The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-01

brokers', and various companies wrote
forty thousand dollars insurance on his
life. He had misappropriated TWO
thousand dollars belonging to his firm,
borrowed in the name of his father
four thousand dollars and three thou
sand dollars OF other parties and as
/ payment or prosecution became immi-
nent he cleverly devised the appear
ances of accidental drowning at Scar
boro Me. The condition of his finances
becoming known resulted in the discoY-
: cry of the attempted fraud, which COM
PEELED Hurter to go to Canada.
In Chicago the Rigger case of July
20, 1866 attracted much attention
Monroe c. Rigger was q sailor, living
at 203 Church street and in June, 1866
he took out a policy of five thousand
dollars in the Travellers insurance
company of Chicago, paying the first
annual premium Of thirty dollars.
Only few days later he went TO the
office of the company and paid an adj
vance of ten dollars for permission to
make trips on the lakes in certain sea-
sons, and still later he paid twenty dol
lars more for the privilege of sailing
the lakes at all times on July 20,
while on the brig Mechanic, sailing at
night, ostensibly sixteen miles north of
Cleveland, Second Mate Wagner or
dered Rigger to crawl out on the bow
spirit for some purpose, and Rigger fell
from it into the water Warning of
MAN overheard" was called but Rig
ger was not picked up.
Within week Mrs. Rigger appeared
at the office of the company to collect
the death claim. An attorney came
with her, which was regarded as rather
an odd circumstance, and, in addition
he brought affidavits of the husbands
death, sworn out in Cleveland, instead
of in the Chicago offices of the compa-
NY, where they would have been record
ed without charge. Under the circum-
stances, the company refused to pay
the five thousand dollar claim, espec-
tally as it was against the company's
rules that sailor should be insured for
an amount in excess of two thousand
dollars. Under scouting of detectives
the plot was uncovered. 1T involved
Rigger, his wife and the second mate
of the brig Mrs. Rigger made con-
fession. Instead of the boats being
sixteen miles off-shore, it was less
than half mile away, and Rigger
wore life preserver. The second
mate had manned the search boat and,
in the dark, had rowed away in the OPP
poslte direction from that which Rig
ger had taken Mrs. Rigger left Chica-
r+ 81
sailor on an ocean liner out of New
York.
Charles Auguste Debuis attempted to
secure fifty thousand francs insurance
by forging papers, with the object of
proof of relatives death
by the companys officials
discovered the fraud attempted by re-
vealing the relative alive.
Captain Martin L. Bryan, Twenty |
fifth regiment, Georgia Confederate
states army, secured in 1868 eighty
thousand dollars life insurance, after
which proofs of death" were adduced, |
death by drowning. He had |
willed Robert Bryan, his son, executor. !
to collect followed the cap |
tain's demise, but before the collections
could be effected, he was discovered en-
joying the waters Of perpetual youth at
Ponce de Leon, Fla.
Charles W. Mills was reported to !
have been drowned from the Pelican
State while going through the San |
Louis pass on the night of May II, 1869, |
and Valentine C. Spruell endeavored to |
collect the insurance on Mills by pay |
ing thirty dollars and promising five |
hundred dollars to a man to make |
false affidavit the same effect The
amount involved was about twenty
five thousand dollars.
d. K. Boswell was an extraordinary
swindler. He endeavored, among 9TH
dollars from various insurance compa-
hes, and adopted the quite common
plan of falling overheard on a Missou-
i river boat. For awhile his drowning
vas accepted as a fact, all but one
paying his wife the insurance.
Finally the general" was discovered
nasquerading as Judge Howe in Gales
'urg, Ill. He and his wife. who was
ound an accomplice in his crimes,
we're finally brought to the bar of JUS
ice. She suffered a term of imprison-
nent, but he, after many delays,
'roken in health was released on bail
nd in the end secured acquital on a le-
al technicality
Franklin b, Evans in 1870 endeavored
o swindle the Travellers Insurance
ompany of fifteen hundred dollars.