The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1904-06-23
State Commissioner Of Insurance Orders the District ATTORNEY
to Investigate the Affairs Of the Wisconsin In
Agency Of This City.
COWELL PREPARES FOR LONG LEGAL BATTLE
Throws Down the Def State Officials and Declares that He w
Sue the Commissioner for Damages to the Extent Of 100000
Wild Cat Fight is Opened by the State.

Kenosha is to have one of the in
vestigations conducted by State Com
missioner of Insurance Zeno M. Host,
and this morning District Attorney
A. e. Buckmaster received letter
from the state official authorizing
him to begin prosecution against
the Wisconsin Insurance Agency COM
pany, which is said to be Eenosha
corporation, and which is a company
organized by Walter M. Cowe11.
The company, according to the
claims of the officials, has never done
any business in the State of Wiscon-
sin, but the commissioner states that
the fact that the company has no Wis
incorporated under the laws of the
state, is sufficient to warrant the
state investigating it's affairs.
The letter to the District Attorney
was written only after several letters
had passed between Mr.. Cowe11 and
the State Insurance Commissioner.
In these letters Mr.. ,Cowe11 signed
himself as the president of the COM
pany He denied that the COM
pany was violating the 1awssof the
state and insisted that the only thing
that the company had done .was to
write insurance as an cagent or a
| broker. This, the commissions holds,
is against the laws of .the state and
on this charge he asks the district
attorney of the county to-sbegin the
prosecution of the managers. Eof the
company.
The law under which the prosecu-
| ton is to be brought is Section No.
1876 of the Revised Statutes" reading
as follows:
"Section 1916: No off Ger or broker,
agent or sub-agent of any INSURANCE
corporation of any kind except Town
Insurance Corporations of this State,
shall act or aid in any -manner in
transacting the business of or with
such corporation, in placing risks or
effecting insurance therein, without
first procuring from the Commissioner
of Insurance a certificate of authority
as provided by law nor after the
period named in such certificate shall
have expired. Every person vio1at-
ing the provisions of this section
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and
be punished by fine of not less than
Fifty Dollars nor more than Five
Hundred Dollars for each offence"
| The companies organized under the
wing of the Wisconsin Insurance
Agency company have been doing
business in Illinois and other states
since 1902, and they have been rated
in the insurance reports. However,
these reports do not give the company
the highest possible rating.
The specific act of the companies
organized under the Kenosha concern
was the insurance of a baboon some
time ago. This Mr.. Cowe11 claims
not to have been connected with in
any way and states in his letter to
Mr.. Host that the policy was written
by E. M. Chamberlain & Co., of
Chicago.
Mr.. Cowe11 was seen this morning
at his Office and showed representa-
tive of this paper the CORES pondence
which had passed between the State
/ official and himself. In this connec-
ton he insists that he has not violated
the laws of Wisconsin and holds that
his companies have never:written a
policy in this state.
CowelI Throws Down Def.
In reply to the statement of the In
surance commissioner Cowe11 has
thrown down the def and stated:today
that ali he asked was for the State
officials to begin prosecutions. He
intimated that under such circum-
stances he would bring damage suits
against Host to the extent of 500, 1000
and that further he would show up
the Insurance Department of the State
in no uncertain light.
Cowe1l received letter sfrom Host
this morning telling him that the de-
partment had decided that he was
guilty of violating Section 1876 and
that he was subject tosa fine for such
action. The reply of Cowe11 to the
letter is characteristic ofs.the fighter
! and it reads as follows:
i Kenosha, Wis, June.21, 1904.
4 Zeno M. Host, Commissioners of Insur-
ance, Madison, Wis. N4
/ Dear Sir:-Your valued favor of
yesterday is here in re, This corpor-