Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-02-26
scHEMEs FOR swlNDnING IN.
suRANcE COMPANIES.
submitting TO Physical Injuries FOR
the Purpose OF Collecting on Ac-
eident Fredericksburg a
Hand Common
Trick.

The popularity Of aeciaent insuis.i...
companies has increased tenfold the oppor-
iunities FOR presenting and pressing fraud.
uient claims. To simulate death IN order
70 ootain payment under policy Of life in.
suranoe requires much more scheming and
also the cooperation Of more than one con
: tederote; but to q man who regards money
as Of greater worth than a limb, IN nctl-
dent insurance policy offers golden oppnr-
tunitlcs for fraud. Perhaps the most as
founding instance OF nerve on the part OF a
would DO insurance defAnder was shown
/ 10y the man who ornwled under a railroad
station platform and placed his hand under
the wheels OF n passing train. He hnd only
I to put his hand on the rail while tho train
was In motion, and tho wheels naturally
did the rest
The crippled individual was oonEratu.
! lated by the bystanderB on his narrow es-
cape from terrible death, and his oxpla-
/ nation that he had stumbled and fallen
half under the train was not questioned.
But before tho company paid the claim II
naturally wanted an explanation rs TO why
/ II was no one had seen .he man stumble and
/ fall, and detective was sent to look into
the circumstances. Tho detective hunted
up a number Of bysSiuders, and, finding
that none Of them could throw any light On
the subject, be neat inquired into the mans
character. The answers he received con.
lirmed his suspicious, and be commenced
doing a little inyestigation on his own NC
count. His fast efforts were not crowned
with very signM success, but when no
crawled under tho platform ho found the
mystery solved for him,
II had been no ones business to clear
away the dust and rubbish which had col
lccted for years under the old PLATFORM and
( 1t was easy to sec where the man had
crawled, as he had left regular trail be-
hind him IN the dust Following this trail,
the detective found it led, as he expected,
toward the track, and on one OF tho fore
most ioists he found evidence OF severe
bump by mans head, quite number OF
hairs having been torn out In the process.
Collecting these hairs the detective next
compared thom 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 rccollected a
styore wound at the back Of his head
which would naturally DO caused by man
lying on the ground AMI suddenly raising
his bead with n jerk
Tie claimant was taken TO the platform
and the theory Of the detective explained
to him. II was argued that he deliberately
crtwlod under the platform and placed his
hand on the rail IN front Of che last car.
The blow on the back Of the head was evi.
IDENTIFY the result OF terrible nervous shock
which he had undergone, which had caused
an involuntary melton of the spine and
neck. a smart man Of legal turn OF mind
might have been able to bluff It out and TO
defy the company TO prove 80 improbable
story. But the claimant bad more nerve
than sense. He promptly weakened aud
took the advice Of the detective, which was
, TO get out Of The way before he was arrest
! ed. In this ease the way OF the tranlgress
or was hard, for be lost his hand. premium
/ and all, paying dearly for self imposed
lesson.
, Another cass IN which man Is supposed
10 have preferred q sum Of money down to
the use OF one Of his hands occurred IN New
York state, whore a man, now deceased
/, claimed compensation for lost hand under
very peculiar circumstances, In company
with a doctor he went out hunting, and
when he returned he bud left behind him
his left hand. Ho had received careful
surgical attendance. and his wound was tied
up In regulation stylo. He made his claim
with perfect confidence, explaining that he
had shot his uit hand of accidentally The
doctor confirmed the story, aud eonsidera-
bic argument onsued IL was freely sug.
gested that the doctor had been taken on
the trip for the express purBose of nmpu-
, tating the hand and strong case was
made In this direction. There was, how
ever, nothing but inference on the COM
pany's side, and tho claim was oompro-
, missed.
a Pennsylvania agency was caught by n
T. ~ A sNts.N 4
tried bis hand At various professions and
r found them all failures, took out an insur-
, nnee policy for accident, first taking the
{ preoautlon to move q couple OF hundred
miles and assume fictitious name. A
= month later lie got caught In a thrlshlng
machine, and by aid OF the men who helped
null linn out was able TO put in an appnr-
emily unnnngerahle claim for compensa-
t ton for the loss OF a leg. llo had no busi-
: ness 10 take him TO the machiae, and that
was the only weak point ga his case. Still
> there was nothing 10 Justify delay, and the
I Claim was paid II the claimant had again
! moved 900 miles and kept bis own counsel
ali would have baen well from his point Of
! view, for IN an Incredibly short space Of
! time the thrashing machine victim was
able TO walk with the aid of an artificial
limb.
But prosperity was NNH iHANA Az NA'
= schemer, who ate, drank and was merry,
r. aud as usual under those circumstances be-
r Fan 70 talk more freely than was quite
a vine In a saloon one evening he Dragged
loudly Of how he had beaten the company,
explaining that he had Lost bis leg 10 years
before, aud that all he bad LOST IN the
5 tbrrshipg machine was the willow sunsti-
G ,ute with Just enough Of his own tissh and
D home 70 deceive the doctor. A good deal Of
I wonder had been expressed - the easy
manner In which he took 70 an artificial
4 leg. and this lent considerable color 70 his
3 story. Investigation quickly proved tnat
: he lad for once at any rate told the truth.
D H. Wa made TO discorge all Of the Insurance
money be had not spent, and by this means
o s,eaued prosecution. The case Il chiefly
s yemarkabls for the perfect success OF ihe
Z triek and the ease with which ~ was carried
e out-New Orleans Jlmes-DcnoefAh