The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1897-10-07
THE FIRE BUG.
BY JUDGE TURGEE.

| We were in the smoking compart
ment of the sleeping car and hat
been telling stories of uncommittet
crimes.
WELL" said a rough looking man
with loud but cheerful voice, keeI
gray eyes, heavy brows, a grizzlet
beard, and a crown bare and shiny
| II have heard your stories, gentlemen
and have been much interested il
them. With your leave, | will tel
something that once happened TO my
self. l am lawyer by profession
an for many years previous to my
election to the bench of an eastern
city made insurance cases a special
| ty. Besides my general practice ]
was the regular counsel for one of the
leading companies, and specially re-
| tanned by several others. beth fire and
life. SO marked and 50 well known
was my pridilection for this class OF
work that hardly case of any iinpor
tance involving actual or intended
fraud upon an insurance company
was tried in my own on adjoining
states without my being consulted,
if not actually engaged in the trial.
The natural effect of such employment
is TO weaken ones confidence in hu-
man nature. l suppose you have all
noticed the frequent occurrence of
fires which can not we'll be accounted
for, except on the theory of incendla
rlsm. Ii the premises are insured at
anything like their value, or the own
er is in financial straits, or both, a
motive is, of course, at hand ready
made, and if 1t is possible for the
owner to have started the fire, it
would be really strange if al able at
torney giving his mind only to the
hypothesis of guilt, were not able to
SO influence the minds of jury, as
to, at least, relieve company of la
bllity or compel the insured to com
promise on an amount quite insight
hcant In comparison with the original
guaranty. The truth is that most in
surers get to regard all the persons
they insure as frauds and cheats OF
course, a good many are, but nothing
like their proportion.
The most fruitful sort of ligitation
of this sort is fire that has no defina-
ole or determinable origin. Cracked
t1ues, electric wires, rats, and matches,
and even the sunshine and the panes
through which it falls, are responsible
for a great many wholly unaccount
able fires, which insurance companies
naturally, and | suppose properly,
assume are fraudulent. An insurance
attorney gets to assume the same, so
when | went on the bench | was I'M
consciously biased to degree which
made me, in effect, an attorny for the
company in all insurance cases /
did not intend to be unfair, but one
cannot always estimate the influence
of environment upon his ability to de
eide anything impartiaIly.
II had been Judge but few
months when [ suffered a severe ii
nancial loss which determined me to
resign and devote myself to the de-
velopment of mining property in
the west in which | had great conf
depce. Before this design was car
ilt'Nl luio tllttt- uO"eNt1, d CdSt CdIllt
on trial before me in which a young
man was charged with having set fire
to the premises he occupied as shop.
The fire burst ont in the night; he
was the last on the premises, having
worked there until 9 o'clock or after
in finishing a job ordered for the next
day. The contents of the shop were
insured to their full value, perhaps
bevond it, as times were dull and the
stock on hand not as valuable as when
the risk was taken. The young man
was the patentee and manufacturer
Of a specially which the hard times
had made it difficult 10 sell, aGd he
was merely hanging on for returning
prosperity. The fire had spread; ad
joining bulldogs were burned, and
public sentiment as well as circum-
stances were against the man charged
with arson. The case against him
was we'll managed-insurance cases
always are. The companies have net
only unlimited means but system
cies which enable them to shift a
mans antecedents as we'll as follow
up any clew that may offer, connect
ing him either in fact or in interest
with the CRIME charged. In this case
it had been discovered that the man
had some years before been ngaged in
experiments connected with explo
sives. 1t had nothing whatever to do
| with the question of his guilt or limo
| cence, and | ought to have excluded
| the evidence as soon as objected to-
but the defendants counsel was q
| weak, uncertain man who never knew
| quite the reason he did anything, sc
his objection was not very positively
stated Besides, think he was afraid
knowing my professional antecedents
Well, overruled the objection, charg
ed the jury savagely, and the man
was convicted. There was motion
for new trial, which l set for hear
ing the next day and adjourned.
"When | reached home | found my
wife just going out. 1t was the ser
wants day off, and for time l Wa.
alone in the house, whose building
had been one of the consummateC
ambitions of my life The city hat
grown up to it, qradrupling the value
of the lot during the years that ba1
intervened since / bought it. until j
was worth more without the hous,
than with it. / thought of this as
cane up the steps after handing m!
wife into her carriage, and also of tn,
fact that it would have to BIZ sold t,
relieve my embarrassment and that
being heavily insured, it would be
piece of rare good luck if the sam
thing should happen to ne that ha'
come TO the mans shop, whom | ha,
tried that day. With this in mind
entered the library and sat down a
some work in which / soon becam
absorbed After while l had a
impression that something fell in tn
room above me. and at the same mo
ment heard ring at the door bell
Il went and openaH the front door