The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-07-30
DYING MEN THEIR TOOLS.
RETEL4TTOSS IN THE GRdyErfRD
INsUR1NCE C.IsES Ar BEdUFORT.
Murder Suspected In One Case-Aged and
Decrepit Negroes Insured as Whites
without Their knowledge.


the numerous reports concerning fraudu-
lent insurance which has been carried
on within its borders by unscupulous
men. The excitement reached its height
when on Saturday. July 9th. the follow
ing men were arrested. being accused Of
conspiracy to defraud life insurance COM
| panies. while acting as agents: Levi II.
Noe c. T. Hassen, J. {. Deiamar These
were arrested also Samuel Williams,
(white), David Parker, William tlsher,
A. B. Wigfall, Steve Turner. ana Wlitam
Turner Call c0loredl, and Dr. i. -. belt-
| mar. examiner These seem 20 nave
| been i'm conspiracy with its agents.
BLACK CRIMES COMMITTED.
Reports have it that the possible crimes
| OF wife poisoning. and the biackest crimes
| have been committed by some OF tneHS
parties IL Is estimated that over Nvl,en
| worth Of this graveyard insurance mas
| baan taken urOn subjects all but dett
with consumption, &c. Forty thOusaha
| dollars lis said TO be the price the lnsur-
, anco companies would have TO pay ior
lust one half-dead negro nearly elshly
| years old il the fraud had not Deeh
brought to light.
II Is also said an old negro woman
| who had several thousand dollars insut-
| ance on her life. was given three doses
| Of morphine al one time, and from Whlch
she died early I'm the morning, ana the
| man who held the policy had her buried
at / o'clock the same day. lie Would
not even wait for her friends 20 a'tend
| the funeral, but had her hauled J..
The trial of the accused parties Will
| take place tomorrow.
WHAT THE surERISTESDENr SAYS.
NEW YORK. July D.-Mr. o. d. Bald
| win, superintendent Of the death cialW
| department for the Mutual Reserve, VINO
! fl
| Hotel, Manhattan Beach, SAID yestti-
| day: This sWindle, while by no means
| new, present some featucrs OK interest
| Earlv I'm 1874 a Mrs. kOu ltlce, VINO, ac-
| cOrding TO the application forwarded 10
| us by our local agent I'm Beaufort, was
| white woman IN perfect hcalil, WHuitu
! with us for 5000. ln sN or seven months
| We received notification OF her oea,ti,
| backed 10y a number OF atidayits. on
| investigation we found that claims hau
! been presented 10 numerous olnef CON-
| paWes on this same deatn. lhe Sitan a.,
| seemed SO peculiar tnat We instructed -hl.
| Aiken TO make further Investigations
| 1--WE learned that Mrs. ROuntree was
| cOlOrcd woman who has been FOR many
months in po5r health. Her husband
knew nothing Of her insurance. Her
/ brother was named as beneficiary ON
] the strength OF these facts, all the COM
! panics refused 10 pay, and the CLAIM
| never has been pressed The evidence
| has been presented % the Dlstrct At-
/ tOrncv. who Is prosecuting the matter
for the local authorities, and the arrests
Mr Charles W. Camp, secretary Of the
| Mutual Reserve said. 81 do not recall
| the details of the case. hut we were az
| once convinced that il was tradIiel1
| claim. At the time we seriously '"H-
! sidered with lrawing all our business
| from Beaufort. our agent at that point
! was changed. This IS but one OF many
| fraudulent claims which we, IN coAi.uoi
with other companies. have been caileu
upon 10 pay in the southern states
HISTORY OF TIE swINDLE.
The New York World OF yesterday
has the following from Morehead CITY,
beaufort the scene Of the far-reaching
! graveyard insurance swindle, is a pretty
| little town of 800 population, Si.""','
on peninsula opposite roft M''''"'
| six miles west of Cape Lookout
| The sv-iudle has been going on lot 'l-li1
| wears and some of the merchants ln 'h'
! town have been engaged III IT. 20
| munerative had II become that the n,
gr1cs went into the business on tneir %" own ~
| account and eventually joined ioi.,n
| with the white men, The gang liihHs
! became bolder taking ont larger ppllceS Yt
insurance, where htie'ol3'o ., i.i- a,of,fs
I and their greed was the ultimate cau9r
| of fhoir exposure pOlicy-hoitefa on ~. ~.
| New York and New England coihi''''~
| have been defrauacl ny tnt"i i',.b. wears
| n is alleged that about eisn. siD,.
| o~o q II Hassel a shrewd hofse-t dn,.,
| wont t1 Beaufort ard soon e.ta7'"e e, m
| ffa insurance business. ana lhaS sl..e
| "A while hc and "a pnysleia" ,slD,,d sr' Tho
| ecvaral insurance companies tnal '''-
| pl0yod Hassell as their "s'""
Porrcrrs HAwETD ABOUT.
ola. aecrcpit. and dying whites ana ne. ne,
| ,.rors of both sexes were insured pm i'"',,
| T.t.r.es without their knoWleit'-
! ,,,.- no uncommon occurrence, lt l7 stlI,
| fo SEQ men hawking afpIep .,-,,,.a
| and its suburbs policies ot IRE h." ,,c
| ff..riro to nlane them free OF tv7t 4" ..
| '.,-a1 ir in iu health and agreeing lo
| .,r.,-fIa the nccessarlcs or IRE Nlli.r
| a,1 at death 10 have them nee'ii.'s s,.t,
! ried. besides occasionhiiy tl.,osfie' reotiir,-
/ .,n, to nrovidc for their lahlilN. ~ ,ti.r..,,,
| ,-,,ts when they found dying 49,,
| .t.,. ,,.o,,id sometimes take out
| v-ifhout securing the consent oi ''
sIItt'i sly g.. alleged further that Levi #. Noe
| caf1fn - Dolamar and jacob g. itid-
/ ,,,r under the firm name OF N.'' l'''l
,ner & 90. secured the asslstahee ol
| Dr. T. -. Delamar, ,,,,+for
| funior members Of tfe Ifih a..
! win the agency Of several reputhpie ll'
| Insurance companies. and hefah opera
fions of "A similar character ,.......,
/ THE first company 20 start an lHt.ou.
| ,.tior was the Mutual Reserve fund
/ "a AraocfatiOn OF New York, Wnicn
! ha1 a death loss Of 1900 upon Ella q.
| po-nfrec. a negress. insured as "a Whlie
womsn. who died of consumption snolly
| after She had been insured Inc sttrt-
] cato insurance placed upon heF lle pm
! Various companies within rev months
| of her docease was S4uW.
! The Mutual Reserve placed the invesu-
| r-aIiOn ln charge of j. W. A-keh, WI"
| worked iuiefatigahly upon ihe case sew
| crol wocks and succeeded in establishing
| the fact that his own and several oiher
companies had iceL VicumiItd. ih'Itupoh
| an tha compauics cancelled their agents
contracts and withdrew their business.
INSURED At DEATHS DOOR
rho Massachusetts Berent Life Associa-
| tion Of Boston. which had been repre-
| sented bv Noe Dclamar q co. less than
six months stood for policies rtgat-
/ sno nearly $4,000 Upon notification OF
! t,5o de9fh Losses. occurring within pc
| riod of less than TWO months after is-
| auinv the policies. the company detailed
| its fnspoctor. W. 9. Abrams, 10 make au
| investigations He found that FCreda
| Williams. one OF the risks, who hal been
| insured for 5000. had been lying an the
| point of death for several weeks prior 10
! The issuance Of the policies, and that
| FLA O. ROLntree, cOlOrcd. who had been
! insured as a white woman for &,pOD. had
| oefu in I'll health for three years be-
/ fore aud had been confined 20 her bed
| several months when the Insurance was
| Effected Tho benehci1ries In Tie ROuu-
| trec case figured in the policy as the
! fethet and brother Of the deceased. The
rather" Stephen L. Turner, Is a BAPTIST
| n,irister and boatman, and was for many
| Years the mail-carrer between Beaufort
| ami Morehead city. Neither Jf the parties
| was possesset OF the means 10 carry so
| heavy a life insurance.
1 nj for hf1 Lob.