“Fraud Claims Exposed,” Toronto Globe. March 8, 1933. Page 1.
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Inquiry Unmasks Racket Attempt To Feign Injuries
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Two Convicted on Charges. Laid by Compensation Board
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DOCTORS ARE PUZZLED
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Special Solution Aggravated Hurts, Evidence Discloses
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One of the most startling cases of fraud, a racket declared to be entirely new in this country, was brought to light in Police Court yesterday with the conviction of two men on charges of conspiracy to defraud the Workmen's Compensation Board.
Induce Injuries by Solution.
According to the evidence of Inspector E, D. L. Hammond of the Provincial Police, one of the accused would induce minor injuries and abrasions to last several months by injecting a solution into the affected parts of his own and several other workmen's bodies. It was stated that hundreds of people had been so "treated" at a fee of $5 each, and thereby enabled to receive compensation from the board and several insurance companies. far in excess of legitimate claims.
The investigation. which has been under way for two weeks, is still being vigorously conducted by Provincial Police and Detectives Clarke and Wilson of the city force.
Pleading guilty to the charges in court yesterday were Larar Balich, aged 38, of 375 Parliament Street, who was sentenced to two years in Kingston Penitentiary and ordered deported. and Ely Bozich, aged 28, of 11 Wilkins Avenue, who received a sentence of three months, but was later given. until today to make restitution to the board of $120. and to an insurance company of an approximate sum of $115.
While the amount in the cases of Bozich and Baitch are said to have run into a few hundred dollars, officer's of the board claim that the fraud has extended to other persons, running into some thousands of dollars.
Horrible Details Explained.
Details of the horrible and health-destroying practice were related by Inspector Hammond in Police Court, and to The Globe by V. A. Sinclair, Chairman of the Workmen's Compensation Board.
Mr. Sinclair referred to a case where a man was receiving treatment and compensation for an injured eye, but despite all the attending physician could do, the optic failed to show any improvement. The physician then hit upon the idea of sealing the eye with a plaster cast, so that no foreign matter could find its way into the injured member. Immediately the eye started to heal, and the workman was son ordered fit for work.
The board Chairman told The Globe that the substance used was one introduced into this country from the Austrian army, where malingerers used it to escape service.
Difficult to Diagnose.
More than a dozen prominent medical men failed to diagnose the infections after they were induced by the Injections, and even when several portions of the tissue surrounding the injured parts were scrutinized under the microscope or analyzed in the laboratory.
The stated practice as related to The Globe was for an injured workman to apply for compensation in the usual manner and receive it quite legitimately. He then would be approached by Baitch, who, it is alleged. would offer to inject the fluid for a sum of $5. An injection made about one inch from the wound itself and the infected part would refuse to respond to treatment.
In one case coming to the notice of officials a city workman, who was "wise" to the procedure, left for work after telling his landlady that she should not be surprised if the ambuIance brought him home at 10 o'clock that morning. Sure enough, precisely at 10, the ambulance drove up to the door with the man who had been injured, and he was later able to collect a nice sum from the Compensation Board after the fluid had been introduced into the wound. Later it. was learned that the workman had deliberately injured his foot in the first place by striking it with a pick.
No Response to Treatment.
Injuries to hands and feet were common among workmen, but it was the fact that several of them refused to respond to ordinary and even extra- ordinary treatment that brought suspicion, said Mr. Sinclair. Police were then called in.
Inspector Hammond stated in evidence that Baitch, who had suffered a minor injury to his hand while at work, had been sent to a doctor by the board and had been discharged after a few days as cured and instructed to return to work. Instead, witness testified, Baitch had remained in bed and his wound became gradually worse, until it was in a terrible state. There was a formation of pus, and all efforts of physicians to determine the cause had met with defeat.
All through 1931 and 1932 the condition persisted, Inspector Hammond continued, and early this year a second case had come to the attention of the board, arousing suspicion. A man by the name of Bozich had an arm affected much the same as in the case of Baitch. Witness told of searching Baitch's rooms and finding several bottles filled with a fluid and sediment, which Baitch had finally admitted was the stuff used to produce the diseased condition of his arm.
"Deadly Stuff."
"It was a deadly stuff," Inspector Hammond stated, "which might easily have caused death."
By using it, witness continued, Baitch had kept himself in such a horrible condition for over two years that he had been receiving hospital and medical attention, while, all told, he had received from the Workmen's Compensation Board the sum of $1,904.
Inspector Hammond alleged that Baltch had met Bozlch, who was suffering also from a minor accident, and had given him an injection. Bozich, who had been alarmed by the result, according to witness, had refused a second Injection and had reported the occurrence. Witness claimed that Bozich was but one of many who had subjected themselves to the scheme, while it was alleged also that Baitch had charged $5 an injection and that many had paid.
In pointing out the horror the crime had awakened in the local Jugoslavian colony. Defense Counsel Grudeff declared that these people were law-abiding and self-respecting.
[AL: Baitch also spelled Bazick, was single, 31, from Yugoslavia (and specifically Croatian) and a military veteran. He was convict #2978 at Kingston Penitentiary, and worked in a general labour gang. He was soon confined to the hospital, an eventually in October 1933 was transferred to the Ontario Hospital, Rockwood, due to a perceived mental illness. He was deported in November 1934 back to Yugoslavia.]
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Here are some photos of the Amok Time Spirk cosplay I made for me and my friend for a convention!
obligatory spirk pic (we took a lot of very cute photos I have a whole folder in my phone)
It was quite a process honestly. We bought shirts from a thrift store and I altered them to be tight fitting. Then we added the black collar, which was very much eyeballing it but I think it turned out pretty good. We had to put some stealth safety pins in it to wear it though, so that the collar would fit snug to the neck (we couldn’t make them smaller because yk your head has to fit through). The rank stripes are giftwrap and glue lol but honestly they look really accurate (makes me wonder if they didn’t just do the same thing back in the 60s tbh). The insignias we also made ourselves. We cut them out on white fabric and sprayed it with gold spray and then I printed and cut out a stencil and did the black lines with marker.
Also, the most stressful moment in my entire sewing experience had to be cutting the slit into the Kirk uniform. All that work and i just have to cut into it. You better believe I measured and tried it over twenty times before cutting. Also I took a lot of photos before so I’d have something if I ruined it lol
Btw I stuck two pieces of bandaid on the inside at the ends of the slit to prevent it from ripping further.
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