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Show SUICIDE OF INSURED PERSON DOES NOT NULLIFY POLICY WASHINGTON. April 22. In deciding the case of Amanda S. Whitfield of Kansas Kan-sas City, Mo., vs. the Aetna Life Insurance Insur-ance company of Hartford, the Supreme court of the United States today construe-! the .Missouri State law providing that the suicide of an Insured person shall not constitute a valid defense In resisting payment upon the policy against the company. The opinion was delivered by Justir-e Harlan, and reversed the decision of the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eighth circuit, which derision was In favor of the company. The policy Involved was for $5000, upon the life of James Whitfield, Whit-field, husband of the plaintiff, and was taken out about elghtAen months before the death by suicide. 'There was a rlaue exempting the company from paying more than $500 In case of suicide, and this sum the local Federal court awarded. The Court of Appeals took the position that an expansive construction of the law would render the statute violative of the common law allowing freedom In contracts. con-tracts. The court, therefore, held that the State law could not properly be construed con-strued as prohibiting the right to classify risks which had been done In providing for the payment of only $500 in rase of the death of the Insured by his own hand. The Supreme court took the opposite op-posite view. KANSAS CITT. April 22 James Whit-field Whit-field was for twelve year sporting editor of the Kansas City Star, which position, together with that of president of the Western Baseball league, he held at. the time of his death, April 20, 1901. Whitfield, Whit-field, despondent over financial matters, shot himself. His widow and one son, live in Kansas City. |