New Britain herald., 1923-06-05
New Britain Car Owners Interested in Liberty Company Whose Rep- resentative is Locked
 up in Bridgeport
Statesmen for Organization Signed Up Many Automo- bile Drivers Here-Some
 Claim They Paid for 'In.
 surance."

"A
 Jacob Israel. said to be q sspss-
 sentative Of the Liberty Automobile
 Service League of New York and
 New Haven. is under ares. in Bridge
 port charged with obtaining monay
 under false pretenses. and state pdiics
 are searching for three others chaxsad
 with the same offense. The arrest is
 in connection with the sale of serv-
 ice contracts. a largo number of
 which have been sold In New Britain.
 Berlin, Hartford. Manchester. Gias- ! tonbury and other cities. The Liberty Automobile Service League was incorporated in New
 York by Jacob Meyer. Edward Singer
 and Jacob Singer. October (, 1892.
 Ito buy, sell and exchange automo-
 piles. To operate. conduct and main.
 tain service stations. garages and ye.
 pair shops. To buy and sell autOmo-
 bile accessories of all kinds. manufac- lures and descriptions
 The corporation is capitalized for
 s25.ooo. of which s5,0oo is cash. There are 5000 shares of stock at s6 per share.
 The investigation occurred in con- nection with this concern when Oap- tain John Edeen of the local Salvation Army purchased on April what he thought was an insurance policy. and what he claims was represented to him as an insurance policy. Upon receipt of the policy he found it was nothing but Service contract"
 The Herald" was requested to in. vestigate and brought 1t to the atten. ton of the authorities. Complaint. by local insurance men were made to Mary E. Curtin, secretary of tho Chamber of Commerce; A. A. Mills, cnalrman of the traffic bureau. and John c. Loomis, president of the Chamber of Commerce The investi. gation was taken up by the insurance commission and the state police and the arrest of Israel followed.
 Thought he Bought Insurance
 Captain Edeen was approached. according to his story, by a man who onered to sell his accident insurance, covering any claim up to s1o.ooo on the Salvation Army Ford for sse5o Tor two years. The offer he says. was made verbally He signed an application blank without reading it which says as follows: The undersigned having read Service Contract A, issued by the above cor ooration and understanding that 1t k lot in any way a policy of indemnity hereby makes application for mem- oership in the above league and fn roI 0n the contract received by him the pace for the signature of the bonded representative of the L. A. S. Leaxue s left blank.
 He paid s5 in cash and the bal- nee in checks, making the final pay nent one evening g. few days later Then another man came with the policy" This was April 6, and 1t vas not until he showed the contract 0 a local insurance man that he ound he had not purchased insur- nee.
 What Contract Specifics.
 The contract" gives or agrees to i've certain things, among them being ne privilege of legal services by -hich the member of the league will e defended in cases including viola on of city ordinances, civil suits, or lore serious criminal cases including ,e charge of nanslaughter
 The contract also agrees to tow for le owner his car (the one particu- r car specified in the contract) when tally disabled within 10 miles of one the leagues official stations to said ation, but 1t does not state where ese stations may be located.
 It agrees also to furnish the owner
 the car with tires and other &C., ssories at wholesale prices.
 It claims to maintain a bureau of for members who desire to It their machines for sale or ex- ange, and agrees to use Its influence
 all movements pertaining to the lprovements of highways and the tterment of automobile conditions. But 1t distinctly states, Tt is ex- essly understood that this contract not one of indemnity or insurance" When the contract is delivered de- He'd and complete accident report ank Is incuded. The blank asks
 the questions that would be neces- " in case legal assistance would be eQeQ ana COHtdlfS l1C lbilOHihb notion. "Either furnish us with pair bill or estimate of damages ne to your car" The following ,niicant statement Is found at the tom of the page. Make abso- tely no statements whatever nor m any paper concerning this acci- nt except at our office" The state ,tor vehicle department requires . port in writing within 24 hours of Y accident.
 Agent Promised Insurance. to a number of people 10 have purchased the service, the ent verbally agreed to indemnify . contract holder or purchaser of policy up to any amount of his i'm for any accident except loss by . or theft He is alleged to have -ther agreed to indemnify the lder to the extent of s1.500 for Erou1 Eourtaeuth Ra0A1