The Washington herald., 1909-06-20

woman then Anyway. l want document
ary proof OF her age"
The only documentary proof was in an
old Bible at the home OF one OF the other
children eighteen miles IN the country.
and the beneficiary declared she would
not 90 after Il.
AN right" said the insurance man.
then it's your move. You surely don't
expect me to spend time and money In
going after the Bible
Again the insurance man left. Late in
the afternoon the beneficiary brought the
Bible into his Office. Opening the book
AT the birth records. he saw the faded
| brown entry for which he had asked.
This is pretty raw work" he said to
the farmers wife.
What's the matter2"
why, the year OF her birth was writ
ten in to-day In blue ink. while al the
! rest Is brown with age"
She denied that the record had been
tampered with. but the adjuster was i'm
movable
I'll tell you what III do" he said.
Since / saw you this morning ] have
been making some inquiries about your
mothers age, and ] VIII settle, II you
want TO. on the basis of age ninety-one.
7 think she was even oloer. but know
she was ninety-one-"
''Will You pay now?' she asked
Yes"
"AH right. I'll take f."
The next morning an undertaken IN
quired over the phone when the death
claim in this case was 20 be paid.
1t is to be paid yesterday afternoon. "
replied the facetious insurance man.
( Up went the undertaken receiver with
/ ont .uoFha~ rr-orG Il hrrr-~faF rha
farmers house and demanded his pay in
/ advance. He couldn't get Il and brought
| his materials back with him Another
undertaken was summoned. He was more
cunning He waited until the close of the
/ services and then called the farmer S
l wife into another room In few we'll
chosen words he explained that Il would
create CONSERVATION among the assembled
\ friends II the proceedings should be stop
/ ped at that point; yet they must be
/ stopped unless his bill was paid imme-
! d!ately. The farmers wife wanted 10
/ compromise by paying after the inter
menL The undertaken wouldn't have IL.
I He got his money and the procession
started Tor the cemetery.
And when they reached the grave
yard said the insurance man. "old Mr..
/ Grave Digger was sitting on his spade
He hadn't removed a shovelful OF earth.
and wouldn't until he got his g. or what
/ ever II was. He was at last paid and the
agony was ended.
/
The next form OF fraud is known as
substitution Here is an illustration:
A death claim from New York came
into the Office Of one OF the large com
panies the other day. and in comparing
the description OF the deceased with that
/ OF the insured IL was discovered that they
! bore no resemblance 10 each other. The
man who faced the medical examiner
when the policy was taken out was tall
/ heavy. and red-haired. while the dead
man was short. thin. and hlack-haire5.
In this case" said an insurance on
cial. the man who eventually died saw
/ tuberculosis shutting down upon him and
/ probably asked a friend 10 take out IN
/ surance in his name. There is quite a
l little OF this sort OF substitution Such
I cases. in a way. are pitiful, yet of course
\ they are fraudulent. and We never pay
/ them unless We have 10. The difficulty,
! however. is in producing the person who
/ really applied for the insurance and was
| examined. Oftentines. we cannot do this.
I
I that We are morally certain are unjust
/ II is not often that substitution Is COM
bined with murder 10 rob an insurance
company, but an Italian named Leo re-
| Gently made such a combination IN New
/ Jersey, and although he didn't get any
money. he got a thirty-year prison sen
tence.
/ Leo first went through a marriage Cere-
mony before a magistrate. Then he ap-
7 piled for a policy Of 5000 on his own
( life and 5000 on the life OF his wife The
! company refused both applications. on
/ the ground that his financial condition
did not justify the carrying Of so much
I insurance.
/ Leo took his appeal 10 the home Office
I in person. He represented himself 70 be
la contractor. and said he had a nickelo-
deon in Italy that was netting him so a
week. He argued TO such purpose that
/ the company reversed itself 70 the extent
OF issuing a policy for $3.50 on his life
and another for 5000 on the life OF his
WIFE
That was in December, 1907. IN March.
/ 1913. Leo's house suddenly caught FIRE.
and his wife was burned so badly that
I she was unconscious when the fremen
/ arrived and died a few minutes later.
I Leo explained that a spark had set FIRE
/ to her dress while size was ironing, but
I unfortunately for his story a couch upon
which she had undoubtedly fallen asleep
was soaked with coal oil Leo demanded
I his insurance money, but the company
! presented evidence before the grand Jury
/ that resulted in the Indictment on a
charge Of murder IN the first degree. and
he was saved from the gallows only by
! a squabble among the trial Jurors. The
! evidence all pointed TO the conclusion
I that he had poured oil on the couch
while the woman was sleeping. and set
I fire 10 H.
/ Nor was that all II was aftervard
discovered that the woman who was
/ burned 20 death was not his wife The
woman who married him spoke English
to the officiating magistrate. The neigh
bors testified that the woman who lost
her life couldn't speak English al all.
After weeks Of difficult Investigation
| Leo victim was traced from a New York
! intelligence Office TO his home. some OF
her effects proved her identity. More
/ than that. the marriage itself was a
fraud, since the woman who pretened TO
] become his wife was so closely related
to him that she could not have been mar
/ ried to hiTn. Nor did she ever appear
IN his home. The only woman who ever
set fot IN his house. except as a visitor
was the poor Polish girl who never
dreamed that the neighbors believed her
to be Leo's wife. nor suspected that the
purpose OF her employment was murder.
/
! stil more remarkable fraud occurred
In one Of the Southern States. A wealthy
/ physician. who lived on a plantation
somewhat remote from the nearest VII
lage. gave an evening party. All Of the
fashionables for miles around were his
guests, and so well did he play the host
that when the company was ready to dis