The morning call., 1895-01-06
A Fraud Detected.


Another clever laid scheme has b en- detected
aud tile parties to same are under arrest. Last
July man by the name of Richard II. Banker,
who belonged to Hope Lodge No. 1, A. y. u.
w. OF Portland, Or. IN company nth two men,
A. L. Hunter and his son Harry, the latter Is
years OF age, were engaged In fishing on raft
of logs on the river front, and while doing so.
1t was claimed that Banker tell off the raft and
was drowned. The Hunters testified that they
saw said Banker fall of the raft and disappear
under the water and that was the last ever
seen of the man.
Mrs. Lydia Banker, the supposed widow,
made claim for the $1,000 beneficiary moneys
guaranteed by the order on the death of one of
lis mem ers, and after some delay and careful
examination OF the Hunters and surroundings
the money was paid to Mrs. Banker. Within a
week after she received the money she made
arrangements 10 leave Portland, and Chief of
Police Mimic, believing that bold attempt
had been made TO defraud the order, quietly set
to work to investigate. Ii was found that
Banker had bought set of false whIskers
previous TO the ev Mt and that Mrs. Banker
had gone out in the suburbs aud met some man
ar night and accompanied him to a farmhouse
occupied by relatives OF the family, and II was
also learned that strange man had been stay
ing at said farmhouse for ten days after the
supposed drowning
On November Mrs. Banker left Portland
Swallowed by detective. She took ticket for
Sioux City. Iowa. and when arriving al COlum-
bus Junction, New, was met by her mother,
which place they went. Ii was found that Mrs.
Banker had money there In two banks, and
that her three children were III her mothers.
] he house was Swallowed, and with the assist
anee OF Chief of Police Young OF Sioux City the
Portland detective, Day, was enabled to arrest
the missing Banker, who had changed his name
to ). w Anderson, and take him back to Port
land. and also to arrest the two Hunters, who
had given the false testimony by which the
money had been secured.
Oregon pays Its death claims very promptly
pi ha In in nIain nff
character, where the body cannot be produced,
cannot be paid until session OF The grand
lodge has been held and at least year passes
10 allow nve stigation. number Of cases are
on record where, after the most convincing
proofs have been furnished of death, the sup.
posed departed has been found, alive. This
seems 10 have been a carefully laid scheme,
but the parties interested, as usual, left clews
which convicted them.
Duration of Membership.
Much is being written and spoken In relation
10 which classes of applicants are most yalua-
bic TO fraternal orders especially those which
guarantee at death beneficiary moneys TO Eeirs.
The average duration of membership of all
who join orders and the percentage of those
who will die In the orders out of the entire num-
Der admitted is pretty well established, and
therefore the calculation narrOws down TO the
query az TO what class OF members remain
longest before death.
the cooperative assessment fraternities, has
taken the position that this question. namely,
the duration of membership before death aud
not The age OF the applicant, was the important
question 10 determine, or In other words, that
the class of members who would remain long
est in the orders before their deaths would
have 10 be paid for, was the select class. And
another position has always been held: That
any applicant passing IA medical examination
pronouncing him secure risk for longer
terod than the average duration of membership
was a good risk without regard TO age.
In this column on December ID the death roll
OF the Royal Arcanum was aHalgZed, and sta
istics given showing the duration OF member
ship before death TO be largely In favor of
those admitted at the more advanced ages, and
in the monthly death list of The knights of
Honor for January, which contains 172 Deaths
the same fact exists The Knights of Honor Is
the second Oldest of the assessment fraterni-
ties, having been organized Ill 1873. and It's
duration before death for the entire number IL
being 2 years and months each. or these
twent y-slX died who were Initiated under the
age OF 30 years; these had a duration before
death of 10 years and months each.
One hundred and eleven died who Joined
between the age of 40 anu 40 years; these had
duration of IL years and months each; 26
we're initia ed at ages 40 to so, their duration
averaged IL years months each; were ad
mitted so 10 80 years of age. and these aver
AGED before death the great duration of 16
wears 6 months each Such facts cannot fail 10
call forth investigation and thought upon this
vital subject. 1t is interesting to know that OF
the fifteen members upon this list who died be-
fore they had been in the order three years, only
one was initiated over the age of 40.