The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-12-12

But Later He Learned That ne
Whole Business as CroOke d--Fiiie d
Out Medical Examiners Blanks
without Ever Seeing The Applicant
For Insurance-.Speec hes Of Counsel.
TRENTON. \. c., Dec. 1t.-(Spe-
eial)-Upon the opening OF court yes
terday, the Solicitor called up the case
of State VS.. c. II. Hassell and DIR. IL. W.
Perkins. the first of the much-taiked
of Beaufort Insurance cases.
The defendants attorneys lmme-
tliately took the position that ms
Henor, A. w. Graham, having presid-
ed over the courts of this district with
in four wears, could not legally hold
this special term At their request an
exception was noted and the case pro-
ceeded.
The State challenged one juror.
The Solicitor announced that the de-
PENDANT, DR.. J.. w. Perkins desired to
submit and plead guilty. Although
the defendant Hassen and the defen-
dants in the other cases were aware
that DR.. Perkins had been weakening
since the last trials at Beaufort, his
submission came to them in the ma
ture of a surprise.
The following is a copy OF the Doc
tors confession" as taken down IN
shorthand by Mr.. A. p. Massey, at
Morehead City, last week:
ssHassell told me / could make some
long money down at Morehead. We
could rush in some work. l told him
I did not care about any such work as
that. He said it was darned easy mon
ey made. / told him didn't see much
in it for me to get dollar for examln-
ing a man never saw and run the RISK
of being caught and a lawsuit. He said
they would never know word about
it and it was all right anyhow. They
didn't care, being wildcat companies.
They didn't do right and didn't care
what you did. / told him | didn't care
to take any stock in it, but he pit at
ter me and finally when / went to work
for Mr.. Perry at the hotel two sum
mers ago he brought over several let
tiers that he had (I don't know where
he got them) where the companies had
appointed me their medical examiner
anu wanted me to do that kind of bus
mess. He said they wanted me to do
this kind of business. | said 1T didn
look straight to me. lie said they
didn't care They get some money,
YOU get some and | get some and the
company don't care whether 1T is
straight or not The letters he showd
me were on the company's letter
heads, / don't know where he got
them. He showed me several saying
that was the way they did business
and took the chances. He sent some
Il. CON Tod hi
to be Perry Chadwick. / went ahead
and attended to the business. lie came
to me with an application and wanted
me to fill it up. | asked him where
the man was. He said oh. He'll, he rs
Just about my size and II there is any
sauealing done, / will swear you eX-
amined me and ] was the man. what
do you care anyway lie said i snow
ed you where they appointed you
medical examiner They wrote Tom
Delamar and DIR. Davis about you, and
he showed me copy of the letter and
he said they wrote back saying l would
treat them all right. Then we com
menced that KIND of work. ! was un-
der the full belief that it was just
what they wanted. They didn't care
Just so they got the insurance. lie
would get some fellow down in Beau
fort and would send it to me at New
port to fill out and i would do it. He
wanted me to go ahead and grade them
as first-class risks and | would do 1t
He told me they were all wild eat com
panies and it was living for me and
we would get some money back III the
county.
Charlie Mack knew nothing about
the insurance on his life. Perry
Chadwick knew nothing about his
Hassell sent somebody to me IN the
Perry Chadwick case. He did not
send anybody in the Charles Arthur
cases. / filled out two or three medl-
cal examinations in the Charles Ar
thur eases after Hassell showed me
these letters. | never examined Ar
thur. Hassell told me this was the
way to do it and showed me these let
tiers. In this way the thing went on
and it is the way it has been going on
/ do not recollect from whom those
letters came / do not think they were
genuine letters. / thought they were
at the time. The Morehead City trial
last summer first got me TO thinking
about them. | knew Hassell was q
scoundrel but when he came after me
for eight years he at last got me into
it. Hassell went off to New York and
stayed awhile. When he came back
he said we were behind the times
Whenever we want an application
there, make il out and carry it to the
Doctor and we never want to see the
man | knew he was a darned beg
gar. He did so much and nothing
ever came of it and / had heard of ths
several troubles he got into. This
wigfall matter-they had got $4,000
out of that. He told me how he die
it. He just got out the application
and | think DIR. Delamar examined
him. / knew Wigfall well. He haf
consumption bad when | saw him {
year or more before his death He
wanted me TO tackel somebody AROUND
my place who was about TO die. Ht
said he got $4,000 in little while, ano
wanted me TO tackle cases on Charlie
Mack just before he died. He wanted
TO insure him in a good company ano
he and | would keep il UP and Macl