The sun., 1903-11-18
BETTING ON PEOPLES DEATHS.
MIRDER CASE BRINGS TO LIGHT
QUEER THINGS IN BAYONNE.
Young Men Insured by SalOonk eepers
without TheIr Knowledse--One Found
Dead nnd Rnttered-YOunE Calvin
carried Home with a Fractured Skull,

man who had liking for the company he
found in the saloons Of Bayonne, N. j.,
wherc he lived received fractured skull
somohow, after displaying SIS or so in
Bat" McSweeney's place, in Avenue E
there, week ago last Saturday night, and,
after being kept in the saloon over Sunday,
was carried home, with empty pockets. to
die
Several members Of the gang which
hangs ont in the saloon were arrested, and
after much testimony had been produced to
show that Calvin had had fight outside the
place and received his injury by falling in a
dirt road, an ex-convict named Mccarthy
was held on the charge of numbering him.
Several days later the Bayonne police were
induced 10 arrest the saloonkeeper on the
charge of keeping his place open OH Sunday,
and he is now held for the Hudson county
Grand Jury.
l. came out in Bavonne yesterday that
another saloonkeeper held an insurance
policy for $3.50 on Galvins life, which
month or two before his death the young
man had bitterly repudiated. According
to the murdered mans folks, this man and
Calvin We're bitter enemies. Somebody
told Calvin in the summer that this saloon
keeper was paying insurance premiums on
his life and he flew into frenzy of rage,
vowing that he had never consented to the
issue of such policy, had never been ex-
amined for it and that he'd kill the man
who was paying out good money in antici-
patton of his death.
The relatives have refused an offer from
the holder of the policy to pay small sum
on condition of their consenting to his
receiving the insurance money, have filed
a protest with the company against it's
being paid and have asked for an inquiry
into the circums ances under which the
policy was issued.
There wouldn't be 80 much In this to
arouse interest in busy little town Hike
Bayonne, but Galvin's happens to be only
one Of a series of cases in which insurance
and sudden death seem to be mixed in a
rather remarkable way
Last August young man named Michael
Commons. who frequently mingled with the
same sort OF company that Calvin did, was
found dead beside lonely plank walk lead
ing from the coal docks at Port johnson to
Avenue E. His face was battered and his
skull was injured. It was decided that
alcoholism, weak heart and a fall, or any
one Of the three, had killed him.
His respectable relatives didn't court
any investigation Of the life Of tho family
ne'er-do-well, and he had decent burial
manner in which his death occurred.
few days after the funeral the mans
brother learned that a certain saloonkeeper
held an insurance policy on Connors's
life and was trying to collect the proceeds.
know that no such policy had been issued
with the consent Of the insured and he went
over to the main ofioe Of the insurance
company. In Newark. and denounced the
been paid and no suit has been brought for
it's recovery.
A year or so ago the same company
noticed that a large number OF insurance
policies were being offered for collection
At the same time an anonymous
letter informed the company that these
policies were Of the speculative" kind
bought up by saloonkeepers, and alleged
that they were obtained by questionable
means.
As result Of what 1t discovered 1t not only
declined to pay the death claims already
lending presented by this man, but also
cancelled a number Of policies he still held
and returned the premiums to him. At
the same time the company. transferred
or retired the greater part of the staff of it's
Bavonne office.
A curious feature of most of these in
surance policies Is that they have been on
the lives Of young and apparently healthy
men. Calvin was 80 years old, Connors
was 25 There was nothing feeble about
ether. Bavonne people are wondering
why 1t should have been thought profitable
speculation for men in the prime Of life to
pay premiums on the lives Of apparently
Younger and healthy men on the chance Of
returns only when these men died. All Of
TIE, polcic4. it is said. were for amounts
rrI,- rplioias in fan nc aro
Usually paid promptly without much in
quiry.
IT." subject or saloon insurance hee re-
Gently ls' cme a burning question in Bay
orue, ard all sorts of stories are current
about it, One Of them is that small coterie
city hold hundreds of policies on the lives
of 'hr men who frequent their places, in
mary cD Sc, wi hout the men insured know
ing anything about 1t.
When an insurance policy Is issued on
application to the insurance company
Then he must be examined by the COM
paws physician to discover whether or
not h. is a fit subject for insurance. II he
shows any sign of organic disease which is
likely 10 carry him off at an early ago. the
policy Is refused. The question arises, there
knowledge and consent.
In the case of Richard Calvin, according
10 statements made by his folks, there arc
two genuine insurance policies. Distant
relatives who insured him as child hold
one. The other is held by Galvin's sister.
Nora: working girl. This latter policy
was issued a year ago last July. Calvin
was then recovering from broken leg, and
tn sister had tended him in his illness
II struck him that, in case of his death.
the cost of his burial would fall upon the
sister. who had small enough means of her
own, and he offered to be insured for her
benefit If she would pay the small weekly
premium. She consented. and the policy
was ISSUED after the man had been examined
by the company's physician. DR.. Borg
meyer
The insurance policy held by the saloon
Keeper, and repudiated by Galvin's rela-
uVes,. is dated about four weeks previous
to this other policy. In offering to COM
persnte :he girl IL she would consent to the
payment of his policy, the man who was then
accompanied by the agent who had written
the policy, said he bought it about seven
weeks after 1t was issued.
DR.. Borgmeyer said last night that he
did not remember Calvin and didn't know,
therefore, whether or not he had examined
him twice for insurance year or more ago
or indeed had examined him at all. In
any case, the doctor said, he didn't know
the man and would only have his word
and that Of the insurance agent who wrote
the insurance that the man he examined
was the person named in the policy.