New-York tribune., 1910-10-02

his shoulders nor his hands presented the
bruises which fall from the saddle would
have inflicted: trousers and boots failed 70
exhibit the tear subsequent to a dragging
of the dead body through the bushes; nnai-
ly, the first thing that the farmer would
have done I'm the course OF the struggle
or when unhorsed. or while being pGiieo
away from the road. would have been TO
lose his wide straw hat. When found dead
In the thicket he had his hat on
Another class of individuals. gifted In a
| less marked degree with the spirit OF selr-
| sacrifice, are willing enough to let their
| families reap the benefits accruing from
| their death provided they are not absolute
| ly obliged TO die. Some shrewd ones at
tempt to cash the face amount OF their own
policies through confederates, who saw
them die
| One of the most picturesque cases OF
| fake death was that OF George Shepherd.
of Alexandria One evening he and his
| brother James invited neighbor. "Bill
White. to go fishing on the Potomac They
| boarded a curious craft. transformed
| sailboat, the stern OF which protruded sew
| eral feet above the water. After catching
| a goodly quantity OF fish they made for
home. James and 'BilP' were rowing and
George was steering.
Suddenly the two oarsmen heard ter
rifying cry and heavy splash They
looked around; George had disappeared.
He was known to be a good swimmer. but
he must have sunk instantly. for although
his brother and his friend rowed about for
half an hour. they could not see his body
| rising to the surface.
They finally decided to call to their help
some of the farmers along the shore "BilP
| jumped on land, gathered party OF volun-
| teers, and part of the night was spent
sounding the bottom with poles and hooks
| The search was given UP as hopeless. and
| no one ever expressed any doubt as to
| George Shepherd having met his death
| through drowning
The company in which he was insured
contended that II George Shepherd had
! really fallen into the river, his body was
bound TO come up some time. and there
fore refused to settle until absolute proofs
OF his death were forthcoming
The Shepherd brothers had been remiss
in that occurrence, for the only accident
| takers who ever played the drowning trick
successfully had always provided them
selves with a suitable corpse. whose dis
fgurement was attributed TO insects, fishes
| shore birds. etc.
While the wrangle was going on oveI
| the contested insurance policy, the Alex
| andria police captured suspicious person
who was observed prowling in the swampS
near the city No definite charge was made
against him; neither could he be held aS
| a vagrant for he had some money in his
possession. but the fact that he had beer
| spending days and nights In the marshes
/ cast doubts upon his sanity.
| He was taken in charge. refused 70 an
| swer questions, and the police. convinced
| that the man was insane, endeavored tC
| find his relatives. His photograph. pub
lished in the newspapers. brought sOm'
| twenty-five letters from friends, OverjOyeC
at the prospect of recovering the los
| George Shepherd. When he saw that The
I game was up he confessed
1 While his brother James. who was IN the
secret. and ''Bill'' White. who knew moth
| the night, George was clinging TO the rud-
| der of the boat, protected against curious
| glances by the peculiar overhanging stern
| When the two men had made land, he haC
| crept ashore and hidden himself in tbs
| bushes and while the sleepless farmers
were dragging the Potomac mud he had
| fed to the cache in the swamps. where he
! and his brother had accumulated pro-
visions cases of food and other supplies.
Taught by experiences like the preceding
| the majority of companies refuse 10 pay
| death claims until the deceased mans body
| Is produced. They are especially suspicious