Putnam patriot., 1916-02-11
DEATH In HOTEL
Brought to Mind by Suit by Heirs fol
Insurance Honey
Claim John Kiibora Died at Hotel Chick
ering BY Accident

ering by Accident
The death of JOAN KilborH, a COM
mercial traveller of MeXiea, n. Y, who
died at the Hotel Ghictering, May 23d
LAST, was brought to mind for the
fourth time last week when lawyers
came to Putnam and took eight de-
positions of witnesses. This evidence
is to be used in The trial of cases
against two accident ins-s ance compa.
MES, the heirs of Kilborn seeking to
recover on the round that the deeeas,
ed met death by accident.
The death was first brought TO notice
when Kilborn died al the hotel in May.
In August it was brought to mind
when the body was exhumed and ex-
amined. 1t was then reported that
the skull was found to be fractured
Again the matter received attention
when representatives. of the insurance
companies came TO the city and pro-
cured what evidence they could gather
relative to the death, and now once
more by the taking of this testimony.
According TO the story told by Land
lord Hart to the insurance Investigator
Kilborn came here the latter part of
April and had therefore been about the
hotel nearly a month when he died He
was drinking more OF less during his
stay md soon became very i'll. Such
care rs was possible was given the
man and things were provided for him
from outside the hote! when necessary.
He said he had no money and he had
paid no board. He claimed to have
sold farm and expected the money
when he was going TO enter ST. Vim
cents hospital in Worcester. The
night he died he got out of bed and
went for drink of water at faucet in
set bowl. He fell striking his head
against the marble slab near the fau.
Get, at least this is the superstition. He
was found by hotel employe and put
back to bed but got up again before he
died.
The medical examiner was called
and pronounced deatp saue 81 probable
heart disease and inteniperaDee. A note
on the bottom of the eoroner's report
was TO the effect that there was ar
abraisian near the bridge of the nose.
When the body was exhumed and the
fractured skull reported there was a
rumor that there might have been foul
play as some OF the dead mans jewelry
was missing. Landlord Hart stated
that he had turned over all of the
mans effects to his son, who came
diamond ring which he held as lien
for the board bill. Later money was
sent for the bill and the ring was sent
to the son by express and Mr.. Hart
held the express company's receipt.
This allayed the rumor OF anything
criminal in the death.
Then came the heirs seeking to re
cover insurance money clsiming that
kilborn's death was due to accident
In that it was caused by q fall which
fractured his skull. kilborn had one
policy in the Travellers Accident Com
pany of Hartford for 81, 900 and one In
Utica Company for 5000. The in
surance companies rely on the reports
made that death was Cue to heart
trouble and not TO accident. One of
the companies also sets up the defence
that notice of the claim was not made
until after the expiration of thirty
days which was stipulated. Another
defense is to the effect that Kilborn
signed a statement that he did not use
intoxicating liquor. In reply to these
claims ,the heirs say that death was
due to accident, that one of the policies
was in the hands Of third person and
they had no knowledge of 1t until after
the thirty days, land .that the state
ment regarding the use of liquor was
signed after the contract of insurance
had been made and the policy issued
1t Is expected that the case will be
strongly contested when Ii comes to
trial. Lawyer K. II. Johnson has
been representing the heirs in this city
since the matter was first taken up.