The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-10-09
THEIR FAMILIES PROTECTED.
From the Butte Mining Journal. !

From the Butte Mining Journal
The following telegram relates to the
policy held by P.DJ. Cunningham in the
American Casualty company. and explains
itself:
Death claim on P. ]. Cunningham was al
lowed in full by finance committee y ester
day. Check gone forward today.
BEEcHER, ScHENcK & Co.
Mr.. Cunningham held s., 1000 insurance
policy in the American Casualty company,
payable to his wife. One evening last De-
cember, while the smoke was hanging over
the city like pail. he INST his cousin, G..
G. Price, In front of the Union Pacific
Office on Main street, and short converse
ton ensued between them; no high words
were heard, but the outcome was that
Price drew pistol and fired three shots,
one of which struck Cunningham in the
heart, killing him instantly No one knew,
nor do they yet know, the motive that
prompted the killing, and Price lies in jail
vet awaiting trial. The company did not
seek to prove the motives that led up to
the killing, as to whether they were those
OF revenge or what; but simply recognized
DENT policy in their company, and just
twenty days after the proofs of Cunning
hams death had been received in their
Office cheek as above stated was for
warded to his widow aud children. In re-
gard to this we cannot help but men ton
the fact that w. j. Penrose. late proprietor
of The Mining Journal, held like ACCIDENT
policy in the Pacific Mutual company of
San Francisco, but the Pacific company re-
fused point blank TO pay it, claiming that
w. j. Penrose was murdered through mo-
tiyes OF revenge, and that they, with their
rare faculty of looking into the hidden mo-
tives that rule human minds, refused 10
pay it. The truth OF the matter as it ap-
pears to those who have not supernatural
powers like the Pacific Mutual, that no one
but the murderers know positively who
killed w. j. Penrose. 1t is tue that three
men are now on trial for the crime, but ad-
hitting for argument that beyond question
they done the deed, we fail to see why the
policy of Cunningham should be paid by
one accident company before even trial,
while another accident company, through
hidden motives, refuses to pay the policy
of w. j. Penrose. The cases are very sim
liar only that everyone knows Cunningham
was not killed for robbery, while no one
but the murderers can come forward and
prove that Penrose was not Except, of
course, the Pacific Mutual, who say he was
killed for revenge).
Some time ago Mr.. Thomas Il. Miller.
the general agent of the company,
went to San Francisco to inves-
tigate the Penrose case, aud asked
US TO suspend Judgment until his return
This we did On his return he informed
US that if it were life policy it would have
been paid at once, and that they could not
at present think OF paying the policy, but
would await future developments. This
was rather indefinite, but as suit was al
ready pending in the courts for the recov-
cry of the policy, we felt that nothing could
be gained by further agitation of the case
and we so stated, and told Mr.. Miller we
would await the outcome Of the case in the
courts. But when we think of the IS, 900
insurance due and badly needed by the
widow and child of w. J. Penrose, it
makes our blood boil, and we cannot re-
fran from making a comment on the diff
ferent spirit shown by the two accident
companies, one of which nsures in reality
and the other only in name.
Mr.. Miller is gentleman for whom we
have the highest regard, and when we
stated to him that the Cunningham claim
would be paid. be offered any odds that 1t
rany on earth would pay such q CLAIM. 1t
would seem from the foregoing telegram
that he was mistaken. If the Cunningham
claim Is paid and the Penrose one not, the
Pacific Mutual might as well retire from
business in the west, for the cases are al
most iden tical, and people will be slow to
take out policies in q company that desires
them to die in a stated manner, and with
certain number of witnesses TO testify to
the manner of their taking off.