The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-01-09
INSURANCE SCHEMERS.
SOME AMAZING coNsPIRAciEs
TO DEFRAUD.
Murder. Arson and snioide--cunr ing'y
Devised Methods for Gettias Some
thing for Moth ny--Po,soned
Mis 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 a
large sum that did not belong to her
because her husband WAS too near
death to pass an examination and con-
sequently was examined by proxy, has
created great deal OF talk In insur-
ance circles.
1t seems that the policy holder was
dying OF consumption when he made
up his mind to have his life insured.
and his friend in full health passed
the examination under his name. It
was not until long after the 81. O00---
the amount OF the policy-was paid to
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 sub, ect said substantially:
1.-The man who Is healthy when he
passes the examination and goes
through all the necessary ordeal to Sc
cure his policy for the benefit Of his
family is the very first one to be up In
arms II he finds that company be-
comes lenient to new applicants. He
doesn't want to pay premiums to 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 q 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. some OF them so cum
ningly devised that even when they
were discovered the discoveries them
selves were astonished 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 In 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 diff
ferent companies for $l95. 500. 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 the side OF the blade was q
dent as though. held at both ends, it
had been snapped over a picket fence.
A 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 rag tied by Knotting opposite cor
ners. A handkerchief containing
toilet articles was found tied in the
same way In the captains pocket A
powder flask was found near by under
gutter plank. and powder in n black
satchel OF the captains /. 600 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 a
struggle. The satchel was found us II
cut open with dull knife. In the
captains pocket was found knife with
dull, ragged edge. Not a finger
mark or scratch as Of rough as
sault was found on the body.
1t turned out in an investigation that
Colvocoresses was worth only $40, 600
when he died. Yet his first premiums
would have amounted to $11. 900 II he
took out in good faith 5000. 700 of in
surance. No trace OF the murderers
was ever discovered. The companies
claimed that the captain had destroyed
himself to dciraud them. A compro-
mise ended tho case finally.
The. case Of q lawyer named Will
liam Collender of York Penn. Is
cited by insurance men on account OF
the decision OF the supreme court re-
garding suicides He died one night
after sudden sickness. 1t was proved
that after getting an insurance OF
IS. 900 in the Keystone Mutual Life.
OF Harrisburg, he purchased arsenic
In drug store went to on oyster
saloon, sprinkled the arsenic on the
oysters before eating them. The
policy provided that 1t would be void
II 1.-The assured died by his own hand"
The court decided that iii no such
condition had been inserted in the
policy a man who commits suicide is
guilty of such fraud upon the insur-
ers OF his life; that his representatives
can not recover for that reason alone"
A few years ago Jacob c. Wallis, OF
johnson county, Missouri, was found
dead shot through the lungs on the
roadside near his home. A pist
forty five feet from the body was found.
None OF the family had ever seen the
pistol before. He was on his way to
pay $50 when he started. No one
could prove he had that $50
when he started. He did not
have 1t when his body was found
There had been trouble between Wallis
and two men named Bones. who were
desperate characters. For time
there was no doubt about Wallis MUIR
der. 1t was developed that he was
heavily insured.
Investigation produced no clew to
track of murder Men at work near
the spot had heard shot but no cries,
yet papers were found scattered about
as II there had been q struggle. No
tracks OF horse but Wallis were on
the road. yet the body was fosnd