The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-12-15
TRICKS THAT FAILED.
ACCIDENT AND LIFE INSURANCE CON-
PANiES EVER WATCHFUL.

Through an Injured Double-Value of
the Time Dater-It Took Three Years to
Catch the Slick Stockman.
Brooklyn man who was hard upra
up against his double. whose finan-
cial situation was equally depressing.
Each was astounded at the resem-
blance he bore to the other, and by
common consent they joined fortunes
and rooms together. A day or two ait
er one of the two Dromios was knocked
down by a wagon and sustained frac-
ture of the leg. He was carried home,
and the brilliant idea at once occurred
to his roommate to take advantage of
the resemblance between the two and
draw $25 from an insurance company
for as long a period as possible. Bor
rowing the injured mans clothes, he
paid visit to an avuncular relative,
from whom he borrowed a few dollars.
He went next to an insurance company
and took out a policy. Two weeks later
a claim came for total disablement, and
the injured man was easily identified
as the holder of the policy, his room
mate being careful to keep out of the
way There could be no doubt as to
the mans leg being broken, and as the
officers of the company recollected that
the man who took out the policy was
sound in wind and limb there seemed
little reason to doubt that the accident
had occurred since the premium was
paid. No question was raised, and for
three or four weeks the $25 was paid
with regularity highly satisfactory to
the we'll member of the firm.
But the sick man came to the conclu-
sion that he was not getting a square
deal Unable to leave his bed he could
not take part in the Publications in
which his comrade delighted, and it APP
peared to him that he was not getting
more than about 20 cents on the dollar
of the weekly allowance. Fl , demanded
an equal division on the ground that,
although his friend had done all the
thinking, he had really played the lead
ing role by getting himself knocked
down and run over 1t was the usual
case of rogues falling out and honest
men deriving the benefit. The disputes
were overheard by an adjoining room
er, who promptly gave away the story,
with the result that the weekly payments
came to a sudden and distressing end.
A case demonstrating the value of a
time dater occurred in Ohio. A man
carrying large amount of accident in
surance had fallen few days behind
in his premium, but one afternoon
relative brought in the small amount
and obtained receipt for it. That day
the insured was crippled in a street car
accident in Columbus, and it was of
course claimed that the premium was
paid before the accident took place.
The fact. we're distinctly favorable to
| the injured man, for investigation
proved that there were two street car
accidents at about the same place the
same day, two or three people being in
iured in each accident. The police
records threw no light on the subject,
and the man appeared to have been
taken away by his friends. There was
| little doubt that the premium was paid
between the two accidents, though there
was much difficulty in fixing the exact
| time {
| 1t was finally ascertained that tele-
| gram had been sent from Columbus an
hour after the first accident asking to
have the premium paid, and this cir
cumstance was in itself so suspicious
that payment of the benefit was refused.
A compromise was finally agreed to,
but considerably later two witnesses
were found to prove that the man was
hurt in the first accident, SO that if the
premium was paid in consequence CT
the telegram fraud was evidently con-
templated But for the difficulty in
proving the exact hour of payment the
claim would not have been seriously
considered. AS it was, however. the
applicant S case was on the face of it
quite strong one.
Every one has heard of the man Who
had been reported as dead, and whose
friends had collected the insurance, in
dulging too freely in whisky and max
| ing complaint to the insurance COM
pany that the money had not been fair
| ly divided Instances in which money
has been claimed on account of the
death of people still living are much
more numerous than is generally be-
lieved In one case an Ohio stockman
carrying an accident policy for SO, 900
took some sock to New York. On the
return trip he disappeared from the
train while it was crossing a bridge,
and his hat being subsequently recov-
cred it was contended that he had fallen
off and had been drowned in the river.
The company took advantage of the 80
day rule and then offered to pay the
money if bond were put up to cover
the amount. The neighbors of the wild
ow fixed up an irreproachable bond, and
the money was paid.
The company was by no means con-
WINGED that the man was dead, and ar
rangements were made to have the
widow watched. Three years elapsed,
and the instance was well nigh forgot
ten, when a dispatch was received to
the effect that the lady was disposing
of her furniture and evidently about to
move 4 detcs VAS employed to
keep T went to Chi
cage : ave followed. Aft
er d.y : dbl, icy took train for
| Al. -. ole he