The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-19
DENIES THAT He
SIGNED VOUCHER
CLERK Causes Sensation in Insurance
Investigation.
CASE FOR THE GRAND JURY
TESTIMONY AS TO "OIL" ROOM
AT ALBANY.

Al EW YORK, Oct. 1S.-The district at
torney's office was called upon TO-
day by the legislative insurance III
vestigation because of the testimony oil
ore witness and the requirement OF an
answer for perjury and is now being con-
sidered by Assistant District Attorney
Rand. The witness in question is George
=. Plunkett, an lS-year-Old telephoilt
operator in the employment or l.. w,
Lawrence, from whom the MUTUAL LII
Insurance company purchased a sreal
deal of its supplies OF stationery. II
was brought out in yesterdays tesu-
mony that among the vouchers Tor money
charged for the expenses was one Ioi
S9l signed by George b. Plunkett. HIS
identity was not disclosed until today
when Plunkett was called 10 the stahu;
He testified as TO his employment, anu
when shown the voucher denied that ht
had ever signed il. He further dehleu
that he had ever received that amount
of money from the Mutual Life lnsur-
ance company or that he had rehuereu
The company any service.
Signatures Were Similar.
Mr.. Hughes asked PIunkett 10 write
his name on piece of paper, which ne
did. This and the voucher were lheI
Of the signatures was called TO the at
tentiOn of the committee.
Shortly after this incident the ser
geant-aU-arms was sent TO communicate
with the district attorneys office ano
soon Mr. Rand appeared. lie was es'
cOrted to a seat beside Chairman Arm
strong, and for time he critically eA-
amined the signatures All that Mir
Rand would say was that lie had been
summoned by Chairman Armstrong and
the matter vas now out OF the hands
OF the committee and was up TO the dis
Irlct attorneys office
Some Plain Talk.
Another feature Of the days hearing
was the passage at arms between Chair
man Armstrong Counsel Hughes. anC
James NJ. Beck. counsel for President
McCurdy Mr. Beck accused Mr.. Hughes
or misleading the public by not FOL
lowing out his lines of interrogation tG
the end, and asserted that ne dropped
a subject before the witness was allowed
70 explain, Chairman Armstrong then
said that the work Of the COMMITTEES
must not be obsructed The committee
he said, wanted all The Information il
could get that would be helpful, and the
witness had placed himself in the pO-
sit1on he found himself by his continual
eVasive answers. Mr.. Armstrong said
further that ali witnesses would be
treated with every possible courtesy. Mr.
Hughes said that if he had been guilty
of . lack of courtesy, it was uninten-
tional
Told All He Knew.
utam y. carpenter, clerk IA the
supply department of the Mutual Life
insurance COMPANY made an excellent
witness Tor The committee by his frank
manner and apparent desire to give
Whatever infornation ne could upon The
matter before the committee
Mir. CARPENTER was under the direction
of a. c. Fields the superintendent of this
department, and was very close to MIR,
Fields In his Legislative supervision al
Albany. Mr Carpenter told of how a
house had been maintained in Albany
Tor several years at the expense of the
Mutual Life. Mr. Fields occupied it only
during legislative sessions, and on sew
eral occasions two members Of the insuT-
auce committee of the legislature lived
az the house, one of whom was Senator
McCleliand. Mr. Carpenter leased the
house ana paid for the servants and sup
piles with money furnished him by the
Mutual Life. He did not know whether
these members of the insurance commit
/ tee ever shared in the expense; he ne -er
| received any money from them, but he
said they might have paid Mr.. Fields.
No Account Kept.
No account was kept of these expcnd-
lures, and the money was all received
on vouchers calling for disbursements
maintained for a period of about ten
years in Albany under these conditions,
but not always in the same street. Later
in the day Mr.. MCCurdy was recalled.
that the Mutual Lies funds had been
maintaining this house, although he did
know that Mr. Fields had rented house
10 escape the risk of illness in hotels.
He was assured Mr.. Fields paid $500 rent.
Mr.. Carpenter said the entire expense
Of running the house had been about
$500.
Jordan Is Missing.
An attempt was made by Mr.. Hughes
today to get trace Of Thomas ID. Jordan,
former controller OF the Equitable Life
Assurance society. Frank r.. Jordan was
called under a subpoena, and he said he
saw his father last Labor day. He did
not know then that he was going away,
and did not know where he was now.
Under persistent questioning by Mr..
Hughes, young Jordan said no mail was
forwarded 10 his father, and that he drl
not know whether his father or his
mother were living or dead.
Edgar ". Rogers, clerk for l., W.
Lawrence x Co, was called and was rep
resented by John ID. Stanchfield. Rogers
Is also the president of the Globe Print
ing company. He was shown the PUNK
int voucher and said me was of the Opln-
ION that the signature on the voucher
and that written by Plunkitt on the
stand were Identical He did not recog-
MIC either OF them definitely as the
signature Of Plunkitt.
Signed by Rogers.
A voucher drawn ia December 1902, for
81 $3.50 and signed by Rogers was
charged To legal services OF the Mutual
Life. but Rogers could not remember the
circumstances of a transaction so FAR
back lie acknowledged that II bore MS
signature and that he must have received
the money, but for what II was dlsbursed
ne could not remember. The checks for
which both the Plunldtt and Rogers
vouchers were signed were ordered to be
produced. and they Will be presented at
a later session Of the committee
Toward the close of the days session