances.
and don't make any disturbance or
call for anybody" he continued, ''Or I'll
just cut my throat with your penknife l
have here In my hand, and will not only
be in for the S50,O00 but you will have
some trouble in explaining how it hap
pened, when neither knife, pistol nor
other deadly weapon can be found in
this room, except what belongs TO you.
I'm a desperate man, and you might as
well fork over that money and such
other valuables as you may be possess
ed of and call 1t square,"
BEATEN AT A DESPERATE GAME.
tried to think Of some plan to escape,
but my brain was in whirl ana l
couldn't do thing but stand there.
He was very polite, however, and came
TO nv assistance by removing the $500
from my person. besides $50 of my own,
also one gold watch and chain worth
SlOO: one diamond stud worth S22, and
one gold ring, eighteen carat, worth
SO. Then he carefully tied me to the
bed, put nice little gag in my mouth,
packed my stuff in his bag, turned out
the gas, babe me good-by, and locking
the door, went softly whistling down
the hall and of 10 meet his wife at the
train. As for myself, l stayed on that
bed, sleeping and waking until the next
afternoon, when the chamberm aids
came in to see what was the matter
with No. Is. OF course told
my story not onlv then, but later to the
manager Of the company and to the po-
lice, but my friend was gone, nobody
knew whittier, and IL it hadn't happened
that my father was able to make good
that $500, there's no telling whether
I'd gone to the penitentiary or not, for
the evidence was against me. a year
later l was cleared Cf suspicion, how
ever, by the arrest of my friend in New