The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-03-28
Insurance Adjuster Uncovers Con-
spiracy in Chicago.
Chicago Tribune.)


When Jackson, the adjuster of the
fire insurance firm of Hooker & Finn,
came down to the office the other
morning he found letter on his desk
! announcing that fire in closet at the
residence of Peter X. Gigwell had de-
stroyed clothing and furs valued at
$3.50, Accompanying the letter was a
carefully itemized list of the goods de-
stroyed. Jackson read it over care
fully Then he smiled cynically and
called over to Mr.. Hooker, the senior
partner.
Here is another one of those closet
! fires" he said. LAS a social function
closet fires are getting to be more fash
! lonable and popular than pink teas
This one burned up $3.50 worth of cloth
ing, according 20 the claim. III go
out and allow the Ghgwell family to
perjure themselves"
The flat building in, which the Gig
we'll family lived was eight miles from
his office and when Jackson got there
it was nearly noon, The building was
in poor neighborhood, and did not
look at all like the residence of peo-
pie who dressed in silks, satins and
sealskins.
Jackson looked at the building and
smiled again more cynically than ever.
Then he pulled out the list of property
which Mr.. Gigwell claimed had been
destroyed in the fire in the clothes
closet. The list was as follows:
enc Sealskin cOaJ.................. $20O
One sealsk;n jacket. 200
enc black silk dress. ............... lU0
One jet trimmed velvet evening
gown ...............'..... ...'.''.'' 19J
One dress suit. Observation-Disclosures. 00
One frock coat. 80
Well he sneered to himself, this
is evidently one of those eXtravagant
families which spend everything they
can get hold of on their clothes"
When he rang the bell in the dirty
a woman in a calico wrapper and
tousled hair opened the door.
rs Mrs. Gigwell here?" he said.
I'm Mrs. Gigwell," she said. Are
you the gent that came to see about |
the fire?"
Yes he said, and she invited him
IN at once. You set right down. she |
said, "and I'll send across the street for |
MI. Gigwell He said he didn't want
nobody fussing around about that fire
without him being here
room. calling for Eva" and Jackson
ooked around him. The two rooms into
which he could see were scantily fur
1ished and the furniture was of the
cheapest and flimsiest kind. The stuff
N sight could have been bought for
$50 or 500.
Two sealskin coats and a dress suit
% say nothing of the rest of that stuff!
It's a plain case of steal,'' he said.
Presently the front door opened and
n came Mr.. Gigwell and his daughter,
Who had gone to fetch him. Gigwell
got down to business at once. He
brew open the door of the Inflated
,loset It's walls were blackened and
he woodwork was badly charred.
There evidently had been a fire there.
"Ain't nobody touched it sence 1 put
he fire out" he said. Mrs. Gigwell
nd 1 was walked up by the smoke, and
Vhen 1 opened the closet door the
lanes jumped out half way across the
DOM. Then l run downstairs for
ucket of water and threw it on the
ames. Look'-he went on, reaching
own into the pile Of black and charred
craps that lay in pile on the floor
there's all that's left of my woman's
ealskin coat" He handed a scrap of
lackened sealskin to- the adjuster. ]
And Matchmaking another dive into
he scrap heap-"is a piece of Eva's
cal Jacket" = 10
You think they were worth $3.50, do {
ou?" asked the inspector. Have you 5
OF the receipts Showing what you
aid for them?"
mo, you see they was both presents
ON my wife's uncle in California"
"Then we can write out to him and !
nd just what he paid for Them said
ne inspector.
mo, we can't do that, either, for the {
Id man died last year. But he told
lie he paid more than $500 apiece for r
lem," went on Gigwell, "and they t
eren't but little more than two l
ears Old '
your wife and you seem to have had a
wardrobes,' said the adjus-
r. who is your wife's dressmaker?" /
well" said Gigwell, 'we've only t
cen here in Chicago year now and II