Decoiiihor 'J., 15)00.
THE lLLl'STliATIOl) UMH,
ALIES AGESTS INTERFERED
They Oauso Heavy Loss to Family of
Worthy Nebraska Citizen,
QUESTIONABLE METHODS WERE EMPLOYED
People or Sttite. iiinmimlily Ai-ousotl
anil Their Protest Conic In tin
I'orni of IncrciiKcil IIiihIiicsh
for Hume Companies.
Tho recent death of tho late James K.
Cooper of lliildrege, Neb., and tho prompt
payment of an Insurance claim by ono of
our homo companies brings to light sonu
of tho questionable methods employed b
tho agents of alien companies In this stale
and incidentally points a moral worthy ot
careful consideration.
To I ho closo student ot passing events
and changing business conditions tho story
Is both interesting and lustruiiive.
On or about tho L'Oih day of last February
a representative of a Nebraska insurauic
company made his appearance In the thriv
ing city of lloldrcge unci, true to the time
honored traditions if his tribe, at onet
began si vigorous canvass for business It
represented a live, sound ami progresstvi
Nebraska company, the pollcbs which In
offered wore libiral ami up-to-date, tin
spirit of hnme patronage was In the air am
ho forthwith wrote a goodly number of
first-class appliuitli ns. One of these vn.
signed by James K. Cooper, a leading mer
chant of tho town; a u-ali of middle age
hale, 1 earty and apparently In the prime
of life. Ills examination was satisfactory.
tho premium of $:!j:i..KJ on a J.vooo twenty
payment life policy was paid anil, logcthci
with tho application, was forwarded to the
home olllco for approval and acceptance.
Just nbout this time three agents of a
well known eastern life insurance company
nrrlved upon tho scene and began a sys
temntlc canvass, not so much in tho inter
est of their own company as against the
homo company. It Is barely possible that
they were not following the homo compan
agent, but appearances were very much
against them and, to use a western expres
slon, thoy wero "a lively lot of knockers.'
Among others, thoy called upon Mr. Cooper
and, following close upon the heels ot this
call, came a request from him for an In
tervlew with the agent of tho Nebraska
company. .Mr. Cooper asked that ho be al
lowed to reduce his application from $.',000
to $2,000, and although his premium had
been paid and tho application had gone for
ward, his request was granted and tho dlf
feronce, 104.10, returned to him. This
prompt and generous treatment inidonth
had Its effect, fcr he did not, either at that
timo or Inter, apply for Insurant o from the
representatives of the eastern company
And now comes the sequel to the story
On the 13th day of last November Mr
Cooper died very .suddenly. On Decembei
12 final proofs of death were sent to tin
home company, the Hankers Iteserve Kifi
association of Omaha, ami two days lati i
tho following acknowledgment was re
colved by President II. II. Itoblson"
IIOKDUKC.K, Neh.. Dec. II. limo.-Hankers
iteserve l.liu Association, uinana, :ei,
Gentlemen: Please accept tho sincere
thanks of the friends of my late husband
James 13. Conner, for the prompt payment
In full of pulley No. 21H7 for IJ.inm by your
wormy assocumon. itiius hi himi nun ni
ters of mlmlnlst ration being mailed you
December 12 and the cbeck received u
settlement liearlinz ilato December 111, )!')
shows that the claim was approved for
pnymont Immediately on receipt or una'
proofs and remittance was made by return
mnll tlirnntrh voiir representative
Wo regret exceedingly the Interference of
certain oil no nee is linn iimnceii id
hiiHlinml tn riuinesl 11 reduction of Ills IIP
Plication from S5.CH.ki. for which ho had
implied find settled the premium, to $2.W,
thnt has caused a b-ss of $:t,ooo ti nis
famllv. that notlilnu they (an ovr it
or sav will replace.
Wishing your worthy company the patntu
ago and success to which It Is entitled from
tho citizens of this state, I remain, very
respectfully. KAPHA F. COOI'HIl.
Special Administratrix.
Tho moral of this story Is so plain that
oven "he who runs may read." It suggests
tho thought thai the cancellation of a
homo policy may mean a gain to some
cistern company, but when the Inevitable
loss conies It falls upon the widows nnd
orphans of Nebraska citizens. Our people
are beginning to realize that true pros
perity begins at home, that tho resources
of the state must be conserved and that
ono of the first and most Important steps
in this direction Is to stop the enormous
drain of life Insurance premiums ($l,rifl0,000
annually) which go to enrich eastern com
panies and to assist In the upbuilding of
similar Institutions at home.
Tho following terse bulletin, Issued from
the home olllco, seems to Indicate that our
citizens are beginning to realize this fact
and that they appreciate tho advantages
offered by a sound, conservative and hon
estly managed home company, such as Tho
Hankers Iteserve Klfe:
OFFICIO OF HANKHHS iikskkvk kifu
OMAHA, Dee. 17. Ill 0.-Monday's bulletin:
New paid business written first llfteen days
December over two hundred thousand dol
hirs. Premium Income approximates ten
thousand dollars f, r name period Thanks
tn our fiblo Held stalT ami loyal special
advisory board All death claims fur vcur
paid Immediately on receipt of proofs
H. II. ItOHISON, Presldont.
mi:i,i,iv HOI IIIIO.V
rmni oi,i Kiivri cki,
Green River Whiskey
11-11111'
ClilciiKi' Klqunr IIiiiini- 101! ,.
tdiii st.
Carpenter's Letter
iContlnucd from Sixth Pago.)
When thoy ennio ho told them that he In
tcmlul to umlio honest wives of thotii by
selling them t auction to tho highest bld-
uots. Ili sent forth n proclamation that
tlii'.v would ln for salo only to bachelois
nnd thin no om could hay nioro than ono.
I hull) were several score females In the
party and the sale attracted a groat crowd.
When thr In lit- for the auction came the
Judge anil thi' chief of police acted ns uue-
llone. rs I hey aiinnuticed to the ntMoml ly
that the would he purchasers could each
select a wife ftotn 'lnsc hi the yard an 1
Till: SLAVES OK THK LMPItKSS DO'.VAC.
PAVS THItni: III NDUKI) DOKKAIIS
hat she wiuld be put up and sold by
weight. The nun hung back, but at lat
an otd farmer walked up and picked out a
stout, hearty woman of P. "Weigh her!"
said the Judge, and. screaming anil kicking.
she was put on the scales. "Ninety cat
tics," said the weigher. "Hut lnw much
a catty," asked the farmer rather scared
lest his money should not be enough to piy
for so much woman. The sale stopped fur
a moment, for curiously enough nothing
had been said nbout the price per catty. Tho
old Judge, however, immediately asked:
"What Is the price of pork today?"
"Ninety cash a catty," replied tho police
olllcer. "Then sell them at ninety cash,"
ordered the Judge ami at that price she was
si.ld. Ninety cash at the present valuation
would not be more than ! cents In gold, so
that the farmer really paid about $1.."0 for
his wife. After tho llrst sale the women
A SKCONDAUV W1KI3 AKTIIOL'tJH WHKK
DHKSSKI), SHU IS A SKWIC.
wont off rapidly and by night the last ono
was sold.
Sllle lll'ilLcrs,
I am tobl that there are slave brokers in
nil tho large Chinese cities. Their bitslncs.
Increases at times of famine and the starv
ation which now prevails in North China
will cause many parents to sell their chil
dren. With Mime it will be a question of
allowing them to starxe or selling them nnd
the chances are that girl I allies will be a
drug In the market. Think of buying a
baby for 2D cuts! This the price which
one of the Infant asylums of Shnnghal pays
for thorn. The asylum Is a missionary In
stitution and the children are bought as
a matter of charily and religion. They ur
reated surrounded by Christian lulliiences,
are taught nil tints of donusilc duties ami
when they arrive at the proper ago are
given rcspo-table husbands.
Tho brokers, as a rule, do not buy babies.
Tho cost of rearing them and tho risk of
death Is too great. They prefer to have
girls or boys of 8 years and upward. The
prices vary In dllferent localities. I nm
told thnt In Pckln a ghl of 10 or 12 is
worth from $2." to $35. while young women
will bring from lir.n to $noo. Olrls ns a
rule Fell higher than bo, except In tin
caso of a family wanting a likely hoy for
adoption. In buying slavos tho broker often
liiHlsts on them being loft with him for a
while hoforo concluding tho deal. Ho takes
thorn on trial Just as you would tako a
horso. Ho wants to find nut If tho unlmnls
aro healthy and sound. Tho groatest
Ef
danger Is leprosy. There are many lepers
all over China and In tho llrst stages the
disease Is hard to detect. Ono method Is
to examine tho slave In a dark room under
n blue light. If this shows that the skin
Is of a greenish tlngo the slave Is all light, ,
but If the tinge Is reddish it Is a sign or '
leprosy. I
Slavery Is sanctioned by Chinese Inws. 1
It has existed from the earliest period or
Chinese history. When Charles Denby was,
I'nltul States minister to China ho sent the'
sot rotary ot state a report on the subject, In '
which he mentioned some of the laws. He
(aid that slaves who strike their mastcis ,
ami thereby kill them are sliced to death.
If they kill them accidentally they n '
HU AHH
ICINICIIS KOU WHOM SI Irt
APIKCH.
strangled, and If they arcldcnlnlly wound I
tl'cin they aio subject to Kill blows and
banishment. On the other hand. If the
master beats the slave to death for com I
mining a cilme he suffers Km blows. He
hns the right to Inflict certain pituli-hments
upon the slaves, lie can buy and sell the
children of his slaves and he can buy and
sell his own children.
I.iilior Sin I'm.
There are labor slaves In China. They
have been worked within recent years In
the coal mines west of Pokln. Thero Is
a systematic scheme In that region to In-
volvo men In gambling debts nnd then take
them to the coal mines to tnnko them work
them out. Once In tho mines they aro sub
ject to lines and other charges which make
them slaves for life. Tho Chinese govern
ment recently learned of this condition and
It has laken some steps to put a stop to
tho abuses, but I am told that It still exists
You seo In nenrly every Chinese city a
class of women who go from house to house
mending clothes. They come to the families
of foreigners nnd do their darning and
patching, sitting in tho halls or on tho
doorsteps as they work. Some of these
women are practically slaves. Thoy havo
been first or secondary wives, but tholr
husbands have grown tired of them and have
sent them out to work for themselves nnd
for them.
Among tho qucoic.st of Chinese slaves are
tho men who wait upon tho ommror ami
empress dowager and their court These
are eunuchs bought at a fixed price for
tho purpose. A special report was math
upon them seme years ago. but for obvious
rensons it was not allowed to get Into the
hands of the printers. This report states
that every fifth year certain prliei's of
China nre each required to furnish for tin
use of tho palace eight young eunuchs
for which they are to be paid $:!00 aplcci.
There are about 11,000 eunuchs connected
with Ihnperor Kwang Su and his court Hi
could have as many as ho pleases and lb
number restricted to the empress dowagi t
Is not limited.
1'HANIC (1. CUtPHNTHU
Brother Dickey's Savings
Atlanta Constitution: I don't tin' u
fault wid do woti' 'specially In do Chris'
mils season, w'en you kin hear Its hcari
beat.
Soiuu folks talk's 'bout charity so mm .i
It's a great wonder do ol' lady don't enter
a suit for libel.
It's true dat him what give ter do po
lends ter do Kurd; do only trouble is d
Kawd is expected ter pay mighty big In
trust !
If it wuzu't fer hope In de wul di
Kawd knows what I'd do fer dinner ills
time terinci rer.
Itlchcs sometimes takes wings, but v. Id
out 'mi dey couldn't outrun me en a plank
road.
.Mrs. WIiinIimv'h SihxIiiiiu: Syrup
has been used for over FIFTY YKAItS bi
MILLIONS or MOTH Kits for their CIIIL
DUKN WIIILK TKIOTHINO. with I'KIl
FKCT Src'CHSS IT SOOiiUCS tho CIIIKI)
SOFTHNH the Ol'MS. AKKAYS all PAIN
("CHIOS WIND COLIC nnd Is tho best rein
edy for DIAHHIIOICA Sold by Druggists
In every part of the world He sure nnd
ask for "Mrs Wlnslow's Soothing Syrup
and tako no otlu r k nd Twenty. live cent
a bottle
Photographic Art Studies
These ate the wolks of the Toiiueson Sisters of Chicago, and there Is probably no
more capable photographic artists in the werld than these enthuiasttc young wntiu u.
There are twele subjects from which to i boose, of which we reproduce eight
These pictures are handsome enough for aimnic's draw lug room and may be need
clTc'tlvelv ttufratued. or will look splendidly with a simple dark frame.
Handsome Christmas Gifts
These pictures are mounted on handsome black raw silk stock mounts, 12x15
if lies, tho photogtaphs are Inches These have neor been mild at the art stores
for less than one dollar. Hy sei m lag an Immense quantity of Ihem we are able t
for them
With a Coupon for 10 Cents.
When ordering state the name of the subject ami If they are In be mailed eiicios
oiir cents additional for postage ami packing.
kt im:p n'nii:vr.
THE BKfi PUBLISHING COMPANY,
17tli and Farnaiu Sts.
HU'IIANTK '''HI': MSH
.
KA8TRHTII1H, '''III': NHW 1 1 A 1 1 V
OltAND.MA S Ti:
DOI.OItlOS
CUT OUT THIS COUPON
Present at Ilco Olllco or mall this coupon with 10c and get your choice of Photo
graphic Art Studios, When ordering hy mall add lc for postage,
Alt'l' Ur.l'Alti'MILVl', IIKI3 IMIIIMNIIINCi CO., OMAHA.
HKFKKCTION
Till'; OLD HAItl'IST'S TUHASl'ItU,