Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-08-03

annals of this country have been di
rected against the accommodations O
Insurance companies by men in who's.
mental makeup acquisitiveness over
Whelmed every other instinct or func
ton OF the brain. In these cases wher,
caution, perspic1city and courage wer,
the qualities which backed up tn,
oVerWeening desire for quickly acquiret
wealth, it has required all the skill
experience and ingenuity of the bright
est detectives to unmask the plotters
and bring them 20 justice
The case of the notorious DR.. Henry
Meyer, who was two years ago accused
Of the murder of Ge1derman, the Sedg
wick street grocer in this city, and
who is now under Indictment in New
York on charges of wholesale poison
ing, is but typical of many conspiracies
against the insurance companies thai
have been unearthed in the last few
years. 1t recalls to a writer in the
New York Morning Journal the case
or colonel Walton Dwight who up tC
the year 1878 had been one of the
most prominent figures in financial
and social life at BinghamtOn. Y. Y
He had speculated extensively in lum
Der, and owned the largest hotel in
that place. About 1875, however his
speculahons began to turn out badly
ana he became crippled in his re-
sources. He had always carried a con
siderable amount of life insurance. and
during 1878 he began to increase this
uhtl at the time of his death, in the
latter part of the year. it reached the
large sum of $25O,OOO distributed
among a number of the large com
panies.
Before his death, however. he de
yiSed and assigned a considerable part
of this to banks and other financial
institutions and to an engine company
AS soon as he died these concerns al
once wanted to realize on what thew
possessed. The amount however, was
large one, and those companies that
had recently taken the risk did not
want to pay without investigation.
The investigation resulted in the for
nation of pool of all the companies
interested, and at the head of this ap-
peared President Brosnan of the Unit
ed States Life Insurance company. The
claims were disputed and litigation
ensued, which covered a period of sew.
eraI years.
1t was decided in favor of the com
panieS on the ground that Colonel
Dwight had made false representations
to them in making his applications for
insurance. The two great questions of
freud III this case were not touched
on by the court. The first of these
WAS that Colonel Dwight was not dead
at all. Several persons testified that
they had seen him alive after the time
of his reported death. The other was
that he had committed suicide.
Upon the body after it had been eN
humed there was found a number OF
black marks about the neck that the
doctors could not agree were natural
In spite of these suspicious one com
pany paid a policy of $4,000, but al
the others refused to pay anything
But the star case" in insurance
fraud records is the one known as the
Goss-U Undertook case, which includes
a murder, Il hanging, and a cremation
all separate links in conspiracy tC
obtain insurance money under false
pretenses and its exposure.
Winfield Scott GOss was an inventor
who was living at 314 North Eutav
street, Baltimore, in the early part o.
1872. He carried $4,000 insurance OF
his life in the favor of his wife, Eliza
Waters GoSS. On February a house
on the York road, about four miles
from the city and to which GOss haC
been in the custom of going to expert
ment on n substitute for India rubber
was burned to the ground. A charre(
body was found in the ruins, and tn
next day his brother, A. @. Goss, wrot
to the insurance companies telling then
of the death. On February % the wifi
made application for the money, whicl
was refused. Suit was brought. an
at the trial the plaintiffs showed tina
Cess went to the building on that day
The companies claimed that Cos
was not in the building at the tim
of the fire, and produced a cOlore
woman who Swore she saw him leav
the house and lock the door His wifi
recognized the charred remains pos
lively as the body of her husband
GOss's brOther-in-law, William UddeI
zook, was at the fire and also recos
niZed the remains.
The suit was won by the plaintiff:
but the companies appealed and waite
developments. On June % a man VIII
gave his name as A. c. Wilson mad
his appearance in COOpertown, Md
and various other places. This ma
was afterward positively identified 6
w s. Goss, who was supposed to hay
been burned.
Te identification came through
peculiarly shaped ring and n woode
model of a screw-driver, for whit
Goss has secured a patent. At Newar
\. J.. this man was joined by Udde
zoo k. In the latter part of June tn
pair appeared at Jennerville, p;
where Udderzook was well know
Wilson's name was not given and ]
posed as an invalid. On the eyenil
of the next day Undertook hired
horse and buggy and both left Il
hotel.
Near midnight Undertook return,
the horse and buggy to the livery st
bic and he was then alone The be
tom of the buggy was stained wi
something that looked like blood
large gold seal ring, set with bloc
stone. and a bone shirt stud, we
found between the cushions.