The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-07
have received at the battle OF Getsys-

had already been reached by him and il
in the Dwight case. Immediately OF
notification of Col. Dwight's death
Mr.. Hyde dispatched one of the trusti
est agents of his company to Bingham
ton, telling him to investigate the case
thoroughly and report at once. Col
Dwight held s40,o insurance in the
Equitable Company, very large sum 70,
any one company to hold at that time
on any one mans life. While the other
| twenty-five companies were making
their arrangements to itigate the
| Dwight case, Mr.. Hyde received word
| from his agent at Binghamton, consci-
entiousand intelligent man, that he could
find no good reason why the Equitable
Life Assurance society shouldn't pay
the claims without delay. Thereupon
Mr.. Hyde ordered the policies settled,
and the Equitable's check for $40, ooo
was, within ten days, sent to the bele-
ficiary. So great was the public excite
ment over this case and so widespread
and numerous were the publications
made in regard to it that the fact that
Mr.. Hyde's company had so promptly
once all over the civilized world and
was of the greatest possible value to the
company and to its president as an ad-
vertisement. Since then the prosperity
of the company has been uninterrupted,
and it is now writing policies within a
few hundred of the coo, 600 mark. Think
of what the 600,0O0 men and women,
mostly men, who hold these policies,
stand for in the life of the world to-day
the energy, the self-denial, the econ
omy, the forethought, the love and af-
lection, indeed, all the best qualities of
humanity which are so saliently pre-
sented in that phase Of their character
which prompts them to make these in
vestmentsi'
Mr.. Henry B. Hyde's life is insured
for, believe, s1s5,0oo. John 3. Stet-
son has $3.50, 900. Pierre Lorillard, John
Wanamaker, Cyrus w. Field and John
V. Farwell have $3.50, 200 apiece George
M. Pullman has 500, 900, and Cyrus W.
Field at one time had $40, 900. An ac-
quaintance of Jay Gould says that the
Little Wizard" can produce, ON an
emergency, policies for s415,0O0 on his
life. William H. Vanderbilt was at one
time insured for $500, 900. 1 believe the
heaviest life insurance ever paid was to
the heirs of Sir Robert Clifton, of Eng
land, who received 81, 250,O0 at his
death. The duke of Newcastle, the
marquis of Anglesea and the earl of
Fife at one time carried Sc, $50 600 life
insurance between them. Empress
Eugene is now living, l believe, on the
interest of the 100000 life insurance
which Napoleon III. left her.
THE soN-IN-LAw ERA.
This appears to be the era of the SON.
in-law. 1t seems to me there are more
sons-in-law just now than are absolutely
needed, and yet the list grows with
amazing rapidity. l refer to the sons
in-law who are that and nothing else.
Mr.. Whitelaw Reid, having succeeded
to the position and business left him by
Horace Greeley, would have made some
thing out of his talents and his oppor-
tunities, but the fact that he soon be-
came son-in-law at once insured his
success. The most conspicuous son-in-
law that this country affords is Col. Ell
lott F. Shepard. In this fell of en-
deavor he has achieved the most pro-
nOunced success, while all around him
thousands have utterly failed. Shepard
was very poor lawyer, with hardly
one case to rub against another, as it
were, when he met and loved the
daughter Of a Vanderbilt. From that
moment he gave up all thoughts of be-
coming great lawyer and bent all his
wonderful energies to becoming the
greatest son-in-law the American repub-
lie has everpreduced. In this connecticut
point to Col. Shepard with pride. Had he
been nominated for vice president in
Minneapolis his declaration of princi-
pies might have matched that of David
Bennett Hill for brevity and beauty. 81
am democrat" quoth Mr.. Hill; while
Mr.. Shepard could have said: 81 am
I have always thought that
Mr.. Vanderbilt was unjust in his char
of Son-in-Law Shepard
when he said-but never mind what
he said. 1t was unjust and undeserved,
and should not appear in a family news
paper anyhow.
A very interesting son-in-law, and one |
who might have made a great success
of it, is Mr.. j. Coleman Drayton. Hav- |
ing married an Aston, one would have |
imagined that he had already accom- |
plished his object all sublime; but the |
mere marriage ceremony does not con-
stitute everything. A man who cannot /
maintain himself in a son-in-law ship /
after he has achieved it might almost as /
well not have achieved it at all It 1
would not surprise me if Mr. Drayton
proved to be better man as an ex-son-
he is practically an ex now
than he was as q son-in-law. II he
doesn't, he will never accomplish a
great deal in this world
There are sons-in-laY who deserve to
be in better company. William c.
Whitney married Henry b. Payne's
laughter, and charming woman she
S; but he would no doubt have got into
the cabinet and have been mentioned
Tor the presidency had he married the
daughter OF anyone else My esteemed
friend, Mr.. j. Fl. Patterson, the editor
If the Chicago Tribune, won honors be
ore he won wife. But as the son-in-
aw Of Mr.. Joseph Medill, the owner Of
he Tribune, expect to hear Of his con-
inued success in journalism. Mr.. How
lrd Carroll was q good and very we'll
Known newspaper correspondent, but
Is a son-in-lavv of the rich Mr. Stsriu
be is sinking his identity IN the steam
boat business There have been great
opportunities in journalism since Mr..
Carroll forSook il for steamboats,, aad
had he remained rrr1A and staaSxaE< -