INSURANCE CLAIM

Evening Post, Issue 12, 14 July 1936, Page 9

INSURANCE CLAIM

NIECE OF SUICIDE

JUDGE FINDS IN FAVOUR

APPEAL TO BE MADE

United Press Association—By Electric Tele-

graph—Copyright. (Received July 14, 9.50 a.m.)

LONDON, July 13,

The Judge found in favour of Mrs. Beresford in the case in which she claimed £43,000 from the Royal Insurance Company in respect of insurance arising out of the insurance of her-uncle, Major Charles Rowlandson.

Insurance policies, he said, were often used for commercial purposes, and their value would decline if it was established that assurors were re-

leased from liability in a case of suicide. Moreover, if a man was hanged, was it to the benefit of the community that his dependants should receive nothing under a legitimate insurance policy?

The company is appealing against the decision.

Major Rowlandson, who was wounded in the South African War. served, in the Great War and was invalidedv home in 1918, was insured for £81,000. He .surrendered £30.000 and further reduced the balance by loans. After the policy had been running for ten years he was unable to pay a premium amounting to £454 and obtained an extension until 3 o'clock on August 3, 1934. After vainly making an effort to raise the amount of the premium he shot himself in a taxi-cab- shortly before 3, o'clock after directing the attention of the driver to the time. In the recent hearing of the case, in which an action is being brought against the insurance company on behalf of creditors, the jury brought in a verdict that Rowlandson was sane. It had been argued on behalf of the claimants that Rowlandson was insane.