5 Detective Novels Magazine — page 129: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

the LOWDOWN (Continued from page 6) to take out burglary insurance—and generally do—are always the best for looting and usually the safest. Such people don’t bother to protect their property as well as the uninsured citizen who takes care to lock every window, put away the silver, leave a light burning when they go out, and so on. The more wealthy folks figure that they’re protected by the insurance people, so they seldom raise as much stink at police headquarters as the poor guy who has his TV set stolen and has no policy to cover his loss.” I said: “Still, that hardly makes the insurance companies breeders of crime.” How They Get Started “Not intentionally or willingly,’ the warden answered. “But consider a first-time offender who was sent up here last week. He had a small mercantile business in one of our coastal towns ; business had been bad for some months because of a big construction project going on beside his store; people wouldn’t come in to trade with him since they couldn't park anywhere near his store. His insurance agent had kept urging him to take out a larger fire policy on his building and stock on account of the in- flated values of real estate and merchandise. Well, he did, and when times got too tough he ‘sold the whole works to the insurance people,’ as he put it, by touching off a gallon of gasoline neatly distributed around the store. Incidental- ly, an old woman burned to death in the fire that followed. The underwriter’s arson hunters got on his trail—and here he is for seven to ten years. I began to get it. “When an insurance policy makes a person careless, either in protecting his property or in his respect for the law, then it may be a crime maker.” “That’s right,” the warden nodded. “Under- stand, I don’t think it’s the fault of the insur- ance companies, though sometimes the over- eagerness of agents who sell the policies may be a contributing factor in causing crime. But I do know that a sizable proportion of the in- mates. here were started on the road that led them to a cell by the lure of easy money ob- tainable, in one way or another, from the insur- ance companies. Look at J who’s in the lifers’ block.” Lure of Money I remembered that murder trial. A woman of thirty-eight had put barium sulphide in her husband’s beef stew in the hope of collecting a five-thousand-dollar life insurance policy after said husband had lost his job and earning ability through an eye injury. [Turn page] veal ST * a Draw for Money—Learn in Your Spare Ttime. Commer- cial Art, Designing, Cartooning—all in ome complete course. Trained Artists are capable of earning $65, $80 and more a week. No experience necessary. We teach step-by-step. Our famous method has trained thousands since 1914. TWO ART OUTFITS furnished. Low tui- tion, easy terms. Ask for new Trial Plan. WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF ART Name..... aes Bee hea CF cimerintonsontes : Sn Ease Stat ee oO I am interested in your New Trial faa High School Course CLSelLUI2a Many Finish in 2 Years Go as rapidly as your time and abilities permit. Course equivalent to resident Hep aes work — prepares for ze college entrance exams, Standard H. S. texts tod. "lingte Diplom Credit for H. S. subjects already nag ed gle sub ecto id school educatiou is very mak for advancemen§ business and indus ial Don’t be ur life, Be « Eek Schou ya ot peas tae ee e Bulletin on request. No obliza AMERICAN SCHOOL, Dept. H-258, ‘Drexel at 58th, Chicago37 | STOP TOBACCO? Banish the craving for tobacco as thou» sands have with TOBACCO REDEEMER. Write’ TODAY for free booklet telling of injurious: effect of tobacco and of a treatmen?! which has relieved many men. in Business Since 1909 300,000 Satisfied Customers THE NEWELL COMPANY 153 Clayton Sta., St. Louls 5, Mic. RELIEVES ~HANGOVERWS Nousea, Upset Stomach, Headaches FEEL GREAT...IN A JIFFY? aay works four ways. Overcomes Alcohotic oe Absorbs Gases and Toxins, Reduces Gastrie. Hyperacidity. Relieves Pain. Doctors’ tests prove STADE is safe, effective and contains no laxetives. Sald on Money ‘Back Guarantee. At your deater or send today. UNITED PHARMACAL PRODUCTS, INC. Dept. TF-2, 176 W. Adams, Chicago 3 Canada: 36 Yonge St., Toronto 1, Ont. DO YOU WANT TO (©)