The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-08-03
DRUNK THREE YEARS
AND IF THE DOCTOR EXAMINED
HIN 1T WAS WHILE HE
WAS DRUNK.
THE INSURED ADMITS FRAUD.

Old Nan Shep. Davis Was Insured as
Twhite when ne Is as Black as Ere"
bus--His Age Was Given as SO When
He Is at Least Eighty Years Old and
His Hair Was White Daring the
War-.Further Proceedings in the
TRIAL Postponed Till Wednesday.
BY telegraph from our Special STAFF Cor
respondent.
MoREHEAD CITY, N. c., Aug. 2.
The trial of the alleged conspirators
was to night continued until Wednesday
morning by agreement of the counsel.
Yesterday proof of fraud was presented
in testimony Of witnesses not directly in
terested. To day some of the very par
ties whose lives were fraudulently insur-
ed testified on the stand to the frauds
committed. Apparent forgeries We're
shown in one case after another and sew
eral fraudulent applications were intro
duced.
T. II. Thomas testified that at the
time the medical examination was alleg-
ed to have been made by DR.. Thomas the
latter was not in town.
". G. Abrams testified that Silas
Blount had forged Rosanna Washing
tons aame to the application. On cross
examination he said he approached Tur-
ner. who was a defendant in this case
and showed him the postal cards; had
not offered to compromise any OF the
cases since October; did not ask William
Turner last Friday what he would take
for his policy; he had cancelled all the
insurance Of the Massachusetts Benefit
Life Insurance Company in Carteret
county, except one policy which was
still in force. he went up to Mrs Ar
thurs Monday, she told him her hus-
band had the dysentery for two years
before bis death, that Smith and others
had advanced money TO pay the in
surance, aud she would fight the claim.
Steve Turner told him he had insured his
daughter under misapprehension when
he thought she would not live. He said
he saw Sam Williams and Abe Wigfall
together and the latter said to the
former. ''I think we are going to get
into trouble in this insurance business. !"
He said Serada Williams signature
was forged by Samuel Williams and
Samuel Williams's signature appended to
claimants oath was forged by Sllas
Blount. (This last signature is certified
to by clerk of the court Garner
Albert l. Lewis, underwriting and
press correspondent, testified that Bill
Fisher asked him what this trouble
about insurance was, and said eff they
pu sh me too hard I'll squeal. I'll swear
in court that Alb Wigfall was examined
for insurance in place of Bill Wigfall. :"
At the time crowd was sanding on
Kit Jones corner; it was about dark. It
is the custom here for ignorant negroes
to get other people to do writing for
them.
E S. Saunders testified that Serada
Williams was not sick until three months
before her death; she could not write.
The star witness Of the day was viii
liam Rice, who runs barber shop and
photographer studio IN one room. He
said he had been the subject Of various
forms Of extreme dissipation and at the
time he was on the stand he was under
the Influence of opium. He so informed
one on the porch of the Atlantic Hotel
His life was insured, he testified, without
his knowledge and the signature ap-
pended to the application was not
his. He lets his son use his sigma
ture. He was asked why he did not
know whether he was examined for his
Insurance. ''If the people of our town
remember, said he, 81 was at this time
a taking of general satisfactory spree.
DR.. Delamar might have examined me
then. ] was under his treatment for
dyspepsia and other diseases. | had de
lirium tremens in one sense of the word
then. He might and he might not, and
I'd sooner leave it to DR.. Delamar's de
cision. | hardly ever make any
signature. / had been intoxica-
ted for about three years at
that time. / weighed 1885," weight in
policy 1866. Question IA is, Has the
applicant consulted any physician in the
last five years7" DR.. Dalamar answers
'no.' He said be stopped drinking
June 13, 1894. 81 judge time by dead
reckoning. ] recollect this because as /
was such good customer they always
set the long glass before me and this time
they set the short glass. / left and went
to Dill's and took big drink of good
liquor and then went home and had a
misery for three days. My son told me
when | sobered up that he had taken out
insurance on my lite That's all know
ABOUT II. Df. Delamar, ne SAID, had
never examined him for insurance and
had never asked him any questions, but
had treated him for years
Florence Chadwick testified that she
had never had her life insured, had
never signed any insurar ce application,
and had never authorized any such sig
nature; DR.. Delamar never examined her
for any insurance (the applications were
dated March IS, 1854, introduced as
eyidence). "The first time | knew
was insured Bill Fishers wife sent for
me, and Noe was there. Noe told me
that there was a policy on my life, and
that an agent was in town and told
me to tell the agent, if he called, that |
took it out for my mother and she would
keep up policy. The only time ever was
at DR. Delamar's, was in 1893 when /
had liberated sore throat. For a long