Читать книгу The Fatal Cup: Thomas Griffiths Wainewright and the strange deaths of his relations - John Price Williams - Страница 66

Helen, who had declared herself to be a year older than she really was, had the same question asked. She could not give any reason - apparently the business of property settlement was a bit over her head. The only answer she gave was that she had been told “it was proper” for her to do it.

This procedure of insuring for a short term to raise money against a policy was not uncommon. In September 1834, for instance, the Eagle accepted a proposal for a loan of £12,000 to be raised against the life of John Cochrane - again just 21 - who was to become entitled to a large sum of money on attaining the age of 25; if he died before then the money would go to someone else. Several other life offices accepted the proposal. Alas, very shortly afterwards, as the Eagle minutes report, poor Cochrane took an open carriage from Boulogne to Calais in the teeth of a cold north-easterly wind and died in no time at all of inflammation of various organs.

Nevertheless Grute of the Palladium was a trusting man for an insurance official. There seems to have been no attempt at this stage by him, or any of the other insurers who were to be gulled, to make any attempt to verify the truth of the property bequest; perhaps the pressure to bring in the premiums led to carelessness. So despite evasive and inconclusive explanations Grute accepted the risk. Helen signed the policy and paid the premium of £39 plus £4 stamp duty - money which had come from the slim pocket of her brother-in-law.

Her life - or rather her death - had suddenly become worth a great deal of money. Ten days later it was worth double; she signed policy number 80230

THE FATAL CUP

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