The evening times., 1899-05-17
SERIOUS Bx1sEnY CHARGES.
A Former Governor Of Connecticut
Accused by . Committee.

| A Former Governor Of Connectient
Accused by . COnmittee.
Hartford. Conn.,, May 1.-THE joint ju-
dietary committee Of the General Assembly
held four hours hearing yesterday
afternoon on the charges that Insurance
Commissioner Frederick Belts. in settling
the 81, ,000. 900 suit Of the State against the
Aetna Life Insurance Company, was In
fuenced by q bribe Of $780, The insur-
ance commissioner brought suit to compel
the Aetna Life to credit to the account OF
its mutual policy holders sums which had
been, he maintained, Illegally credited to
the stock department.
The amount involved, 100000. would
have admittedly stopped dividends on the
Aetna's stock for. some time. Though the
! State won every point in the contest on
April 26. Of last year, the superior court
| ratified compromise agreement by which
the company credited to its mutual de-
partment securities worth 1000, 900 and
$100, 900 in cash.
The Aetna stock which had been down
to It's Immediately jumped to 250. Former
Governor Morgan G. Bulkely is president
| of the Aetna Life, and the charges which
the legislature committee has been inves-
tigating mentioned Bulkely himself as the
person who induced the commissioner TO
| let the company down easy.
Hearings on these charges. which were
brought In the name of Henry O'Sullivan.
editor of the Waterbury Globe. and a
brother Of DIR. William J. OSullivan, OF
New York. have brought Henry Alloway,
proprietor of the New Haven Palladium, -
and financial editor OF the New York
Times and J. Edward Dennis. manager
Of the Palladium" into the case as the al
legged 60 o-betweens with Bulkely and Belts
Clarence Denning, local lawyer. and
writer on insurance and other topics for
the New York Evening Post" has re-
Gently revived interest in the investigation
by an endeavor to prove that the
| charges had been brought in conspi-
racy to prevent the appointment of Com
missioner Belts
Former Governor Lorin A. Cock yesterday
told how Belts and his counsel asked him
in April, 1898, as a member Of the board
OF control to vote an emergency appropria-
tion for the expenses If the suit. The
governor replied that the lawyers needn't
stop the suit for fear of the States refus-
ing to pay them. Six days later the settle
ment Of the suit was ratified by the court.
Lawyer C. W. Case. OF Hartford, who.
with William H. Stayton. of New York.
represents Mr.. Alloway, told the commit
tee that Mr.. Alloway, who had been in
vited to appear. would not do SO at this
time, but would claim that privilege II the
testimony made 1t seem necessary. He may
appear later, for w. H. Clark, former
newspaper writer. now broker in New
York. charged him yesterday with having
handled the bribe money.
Mr.. Clark said that Alloway told him
long ago that he was going to have Belts
made insurance commissioner on account
OF the "Palladium's" party services.
Il shall be the commissioner in fact"
he quoted Alloway as saying. for Belts
knows nothing about insurance. Then
I'll make Bulkely do a song and dance. /
know how to make him do it, too"
Clark related how he had met Dennis
one day last year at Broadway and Cedar
Street.
Dennis was sore on Alloway." Clark
said. He told me how he had carried $780,
900 from the Aetna Life to Alloway. who
had kept all the money. SO that he. Den
mis-. got none. Dennis said the money had
been paid to him at the Hotel Manhattan
after several conferences with Bulkely.
Il told him. added Clark, that Allo-
way would rob him IL he could"
John T. Roberts and his wife Marie. who
were cashier and stenographer of the
Connecticut Indemnity Association of Wa
terbury. were examined concerning pay
ments made by Manager Colegrave of that
concern to Editor O'SulIivan about the
time Of the publication Of an article in the
Sunday Globe of Waterbury and the
New York Times on February 6. 1899.
headed, The Greatest Insurance Scandal
in the History of Connecticut"
This article criticised the conduct by
Belts Of the suit against the Aetna. Belts.
1t was shown by the testimony, put the
indemnity association into the hands OF
a receiver. There was evidence of 81 900
being paid Charles R. Baldwin in New
York for the purpose Of influencing Belts
through Alloway to make a more favor
able report upon their company. 1t ap-
pears, however. that Belts was harsEer
than eyer after this naymanf