New-York tribune., 1910-10-02
Many INGENIOUS Tricks ReSorfed To by
Those Wbo Lose Heart in the
Fight of Life.

been a familiar figure for many years in
sporting circles a horseman and huhtei'
died of consumption, leaving TO his wido"
five policies of life insurance taken out
eight months before and amounting TO nan
a million dollars.
The baron was a splendid athlete IN tile
fun vigor Of life when he passed the fiieo-
ioal examination. His six children were III
excellent health and showed no symptoms
of any hereditary talnt It was therefore
incredible that consumption could nave IN
eight months gnawed the life out or an
organism so capable OF resistance 10
disease.
Careful Inquiries revealed that soon alter
his marriage the baron had begun 10 specu-
late recklessly. His holdings In land anu
securities, which amounted then TO at least
two millions. had dwindled 20 almost noun
ing. Even his town house was heaFNS
mortgaged. Many usurers held MS hoteo'
Still these indications were not slroiiB
enough basis on which TO build Sulcluo
theory House servants conflded 10 oe-
tectiye that for the last eight months she
baron's mode OF life had taken most uh-
expected turn He. who had never Hh7Seu
a sporting meet and who attended pune
tiliously all club functions, seemed 10 nave
abandoned all intercourse with his FORMER
aseoc,ates. Nor did he spend his time at
home. He left the house early IN the nioI
ing and returned only for the evening meal
No one knew where he spent ms dayS- rs
wife suspected a liaison, but for the sake Oh
- cb,ldren never voiced her suspicious
openly.
The baron volunteered no explahatlohS'
hut seemed TO be as attentive and afrecuon-
aG4 q
nearance, however. was more and more
distressing to behold. He was losing hesh
rsnfdIv. his face was becoming haggard' MS
voice feeble and cracked He refused STUB
,,ornlv TO consult medical advisers. one
dos, he took to his bed, and in less than
fortnight his sufferings were terminated py
death.
The questions for the detectives were:
Where did he spend his days and hadn't ne
been a victim of foul play? The fact thdt
all the policfes had been made In favor Oh
his wife discountenanced the hypotheslS
that some other woman might nave poi
soned him slowly.
The fat was found in which he spent his
DAYS; it was on dirty street in remote
quarter Of the city. The door was broken
onen- The walls and floors were bare. A
table q sofa and two chests of drawers
constituted the entire furniture One OF the
chests contained mans dressing gown
pair of slippers and few tobacco pipes.
The other chest contained some two nun
dred strong cigars and half pound OF TO-
bacco In one OF the drawers. however the
detectives found about thirty-fiye hundred
cigar bands and wrappers having contalneu
a hundred pounds of tobacco.
As the neighbors testified that no man or
woman had ever been seen entering ule
fiat besides the mysterious indiVldual
whose identity was unknown to them, the
mystery was cleared up. The baron had
wflfully smoked himself to death. The
courts sustained the companies refusal to
pay the face value of the policies.
Many are the cases on record where q
man has caused his own death by over
drinking. Such cases are hard TO contest,
and the only arguments IN the favor Of the
companies are information as to the sui
cide's embarra ssments OF his well known
sobriety in the past.
Captain Colvocoresses. L. S. A. was
found in a dying condition in an unfre-
quented street in the city of Bridgeport at
a late hour of the night. A bullet had gone
through his stomach and one of his lungs.
come out at the back, and then pierced a
wooden fence near by. His sword cane.
whose sheath was splintered. had been bent
and dented in the struggle with his assas-
sin. Some fifty feet away from the body
the police picked up an antiquated percus-
sion lock horse pistol. very rusty and
patched up with glue and twine.