The Washington times., 1908-10-23
Man Known in Jail as White
Says Kin Have Taken
All His Property.
INSURANCE HELD
PENDING DECISION
Company, Believing Story of Man
Once in Matteawan, Refuses to
Pay-Once Held Legally Dead.

AUBURN N Y Oct. G--The strange
case Of Andrew J. White. whose Identity
lawyers. Judges. and juries have been
trying to solve for four years. came up
here today before a Federal commits
sion appointed to examine the object
OF the odd quest.
White is a convict in Auburn prison.
"a forger from CattauTagus county. He
was only convicted of larceny in Buff
falo, and as the amount involved was
small and for a board BILL he was
sentenced TO sixty days in jail He
was discovered TO be insane and was
sent 20 Matteawan asylum He had
previously served jail terms for petty
crimes.
While IN Matteawan, In 1905, White
let il be known that he was George A.
Kimmel. formerly cashier of the Farm
crs' state Bank at Arkansas City, Kan.
who robbed the bank IN 1898 and dis
appeared This news reached the New
York Life Insurance Company in which
Simmel was insured for $4,000. The
queer fight then began. the insurance
company, on one side, endeavoring to
prove that White was Kimmel: the de-
faultinE bankers relatives. on the other
hand. striving TO discredit the testimony
offered 10y White and the insurance
company.
Sister Is Beneficiary.
The beneficiary under the insurance
policy is Mrs. Edna X. BOnsett. OF
Chicago. KimmeTs sister. The invesu-
CATION brought into the case Charles
A. johnson, cashier Of the First Ma
tlonal Bank Of Niles. Mich. Kimmels
uncle, who, in 1901, at the time when
IIimmeTs disappearance had not been
connected with the alleged mailman in
Aatteawau, wrecked his bank and was
sentenced TO ten years in prison.
While the fight over Whites identity
has been in progress, White was de-
clared in 1906 by a court TO be sane He
was discharged from AIatteawan and
went back 10 Cattauragus county,
where he committed the forgery for
which he IS now imprisoned
Two months previous TO Whites re-
lease from Matteawan, the Federal
court I'm St. Louis decided against the
insurance company In a suit brought
AGAINST it hv Inc receiver of the First
National Bank OF Nile, Mich. for 81. -,
insurance on the life Of George A
Kimmel, who had procured n loan from
his uncle, Johnson, cashier Of the bank
on one OF his policies
Is Held Legally Dead
The jury held that the man White il
Matteawan was not Kimmel; that Kim
mel was legally dead. seven years hav
ing elapsed since his disappearance.
The case has been up in New Yorl
State numerous times, but no definite
result has been reached.
KimmeTs sister and his mother are
here. White asserts shat they are his
mother and sister The two women de
clare that he is not George A Kim
sistaut to J. f. Mcintosh, genera
counsel for the New York Life. pointed
10 the sister as she was I'm the prison
office before the hearing saying: ''Lool
at her. then 80 to the Bertillon room
and look at the convict's picture and
see whether they are brother and sis
The sister fed from the office
The sister. Mrs. Edna Bousett. oriEi
nally the beneficiary in the three Kim
mel policies. amounting TO $4,000. hat
assigned them TO Johnson, KimmeT!
uncle.
Thinks Testimony No Good.
Former Judge II. J. Hines. OF Chi
cago. counsel Tor Mrs. Bonsett. who /.
defending the policies. contended tina
White was insane; that his evidenc,
should have no weight. the fact that h,
had been committed TO Natteawan Asy
lum proving his insanity.
White gave a sensational explanation
Of how he had been made temporarily
insane, bringing into the already com
plicated case the robbery more thar
ten years ago at Omaha at the office.
Of the Pacific Express Company o
$4,000 He said that A J. Hunt heat
hOOkkeepeT Of the express company wa
arrested for Irregularities. and that al
investigation implicated the company
auditor it's chief clerk and kimmeI'!
uncle. Johnson. in the crime kimme
said that ne had information that would
prove disastrous to his uncle should
become known. and that Johnson plot
ted tn mako = NEnN- with him