The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-11

rifying cry and a heavy splash. They He was known to be a good swimmer, but he must have sunk instantly. for all though 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 "Bill jumped on land, gathered party or volunteers and part of the night was spent sounding the bottom with poles and hooks. The search was given up as hope less, 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 if George Shepherd had really fallen into the river. his body was bound to come up sometime. and therefore refused to settle until absolute proofs of his death were forthcoming.
 The Shepherd brothers had been remiss in that occurrence, for the only accident fakers who ever played the drowning 1 trick successfully had always provided themselves with a suitable corpse, whose ldisfgurement was attributed to insects, l fishes shore birds, etc
 | While the wrangle was going on over the contested insurance policy, the Alex andrla police captured a suspicious per son who was observed prowling in the | swamps near the city. No definite charge was made against him; neither could he bc held as a vagrant. for he had some money in his possession, but the fact that | he had been spending days and nights in | the marshes cast doubts upon his sanity. l He was taken in charge, refused to an- swer questions, and the police, convinced that the man was insane, endeavored to find his relatives. His photograph. published in the newspapers brought some 25 letters from friends, overJoyed at the prospect of recovering the lost George Shepherd. When he saw that the game was up he confessed.
 While his brother James, who was fin the secret. and "Bill" White, who knew nothing about 1t, were~scouring the river in the night, George was clinging to the lrudder of the boat protected against cu- rious glances by the peculiar overhanging stern. When the two men had made the land, he had crept ashore and hidden him self in the bushes, and while the sleepless l farmers were dragging the Potomac mud he had fled to the cache in the swamps, where he and his brother had accumulate ed provisions, cases of food and other supplies
 Taught by experience lllte the preceding,
 
 death claims until the deceased mans body is produced. They are especially suspicious of drowning cases, for rivers. lakes and seashorc resorts lend them selves too complacently to mysterious Idisappearances of policy-holders.
 Some years ago Boston business man, who had embarrassed his affairs by a long continued series of forgeriea, en- ldeavored to solve the difficulty by mak- ing a mysterious disappearance" He ltook passage on a Fall river boat, chat ted and played cards late into the night with friends who happened to be on board. The next morning he was not to be found anywhere on the boat: the door of his stateroom was open, and there were his clothes, hat, shoes and his dress suit case, with other belongings. He must have fallen or jumped overheard during the night
 Unfortunately, insurance detectives found hair trimmings on the floor and the towels looked as though they had beer freshly used to wjpe ofr a razor's blade E. wore a full beard and mustache.
 Following this clew, the detectives trailed him to San Francisco. where. un. der an assumed name and with clear shayen face. he was employed in de. lpartment store.
 After retiring on lhe night of his "ae, cident.' he had shaved of all his faciti growth, clipped his hair short. put on s cloth cap. cheap shoddy suit and ga