The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-12-29
ALREADY PRONOUNCED DEAD BY COURT
SAYS HE IS GEO. kIMMEL, MISS.
ING EIGHT YEARS AcQUAlNT.
ANCES SAY NOT.

PuAAA1A6 0S lIldl VI Tic WAL VIII Tic
Iron Mask" surrounds the queer case
Of man slightly past middle-age,
who was released from the state asy-
lum for the criminal insane at Man.
haitian, having been adjudged sane by
jury after a hearing before supreme
Court Justice Keogh, at White Plains.
While the asylum officials believe him
to be Andrew j White, the man in
sists that he is George A. Kimmel.
formerly cashier of bank, who dis
appeared with funds belonging to the
institution
1t was not for the jury to decide
whether he was White or Kimmel. If
that had been the question the jury
would probably never have reached a
! whether or not the prisoner was sane.
They decided he was. Here is the
story:
Two years ago man of about 40 was
arrested in Cattaraugus county for
| small theft. He said his name was
Andrew J. White and that he had no
home or relatives In court he acted
| queerly, and it was agreed that he was
| insane. He was sent to Matteawan and
| there quickly began to show signs Of
mental improvement.
One day the prisoner confided to one
of his fellow inmates that he was not
Andrew White, but George Kimmel. He
also mentioned something about having
been wanted in Arkansas City, Kansas,
for taking bank funds. The fellow pris-
oner told somebody about it, and it was
not long before word leaked outside.
A man named George A. Kimmel had
| been cashier of a bank in Arkansas
City, and in 1898 disappeared with $780,
900 worth of bonds and some money.
Just before disappearing the man had
insured his life for $4,000.
Not long after Kimmel's departure,
word reached Arkansas City that he
| had died. The authorities of Arkan-
sas City believed it and the indictment
against Kimmel was quashed. Then
the relatives of Kimmel, a sister in
| Chicago and a couple Of uncles, tried
to collect the 5000 insurance.
The New York Life, which had is
sued the greater part of this, wanted
definite proof of Kimmel's demise, and
| while the relatives were trying to pro-
duce it, the startling story of the man
White at Matteawan came out. Some
of Kimmels old friends, anxious to
settle the point, went to Matteawan.
They came away baffled. Some thought
the prisoner looked a little like Kimmel,
others insisted that there was not
the slightest resemblance. The relatives
refused to take the trouble to look at
him, but began suit for the insurance
money.
One of these suits, for s7,736, was
tried in ST. Louis last October before
the United States court. The insurance
company set up the defense that Kim
mel was not dead. The old friends of
Kimmel who had gone to Matteawan
on the identification journey bolstered
the case for the relatives. The jury de-
cided that Kimel was dead and the in
surance claim was ordered paid.
Will Prove Sanity.
In the meantime the man booked as
White was making frantic efforts to
regain his freedom. He sent letters to
Justice Keogh saying that he was sane
and enlisted the interest of the Legal
Aid society For two days last week
the jury in Justice Keogh's court lis
tened to testimony. The doctors in
the asylum said they believed the man
was laborng under the delusion that
he was Kimmel, the dead bank thief
The prisoner, talking calmly and ra-
tionallv upon the stand, declared there
was no question about his being Kim
mel.
The irrv was out four hours. When
the prisoner heard the verdict releasing
him from the asylum he cordially ex-
pressed his thanks to them.
"I'u prove now that l was never
| insane" he said Then he added to
the mystery by intimating that he had
been the victim of a conspiracy.
| Now that White or Kimmel Is out,
the New York Life will take him TO
| G. or;s and try to have the verdict in