Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-02-01
CASE NOT TRIED
Woodmen Say This is a Graveyard Insurance Case-Several
 Arrests Made.

town q few days ago, and has llll- earthed what he thinks is graveyard insurance in his society. Ill conse- quence of his Investigation Martin Brophy. clerk of John T. Yates camp, Woodmen of the World; Louis Strauss and r. II. McKiernan, members of the order, have been arrested on q charge of common law conspiracy to defraud the society of 5000 insurance. Me Kiernan was arrested by Detective Dodds this morning ill his bed at his home. 124 Central avenue. He is laid up with rheumatism and on that ac- count was not taken to tile station house. the officer having satisfied him self that his prisoner would not get ] away from him. Later I. F. Galla- gher. who keeps a saloon on South Main street, gave S2,O0O bail for him. McKiernan is designer for the Wa terbury Buckle Co. Strauss is assist ant superintendent of the John Han cock Life Insurance Co and notary public. The party who was used i'll the alleged conspiracy was Frank Reynolds, who lived at 74S West Main street and was employed by the Wa terbury Ice corporation for some time. and was casters helper for the Sco- will Manufacturing Co. He died on November 20. According to the infor- nation laid before the police by MT Jewell, Reynolds was q cOnsumptive | and had been unable to work for some | time previous to his death. On OctO- Der 9 an application for membership in Yates camp was filed by friends of Reynolds The usual method of han ding such applications was to present them to the camp first and if the ac- tion was satisfactory the candidate should be examined by the camp phy- sician. In this case it seems Reynolds. or some one representing him, was first examined by Dr James A. Grady. the camp physician, and he was passed upon favorably. Reynolds was ac- cOrdingly admitted to membership ill the camp.
 X certificate of insurance on his life for $3,00O was next sent to the head quarters of the society in Omaha, but upon examination it was decided to reduce the amount to $2,O0O.~ Three thousand dollars is tine full limit of in- surance in the order. The certificate was marked If, h. meaning family history" and that was the reason the amount asked for was reduced. The application said ReynOlds's mother died of one cause, while MT Jewell claims she died of consumption.
 The application being accepted, it was sent back to Waterbury, and "P. J. McKiernan," not '.P. H. Mckier- man, as is generally supposed, was made beneficiary. he being named as first cousin. This is said to be q mis- take, however. Mr Jewell says that q cousin of Reynolds, named Irving H. Shoemaker. ianitor, 109 Bank street, Meigs building. told him Reynolds was Pennsylvania Dutchman, whereas McKiernan is full blOOded Irishman, and he accordingly wonders how she elationship claimed in the certificate of insurance can be established oil those lines.
 Mir Jewell states that Mrs Reynolds tOld. him that Strauss d''hfckierIlan called to see her one evening while her husband was sick and spoke to her about having him insured, and that one evening in October he went out with two men and when he came home he told her that he had been initiated in the WoOdmen. She said she was glad. and he said the amount of his insur- ance was S2.000. She thought they would not be able to carry that amount as they were already carrying two or three policies. and some time before they had one policy reduced to $5O0.
 Reynolds was member of Com stock lodge, K. of T., and OH August 31 he is said to have been reported sick on the hands of that order and in need of assistance. 4 member of the relief committee went to visit him and found him sick from pulmonary troubles. On November 20 he died. aged 36.
 As for Dr Grady's part in the trans action, it is said that the fraud was also practiced on him, presuming there was fraud. According to Mir Jewell the man examined by Dr Grady Wal an entirely different man from Key holds. Reynolds is said to have had about 1I5 pounds. while the man who was examined by Dr Grady had light hair. blue eyes and weighed about lJS pounds.
 There is q remarkable difference in the signature Frank Reynolds ap- pended to the papers he had to sign before being admitted to membership in the Woodmen. But the most stri,l- ing difference is in his signature writ ten in an old family album. Further more. Reynolds lived number of years at IIS West Main street and is therefore supposed to have known the number of the house. In the insur- ance certificate it was given as I3S.
 In his final illness he was attended by pr Faber. who gave the cause os his death as typhoid pneumonia. He was sick only ten dayss
 X short time after his death Mrs Reynolds said MckieTnan and Strauss rendered her Sll0 explaining to her that IS her husband did not survive one year in the oT,ler only one-fifth of the policy was due to her. She said that her husband had told her she would receive at least S-J0. hut her visitors were of different opinion and left her without giving her any more money at that time. It is rule of the order that onc-half the policy is payable if q member dies in his first year of membership: threc-fourths if he dies in the second anal the ful. amount if he survives the secOni year. This would give the beneficiary, Me Eiernan. SI.uO.
 shoemaker. it seems. was keeping an eye oil the interests of the willow and the children. and suspected that
 III
 that he would see her ri-htel Me- f.s.,,.r E...-