Evening star., 1932-04-19
W|MbLEY WANTED
DROWNING POLICY,
BROKER TEST|F|ES
Insurance Man Says Hus-
band Was Specific in Taking
Out Protection on Wife.
SLAYING DEFENSE LOSES
FIGHT ON EVIDENCE
Klachko Says Accused Rejected
Plan Under Which Weekly Bene-
fits Would Be Paid Wife.

When Harry c. wimbley made ap-
plication for $4,000 accident insurance
on the life Of his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth
Traylor Wimbley, for whose death he
and John M. Crowder are being tried
on murder charges, he asked specifi-
cally whether the policy covered acci-
dental drowning, Michael Klachko an
insurance broker, testified today in
Criminal Division /, District Supreme
Court.
Wimbley otherwise known as How
ard c. Dickerson, and Crowder are
charged by the Government with the
premeditated drowning of Mrs. Wimbley
last September II on the Chesapeake
& Ohio Canal above Chain Bridge.
wimbley's 3-year-old stepdaughter,
Wilma Traylor, was drowned with her
mother.
Klachko testified that wimbley
asked:
of she went on the river in a row.
boat and fell overheard and couldn't
swim, would the policy cover it?'
Asks About Burning.
did he ask about burning to
death?" asked Assistant United States
Attorney william H. Collins, who is
conducting the prosecution with As
sistant United States Attorney John j.
Eirica.
MY memory is not very good on
that" the witness answered.
Crowder, in a confession to police,
which was repudiated by Wimbley,
stated that Wimbley first plotted to
burn his wife to death to collect the in
surance, but when this fell through,
planned to drown her during the out
ing on the canal.
Under cross-examination by Louis l..
Whitestone of defense counsel, the in
surance agent admitted that when
Wimbley first came to his Office In the
District National Bank Building he was
anxious to get health and accident
policy"
Suggested $4,000 Policy.
"And it was you who first suggested
O $4,000 policy, was 1t not, Mr.. Klach-
ko?" Whitestone asked.
well, I wanted to sell him all
could" the witness admitted relunct-
"Xnd wasn't most of wimbley's con-
versation with you about the health
features of the policy?"
"Yes, sir, health and accident to-
gether." f
Examination Of Klachko continued
when Justice James M. Proctor, presid-
ing over the trial, oyerruled the de-
fense motion to exclude testimony rela-
tive to the insurance.
Klachko then testified that he met
Wimbley for the first time in his Office
early last July, when they discussed
accident insurance. He testified that
when shown a policy paying S25 week
for limited sickness and accidents and
$4,000 in case of limited accidental
death, Wimbley declined to consider it.
saying: This doesn't cover every
thing; want good policy-one cover
ing all forms of accidents"
Wanted Straigh. accident Policy.
Klachko then told him, he said, that
he would write his company and inquire
II he could write a policy not carrying
weekly indemnities, in as much as Mrs.
Wimbley was not regularly employed.
A week or 10 days later, he told the
Jury, he met Wimbley second time
and told him he could issue straight
accident policy for premium of $3.50
per thousand, whereupon, Wimbley
filled out an application for a $4,000
policy and Klachko mailed it to the
branch Office of his company.
The third time he saw Wirnbley,
Klachko said, he gave him the appli-
cation filled out by the branch Office
and asked him to obtain his wife's sig
nature. He quoted Wimbley as saying:
"Ill have to rush to Virginia to get
her signature"
He returned several days later with
the signature, which was spelled, "Eliz-
abath" instead of correctly.
Did you ask him who signed it?"
Collins asked
Il don't recall that I did" Klachko
replied.
The insurance agent then testified of
reading of Mrs. Wimbley's death in the
canal and said that shortly afterward j.
Gilbert Joyce, claim adjuSter for the
company, which wrote Mrs. Wimbley's
policy, communicated with him about
her death and together they went to
police headquarters.
Collins brought this angle out in an
effort to prove the police knew of the
existence of the $4,000 policy prior to
its seizure without a warrant from
Wimbley's rooms in the 300 block of C
street.