Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-09-11
FACED FATHER, WHO
SAID SHE WAS DEAD
STOPPED Suit In Court to Collect Insure
ance on Her Life-Company &
Made Dramatic Play.
WASHINGTON Times.

In the most dramatic fashion, counsel
for the John Hancock Insurance company
yesterday produced in court a womanl
who was alleged to have been dead for
seven years. The woman was Annie Zim-l
mer. who had been married since she ran
away. and who insisted she was not dead,
and her father had no right to<colect in-'
surance on her life. Z
Her father had sued to recover the in>l
surance on her life, and when she unex~
pectedly walked into the courtroom hai
and another daughter insisted they didl
not know her. The woman's story was
as strange as the court scene, though noU
so startling She had run away from;
home seven years ago because her fathers
objected TO her receiving attentions FROM
a young man. She was married to thu
man, and for seven years they lived with-
in one-half mile of her fathers home, but
never had seen him or her sister in ALI
that time The first she knew of the efforas
TO recover a petty s115 insurance on herr
life was when an agent for the insurance.
company asked her to prove she was
alive.
When her father and sister said In court
they did not know her, she only smiled
and wrote her name. 1t was exactly like
that on the insurance policy, and the fa-l
Their lost his case on sight. He and the
other daughter Immediately left the courts
room, without a glance at the daughters
and sister they had not seen for seven
years. H-s
In 1885 pretty Annie thinner Disappeared
from her home, No. 943 Gold street, Brook
lyn. The father, David thinner, said hei
had detectives searching for her without
avail He continued to pay the premiuna
on the Sis insurance. and when seven
years had elapsed sued the John HancockI
Insurance company for that amount, ons
the ground that his daughter was legally
dead. The company demanded proof Of the
death, and the case came up yesterday in
the First district court in Brooklyn.
thinner and his daughter told of the
disappearance Of Annie and their failure
to get trace of her. They said they be-
lieved she was dead. Their case was rest
ed in Is minutes, and then the counsel
for the company stepped to the door of
a side room and beckoned to q womansl
who walked out into the courtroom at thal
heels of the lawyer. Turning on Zimmera
the lawyer said: -
''Do you recognize this woman7"
thinner stared at her for a momentA
and so did his daughter, Freda- Neitheg
Of them seemed TO recognize her, and Zim>
mer said: II have never seen this womau
before. She is not my daughter. It Is not
true. Ny Annie was thin and fair and she
would not run away from home"
Counsel called the strange woman to
the stand and she testified that she was
Annie thinner, and the plaintiff was her
father. She said she left her fathers
home because II dlu not suit her. This
witness said she had married and was
the mother Of three children. and her fa-
Their had no right . bring the suit to re-
cover on the policy.
Zimmer's lawyer, after hearing the tes-
timony of the woman, said he would With
draw from the case. Justice Walsh at once
gave judgment for the defendant CONS
pany.