Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 March 1877 — A Dead Man Inherits His Own Life Insurance. [ARTICLE]

A Dead Man Inherits His Own Life Insurance.

Mrs. Degenther, second wife of decedent, claimed her share in (1,000 realized from a life insurance policy on the life of decedent made in favor of Christiana Haas, decedent’s first wife, who died before him. Her ground was that, at the moment Haas died, he became as one of his wife’s heirs under the Married Woman’s act, entitled to a third of her estate, a part of which the insurance policy at that same moment became. The Orphans’ Court decided against the claimant and awarded the entire sum to the children of the first wife, her legal heirs. An appeal was taken from this decree, the Supreme Court reversed the judgmet below and decided that a man Can inherit his own life insurance. The opinion says: “We are of opinion that, as soon as it is settled that the insurance money is part of the personal property pf Christiana Haas, it is to be considered distributable among her legal heirs and next of kin at time of her death. One of "these was John Haas, who was entitled to one-third. It is not stretching the construction of the statute beyond what is legitimate to bold that her estate included, for purpose of distribution, not only what was then her own estate, but what might become so on a contingency thereafter happening. The death of her husband and the payment of the policy on his life was such a contingency, and hence bls executors are entitled to one-third of the fund thus realized, and the decree should be reformed accordingly.”— Philadelphia Ledger. —lt is related of Judge Davis that in his circuit at Indianapolis a lawyer named Ketohum was ready when his case was called, but his opponent had sent word that he could not arrive for an hour or two. Ketchum insisted oh proceeding at once. Judge Davis remonstrated in fpvor of the absent lawyer, but to no purpose. “ Well,” said he, finally, “if you insist upon going on, Mr. Ketchum, you have, of course, the technical right to do so, built I ware you I wouldn’t urge the mattei. Over at Springfield the other day there was just such a case; the lawyer would Insist upon going on wfth-the trial, and so I had to look after the interests of the other party myself—and, do you know, curiously enough, Mr. Ketchum, we beathim!” Mr. Ketchum decided to WBlt * ... Th® Mayor of Philadelphia has just had a census of the taverns in that city taken. The whole number is found to be 5,453, an increase of 718 since last June.