Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-02-18
Career Of Bogus Insurance
Agent J. A. Dunn.
The Names UnderWhich He Travelled
and His Methods.
How He Fleeced Young Members OF the
Medical Profession.

markable one and who,if he had confined
himself to lines of honest effort, possessed
abilities which would have enabled him
to have achieved marked success This
man is J. A. Dunn, alias J. A. Cook, Oil
yer Olney, Chas. Foster, NJ. Knox, j.
Bowden, and various other names.
This man was appointed by the
Mutual Reserve Fund Life Insurance
Company of New York, December, 1892,
AS its agent for Kennebec and two adj
Joining counties. He had no authority to
work outside of this prescribed territory,
the general agent at Portland Directing
to his doing so. His headquarters were to
be at Augusta. The very first business
which this man did, after his appoint
ment, was outside of his territory, and
the general agent at Portland, finding it
out, protested against his being longer
permitted to act for the company, and his
commission was Immediately cancelled,
about Feb. l, 1893.
He took no notice, whatever, OF this re-
vocation of his authority but went on act
ing as the duly appointed agent of the
company, representing himself at some
places as the general manager of the com
pany for Maine, with he headquarters at Bos-
ton and at other places as tho special
manager for the appointment OF medical
examiners for the company. lie trah-
sacted his business altogether with the
Younger members of the medical profes-
sion, who were just starting out in prac-
tice, invariably approaching them with
the persuasive inducement that the com
pany wanted young blood, live, active
young doctors as its examiners. AS IL
was q most desirable position for young
practitioners to secure this lucrative APP
pointment with large and iniiuentlai
insurance company, he never failed to get
their confidence He then informed them
that of course it would be necessary for
them to become a member OF the associa-
ton before they could be appointed medi-
cal examiners, and offered to take them
into the association for whatever amount
they thought proper, either one, two'
three, or five thousand dollars. In ~
cases out of 100 they took the bait. Cook,
having good supply of the stationery OF
the company, Immediately filled out their
applications and received the first install
ment on their policies at the rate of ~ per
thousand, giving therefor receipt OF the
association in the regular form, and
further pledging himself to send i've
active young agent to canvass the COM
munity for the new medical examiners.
This he of course, never intended to do,
hut Immediately left for the next town
where he carried out the same perform
ancc.
The company has no doubt but what
there are hundreds of young doctors
who have never let the company know
the manner in which he defrauded them.
The officials of the company have only
knowledge of a possible $50 doctors whom
he thus victimized.
He must have run out of the stationery
of the company in June, so, and went
boldly into the office at New YORK to
General Wells, the third vice president oil
the company, in charge of agencies, the
same gentleman who had appointed him
December, '92, as j. A. Cook, and made
application for an agency for Massachu-
sets. He brought letters of introduction
of most flattering character, and beng
thoroughly disg uiscd from his former ap-
pearance as Cook, was actually appointed
an aren't for Massachusetts,, and got
large supply of stationery again TO con-
tinue his scheme of robbery. He LETT the
impression upon General Wells that ne
was the nephew of the attorney general oil
tho United States.
Two DAYS after his appointment the
gentleman, to whom the journal is ih'
debted for information concerning MIN,
arrived at the office of the company III
New York. General Wells then informed
him that he thought he had captured ioi
the company the smartest life insurance
Attorney General Olney. The gentleman
then informed him that his much prizeo
agent was none other than the nefarious
Cook, whose OF erations were already 81
familiar to the officials of the company
To say that General Wells was DUMP
founded would be putting it mildly IL
his Office, associated with himself wer'
Sc zen bright, keen men in the employ Q
the company, and General Wells himsei'
is regarded as one of the keenest ant
shrewdest business men In the metro
polls, and yet so good a presence max
Cook and SO fine a talker was he that nom
of them suspected for a moment his ideh
tity, and all were completely decoive'
by him.
Ths company determined to spare NJ
expense to secure this man and circular
were sent broadcast throughout the coun
try describing him. Ira NJ. True tool