The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-03
NOT OR COLD LIGHTNING
Insurance SwindIer Gardner Insured
Against Either or Both.
MOXsTROsIrIEs or POLICIES
He Wrote Them on Insurance Circulars
aud Specimen Blanks and Pasted
Them Over with Note Paper.
lie Admits Ills Guilt.

For brazen. bare-faced, reckless
swindling. ]. w. Gardner alias Luce,
alias Vosburg. who was yesterday sent
to the county jail In default Of $500 by
Alderman Miller. leads the procession.
The hearing took place In the station
house and representatives OF the differ
ent insurance firms whose names Gard
ner had used I'm his operations were
present to testify, but their testimony
was not needed. as Gardner admitted
his guilt.
One can not get an adequate idea of
Gardner's recklessness or his dupes'
ignorance or carelessness without see
Ing one Of the bogus policies which he
Issued. 1t almost passes belief that
anyone could be so unsophisticated as
to be taken In by such an apparent
fraud, yet 1t Is said that forty or fifty
persons In Dunmore alone were imposed
upon by Gardner.
Two of these fake policies are now
In the possession Of Alderman Millar,
they having been furnished him by c.
u. Roland, who was instrumental in
running the swindler down. One of the
policies was the cause of Gardners de-
lection. 1t was turned over to Mr.. Bo-
land by Mary Derrick. of Gypsy Grove.
with the following statement made in
Mr.. Bolands Office November II, last:
Mary Derrick's Statement.
"A man who said his name was TT A
Luce called at my house. In Dun
more about noon on Saturday Oct. l2,
1895. and solicited insurance on nv
dwelling and furniture. l was too busy
to talk to him ON that day, and on the
following Monday he called again. He
said he had six companies, one OF
them was the best In the world, and
paid their losses inside OF thirty days.
He put down the amount | wanted
on my house and furniture, also in
quired II l had any jewelry or musical
instruments l wanted to insure. He
told me he was insuring all my neigh
bors and let him write the insurance
for me. efterward thought there was
something suspicious about the way he
acted and called at c. G. Boland's Of
fice about 1t. when ! discovered that
Luce was a swindler"
This statement Mr.. Boland had in
tended to use as evidence against
policy which Mrs. Derrick turned over
to Mr.. Boland Is certainly curiosity OF
its kind. 1t Is made out on a circular
issued By the London Guarantee and
Casualty company. which contains the
| company's engraved bill-head, and a
printed letter starting out as follows:
"Gentlemen-We want your casualty
insurance and Offer etc. etc, etc"
In a scrawling, almost unintelligible
hand, Gardner Dlastered the head OF
the circular all over with writing in
red ink. such clauses appearing as "in
Consideration OF six dollars and 95-1OO
Mary Derrick, the inshured is in
shured." At the extreme top of the
circular over the word accident in
surance" Gardner pasted a slip Of pa
per, cut, no doubt, from a calendar,
bearing the words, fire insurance"
Way lie Wrote His POliclco.
Under the date line Of the circular,
almost covering Its whole face, We're
pasted two ordinary sheets OF note pa
per, one overlapping the other, and
bearing In red ink the following in
telligence:
Lightning claus-thls Policy Does COW
er all Direct Loss against Lightning
either Hot or cold for the term of three
years but In no case For CRATER amount
than Loss at time of accident at Gipsy
Grove Lackawana co. Pa. Scranton Oct.
10Th 1895. II. A. Luce"
On the back Of the policy was past
ed a third sheet of note paper contain
ing the most lugubrious clause Of all:
Insured Against Lightning.
"This slip attached to Policy No 97si6l
Does In Shure Mary Derrick OF Gypsy
Grove 500 on n Frame Shingle Roof build
ing with additions there too against Fire
and Lightning for the term OF three years
commencig on the 10th Day Of october 1895
and ending on the 18th Day Of october 1923
at IL o'clock noon in Gypsy Grove Lacka-
wana co Pa and not elce ware
II. A. Luce.
Scranton oct. 10th 1895
"This slip attached to Policy No 97si6l
Des inshure Mary Derrick Of Gipsy Grove.
1896 on her House Hold and Kitchen Furni-
ture consisting OF Beding clothing car
pets rugs Books pictures stoves china
glass and stone ware Sewing machin silver
and plato ware provisn gewelry watches
clocks in frame shingol roof Building
for three years against fire and lightning
In Gipsy Grove Lackawana co Pa
Scranton oct 18TH 1895
T.. r. Hunt Secretary.
The alleged signature Of e. Il. Hunt.
whose name appeared on the bottom of
the circular as agent Of the London
company, was forged by Gardner who
made him appear as secretary.
The other policy was purchased for Sc
by John d. White of Winton, at whose
instance the Olyphant constable came
seeking Gardner last Sunday. 1t was
made out on a specimen policy of the
same insurance company with the
words specimen copy" printed in let
ters an inch long diagonally across It's
face. Three slips similar to those on
Mrs. Derrick's policy were pasted on
Mr.. Whites document. Mr.. White ex
cused his carelessness In accepting
such patched up fraud by saying that
he bought the policy more out of SYM
pathy for Gordner, who told him n sad
story, than as business investment.
No Genuine Policies Used.
All the "policies" so far heard from
were made out on either one or the
other Of these papers. the advertising
circular or the specimen policy. None
of Mr.. Boland's policies or those of any
o.her local agents were used as pre-
viously stated. Gardner. however, rep
resented himself as an agent Of one or
the other of the leading Scranton in
surance men and In some instances al
legged that he was partner in the firm.
To Mrs. Derrick he told the highly
improbable story that he was a partner
of. G. q. Boiand. but did not occupy the
same office with him.
1t developed yesterday that Gardner
was the duly authorized agent of the
Cosmopolitan Building and Loan asso-
citation Of Syracuse. about which doubt
existed Sunday. The officers of the
company state that business done by
him in their name was right and proper.