The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-08-18

The Conspirators viii Appear Before
the October Term of the Superior
Contradictions Insured as Sound
Men, and Money ColIected---Hassei
FORCES the Name of Caroline Ar
thur---The Crimson Coiors That
Play Around Samuel Wiliiams---
Many old People Stand Now IN
Dread of Being Insured Without
Their Knowledge---HOw the Plot
Began and Developed and Ended.
BEAUFORT, N. O., Aug. II, 1895.
The trial has Just ended here Of an
organized band Of conspirat0rs, which
for several years throughout all this
country have been carrying on their
swindles to the amount altogether of
about $780, 600.
The trial was before three justices
and the defendants were bound over to
appear at the October term of the Supe-
rior Court of this county.
The caption of the case is as follows:
The State of North Carolina VS.. 7. B.
Delamar, Selden D. Delamar, j. O.
Delamar. Levi 7. Noe, O. r Hassell
L, W. Perkins, Samuel Williams, David
Parker, william Fisher, Stephen /.
Turner, W. H. Turner, Sllas NJ
Blount, Albert Wigfall.
The first seven are white men the
last six are negroes.
These persons, as developed by the
trial, stood in about the following rela
ton to one another. Hassell was the
prime mover and organizer, aud some
times agent; Noe, j. O. Delamar aud
Selden =. Delamar also were agents,
constituting the firm of Noe, Delamar 81
Co; 7. B. Delamar was the Doctor as
well as L. W. Perkins, and the negroes
were the go-betweens.
The evolution of the story, while in
the light of present developments, quite
a natural one, is altogether unique, and
probably stands alone, at least, in the
coantry South of the Potomac. Ger
tainly, North Carolina has never known
anything like it. Yet the condition was
so favorable for the carrying out of the
programme that has been carried out
that it would seem strange that it all
should not have come out before.
The conditions referred to were the
men at work, the isolation of the terrific
ry in which the work was done, and the
character Of the people upon whom the
insurance was written. This HasSell be
longs to this State, having come to Beau
fort from Tyrrell county some eight years
ago, and seems to have come from an
tecedents of high standing in their com
munity; but he drifted away now into
horse trading, now into sewing machine
selling, which vocation he says he fol
lowed for seven years, and then he
allgnted upon insurance as means OF
livelihood. He was man of such smooth
presence, self control, aptitude of speech
and ARGUMENT, that certain parties in
the city of New York we're not long in
finding thepman for his peculiar talents.
What he Id in New York would proba
bly, fill a 4bok. At any rate, he returned
to Beaufort with his lamp filed and
burning for the career that was before
him. Itleeems not impossible that his
transacti@ls were passable straight for a
while, hehaying a number of years ago
been ageN for the Old Wayne Mutual
Life Il rance Company, of Indiana
polls Also the Old Peoples Insurance
", Of Elkhart, Ind. One of the
eatures of those two companies
b have been to allow insurance to
be taken out by those who do not have
any insurable interest in the person or
persons insured Thus Mr.. Hassell found
himself surrounded by little communi-
ty full of customers for style of policy
as popular as it was illegal.
There came along, too, about this time,
company called the Golden Grail. 81
Its operations started at first at New
bern, town, say forty miles from here,
but they soon found their way TO this
rich feeding ground. The plan of this
company was to go among these people
and offer to pay them at the end of six
moths one hundred dollars each for
every forty dollars put in by them at the
beginning of six months. And strange
to say, at the end of the six months,
they kept their promises, and, it seems,
paid up the hundred dollars in every
case. OF course such exchange of favors
soon came to an end with the bursting
up of the company. But, in the mean
time, the appetites of these people had
been educated to relish what is called
Speculative insurance.
The many sided Mr.. Hassell had by
this time, made many advances in his
new calling, and he set about inaugural
ing new plan among these people. He
gradually gathered about himself such
henchmen as the negroes mentioned
above; attached to himself doctor, and
constituted himself the agent. He
worked himself into the confidence of
several benefit companies, and later
came the firm of Noe, Delamar & Com
pany, nominally rival one But the
rivalry does not seem to have turned out
10 be very warm
All hands go to work now in earnest
The most decrepit specimens of the
country were narrowly watched, and, as
stated in the speech of Mr. Hinsdale,
counsel for the State, Zone dared not TO
cough about Beaufort, lest, without lis
or her knowledge, he or she should be
insured by the gang"
1t is lot necessary to give full list OF
the doings of these conspirators during
the last four or five years, but it may be
timely to give short summary for the
purpose of showing the companies
affected, as well as the scope and charac-
ter of the ghouliSh work.
For example, Johu Boyd Vas insured
in the Massachusetts Life for two thons
and dollars He said he understood that
Bill Fisher Che negro who was the most
desperate Of the gang had insured his
Iffa He aaFsya{ oil Ne