The Washington times., 1937-11-13

W IIlC.
IF it did," John told him, "it
wouldn't be sitting on your case.
But there are plenty of flaws in it,
all working in our favor.
That old fellow second from
the end is the father of a daugh-
| ter who had to wait five years
before an insurance company paid
a double indemnity on her huS-
band who was murdered.
THE one with the whiskers has
a son who works in the adjust
ment department of an insurance
company and he knows how fran
tically they work to dodge paying
policies.
"Those two alone could hang
the jury. But besides that, the
Governments case is not so good.
They have no actual evidence of
fraud. They have hearSay and SuS-
picious circumstances but they are
going to have a hard time proving
them. This is where we come in"
Well, the Beeks case got lot Of
publicity. Details of it were printed
in every newspaper in the coun-
try. 1t dragged on for nine weeks.
1t cost the Government nearly a
million dollars.
incidentally, it took from Ed
ward and the other Beeks nearly
every penny they had earned
hardly and dishonesty for years.
But money isn't anything at all
to stand in the way of a 20-year
prison sentence.
REACH VERDICT
When the case went to the jury,
Edward sweated copiously. The
jury was out IL hours. When it
filed majestically in, Edward felt
a wave of faintneSS sweeping over
him.
Have you reached a verdict?"
the judge asked.
I'VE have, your honor" the
foreman said.
The clerk will read the verdict
of the jury" the judge instructed.
THE jury" the clerk read from
a slip of paper the foreman had
handed him, find the defendants
NOT GUILTY"
Well, that was that. The Beeks
held council of war that night.
You children" Edward told
them, will have to go to work
now until I can figure out some
other scheme to live by. I don't
think it's going to be so easy.
ut may take a year or two. We
can't stage any more accidents.
That's certain. Now, the main
thing is for us to get back to New
York. We all can work out of New
York. That's where our friends
are.
Il believe I can land you all in
jobs. They won't pay much but
they'll support you. Me and Ma
have a few thousands left. Well
get along on that till I figure out
something"
They started back from st.
Louis that very night in the fam
lily car, a high-priced limousine as
long as Pullman and completely
blanketed by insurance against
accident. fire and theft.
Just outside of Toledo, Ohio,
about 1 o'clock at night, the limou-
sine was SideSwiped by a truck
hasteniHg into the city with a
load of eggs and vegetables. The
limousine was lifted from the
ground and tossed into ditch.
When the Beeks were lifted one
by one from the wreckage, there
wasn't one who hadn't been in
jured. Edward and Minerva were
hurt pretty badly.
FILE CLAIMS
Of course, they filed their claims
against the insurance companies
that had covered them. It would
only be a matter of a few days
before the claims would be paid.
They suffered their hurts in ST.
lence, secure in that knowledge.
! But the insurance companies re-
fused to pay Taking advantage
of the recent trial, the companies
argued that there was at least a
possibility that this accident might
have been faxed.
/ Even the affidavits of the repu-
table physicians hired by Edward
which Swore that all the injuries
were bona fide did not influence
them. They told Edward he would
have to bring the case into the
courts.
Now, there followed the usual
procedure of Stalling and post
ponement.
The case did not come up for
seven months and by that time
Edward and his little brood were
not only ailing in health but were
practically broke. The case was
tried before jury.
Edward sweat copiously again
when that jury came in.
"T'he jury" the clerk read the
verdict, finds that there is a pos
sibility that the plaintiff has not
come into court with clean hands.
His claim for the $4,000 inSur-
ance he swears is due him is dis,
allowed"
Il can't understand it," Edward
almost wept For years we took
thousands of dollars from the in.
surance companies on faxed acci.
dents.
Nov, when we come into court
for the first time with a real, hon.
est accident in which all of us
were injured. they throw our