Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-01-08
FRAUDS DETECTED.
scHEMEs FOR sWlNDLlNe INSURANCE
COMPANIES.

Purpose of Collecting Accident Poll
eies-Losing Hand Common Trick
The Loss of Wooden Leg.
The popularity of accident insurance
companies has increased tenfoid the oppor-
tunifies for presenting and pressing fraud
ulert claims. To simulate death in order
TO obtain payment under q policy Of life in
surance requires much more scheming and
ESQ the cooperation OF more than enc con-
;ederate. but to a man who regards money
IS of greater worth than limb, an acct
,'ent insurance poiiey offers golden oppor-
iunities for fraud. Perhaps the most as
,0anding instance OF nerve on the part of "a
would be Insurance defrauder Was shown
by the man who crawled under railroad
station platform and placed his hand under
the wheels Of & passing train. He had only
10 put his hand en- the rail while the train
was in motion, ard the wheels naturally
did the rest
Tie crippled individual was congratu-
lated By the bystanders en- his narrow es-
cape from Il terrible death, and his expla-
nation that he had stumbled and fallen
half under the train was not questioned.
But before the company paid the claim it
naturally wanted an explanation as to why
it was no one had seen the man stumble and
fall, and detective was sent to look into
the circumstances. The detective hunted
up q number of bystanders, and, finding
that none OF them could throw any light on
the subject, he next inquired into the mans
character The answers he received con-
I. f;rfned his suspicious, and he commenced
doing little investigation on his own ac-
count. His first efforts were not crowned
with very signal success, but when he
crawied under the platform he found the
mystery solved for him.
1t had been no ones business to clear
away the dust and rubbish which had col
lected for years under the old PLATFORM and
it was easy to see where the man had
crawled, as he had left Il regular trail be-
bind him in the dust. Following this trail,
the detective .ound it led, Us he expected,
toward the track, and on one Of the fore
most joists he found evidence Of q severe
bump by q mans head. quite Il number of
hairs having been torn out in the process.
Collecting these hairs, the detective next
compared them with those on the head of
the complainant. They were exactly the
same color and texture, and the doctor who
had attended the injured man recollected
severe wound at the back Of his head
which woult naturally no caused bv n man
living an the nround end suddenly raising
his heed with . icrk
THE claimant. YVES taken ia the nIotforn,
and the theory Of the detective eyplaincd
to him If was ARMED thot he Deliberately
cro,ylad under the platforp and nlaced his
hand ON the rail in front of the last car
The hIovv on the baclz of the head was evil
IDENTIFY the result of 2 terrible nervous shocI,
which he had undergone which Ind caused
an Involuntary ootinn of the sninn and
noel, A smart man Of a LEGAL turn of mind
MIGHT have been able 10 hiuff it ont and to
defy the co,nDanv TO prove so improbable n
story. But the claimant had more nerve
than sense. He promptly weakened and
took the advice of the detective, which was
to get ont of the way before lac was arrest
ed. In this case the way of the trs.nsgress-
III. was hard for he lost his hand. rreYni,1m
and sill having, dearly for n self itnposed
lesson
Another case in which n man is supnosed
70 have preferred sum of money down to
tha ,,so Of one of his hands oceurrpd in Nery
YnrL stote where n man. now licensed
claimed COMPENSATION for a lost hand under
very peciliar circumstances. In company
With a doctor he went ont hunting. and
when he returned he had left behind him
his left hand He had received careful
surpirol Attendance and his wound wasted
nm in reputation STYLE He made his claim
With nerfect confidence. explaining that he
had shot his left hand off accidentallv. The
f1ocfOr confirmed the story. and considera-
bile argument ensued. 1t was freely sue-
ccs+od that tbc doctor had been taken on
tho tri, for tho exnress nurnosa of amnu
tati,p tho hand and n strong case was
made in fbis direction. There was. how
over rotbino bnt inference on the COM
narr,,s side and tbe cloim was compro-
lied
A po,psrIvon;o ooenov was canrb+ Inv n
sop,ar,hat similar trick man who had
,ried HE hand ut various rrofessiops and
found them ali failures. took out an insur-
,nco noIicv for accidont first taking the
nrecantion to move a connie of hundred
miles and assume n fictitious name. A
month later he cot, caugbt in n tbrasbipr
machine and nv aid of the men who helncd
mil him ont was able to mt in an appar-
only unansvarable claim for compensa-
tio,, for fine Ioss of a leg He had no busi
noss 70 toI,a him to the machine. and that
rras tba o,,Iv weak noint.in his case. Still
CAIN was p''iu' IL tiie ciaiinai1 ii'''' IGN,