The evening world., 1903-04-27
LIFE INSURANCE
FRAUD ON TRIAL
Joseph TrepanL Said to Be One
Of the RingIeaders in the
Giant SwindIe, Faces Court
To-Day.

Every life Insurance company in the
country Is watching the trial OF Joseph
Trepani. which began to-day in the
Criminal Branch OF the Supreme Court
before Justice Scott. "Trepani Is charged
with being one of the r~ingleaders of a
gang OF Italians who fer ten years
have, been swipdling the. life insurance
Companies by means OF substituted
corpses for members OF the gang who
had been ~fraudulently insured.
Charles u. Wahle, counsel for Tire
PAM. opened the proceedings by o.
jecting to the Indictment. He said 1t
lnad been filed under the wrong section
Of the code. inasmuch as 1t should have
charged him with taking money by
false pretence. instead of grand lar
ceny.
There was a difference of fifteen years,
Mr.. Wahle said. In the penalty prescribed
for the o~ffenses. He wanted the indIct-
ment dismissed on that ground. Justice
Scott overruled the motion and Assist
ant District-Attorney Clarke made his
opening address to the jury.
He said he. would show that the men
insured were not the men who died,
and that the swtndle wal perpetrated
by Trepani. who. as undertaken. had
great leeway in the matter. The man
who died was really twenty years ole er
h the man who was insured.
The specific charge against Trepani Is
d%efrauding the Union Central Life In
surance Company. of Cincinnati. OF
$4,000 on a false proof of death In the
case OF Cicoma Cloone, who vas alleged
TO have died In February, 1901, but who
really died a few weeks ago In Pitts
burg.
1t Is said that more than $1,000, 900 has
been obtained In this way. Eight differ
emit companies are known to have been
others rave also been victimiZed. but
trace the crime.
Trepani is an undertaken When ar
rested he ran a shop at No. 1881 First
venue. He had been in business for
ten years and was considered by those
who were not familiar with his deal
ings as a substantial man.
One OF his friends was Bartolomeo
CHROME, a barber. at No. 2O0I Second
avenue. This man Is alleged by the
Distrlct-Attorney's office to have been
the brains of the conspiracy. He was
arrested, but got bail and then had
brains enough to run away with his
sons wife, He has not yet been found
How sFrauds Were Accomplished.
According to the testimony OF Frank
b. Forster. formerly an agent for the
Union Central Insurance Company OF
Cincinnati, who turned states evidence.
Chrome was the man who got he mem
bers OF the rang to De insured under
assumed m Then when any Ital-
ians In the neighborhood died. the bodies
were obtained by purchase and repre-
scented to be that Of one OF the dummies
who had been insured.
Forster. as the agent for that com
pany. FASTENED the proofs OF death.
Trepani did the burying. DR.. Albert
Loewitt and DR.. Francis Mucci swore L
tbs proofs OF death. according to For
ster's confession.
Some of those who are alleged TO have
helped In the swnldle by standing ex-
aminationR under false names are
Emilio Chrome, the BARRIERS son. Michael
J. Pasoa aud Fabbio Dalesio. These
three. with Mucci and Loewitt were ar
rested and indicted.
The first suspicion that there wa,
something wrong In the number OF
deaths which were being reported from
Little Italy" arose In the mind o,
Henry c. Smith. an Insurance adjuster,
of No. rs Broad street. He started Al
investigation and The trail led to For
ster. who broke down, and confessed
before he was arrested. With the In
formation obtained from him the mat
ter was put e~onhdsntially In the hand
Of the Distnot'Attornsy. who assisnes