The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1894-01-02
TRICKS THAT FAILED.
ACCIDENT AND LIFE INSURANCE CON-
PANlES EVER WATcHFUL-
How a Brooklyn Man Drew Damages
Through AN injured Double-Nalue of
the Time Dater-It Took Three Years to
Catch the slick Stockman.

the Time Dster-It Took Three Years tn
Catch the slick Stockman.
A BROOKLYN man who was hard up ran
up against his double. whose finan-
cial situation was equally depressing.
Each was a>tounded at the resent
hlance he bore to the other, and by
ommon consent they Joined fortunes
and rooms together. 4 day or two aft
er one of the two Dromios was knocked
down by ii wagon and sustained a frac-
ture of the leg. He WAS carried home.
and the brilliant idea al once occurred
to his roommate to take advantage of
the resemblance between the two and
draw S25 from an insurance company
for as long a period ~ possible. Bor-
rowing the injured man : clothes, h.
paid "a visit To an a~vUncular relative.
from whom he borrowed a few dollars.
He went next To AN ! lsurance company
and took ont Il pDlicr. Two weeks Later
a claim came for to-ll disahlement. and
the injured man " : easily identified
as the holder OF Il policy, his room
mate being care 4 10 keep out Of the
way There COT i be no doubt rs to
IDC MAN = tx IL = I-fhF.As anu IL AZ
officers - the GO .pany IuculleCted that
the man who I * out the policy was
sound in wind md limb there seemed
little reason to loubt that the accident
had occurred ince the premium was
paid. No gu -tiun WIS raised, and for
three or four weeks tn" $2j was paid
with a regularity highly satisfactory u
the well member of the firm.
But the sick man came 10 the conClu-
sion that he was not getting a square
deal. Unable to leave his bed, he could
nor take part in the Publications in
which his Cumrade delighted. and it APP
peared to him that he was not getting
more than about 90 cents on the dollar
OF the weekly allowance. H demanded
an equal division on the ground that,
although his friend had done all the
thinking, he had really played the lead
Ing role ty getting himself knock y
down and run over. IL was tine usual
case Of rogu,s falling ont and hHur-i
men deriving the ua az. The di~ia.s
Were overheard uy I'm a.Ia-a.g lHs-..
er, VIII" promptly y Oh -loTr.
with the result g.. .t.. - -y isrlse..s
came 70 u ~G.Ut,a aa.l ..-t- i.E ems.
\ case d.luur~,.asl =. ..'r. ,I IS
time dator occurred BIZ D4ir. uiar.
carrying a large ausalt ct arc.. al IL
surance had fallen % few day- bind
in hIs premium. Int oue ~aituTuu'a "a
relative brought in fae small aluOuaas
and obtained q receipt for it. That d.
the insured was crippled in a street car
accident IN Columbus. and it was OF
course claimed that the premium was
paid before o.. accident took place.
The facts were 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 OF three people being in
cured ia each accident. The polio"
records threw no light on the subject.
and the man appeared 10 have been
taken away ly his friends. There was
little doubt that the premium was paid
between tn two accidents. though there
was much difficulty in fixing the exact
time
l. was finally a~certained that "A tele-
gram had been sent from Columbus an
hour after tine first accident asking TO
have the premium paid, and this cir
cumstance was II itself 50 suspicious
that payment of the benefit was refused.
\ compromise was finally agreed to.
but considerably latcr two witnesses
were found TO prove that the man was
nurt in the first accident, so that II the
premium was paid ia consequence Of
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
applicants case was on the face OF II
quite a strong one.
Every one has heard of the man who
mad been reported as dead, and whose
friends had collected the insurance, in
dulging too freely in whisky and max
ing a complaint to the insurance COM
pany that the money had not been fair
ly divided. Instances in which money
has peer claimed on account of the
death of people still living are much
more numerous than is generally be
heved. In one case an Ohio stockman
carrying az accident policy for $40, 600
took some : ok 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 il was commended that he had fallen
of and had been drowned in the river.
The company took advantage of the "
dsy rule and then offered to pay the
money If . bond were put up to covei
the amount The neighbors of the wild
ow fixed up an ir~reproachable bond, and
the money was paid.
The company was by no means con
vinced that the man was dead. and ar
engagements were made to have th'
widow watched. Three years elapsed
and the instance was well nigh forgot
eeu. when a dispatch was received L
the effect that the lady was disposin'
Of her furniture and evidently about I