The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-05-20
AMMANNS
MuRDERs FOR INSURANCE.
Some Of tho Earliest and Most No.
torious Cases.

torlOus CHbtNs
Murders in which the criminal
has sought to profit by insuring his
victims life, as did Basson, tho Cape
murderer, who killed himself on the
discovery OF his last Victim, are rec.
orded In the criminals annals of all
countries. Fortunately for society,
the existence of the motive speedily
brings Its own sequel in the arrest
and conviction Of the murderer.
One OF the earliest and most noto-
rious Of insurance criminals, says
the London Daily Mail, was Thomas
Griflths Wainwright. Friend and
companion of the artists and littera-
teurs of the day of Charles Lamb,
Wainwright was prompted to crime
by the reckless manner in which he
lived. His first known crime was for
gerry in those days punishable by
death. Having made himself liable
to the penalty, Wainwright killed
his uncle, his mother-in-law and fln-
ally his sister-in-law, whose life he
had insured for $4,000.
None of these crimes was brought
to his account, but the insurance
companies refusing on other grounds
to pay the sum due, Wainewright
took alarm and fed to France. Here
he undoubtedly poisoned a friend
whose life he had insured, but again
escaped for lack of direct evidence.
With consummate impudence hs
now returned to England and be-
gan an action against the companies
for the recovery of the f1S,000. Ac-
cused Of forgery, he was tried, con-
victed, ana sentenced to penal SER
vitude in the year 1895. He died,
unhanged, in the year 1852.
The trial of Palmer, 1.-THE Rugeley
poisoner," in 1866. brought to light
an amazing series of crimes, all hav-
ing the acquisition of wealth as their
motive. Among those who died
suddenly and mysteriously after be-
Ing In the company of Palmer were
his own father, his father-in-law, his
four children, his wife, brother, and
q dlBsolute young man named Cook.
The murder of his children brought
Palmer nearer to the realization OF
the fortune inherited by their
mother.
Before he killed his wife Palmer
insured her for f15.000, which was
paid by the companies. In the case
OF his brother, he effected insurance
to the value of $4,000, but the COM
panies refused his application for the
sum, and the application was not re-
newed. After Palmer was hanged It
was discovered that he had endeav-
ored to insure his groom for f25, 900
end had suggested to the postmas-
ter of Rugeley tic. he ssog,d insure
himself for $4,000.
In the criminal records of the
United States the murder for insur-
ance holds recognized place. One
OF the most astonishing of early
crimes was the Goss-U -Udderzook
case. In this famous affair the crime
originated In scheme for the de-
fraudtng of insurance companies by
the substitution of a dead body for
an insured man.
In 1872 w. s. Goss, a Baltimore
man, was reported to have been
burned to death in lonely cottage,
In which he was supposed to con-
duct experiments in rubber making.
The defaced body was identified by
his wife. his brother. and his broth
er-in-law, Udderzook. Actually Goss
was in hiding in small village In
Pennsylvania. Suspecting fraud, the
insurance companies refused to pay
the sum of $4,000 for which Goss
was insured. An action was brought
by the widow and to the amaze
ment OF every one the conspirators
won the case.
The successful verdict sealed the |
fate of the hapless Goss Before a
week had elapsed Udderzook, fearing
the enraged insurance companies.
went down to the little village, took
Goss for drive. and shot him mer-
cilessly. The discovery of the body
a week later was followed by the ar |
rest and conviction of Udderzook, |
who was hanged. protesting himself |
a Victim" of the insurance COM
panies.
In all these cases the only motive |
was desire to obtain insurance
money. So. too. when Bernad Hart I
ung, a supposedly wealthy Madge- I
burg merchant, killed two persons;
when Mrs. Van der Linden, of Ley I,
den, confessed to the killing of six \
teen, and when "the Liverpool sis
ters" were put on trial In 1884 for
killing four persons.
In every country there have been 4
these calculated crimes. India had \
the Fonseca case in 1895. Prussia tho 1
Book case In the same year, and \
France the notorious case OF Nine
whose death Count de la Pommerais
DNpected TO gain fa2 600