New-York tribune., 1910-10-02

41a--5l,, "a day masses in which we do not
fesd in the papers reports Of sulcloe' &C
rornuanied by the cheerful statement thal
sbe dead man has LEFT his family wei pro
lSs6ed for. being heavily insured in seFerA
>rornnanfes. When misfortune. either pres
sent or prospective. has rendered the cares o.
life TOO heavy, suicide is sometimes 1ne lfs'
isenedv thought of. The desire TO escape
ipersonal responsibility in some hnaholal
disaster and at the same time 10 MAKE so00
,nrovision for those dependent upon one 1Oi
sheir support is often potent motive ior
-slf-5es,r7,ction. The most convenient
aneans Of attaining those two enos Is "
take cut an insurance policy before press
ing the trigger turning on lne gas VI
aumping of the bridge.
The truth OF this is so widely recosnlzeo
'shst insurance companies generally refuse
10 nav any claims on policies taken out by
suicides less than one year, and sometimes
shree years, before death. When a man IN
sJesnerate straits is compelled TO walt one
ar two wears before yielding 20 the tenpta-
sson when furthermore he is compelled 10
-h,pstle in order 20 secure the money Tor
,r1sy-ing his premiums. the chances are 'hal
T. win le. some OF his policies lapse and get
.pn his l,et again somehow.
one large insurance company. anxious TO
-,nrovide its agents with strong talking
.,rojnt. tried for while 10 eliminate the sui
eide clause from its policies. The results
.sos the first years trial were enough TO MAKE
she directors give up the experiment sun
"a great many people try 10 defeat the dread
ed clause and exhaust their ingenuity III
ending, soon after becoming insured, some
sorn Of self-destruction which VIII pass for
a qenuine accident Be It said. for those
10 alaser
ssnce companies, that the trick generally
saus. Stiu. many are the expedients resort
ed 10 by suicides 10 accomplish their double
,,urnsse In fact. one of the earmarks
sDdbsnn indicate fraud is the over1rought
>nains which the principal actor in the tTag-
.edv takes 10 prepare and make easily eX-
-pla,nable what might otherwise appear
mysterious IN his act.
One man will exhibit a roll of large bills
10 200 many of his friends and associates
sDn the very morning OF his taking of; an
-s7ther. leaves a memorandum Stating that he
is on his way 20 Washington or Chicago TO
'x5eposIt large sums Of money with bankers;
smother writes 10 his wife that he IS com
eng home with a good deal of money loaned
20 him by a mythical friend.
However careful suicide may have been
20 stage his last act so as 10 make it ap-
play, the wound he inficts on himself gen.
orally tells the tale. No wound can be
rallied Characteristic Of suicide, but even In
Ncsses where some cOntrivrnce removed the
svveapon used. two details point 20 suicide:
iShe man who wants to simulate criminal
shooting or stabbing uses his weapon most
1v in the vicinity Of his heart; then he VIM
-place the rnuzzle OF his gun too close 10 the
! wall Of the chest, sometimes unbuttoning
: his upper garments.
1 World-be suicides generally take out
several small policies in various companies;
a modest amount, say one thousand or two
Thousand dollars, does not attract attention
1sn case his financial embarrassment is
oxnown. and, secondly. il hardly pays for
Ecompany 10 contest a small policy in the
courts. However genuine the accident may
appear. companies carefully investigate the
dead mans financial position, his family
sife, the state of his health, as many con-
illusions may be arrived at from those facts.
Finally, there are statistical details which
Surnish helpful indications. People gen.
lsraIly commit suicide from May TO October.
lThey favor the first week Of the month and
5she first days of the week. Certain cases,
however, appear extremely battling, and IT
IS only the fact that the dead man is known
10 have been in embarrassed circumstances
which 1ustifes the interested companies in
asuspecting suicide
Let US take as an example the death OF
SBaron Bella OlnyL The baron, who had