Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-12-07
White TO Prove
HE is KIMMEL
Auburn, n y, Prisoner VIII
Soon Visit Niles, Mich.
$4,000 is At STAKE.

Man Who Says He Is kimmel. a For.
mer Kansas Banker, Has Been I'M
prisoned Under the Name of White
For Five Years.
The little city of Niles, Mich, is
soon to witness a strange homecom-
ing. \ prisoner now confined in the
penitentiary at Auburn, N. Y, will be
released Sept. 10. In prison be is
known as Andrew j. White. He
claims to be George A. Kimmel, for
mer banker of Arkansas City, Kan,
missing since 1895. Niles is The for
mer home of Kimmel. He was rear
ed and went to school there.
Upon whether White the prisoner is
in reality Kimmel the former banker
depends not only the solution of a
puzzling mystery, but also involves
the payment of $4,000.
Stake Is $4,000.
Kimmel had $4,000 life insurance.
The beneficiary is Mrs. Mary Ronslett
of Chicago, his sister. The insurance
company is resisting the payment of
the policy onethe ground that White
is Kimmel and that, being alive, there
is no occasion for the payment of the
policy. Relatives say they have proof
that kimmel must long since have
died, that White is an imposter, that
the money is due and should be paid
the sister and sued to O it.
Events and scenes of former years
recalled in letters received at Niles
many people regard as conclusive
proof that White is Kimmel. Some of
these letters have been received by
Henry kephart. al old friend Of the
Kimmel family, who lives at Berrien
Springs, ten miles north of Niles. Mr..
kephart is convinced beyond doubt
that White must be Kimmel because
of the happenings they have recounted
in their letters which could not posi-
bly, be known to an imposter. he says
She Says He's kimmeI.
One to whom the prisoner also has
written many times is Mrs. Henry
Lardner. She was a close friend Of
the kimmel family years ago when
NliS liS l. LIZ uuSl1Uuu
is equally warm in his friendship for
Kimmel.
There are stsll many, however, who
do not believe that Kimmel is living,
and who are willing to back their
opinions with money. Among these
is DR.. f. N. F"onine, who declares he
is willing to put up from 500 to $500
| n1thnr nc q hrf ny No, a, rsft 10 n-r
charitable organization on the prOpo-
sition that the real George Kimmel
does not come to Niles when the
strange prisoner at the Auburn. N. Y,
%penitentiary is released. The physi-
clan means by this that if this pris-
Oner comes to Niles he is not Kimmel.
Says He's Betting on Sure Thing.
The physician believes he is betting
on u sure thing because of a slight
operation he says he performed on the
real Kimmel when Kimmel was a
youth. This was an operation on one
of Kimmel's eyes that left a small
scar. almost too slight now since the
years have passed t o be noticed with
out the aid Of a magnifying glass.
Soon after the discovery Of White,
who claims to be kimmel, and 1t be-
came a settled fact that the insurance
company intended to resist the pay
ment Of the $4,000 insurance on his
life, DR.. BONNIE made a trip to Au-
burn prison at the instance Of an at
torney for Mrs Bonslett. The doctor
went to the pri von with the attorneys
and. after some persuasion, Kimmel
consented to let the physician exam
Inc his eyes. Or. BONNIE then asked
the prisoner to step to a window and
the Niles specialist took out a micro
scope and took several rapid but thor
ough Chances at both the prisoners
eyes.
The Scar Wasn't There.
One glance was enough to satisfy.
He was looking for the scar from the
operation he had performed.
He found not the slightest trace Of q
scar and that instead of Kimmel's
black eyes he looked into clear blue
eyes with pupils that dilated and con-
tracted naturally, indicating to the
specialist that they had never been
affected by either disease, injury or
operation.
Under the name Of Andrew j. White
the man was found guilty of lar
ceny in Cattaraugus county, N. Y.
and was sent to Matteawan, N. Y, to
the state asylum for the insane. He
later regained his sanity and was
transferred to the p%enitentiary at Au-
burn. His sentence of five years COM
muted for good behavior expires
Sept. Is.