New-York tribune., 1895-07-21
rHE WOMEN NOT THE SAME

~ APPARENT ATTEMPT TO DEFRAUD
LIFE INSURANCE COMPANIES.
.suosuREs FOLLOWING THE DIGGING Up OF
THE BODY OF THE ALLEGED WIFE OF ONE
s1LvERMAN. WHO WAS REPORTED TO
HAVE DIED SOON AFTER
POLICY HAD BEEN TAKEN
on HER LIFE.
rne existence OF a conspiracy to defraud two
.ew-york life insurance companies has been
,rned by the exhumation Of the body Of Mrs.
.crie Silverman. at Washington Cemetery,
urooklyn on Thursday last Considerable
rrecy Is observed by the people who are con-
.ucting the Investigations. but inquiries by
rrbune reporter have elected the main facts OF
Ne case The beginning Of the conspiracy dates
,ack to the early part Of last May, when a
,oman who gave her name as Mrs. Annie
s,,verman and said she was the wife OF Wolf
s,,vernan of No. 20S1a Broome-st. OF this city.
allied on Dr. George f. Steel. OF No. 152 West
-seventh-st medical examiner for the
sew-York Life Insurance Company. She stated
Asr intention Of taking out policy of insurance
1, the New-York Life Company. and asked the
Aoctor to make the usual medical examination.
Ne did so, and found her to be strong. healthy
voman She was. in fact. In such excellent
,hvscal condition that the most careful in
mrance company would have readily accepted
hsr as risk DR. Steel. however. notwith-
aanding the satisfactory medical test she had
undergone. was not favorably impressed;
matter of fact, he suspicious. For one
thing. she told the doctor she was of German
che u-oc hIi
there were other things that l don't want to
mention now" said DR.. Steel yesterday, that
aroused my suspicious and l advised my COM
panv 10 have nothing to do with her." The
New-York Life Company acted upon DR.. Steels
advice and rejected the risk.
few days later Wolf Silverman, accom-
panied by a woman who, he alleged, was his
wife visited the Empire Life Insurance Com
pany's office and negotiated for an insurance
upon his wife. Everything was apparently reg
Mar. and on May 13 policy for 5000 upon the
life Of Mrs. Annie Sverman was issued.
REPORTED HIS WIFES DEATH
On June 29 after lapse of only forty-six
days Silverman informed the company that his
wife had died. and made claim for one-haif
the insurance money. That so healthy a wom-
an as the presumed Mrs. Silverman was
should die so soon after being insured appears
TO have caused some doubts TO spread over
the minds Of the Empire officials. and In the
course Of some inquiries they opened up COM
muncations with DIR. Steel. Comparisons failed
to point to any resemblance between the
woman Dr. Steel examined and the one who
accompanied Wolf Silverman 10 the Empire
Life Office Thereupon the latter company I'M
mediately contested Silverman's claim, and
through its attorneys obtained an order for the
taking up of the body. On behalf OF Silverman
an Injunction to restrain digging up the body
secured The attorneys for the company
however. persisted in their efforts to have the
body taken up. and eventually succeeded In
having Silverman's injunction set aside
The exhimafien accordingly took place on
Thursday afternoon when 1t was discovered that
the body which had been buried was not that of
either Of the women who had previously figured
as Wolf Siverman's wife. An autopsy was per-
formed. but with what result cannot as yet be
learned. Indeed. every concerned in the
matter maintains the utmost secrecy on the plea
that to dvuge tho facts at this period would de-
feat the ends Of justice by causing the Immediate
flight OF the conspirators While there seems TO
be little room for doubt that deliberate attempt
10 defraud an insurance company has been made,
there does not appear 10 be any GROUNDS Tor
suspec:ing that the woman whose body was ex-
humed met her death by foul play. The most
probable view that can be taken Is that Wolf
Silvermans legitimate wife was attacked by a
serious illness, and Silverman, knowing that no
insurance company would accept her In that con-
dition. had her falsely impersonated by some one
else already described
IN THE HANDS OF THE DISrRICT-ATTORNEY.
f. L. Mooney. OF the firm OF Bandy. Shipman
e. Mooney No. 10 Wal-st. attorneys for the En-
pire Life Insurance Company. when seen at his
ONCE yesterday, refused 10 make any statement
for publication. The case. he said, was now In
the care Of the Distrct-Attorney's office. and to
give publicity TO the story OF the conspiracy
might lead 10 the night Of the persons whose ar
rest was likely TO follow during the next few
DAYS
Dr. George l.. Steel. OF No 152 West Fifty
seyenth-st who was stated TO have been pres
ent at the autopsy. was also seen. While ne
was present at the exhumaton for the purpose
OF possible Identification he denied that he at
tended the autopsy. This work he said. was
conducted by surgeon afached 10 the Belle
vue Hospital.
Warden O'Rourke Of this institution how
ever. when approached yesterday produced his
books and said member Of the hospital s
staff had made the autopsy The only expiana-
tion he could give Of DIR. Steels statement was
that II was one of the visiting surgeons OF the
hospital who made the examination. Assistant
District Attorney Weeks. who lives at No. 260
West Fifty-seventh- and Assistant District
Attorney Davis OF No. 1874 Lenox-aVe. were
away from town.
Wolf Silverman lived at No. 20812 Broome-st.
In rooms on the third floor A Tribune reporter
who called there yesterday found the rooms
empty, and was informed by an inmate OF the
house that Sverman had removed some weeks
ago. and that his present address was unknown.