The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-24
L. L. PAGE LEAVES.

An Insurance Agent who was smart
Enough to Beat His Company and Get
Thomas Taylor Page, a young man
who was until ten or twelve
the metropolitan Life Insurance
company OF New York city, under
w. G. Bateman, the manager Of the COM
pany here, seems TO have had a surpris-
ing faculty for working the folks he was
working for.
The company now needs him a great
deal more than il ever did before.
Thomas. like the other agents, was al
lowed his commission on applications in
advance, and az il was several times the
amount of the first premium, he man
aged to make Of it very profitable busi-
ness to himself
Like most people of his nature Thomas
had very winning way. 1t was not
hard matter for him to get his acquaint-
ances-chance ones, sOmetime6-tO make
an application for a policy, If he would
pay the bill, with the further under
standing, of course, that they need not
thus let pay another premium and could
the matter drop.
Thomas worked his scheme as long as
his friends held out Here some men
would have stopped discouraged, but not
SO with Thomas. He Immediately went
into the manufacturing of names to sign
to applications.
It Is not known at this time Just how
limitless his Inventive powers we're but
il is known at Mr. BatemAn's office that
there are on hand there great number
OF names that seem 10 have no flesh aud
blood behind them.
A little more than week ago Thomas
concluded he needed rest. There WAS
something suspicious about that, Mr.
Batemau thought, and lie Instituted AN
investigation with the result that lie was
able to tell the above story 70 Journal
reporter this morning.
Il a lis d
ALr Bateman, "and last Sunday had ihe
young man located at Phillips burg. Kan
sus even to the room in which lac WIS
sleeping. l went TO Chief Of Police
Lindsey and aSked him to wire the mar
shal Of PhillipsburQ to hold the man.
That was Sunday night at O'clOck. ia
less than an hour he received 4 reply,
saying the man was under arrest. / then
wired my company to know just what
steps l should take. and they we're slow
about answering, SO that it was Tuesday
forenoon Lefore could do anything any
way. CaptainEGish came TO We Tuesday
morning and said that he was going 20
telegraph Phillipsburg to let the man 70,
as they had no authority to hold him. /
had not heard from the company
yet, but the telegram was sent and
Page was liberated l heard from
my company that forenoon and went
before County Attorney Stafford to swear
out warrant for Pages arrest ] did
so and Sheriff Burdge went to Phillips
burg that day. lie came back Thurs
day morning, but did not see him until
Friday afternoon when he blandly told me
that he had not been able TO find the
man.
1T looks very much to me though
there is a petty jealousy existing between
the county and city officials and they
will not work together. OF course Page
ia gone now and we don't know where he
is. The warrant is still in the hands Of
the sheriff, however, and with his assis-
tance | will catch the fellow at All
hazards and make an example Of him"
When Page is caught the company
will see to it that he gets not less than
seven years in the penitentiarv. the min-
imum sentence for forgery. lie succeeded
in borrowing money in all sums from
most everyb body in the office from Mr.
Bateman down 10 the Office boy.
Page came to Topeka last summer
from Chicago His widowed mother
lives in Washington. d. O.. and he was
once "A trusted employe Of W. q. Metz
rott s. Co., wholesale music dealers. and
later an emplOye of the postofice de-