A STRANGE STORY

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2033, 19 March 1907, Page 4

A STRANGE STORY

A strange, story of the finding of an insurance policy after the lapse of many years, during which it was supposed to bo lost, and had formed the subject of law proceedings, is told by the Gore Standard. Somo twentythree years ago a Now Plymouth resident put away for safe keeping a life insurance policy, issued by the Government office, for £SOO, on the life of his father, who was then lying on his deathbed. The man hid tho policy away, owing to tho theft of about £2OO from his home, which was a public-house. Tho father died in the course of a few days, but when the policy was required in the course of the settlement of liis affairs it could not bo found, tho sou having forgotten whore ho had secretod it. Years passed by, but tho mystery was not elucidated, and in the course of time the trustees carried tho claim against tho Insurance Department to the law courts, and eventually to tho Privy Council, but the defence was successfully raised that tho policy was not lost, and when it was produced tho claim would bo paid. Tho sequel occurred in Gore last week, when tho man who had hidden tho policy visited a dentist for the purpose of having several tooth extracted. An anaesthetic was administered, and under its influence the patient’s mind dwelt on tho question of the policy, and tho whole of the details connected with the secretion of the document came back to his memory. Ho rocollocted cutting open the wallpaper in the passage of the hotel, and secreting the policy behind tho scrim, and then passing tho paper over it again. No time was lost in despatching a telegram to a brother, asking him to make a search at the spot indicated in the vision, and in throe or four hours a reply was received that the policy had been found just where the search was made, as directed.