Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-09-22
GAMBLING IN LIVES AND SPECULATIVE
INSURANCE OF POOR INVALlDS

/ pened quite recently, throws a clear
! light on this class OF insurance, ana
Tie methods followed, In this case.
however, the spectators We're not Ia
| vored with good luck.
I A woman became an out.pattent al
a public hospital three months before
her death, Al her first visit the case
was diagnosed rs n OF phthisis,
She gradually grew worse. and AT the
end Of a month she was no longer
able 10 attend at the hospital. but
was confined to bed until her death.
During these last two months she
was still a hospital patient. being Wis
tied at her own home by one OF the
resident medical officers. II was to
this doctor. therefore. that the hus-
band came for the death certificate.
Before as In duty bound filling mp
the certificate the doctor asked tho
husband how long his wife had suf'
fered from the disease of the chest
from which she died. 1.-TWO years."
was the reply, which was. Of course,
written down.
Three days after the husband and a
relative Of the wife returned with
woe-bcgone faces and requested the
doctor to alter the two years" to "a
few months" as thu former pesio'
was given in error" The husb0nd
naively excused himself. saying "the
! question was so sudden like that he
answered without thinking"
Alarming Possibilities.
The doctor then made them under-
| stand that, right or wrong, he could
not alter the registrars copy Of the
death certificate. for that was what
they brought him: further, that he
feared that, the certificate having
once been accepted by the registrar,
no alteration could be made. The
doctors curiosity having been aroused
as to why a mere detail Of this sort
! should be considered of such import
ance by the relatives. he cross-lues-
toned them. He learned that the
woman's relative had insured her
life eighteen months ago, and that
he feared that the death, certificate
/ would make him lose the insurance
money.
Two days afterwards a womanl
called on the doctor in reference to
the same certificate. She anne to
the point at once, and deplored the
loss which such a certificate would
cause her. The doctor asked for how
long the policy had been in existence.
Nine months" she repiie,i. "1te
husband told me eighteen months
xuoc tho joofnrsc raiCindar
1.-THE husband knows nothing about
the insurance ! took out answered
the woman. But are you related in
any wav to the deceaeed?" mo"
she replied. but ! shall lose my
money" and she nearly wept as she
walked away.
In a provincial town not long ago !
had occasion to inquire what a cec-
tain man did for a living, and was
told. "0h, he insures people on
spec!
One would think. arguing logically.
that the companies always stand to
lose by this class Of policy. This is
not so. however, and | have no doubt
THAT on the average a certain nrof1t
is gained. My reason for so thinking
is that among this class there are
many lapsed policies: this happens
when the life" gambled with has MOI
behaved within a reasonable time as
in the Spectators opinion it should
have done. and the gambler stops
paying and cuts his loss.
Whether the companies win or lose
in the end is. so far as the matter at
issue is concerned, beside the pint.
The practice OF gambling In invalids'
lives is widespread. and it Is not diff
ficult to %conjure up the evils that
naturally follow In its train. Where
death means gain. is not the tempta-
tion great to withhold needful nour-
ishment or physic? The possibilities
} are obvious. J. F E. B.