Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-10-19
KEEPS HOUSE FOR LOBBYISTS
New Phase Of Mutual LIES Scheme for
Watching Legislation.
CLERK MAY B. PROSECUTED FOR PERJURY
Boy who signed voucher for 1901
for Legal Expenses Says He
Never Received the
Money.

Money.
NEW YORK, oct 1s-The district at
torneys Office was called upon today by the
legislative insurance investigating company
because of the testimony of one witness and
the question OF an arrest for perjury is now
being considered by Assistant District At
torney Rand. The witness in question is
George ]. Plunkett, an 1s-year-old telephone
operator in the employ OF the stationery
firm Of L. w. Lawrence & Co., from whom
the Mutual Life Insurance company pur-
chased great deal Of it's supplies Of this
nature. 1t was brought out in yesterdays
testimony that among the vouchers for
money charged to legal expenses was one
for 1901 signed by George ]. Plunkitt. His
identity was not disclosed until today,
when Plunkitt was called to the stand. He
testified as to his employment and when
shown the voucher denied that he had ever
signed 1t. He further denied that he had
ever received that amount Of money from
the Mutual Life Insurance company or that
he had rendered the company any service.
Mr.. Hughes asked Plunkitt to write his
name In ink on a piece of paper. which he
did. This and the voucher was then Of
fered in evidence and the similarity of the
signatures was called to the attention of
the committee.
Shortly after this incident the sergeant
alarms was sent to communicate with the
district attorneys Office and soon Mr.. Rand
appeared. He was escorted to a seat beside
Chairman Armstrong, and for a time he
critically 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 at
torneys Office"
Tilt Between Hughes and Beck. 4
Another feature of the days hearing
was the passage at arms between Chair
man Armstrong. Counsel Hughes and
James NJ. Beck, counsel for President r.
A. McCurdy. Mr.. Beck accused Mr..
Hughes of misleading the public by not
following out his lines of Interrogation to
the end and asserted that he dropped a
subject before the witness was allowed to
explain. Chairman Armstrong then said
that the work of the committee must not
be INSTRUCTED. 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 followed
himself by his continual evasive answers.
witness will be treated with all possible
courtesy. Mr.. Hughes then said IL he had
erred It was by showing courtesies when
circumstances justified an entirely differ
ent course, adding that evasion would be
held up to the contempt it has always
received. There was a spontaneous out
burst of applause when Mr.. Hughes had
concluded which was stopped only by
threat to clear the room.
House for Lobbyists.
William NJ. Carpenter, a clerk in the sup
ply department of the Mutual Life 1nsur-
ance company, made an excellent witness
for the commission by his frank manner
and apparent desire TO give whatever in
formation hu o:Jrld upon The matter before
the committee. Mr.. CGrIenter was under
the direction OF A. c. Fields, the guperin-
tendent OF this department and was very
close to Mr.. Fields in his Legislative SUI
pervision" at Albany. Mr.. Carpenter told
of how a house had been maintained in
Albany for several years at the expense of
the Mutual Life. Mr.. Fields occupied II
only during the legislative session and on
several occasions two members of the leg
islature lived at the house with Mr.. Fields.
Mr.. Carpenter leased the houses and paid
for the servants and supplies with money
furnished him by the Mutual Life. He did
not know whether these members Of the
insurance company ever shared IN The ex-
pense: he never received any money from
them; but he said they might have paid
Mr.. Fields No account was kept OF these
expenditures, and the money was all re-
ceived on vouchers calling for dlsburse-
merits for legal expenses. A house has been
maintained for a period OF about ten years
in Albany under these conditions, but not
always in the same street.
Later In the day. when McCurdy was re-
called, the president said he did not know
that the Mutual Lifes funds had been
maintaining this house, although he did
know that Mr., Fields had rented house
to escape the risk of Illness in hotels. He
was assured Mr. Fields paid $500 rent. Mr.
Carpenter said the entire exnense of rum
ming the house had been about $500
Thomas ID. Jordan Missing.
An attempt was made by Mr. HUGHES
today to get trace OF Thomas d. Jordan
former controller of the Equitable Life As
surance society. Frank B. 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 per-
| sistent questioning by Mr.. Hughes young
| Jordan said no mail was forwarded to his
father and that he did not know whether
! his father or his mother were living or
dead.
Edgar w Rogers, a clerk for L. w. Law
renee & Co, was called and was repre-
sented by John b. Stanchheld. Rogers is
also the president of the Globe Printing
company. He was shown the Plunkitt
| voucher and said he was Of the opinion
| that the signature on the voucher and that
written by Plunkitt on the stand were
Identical. He could not recognize either Of
/ them definitely as the signature of Plunkitt.
| A voucher drawn In 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 circum-
! stances of a transaction so far back. He
Acknowledged that it bore his signature
and that he must have received the money.
| but for what II was 1isbursed he could not
remember. The checks for which both
Plunkitts and Rogers vouchers were signed
were ordered to be produced, and they will
be presented at a later session OF the COM
| mittee
| Toward the close OF the days session Mr..
! McCurdy was being INTERCEPTED on the
trust companies with which the Mutual
Life Insurance company is connected and
the subsidiary companies of the Mutual