The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1903-01-01
INSuR ETC.


the following comment anent insurance
and crime: Robert c. Whayne, a
prominent business man of Louisville,
Ky. was shot and killed the other night
near his home. His body was found
lying on one side of the fence and on
the other was shotgun with one barrel
discharged. The other barrel was load,
ed and the hammer cooked, The dis
charged barrel had killed him He
carried life insurance to the amount of
$40, 600 and had been accepted for $50
600 more Most Of this insurance had
been taken out within eighteen months.
PliOr to that time he had carried insur-
ance in very moderate amount. Then
he began to apply right and left for
large policies. He obtained four Of
$50, 900 each from the Equitable Life Of
New York, containing the one-year sui
eide clause. The policies of 500 600
were obtained from the Provdent say
ings life assurance society Of New York.
The remaining 500 600 was devided
among several companies. Policies Of
$25, 600 each were secured from the
Manhattan insurance company of New
York and the National life of Vermont,
but had not been delivered at the time
of Mr.. Whaynes death.
These circumstances as well as the
doubtful manner in which he came by
his death have aroused the suspicious OF
the insurance companies, and they de-
mand II rigid examination, 1t is be
lieved to be "a case of suicide TO obtain
the insurance money and yet Mr.
Whayne was a man of excellent bust
ness aud social standing, and is suppos-
ed to have had other property sufficient
to keep his family from want. He had
suffered some time from rheumatism but
otherwise was considered to be in good
health. His family Indignantly resent
the intimation Of suicide and say he
was killed by the accidental discharge
Of his gun az he was climbing the
fence"
The case promises TO become n some
what celebrated one in life insurance
and raises with exceptional force the
usual mOoted questions incident to an
affair of this kind What il the state of
the mind Of "A man who goes deliberate
ly at work months in advance to insure
his life in contemplation Of self-destruc
tiouY Can it be sane mind Is n
person who kills himself ever sane ? If
we mistake not, the courts have gener
ally held the fact Of suicide to be pre-
sumptiye evidence Of insanity, and in.
suranCe companies have made little out
OF attempts to defeat payment in such
cases Still it is fact that sane people
in fairly and good health often become
weary enough Of life to be moved to
take 1t in their own case, and while
momentary upsetting Of mental balance
may be supposed TO account for the act
In ordinary cases what is to be said Of
the case Of man who, in the usual pos
session Of his faculties so far as his
friends are able TO observe, goes 10 work
with deliberatiun ~ months in advance
10 make his self-sOught death of surplus
financial benefit 10 others Here, if
anywhere, can a case be made ont Of
sanity IN the performance Of an insane
act Still the insurance companies will
have hard work to prove their point to
the satisfaction Of court Of Justice.
Such cases generally on far more
moderate scale are constantly coming
up; and II wOuld seem that the only
way in which AN insurance company
can measureably protect itself from
them is to AVOID oyerinsurance Of in
dividual lives. A very interesting
book has lately been published by the
Putnams on Insurance and Crime.
by Alexander Colin Campbell 1t il a
study Of the effects on society Of Ger
tain abuses Of insurance, with historic
instances Of such abuses. 1t deals with
Rhr birlcA y Ahc 'IIbIr hti lut HOttD
crimes connected with marine insur-
ance crimes which have inspired some
Of the most telling Of works Of fiction
in literature; Of fire insurance and the
almost daily record Of crime connected
herewith; and Of life insurance with
its crimes Of murder, often the most
diabolical Of AL such crimes. The con.
clusion Of the author il that crime in
nearly all cases connected with nsur.
ance is due to a reckless disregard by