The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1892-01-02
INSURANCE SCHEMERs.
SOME AE;AzlNo coNsPiRAciEs
TO DEFRAUD.
Murder, Arson aud Suicide cunn lnely
Devised Methods for Getting SONG
thing for Nothing Poisoned
Ills wife.

The story that came from Boston
lately that New York life insurance
company had discovered that they had
paid the widow OF policy holder q
large sum that did not belong TO her
because her husband was too near
death 10 pass an examination and con-
sequently was examined by proxy, has
created "A great deal OF talk In insur-
ance circles.
II seems that the policy holder was
dying OF consumption when he made
up his mind 10 have his life insured.
and his friend in full health passed
the examination under his name II
was not until long after the 81. 600
the amount OF the policy--was paid 20
the widow that one OF the agents dis
covered that the man who had been
insured was not the man who had been
examined.
Many insurance officials whom the
New York Morning Journal man spoke
to on the subject 5 4 substantially
The man who 10 ncalthy when he
passes the exami alton and goes
through all the necc sary ordeal to Sc
cure his policy for the benefit of his
family Is the very first one 10 DO up In
arms II he finds that a company be-
comes lenient TO new applicants. He
doesn't want 10 pay premiums 10 ben
eft, before he himself dies. some fell
low who dies without having been able
to have his life insured but who all
the same, held policy obtained in the
same way as this Boston case is al
legged TO have been obtained
Some OF the cases OF attempted fraud
are marvellous son q OF them so cum
nlngly devised thu even when they
were discovered I discoveries them
selves were aston he'd TO find that the
suspicious on which they based their
Investigations were borne out by solid
facts
Probably one OF the greatest cases
that was ever disputed ia court was
the Colvocoresses. He was a retired
captain in the navy. He was found
dead in a street In Bridgeport Conn.
He had his life insured In twenty dif-
ferent companies for $l95 900. He
had apparently when found In the
street been shot. Near the body was
an old-fashioned horse pistol. the stock
broken. His sword cane was un-
sheathed. bore no stain OF any kind
and on tho side Of the blade was n
dent ms though held at both ends, IL
had been snapped over picket fence
pill-box containing percussion /
caps and large bullet OF the same
size as the one found in the captains
body were discovered. The box was
in a rag tied by Knotting opposite cor
ners. A handkerchief containing
toilet articles was found tied In the 4
same way In the captains pocket A
powder flask was found near by under
gutter plank, and powder in a black
satchel OF the captains coo feet away
from where the body was found cor
responded with that in the flask In
dentations in the satchel correspondent
with the size and length OF the pistol.
There was no evidence anywhere OF
struggle The satchel was found as II
cut open with n dull knife. In the
captains pocket was found knife with
u dull, ragged edge. Not a finger
mark or scratch as OF a rough as
sault was found on the body.
II turned out in 80 investigation that
Colvocoresses was worth only $40. 600
when he died. Yei his first premiums
would have amounted 10 81 900 II he
took out in good faith 5000 900 OF i'm
surance. No trace Of the murderers
was ever discovered The companies
claimed that the captain had destroyed
himself 10 defraud them. A compro-
mise ended the case finally
The case OF lawyer named Will
liam Collcnder OF YORK. Penn. is
cited by insurance men on account OF
the decision OF the supreme court re.
gard.ng suicides. He died one night
after sudden sickness Ii was proved
that after getting an insurance Of
81 600 in the Keystone Mutual Life.
" Harrisburg he purchased arsenic
IN q drug store went 10 an oyster
saloon, sprinkled the arsenic on the
oysters before eating them The
policy provided that Il would be void
II the assured died by his own hand.
The court decided that III no such
had been inserted in the
policy q man who commits suicide Is
guilty OF such fraud upon the insur-
ars OF his life; that mis- Representatives
ian not recover for that reason alone. I
A few years ago Jacob G. Wallis. OF
Johnson county. Missouri was found /
lead, shot through the lungs on the
near his home A pistol
orty five feet from the body was found. !
None OF the family had ever seen the
pistol before. He was on his way 10 ,
pay ESQ when he started. No one
'ould prove he had that $50 Z