The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-12-21
THE INSURANCE TRIAL
JUDGE GRAHAM PRONOUNtEo
SENTENCE ON THOSE
CONVICTED.
AND THE COURT HAS ADJOURNED
The Judge Declares il the Most Stup-
endous Crime That Has yer been
Committed in North Carolina ana
Regrets That he Cannot Mete out
Heavier Punishment appeals Taken
and the Defendants Allowed to Give
Rond Until the Matter Is Decided.


Bond Uusii the Matter is Decided.
TRENTON, n. c., Dec. 90 Special)
The trial of the insurance conspr-
acy eases here have been brought to a
close.
There were three cases before the
court the last day-State against {. IL.
Hassen, Albert Wigfall, SlIas Blount,
David Parker and I. b. Delamar, con-
spiracv: State VS.. j. c. Delamar and ).
ID. Delamar, forgery, and State VS..
gerry. The last case was continued on
Levi T. Noe and David Parker. for
account of the necessary absence OF
Maria Hamilton, the principal witness.
This old woman went home Monday.
A deputy sheriff was sent for her. lie
did not bring her back because he
found upon reaching Beaufort her Zee
BILE old husband had just died. his
life had been insured by the parties
Just convicted.
News comes from Beaufort that
Shep Davis, the aged negro-S0 odd
years-who was insured by the gang
as Sc years of age, is dying. These
two lives would in all probability have
brought in to some one i'll Beaufort
$4,000 but for the recent investiga-
tons.
The case for conspiracy was taken
up first to-day. All the testimony IN
troduced was of the most damaging
character to the defendants. -Four
letters from Hassell were introduced.
They show the character of the man III
the darkest hues. The defendants
offered no testimony. There were no
speeches by counsel. BY agreement
Judge Graham, in his charge to the
Jury omitted the reading of the testl-
mony as taken down by him. The
Jury returned in few minutes-the
verdict guilty.
The next case called was State VS..
Selden ID. Delamar and j. c. Delamar,
for forgery. The charge was that of
forging the name of Ella G.. Rountree
to an application for insurance in the
Life Insurance Clearing Company, OF
st. Paul. There were policies on her
life to the amount of $4,000. She was
shown to be consumptive, of which
she died within few months after
the policies were issued. The applica-
ton represented her to he in perfect
health. The prosecution, being una
BILE to show in whose handwriting the
name was signed, or to show that it
was unauthorized, announced that it
would not contend for a verdict and
suggested that verdict of not guilty
be entered, which was accordingly
done.
Then all the defendants were brought
into court. In pronouncing judgment
upon the conspirators, Judge Graham
said:
IF the evidence in these cases be
true, the most stupendous crime ever
committed in North Carolina has been
unearthed. / suppose there is nobody
that had any conception of the degree
TO which this rascality had gone.
can see how people could be drawn
into this nefarious business Of procur-
ing or buying these policies upon these
dying people and people who were
likely to die, but few could be innocent.
In order to procure these policies, for
gerry, false pretences and conspiracy
were all committed. There has never
been, within my knowledge. in the
criminal annals of our whole country,
a more gigantic conspiracy than this.
Here we have the greatest crimes
known except rape, murder, arson ana
burglary 1t seems to have been going on
for years, and it has drawn in great
many unsuspecting people, and these,
in order to make money, either by the
commissions or out of the policies,
have committed these crimes. There
has been enough forgery proven against
DIR. i. b. Delamar TO send him to the
penitentiary for one hundred and fifty
years, if all the cases for forgery were
prosecuted against him, and the ex-
IRENE punishment inflicted on him in
each case.
Il regret circumstances are such
that these men have not all been con-
yicted of crimes for which | could inn
pose punishment adequate to the of
fences proven. many cases Of forgery
and false pretense being proven
though not charged. But the crime of
conspiracy is Inisdemeanor and pun
ishable only by Imprisonment in jail
and a fine. The crimes of false pre-
fences and forgery are both felonies
and can be punished by imprisonment
in the pententiary, and though | re-
greet the same punishment cannot be
melted ont to all the defendants alike
in these cases. still when this conspir-
acy is proven, when false pretences are
proven. when forgery is proven to have
been committed, then must discharge
nay duty in each one of the cases, un-
der the laws of North Carolina as !
find il laid down in our statute books.
1T has been proven that these men,
Levi r. Noe, j. G. Delamar and Selden
ID. Delamar were agents doing this
fraudulent business; that Dir. +. b.
Delamar was their medical examiner;
that David Parker and William Fisher
We're their henchmen and went out and
got the names of those people who
were in the last stages of disease, as
Parker said. would die soon in or
der. as one of the witnesses said, they
might make little quick money"
"In the ease of {. II. Hassell, if the
evidence is 10 be believed. he is the
arch eonspirator of the whole lot. He
seems to have been engaged in this
business for years, and his success fol
time seems to have induced Others
TO go into it, Then Noe took it up and
after nursling it for year he takes