The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-09-10
ATTEMPT TO INSURE eulTeAu.
Joke That Helped to XIII Deathbe'
L., Pa !, |, = :. l :. 1

Joke That Helped to XIII Deathbed
Insurance in Pennsylvania.
For the first time the story. of the
preteGdcd effort to insure Guiteau's life
mas been made public in Reading. Pa.
The scheme was conceived by two
young lawyers, and. although they be-
gan il as a joke, there were many who
took 1t seriously. One of the results
was to help kill "deathbed insurance"
IN the eastern part of the United States
Garfield was shot in July, 1881, and the
trial of the assassin began in Novem-
Der, 1881. and ended with verdict of
guilty on January 25, 1882. Guiteau was
hanged on June 80, 1882. At this time
the deathbed insurance craze was at
high water mark, many of the COM
panies taking all kinds of risks. One
evening in February, 1882. two young
Reading attorneys were talking of
Guiteau, for whom an application for Il
new trial had just been made. One of
tempt to insure Guiteau's life as u
means of bringing ridicule on the
graveyard companies" They talked
of it to resident of Reading who at
that time held political office in Wash
ington. He entered into the joke and
thought he could arrange the Washing
ton end of the affair. Going back to
Washington the Berks county politician
told q newspaper man there of the bust
ness of the insurance companies in
Reading and also of the scheme of in
surfing Guiteau. Meanwhile the attor
reys made written application for $780,
900 insurance on Guiteau's life. The ap-
plication nearly got the jokers into
trouble. Among the many life insur-
ance companies in Reading at the time
was one that did not properly come un-
der the designation of deathbed COM
pany. BY accident blank of this par
ticular company was filled out in due
form and forwarded to the Washington
newspaper man. His part was to take
it to Guiteau and try to secure his sig
nature.
The reporter visited Guiteau and told
him that firm of insurance agents III
Reading, thinking that he might secure
a new trial and eventually escape the
gallows, considered him a coed risk
and wanted to insure him for $1C0, coo
Tie reporter gave Guitcau to under
stand that neither he nor his friends
would have to pay any of the assess
mcnts; that would be attended to il.
Reading. Guiteau was also told that
the agents would make it worth his
while to sign the application. Although
no figures were mentioned. he was left
under the impression that his heirs
might expect $25, 600 should he be exc
cuted. Guiteau listened to the scheme
and then smiled. He knew the news
paper man and told him he thought the
entire matter Il joke. The rcporte'
knew il was, but did not say SO. Guiteau
declined to sign then. The following
day the Washington newspaper APP
pcared with q long article, saying that
a graveyard insurance company al
Reading wanted to place 100000 in
surance on Guiteau's life. The name
OF the company was given. The articl,
was in the form of an exposure. ant
said that large sums Of money had beer
offered to secure Guiteau's signature
anu tilit Il lttl Sc StIH was " 20 W tllt
assassin's heirs. The news was sent
al! over the country subsequently.
BY this time ths Reading originators
of the scheme were beginning to find
that they had succeeded beycnd thei'
expectations. The officers CT the com
pany whose name was connected with
the affair went on still hunt for the
schemcrs ard lawsuits were threatened
Then the New York and New England
papers took up the subject. Long arti
cles appeared, calling attention to the
dcathbed and graveyard insurance com
panies doing business in eastern Penn
sylvania, and especially in Reading
Next tbs inauranee papers Of England
took up the matter. They cited the
Pennsylvania deathbeds as samples OF
American life insurance. One daily
paper in San Francisco called the at
tempt to insure Guiteau a disgrace o.
humanity. 1t is said by those con-
vcrsant with their affairs that the Gui-
teau episode, as much as anything else,
assisted in wiping out deathbed insur-
ance cencerns.-N. Y, Sun,