The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-01-19
THE MEAD INSURANCE.

A Statement Regarding the Policy
RoIdsrs' Position.
Recently O contemporary published a
story regarding an alleged attempt to
defraud certain insurance companies on
the part of the heirs OF a Mr.. Mead.
The story involved Attorney Shinn, who
makes the following statement:
The statements published that the
Mead heirs, or other interested parties,
in connection with Mr.. @. f. Demarest
and Senator Neator A. Young had I'M
dertaken to defraud insurance com.
panies and had caused TO be procured a
false affidavit, and that Mr.. Young had
paid Demares5 500 for making the aame
and that said Young aud myself had
gone over the ground where the alleged
injury was supposed to have occurred,
and all other statements and insinua.
tions in regard to fraudulent practices
in that or any other cases. are each and
every one of them without the slightest
foundation OF fact. Also the statements
that the Mead heira mad surrendered to
this Interstate Casualty company the
$4,000 policy held by them, without pay
ment thereof, and that the same practi-
cally admitted that ths claim was
fraudulent; also that the Covenant Mu-
tnal Benefit association of Galesburg,
Illinois, which had paid the $50, 900
policy had wired their attorneys to at
tach all property and recover back the
money, were each manufactured and
were made with the sole object in view
of annoying the widow and mother Of
A. j. Mead, who held theae two $500
policles.
There never was thought or intima-
ton by any one having an interest in
said policies to surrender, compromise
or settle the case in any way except by
the payment OF the amount due. their
face value, and the Galesburg company
never conceived or suggested the repay
ment of the money paid by them upon
an honest death loss. The moat afro
cious Representation we're reported
TO this company to prevent payment,
but they investigated the matter thor~
oughly frat, by MIR. E. f.. Oyerholtzsr,
their resident agent; second, by j. f.
WyokOf, their general agent OF San
Francisco; third, by Hon. w. II. Smol-
linger, their secretary and sdjuster from
Galaeburg, Ill.,; and during these sevs
esal Investigations every trumped up
gtoiy aud falae accusation furnished
gseid company WAS run TO ground and
shown conclusively to be without foun-
dstion.
Every other life company paid with
OUT question, five OF them having resi-
dent agents in the city of Los Angeles to
look after the intereeta OF their COM
paiiee.
mir. A. j. Mead was consistent be-
lever in life insurance and had been in.
sured for msuy years. He gradually
increased his insurance at intervals
from the early part OF 1887 until 1884
10 one compsny alone he had paid about
. $500 III premiums. When he died and
ia became known that hia widow would
receive large Insurance., then all kinds
Of fslss snd fraudulent claims were
trumped mp against him, and becauee
through my advice she refused TO be
nhulcted the slsnderous story was started
that her husband committed suicide and
that she was trying to deirand an in
nurance company.
Mr.. Demarest's affidavit was never
Furnished a company who paid a cent;
hence no money was procured thereby,
and the only use to which it ever was
nut was to send it to the Interstate
Casualty company as additional proof