The Washington herald., 1909-03-28
Games of SkiIIfuI SwipdIers;
How They Sometimes Succeed

see that there Is no light 4 claim IS made
against the landlord. aud ne or the Cas-
ualty Company OF America has 70 pay.
The aIl-sround practitioner disdains to
stay IN one place. but chooses all tts
world FOR his province. Tie Alliance
Against Accident Fraud haS considerably
decreased the success OF this sort OF op-
GRAFTON. which hcurished prior 20 its or
ganization- For instance. there was Fred
A Taffen. OF Bound Brook, y. J., who
showed 70 IN Baltimore on July II. 1s0S.
and fell on trolley car. He brought q
claim against the United Railways and
Electric Company. That concern com
municated with the alliance. which re-
ported that just ten days before, on July
Z, Taffen had fallen on car 81 Norfolk.
Va. and compromised for s25. Taften
broke down. confessed. and went TO Mary
land Penitentiary for a year and six
months.
Profit in Collisions.
An interesting gang started its opera
tons in Baltimore fl 1896. and IS now be-
Ieved TO be in the West. There was q
slight collision between two cars IN Cal
verton. a suburb of Baltimore. Martha
Veins, passenger, prOmtly fen out and
began groaning. The motorman was Ed
ward E Riley. Suit was begun for $50 Coz.
Riley then went 70 Pittsburg and got a
job as mOtormsn under the name OF Ed
ward Moore Mrs. Veins and her hus-
band followed him. but the three Wpre 50
closely watched that they had % leave
town-not until after Riley had proposed
70 a conductor to pull the beu and throw
Mrs. Veins as she vas getting Of the car
The three then went 70 Cleveland. bur
Wiens did not Ike the looks OF the cars
there. which have double fOotbOards. He
said they were dangerous and might Sc
riously inture his wife They accordingly
went 10 Buffalo. where Riley got employ
ment as F. B. Moran. Nrs. Wiens and
her sister, who had remained n RuRaIo.
started TO Join the other two. and decid-
ed 10 carry out an incidental Job on the
train Accordingly both were thrown
/ down by & Jerk OF the train and made a
claimi against the Pennsylvania Railroad
Meanwhile Riley and Wiens were az
rested and taken 70 Baltimore Riley
confessed that the scheme had been plan
ned in Brooklyn, and that the arrange
ment was that h5 should always post
Wlens and the woman where 70 board the
car Mrs Veins had secured a verdict
against the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Com
p2ny n april, 1s95. and the gang had
planned 70 work New Orleans. Baltimore.
Philadelphia. Atlantic City. Newport Buf-
falO. St. Louis. Kansas City. San Fran
cisco, Los Angeles, Pittsburg. and Cleve-
1 land.
( Wiens went 10 prison in Baltimore for
( i've years and the other two FOR two each.
I While IN Jan awaiting trial she got ac-
quainted with another woman, who hed
been arrested for shoplifting. but was
afterward acquitted After Mrs. Veins
! FAfAazaH -.
woman, and they planned 70 start West
/ and begin working the gams. with Chics-
I go as a starting point The railway com
panies were notified 70 Be on the lookout
I and n the confidential communication
warning Ihem OF the project occurred this
I sentence:
7 am inclined 70 think that they are
more liable 70 chance al elevator accident
/ OF fake an accident in sorus departmsnt
store OF on some ferryboat rather than
attempt one on street railway"
The World Is HIS.
At least one OF these operators allows
10 pent-up continent 10 contract his pow
/ ers- HIS name IS John D. Robinson. He
/ lOomed up in Baltimore with a claim
/ against the United Railway and Electric
/ Company. Detective Atkinson, of the Bal
tinore police department.. produced proof
that Robinson had worked IN London and
/ collected S215 from the Employers LSabl-
/ ity Assurance Company there. Robinson
went 10 jail FOR a year, and the Alliance
/ Against Accident Fraud gave Atkinson
$500 as a reward.
one novel variation q the game e
played az the expense OF lawyers instead
/ OF corporations. The practitioner appears
in law once with a bandaged hand and
IL - 81
5ured by q street car, together with a
fake list OF witnesses. He asks the law
yer 10 take his case and the lawyer does
so. As the client IS leaving he asks the
lawyer 70 cash lodge premium for s.
aid the attorney eagerly consents He
never hears again OF his client
There are two saloons in the vicinity o.
Bellevue Hospital IN New York which
notify certain lawyers OF al ambulance
cases brought IN there In some mysterl-
Gus way these saloon keepers are equipped
with q knowledge OF the names. nature
OF accident, and al other needfui infor-
nation.
Walter L. S. Eane4rman Is among the
men noted for ambulance chasing.
I though he Is not even a lawyer LANCER
man IS the man who figured so prom-
Y nently IN the newspapers IN the famous
Barbara Aub case about fourteen years
ago. He works through q lawyer. but
supplies the brains OF tie combination.
4 Langerman was formerly a commissioner
Of the United States Court OF Claims. and
used 90 have printed on his cards The
words Claim Adjuster - COMMISSIONS
United states Court OF Claims" OF
/ course. the Court OF Claims has nothing
20 DO with damage cases, but the ignor-
ant clients 20 whom Langerman would
sppeal were impressed with the glitterinc
title. and the real lawyers used 20 md
! Lanserman their most dangerous rival
Y He IS no longer a commissioner. the Court
OF Claims having been informed OF the
nature Of his proceedings