Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-10-19
District Attorney Called in 10
Nab The Insurance Com.
panles' FOOLS.
Big MEN ESCAPES THE MEsnEs
Forgery and Perjury Charges May
. Confront Clerk. but Mccurdy So
/ Far Is Only RuHled by the Inquisi-
[ ton That Has Made a Wonderful
, Capture OF "Minnow."
(By Associated Preua.)


NEW YORK. Oct. IS.-The district
attorneys Office was called upon to.
day by the legislative insurance invcs
tigating committee because of the tes-
timuny of one witness. and the Qlcs-
ton of an arrest for perjury is now
being considered by Assistant District
Attorney Rand.
The witness in question is George
j. Piunkitt, an 1S-ycar.old telephone
operator in employ of the stationery
firm of j.. w. Lawrence e. Co.. from
whom the Mutual Life Insurance Com
pany purchased n great deal of its
supplies Of this nature
Who Got the Money?
II was brought out in yestt days
testimony that among the vouchers
for money charged to legal expenses
was one for 1901 signed by George j.
Plunkitt. His identity was not dis
closed until today, when Plunkitt was
called to the stand He testified as 10
his employment, and when shown the
voucher denied that he had ever sign
cd it,
He further denied that he had ever
received the amount of money from
the Mutual Life Insurance Company
or that he had rendered the company
any service.
May Have Signed Own Warrant.
Mr
his name in ink on piece of paper.
which he did. This and the vouchers
were then offered in evidence and the
similarity Of the signatures was called
to the attention of the committee.
Shortly after this incident, the ser.
seantat-arms was sent to communicate
with the district attorneys office and
soon MIR. Rand appeared. He was es-
corted to seat beside Chairman
Armstrong, ana for time he criti
cally examined the signatures. All
that Mr.. Rand would say was that he
had been summoned by Chairman
Armstrong, and when the chairman
was questioned he said the matter
was now out of the hands of the
committee and was up to the district
attorneys Office
McCurdy Is So Sensitive.
Another feature of the day was the
passage at arms between Chairman
Armstrong. Counsel Hughes and
James M. Beck, counsel for President
McCurdy. Mr.. Beck accused Mr..
Hughes of misleading tho public by
not following out his lines of interro.
CATION to the end, aud asserted that
he dropped subject before the wit
ness was allowed to explain.
Armstrong then said that the work
of the committee must not be OBJ
structed. The committee. he said,
wanted all the information It could get
that would be helpful and the witness
had placed himself in the position he
found himself by his continual evasive
answers. Mr.. Armstrong said further
that every witness will be treated with
all possible courtesy
Hughes Lands Heavy Blow.
Mr.. Hughes then said If he had
erred II was by showing courtesies
when circumstances justified an en-
thely different course, adding that
evasion would be held up to the con.
tempt 1t has always received. There
was spontaneous outburst of ap.
plause when Mr.. Hughes had conclud-
ed, which was stopped only by a
threat to clear the ROOM
William NJ. Carpenter. clerk in
the supply department of the Mutual
Life Insurance Company, who was I'M
der the direction of A C.. Fields, the
superintendent of this department,
and who was very close to Mr.. Fields
in his Legislative supervision" at AL.
bany, told of how house has been
maintained in Albany for several
years at the expense Of the Mutual
Lie, where legislators were entertaIn.