The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-01-21
Evidence as to the Sinking of the
Yacht Paul Jones TO BE Heard
Here OH February 1.
A CONTEST FOR INSURANCE.
Court Must Determine Whether
Father or Daughter PeriShed
FirSt-HOw Common and
Civil Codes Conflict.

| The aftermath of the wreck Of the steam
yacht Paul Jones in the Gulf Of Mexico
or January 4. 1889. will be thrashcd in Cir
cult Court No. > in this city February /
next. The story of the wreck i an Old
one. one Of those strange Robinson Crusoe-
like tales Of the perils of the sea. in which
not a single member of the Inflated party
survived TO tell the tale of angry winds
and curling pillows that beat with fury
against their small craft SO necessarily
that they eventually dashed the boat to
destruction and its human freight To death.
| Every one remembers how in December
Of IStS Harry g. Yocum. accompanied by
his daughter, Florence Il. IoCum, and two
! schoClmates. Florence Tageart. laughter Of
Mayor Taggart Of Indianapolis. and Mar
gle Woodland of Chicago, besides a pilot.
engineer and cabin boy. cleared from
Louisville on the Yacht Paul Jones for
Belleair, in Southern Florida, where Mr..
YOcum had just completed a commodious
winter home. The cruise down the river
was Il constant run Of pleasure. all pos
sihle eunui incident to a long water trim
being prevented by stops along the route
and visits to theaterS and other places Of
amusement.
The party arrived in New Orleans January
=. 1893. spent a day there. and then cleared
for Belleair. The following day a furious
southeast gale spraRg up. Nothing daunted
by the violence of the waters of the Gulf.
which frothed and roarei al them. both as a
warning Of danger and manifestation of
their own rage, the little craft stuck her
nose in the teeth Of the angry gale and
sped forward to her doom. Not one Of
those who went out on her was ever seen
alive afterwards.
Finding of the W~reckaGe.
Days passed without word from the Paul
Jones. Under ordinary circumstances she
should have accomplished the voyage in
four days. \ week passed without a trace
Of her being found. Then the families of
those on board became alarmed. Fishing
smdJks ana merchant vessels sailed out in
search Of the missing yacht. The United
States Government WAS called upon. and
through the efforts OF senator Fairbanks
Of Indiana every Government vessel doing
duty in the waters Of tine Gulf took part
in the search. The shore was patrolled
from Key West TO ths mouth of the Mis-
sissippi and many miles westward, but no
trace of the yacht was found.
Weeks afterwards some fishermen found
floating wreckage. subsequently, identified
as portions of the Paul Jones. Months aft
EDWARDS the body of Miss Taggart was
found on one of the sand dunes that bcgirt
the Gulf Coast. The negro cabin boys body
was also found. OF the rest of the party
no trace, to this day. has been discoveries.
Harry e. Iocum was a widOwer. He had
one child. Florence Il. locum, about ~
years OF age. He idoiized this daughter.
and for her benefit had insured his life in
two companies. one policy was taken out
in the United States Casualty C~ompany for
$1,000. and one for 5000 was in the Royal
Arcanum. Both were made ayable to his
daughter. providing. however, that should
he survive his daughter the insurance
should go to his legal representatives.
The lives OF both the father and the
daughter were lost in what the law de-
NJ mlnateS a common alamlty which sur
viyed the other is a fact that may not be
susceptible of legal proof IL SO happens
that the heirs of the father ana the heirs
of the daughter are not the same. SO
the controversy as it stands to-day Is over
the Sl3,O09 OF insurance left by Harry G.
Yocum and commended for by the respective
heirs of Harry e. Yocum and Florence b.
Yocum, his daughter.
The two insurance companies-the United
States Casualty Company ana me ftoyiI
Arcanunl-lave filed bills OF lnterpieauer
asking permission TO pay the amount OF the
policies into court. TO he distributed as
hereafter NAV be directed. The prayer OF
the interpleader has been granted ana ne
money is now in court The legal battle
for the righifui ownership OF IL Is scheduied
TO begin the first day OF feotudIE-
administrator Racers Claim.
After the death Of Harry {. focum be-
came an inevitable legal conclusion. MARTIN
Kacer Manufactures Company. of which
Harry &. Yocum was president, applied for
and was granted letters of administration
upon the estates of both his FORMER business
associate. Harry &. Yocum. and Florence
Il. Yocum. 1t developed that Harry c:
Yocum's estate, if he had any; consisted
exclusively Of the insurance fund of Sl3,6p.
of which 80 600 was due from the United
States Casualty company and S,gS from
the Royal Arcanum. Racer proved up an
indebtedness on the part OF focum in ex-
cess of this amount due the focUIn *
Racer Manufacturing Company
His position as administrator OF both es-
alton. In view of the fact that his own
interests were involved in establishing the
fact that the insurance money never passed
10 the beneficiary named In the policies.
such legal steps as were necessary We're
taken to remove Racer as administrator of
the estate of Florence B. focum and APP
point another in his stead. Joseph II. Zum-
balen has been appointed TO look after the
interest OF Florence Il. focum