Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-02-08
ADMIT THRUN'S DEATH.
Two of the Insurance Companies Settle
with the Widow.

aDMlI ILL u IN ~ DU Il LIE
Two of the Insurance Companies Settle
with the Widow.
MARsHFIELD, Wis, Feb. 3.-Mary T.
Thrun is to receive the $4,000 insur-
ance on the life of her husband, or at
least large portion of it, and with the
final payment will end one of the most
sensational suits that has ever been
carried into the courts of Wisconsin.
Her husband was Ferdinand Jules
Thrun. Mr.. and Mrs. Thrun resided at
Romeo, small town on the Wisconsin
Central few miles north of here. On
the night of October p, last,
their dwelling burned and Thrun
was said by his wife to have persisted in
the flames. The insurance people re-
fused to pay the risks, alleging that the
skeleton found in the ruins of the
house was not that of Thrun, but one
that had been placed in the building,
and setting up the claim that Thrun was
not dead. The case was carried into
the courts. Now the statement is made
by a representative of the insurance
companies that the Northwestern, of
Milwaukee, and the Mutual, OF New
York, each of which carried 10000,
have settled with the claimant. Other
companies interested are expected to
follow this action.
Thrun's house was one-story frame
cottage, and he and three men named
n. L. Handy, George Luchtman and
Charles Herbert, slept there the night
it was burned. Soon after l O clock the
fire mysteriously broke out, and Thrun,
it is alleged, was burned while attempt
ing to save some money and
school books. AT least he was seen
going into the burning building by
the friends who were with him and
aiding In saving the furniture, and he
has not been seen since. The verdict
Of the corOner's jury was that he ''came
to his death by accident by fire in his
own house." But the agents of several
life and accident companies in which
he was insured came to different con-
clusion, and have refused to pay
the policies to the alleged widow. The
human bones found in the ruins of the
backwoods pine cottage at Romeo the
doctor had no hesitancy in declaring
those Of an antiquated skeleton and not
those of Thrun, the saw filler. He was
satisfied, and said he could prove this,
and thus knock all support from under
the claims of Mrs. Thrun.
Thrun was supposed to be very
poor man until shortly before his death.
He was something of a machinist, but
his occupation was that of saw filler for
neighboring mills, and the most he
earned was So day. Suddenly he and
his wife showed possession of q good
deal of money, and in quick succession
Thrun took out assurances on his life
to the amount Of $685. 900 in the follow
ing companies: Northwestern Mutual
Of Milwaukee, $4,000; Mutual Life of
New York, $4,000; Northwestern Mu-
tual Relief of Madison, $4,000; Etna
Life (Hartford), $4,000; accident pol
icy in Htna Life of Hartford,
S., 900; Metropolitan Accident, Chicago,
S., 900; American Mutual Accident, Osh-
kosh, $1,000; Equitable, New York,
$4,000. All of the above policies, with
the exception of the one in the Ameri-
can Mutual Association of Oshkosh,
were taken out within a few weeks of
his death, according to the statement of
Mr.. kellogg, in charge of the claim de-
partment of that company. The policy
for $4,000 in the Equitable Company
had not been received when the fire oc-
Cured, but it was in the mails on its
way to him from the home office.
A peculiar feature of the case, pointed
out by agents of the insurance compa-
MES, was the ability Of Thrun, Il poor
man, to pay $l1 600 premiums on lie
insurance policies. The story of Mrs.
Thrun, accounting for their suddenly
acquired wealth, has in it the elements
OF al Old-time romance. About five
years ago, she says, she was visiting
sister In NeeHah. One evening she was
out in the garden, and suddenly saw
q mysterious blue Pickering flame
arise from the ground at one cor
ner Of the garden. she had a
slight stick in her hand, and be-
ing inquIsitive rather than supersti-
tious, she cautiously approached IL and
dug with her fairy wand of Michigan
pine the earth around the spot where
the thin circle of waving blue fame
fickered, sank and expired. Her wand
seemed to require no effort from her in
digging. Mysteriously it would bend in
her sturdy Norwegian hand, then up
turn and push away the earth.
Soon, to her astonIshment, a box
came in view. She picked it
up quietly but nervously, took it
secretly into her sisters house, and on
opening it was delighted, as we'll as
amazed, to find it flied with gold. Not
q word did she breathe of her "find"
AMI It's supernatural surroundings to
anyone, not even to, her husband, until
TWO years ago. She first reported that
the gold in the box amounted to $50 600
but later reduced it to $l1 900.
The insurance men have evidently
concluded that they cannot successfully
contest Mrs. Thrun's claim, and there
fire decided to settle.
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