The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-05-03
DAMAGED FOR REVENUE.
4 New Scheme for Obtaining
Money Without Working.
Ps01se Who Claim Payment for Injuries
That AFRO Nevor acknowledgements
Arc Adopts In tho Disrep-
utablo business.

o"echey, oP inc NEW OPk police, to u
Journal reporter.
"These ful<irs are constantly trying
new schemes" he continued, "by which
30 make it appear that they have been
disabled through being assaulted or by
falling down somebody's stairs or being
isuoclSed down by somebody's horse.
taking care that In every instance the
person claiming TO be ut fault is amply
able to pay.
Women are very clever at this new
trick, and it was through 4 pretty little
widow, who staggered into the station
house one day, that got the first init
NATION that the game was being gencr-
ally worked.
The woman was in the greatest dis
trcss apparently, and was scarcely able
to stand When I had given her chair
She said in n faint voice that she had
Just been run down by wagon, and
that she was certain she had received
internal injuries of severe nature.
"She had taken pains, she said, to
take the name of the firm, which was
painted on the wagon. and as it WAS
one OF the biggest dry goods houses in
the city she proposed to make them
pay roundly for their drivers careless
ness.
II ut once offered to send for q hospi-
tai ambnlancc,' the sergeant went on,
but at this She hridlcd up and declared
that she would allow no one but her
family physician TO make an cXaminn
ton. Then for the first time | began
to suspect that the woman was not rs
badly hurt as she pretended to be. and
think She must have OWNED NV
thoughts, for She suddenly jumped up.
and, thanking me shortly for INV
trouble, started hastily for the door. /
was too quick for her, however, ard
barred her passage into the street l
told her that She could not leave until
she had signed y paper that / would
prepare releasing The firm from all re-
sponsibility for her alleged injuries.
"ot course, did this only as
further test Of the wcman's vcracity.
and 1t worked beautifully, for She not
only signed the release. but reluctantly
confessed that her whole story was a
myth"
remarkable case which occurred
but few days ago was that of a man
who fcigned death in the face of n sur
geons threat to cut him open in order
to find out what lie had died of.
II had just come ON duty The other
evening"" said the sergeant, s.when a
man ram in al out of breath and raspetI
out that II man had just been knocked
down and killed in the saloon Mt the
corner below. Suspccting nothing, I
posted the dozen or so officers who hap
pcncd TO be within call on Il dead run
for the spot, telling them To bring back
the dead man and everybody they might
find in the place
In Il few minutes they returned with
thirty men and women prisoners, and
i'll the rear of the procession was tho
dead man, laid out on II window shut
ter.
After locking up the crowd in tho
cellroon, the murdered man was placed
on Il table and II hurry call sent to Gouv-
crreur hospital for an ambulance.
"Ihc story got from the prisoners
in chorus was that the saloonllccpcr,
who, by the WAY, is Il wealthy man. had
struck the man on the head with Il
bmnG starter, and that the latter had
promptly fallen Gown dead. On look
ing at the man could sec no evidence
of life whatever, but when | felt his
pulse found that it was beating away
as regularly rs Il clock
Certain now that The fellow was
shamming, determined to give him IL
good scare, SO when the ambulance Sllr-
gcon came we called all the mems
friends into the room and told them we
were going to cut him open.
The surgeon made ii great fuss get
ting out his saws and lanccts, nut tho
fakir was game and didn't bctray him
self by the flicker of an cyeid. The
crowd was all agapes OF course, and rs
the surgeon and | tore off the mans
waistcoat and shirt the women COW
cred their eyes and groancd.
"'Hcrc goes said the surgeon, ut
last, and, graspinG the fellow on the
table firmly 10y the throat, he ran the
back OF his knife qviclsly down the
mans bare breast At the first touch
of the cold steel the eyes of the corpse
flew wide open, and with a yell that
could be heard II block he tore himself
from the surgeons grasp and in two
jumps was out of the door and on a
dead run for the East river
Seeing that the game was up, one OF
the fellows friends in the crowd con-
fcssed ut last that the saloonkeeper
had merely pushed him out of the door
and that he had fallen down and pre-
tended to be dead in the hope that he
might be admitted to hospital where
he would come to life and as soon MS
possible sue for heavy damages"
\ Jealous Omcc Seeker.