The Minneapolis journal., 1905-10-11
M'CALL REARED
The FRANKEFSTEIN
Head of New York Life Invoked
Insurance Publicity to
Hurt Rival. .
EXPOSED EQUITABLE;
NOW HE is INVOLVED
Gave to the Newspapers the Eqait-
able Scandal to Help New
York Life.

New York, Oct. 11.-If it had not
been for the desire of John A. Nc
Call, president of the New York Life,
to take advantage of a rivals d1scom-
future there might never have been an
Armstrong insurance investigation, and
the world would have known nothing OF
the amazing story Of corruption for
years and years to come. Compare
lively few persons know who drew aside
the curtain and turned on the limellght.
The stage manager was John A. Mccall.
article telling of the great row in the
house of the Equitable. 1t may seem
Hike a trick of fate or retributive JUS
tice that the force he called into being
to iniure others should react upon him.
He had no idea of the insurance Frank
ensteir he was creating-a Franken-
stein that has pursued him and will con-
tinue to pursue him as relentlessly as
the original Frankenstein pursued its
creator.
Meant Much to Mccall.
It seemed such clever thing at the
time and it meart so much to the New
York Life and to Mccall. A little
light on the situation in the Equitable
and public confidence in the New York
Life's most formidable rival would be
impaired. It was all very plain, but
long, long ago homely old philosopher
gave utterance to a ,proverb to the eff
feet that persons living in glass houses
Mr.. Mccall threw against the Equitable
window has smashed an awful lot OF
glass, and it hasn It reached the ground
yet. 1t is doubtful whether James H.
Hyde knew who threw the stone. He
was more than anxious-eager, in fact,
to learn He suspected Tarbell, but
Tarbell was innocent. He suspected
Alexander, but Alexander had no part
in it.
Tragic Side to Exposure.
There is tragic side to this exposure
which John A. Mccall started that, per-
haps, has more of the element of human
interest in it than the main narrative
itself. It deals with P. J. Hanway,
friends. To carry out Mr.. Mccall s
wishes toward smashing the glass in the
Equitable s house, Mr.. Hanway sacri-
feed his life. 81
=. Little goes on in one insurance camp
that is not known in the others. The
big concerns watch each other like
hawks. Months before Alexander and
Hyde came to an open break in the
Equitable, the officials efstthe New Y ork
/. Life and the Mutual knew that trouble
was brewing. At the first sign, of asrl,p-
ture they got word of it, and. every de-
tail of the contest as it developed was
followed by them with the deepest in
terest. There is reason to believe that
the Equitable g rivals egged on the
warriors from the first, and that there
was an understanding between the lead
ers of the Alexander faction and the
New York Life officials that if Alexan-
der and Tarbell should fail in forcing
Hyde to mutualize the Equitable, they
and their followers would be taken care
of by the New York Life.
Mccall Saw Opportunity.
When the struggle had reached a
stage where one faction or the other
had to go to the wall, Mr.. Mccall saw
in the situation an opportunity to- ado
greatly to the power and scope OF the
New York Life. All his ambitions were
centered in the company OF which ne
was the head. To increase its business
to add to it's prestige, to make it the
dominant power in the insurance ant
financial world was his constant aim
Once the public knew of the Turmoil
within the house of the Equitable, tha
concern was sure to suffer. A larg!
proportion Of new business which ordl
narily and naturally it could comman'
would be diverted to its great rivals:
On Sunday, Feb. 12, Patrick j.. Han
-wav. who was editor of an insuranc
paper and who formerly was financla
editor of one of the great dailies, wa
requested by Mr. Mccall tc make pub
lie the facts in relation to the trouble
within the Equitable. Mr.. Hanway wa
an intense ad mirer of Mr.. Mccall, an
they had been friends for many years
When the message came to him ne wa
confined to his bed at home with
heavy cold, which his doctor feare
wonld develop into pneumonia. The 1a
was a. wretched one. It had been col
and disagreeable, and a heavy rain sc
in toward evening. When Mr.. Hanwa
announced that he had to go out, tn
members of his family became alarmeii
They argued with him that trip i
such weather to man in his condltlo
might cost him his life. He laughlngl e;
assured them that he was all rlght. In
cold was not much, he declared, an
besides. there was nothing on earth b
would not do to oblige the gGhtlema
who had asked him to go out. Argume1
was of no avail, and at las! MS Iailll !,
nermitted him to call carriage, and l
was driven away. .m 49,
Told the Newspapers.
He drove to the various newspap
offices It was night when he starte
r. was midnight when he had made Il
ronnds. The rain was. coming DOW
steadily and the mercury was near {,
freezing point. He did not think II
Trim had done him any harm, but wht
he had fulfilled his mission he was
most exhausted. He went on to CO
on one Of his old friends, q aoe5e
whose office is near the Brookl!!
bridge. This medical friend told nj
he had been very lndlscreet TO Q
in such weather The doctor prescrlb
for him and Mr.. Hanway, drove non
He was magnificent specimen OF Ph3
ical manhood, and a few days lat,
his cold appearing to be no worse,
was able to 90 to his office. Th
the cold settled on his lungs, and IN
few weeks he died. -
No man in New York was bett
qualified to put the story before 7
public than was Mr.. Hanway. he
the confidence and esteem OF ma
prominent newspaper men. he kns
all the facts about the Equitable
broglio, and referred the various e.
tors he visited to certain high insl
ance officials to verify the statemeI
he made if any verifcation was nee
sary Mr.. Hanway's character al
standing were sufficient in 'themselv
to guarantee the correctness of a;
statement he. gave out, but, in keepi
with newspaper custom, the officials
Continued on 5th Page, Sd Column.