Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1905-10-19
Discovers Perjury in In
SurdnCe Investigation
YOUNG ILLEGAL ADVISOR
Who Denied his Signature Of a
Voucher for Money Paid by the nu-
tual Life for Legal Expenses. A
Home at Albany.


tOrney's office was called upon today
by the legislative investigation COM
mittee because of testimony of one
witness, and the question of an arrest
for perjury is now being considered
by Assistant District Attorney Rand.
The witness in question is Geo. J.
Plunkitt an eighteen -year-OId tele-
ephone operator in the employ of the
stationery firm of L. w. Lawrence &
Company, from whom the Mutual
Life Insurance company purchased a
great deal of its supplies OF this ma
ture. 1t was brought out in yester-
days testimony that among the
vouchers for money charged to legal
expenses was one for S9O1, signed by
Geo. J. 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 it. He further denied that he
had ever received that amount of
money from the Mutual Life, or that
he had rendered the company any ser
vice.
Mr.. Hughes asked Plunl1itt to write
his name in ink on a piece OF paper,
which he did. This and the voucher
were then offered in evidence and the
similarity of the signatures was call
ed to the attention of the committee.
Shortly after this incident the SER
geant at arms was sent to communi-
cate with the district attorneys office
and soon after Mr.. Rand appeared.
He was escorted to a seat beside
Chairman Armstrong, and for time
he critically examined the signatures
All that Mr.. Rand would say was that
he had been summoned by Chairman
Armstrong, and the matter was now
out of the hands of the committee and
was up to the district attorneys Of
flee"
Another feature of the days hearing
was the passage at arms between
Chairman Armstrong, Counsel Hughes
and Jas. NJ. Beck, counsel for Presi-
dent Ramsey. Mr.. Beck accused Mr..
Hughes of misleading the public by
not following out his lines of interro-
cation to the end, and asserted that he
dropped a subject before the witness
was allowed to explain. Chairman
Armstrong said that the work of the
committee must not be obstructed.
The cimmittee, he said. wanted all the
information it could get that would be
helpful, and the witness had placed
himself in the position he found him
self by his continual evasive answers
Mr.. Armstron said further that every
witness will be treated with all pOssi-
bic courtesy. Mr.. Hughes then said
if he had erred il was by showing
coUrtesies when circumstances justi
fled an entirely different course, add
ing that evasion would be held up to
the contempt it has always received.
There was a spontaneous Outburst of
applause when Mr.. Hughes had con-
011r xr-1f fpI, CT oo1x hxv a
threat to clear the room.
VIM. A. Carpenter, clerk in the sup
ply department of the Mutual Life In
surance company, made an excellent
witness for the committee by his frank
manner before the committee. Mr..
Carpenter was under the direction of
A c. Fields, superintendent of this
department and was very close to Mr..
Fields in his Legislative supervision"
at Albany. Mr.. Carpenter told of how
a house has been maintained in AL
bany for several years at the expense
of the Mutual Life. Mr.. Fields Occu-
pied it only during the legislative
session, and on several OCCASIONS two
members of the insurance committee
of the legislature lived in the house
with Mr. Fields.
Mr.. Carpenter leased the house and
paid for the servants and supplies
with money furnished by the Mutual
Life. He did not know whether these
members of the insurance committee
ever shared in the expense; 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
received on vouchers calling for dis
bursements for legal expenses. A
house has been maintained for a peri
Cd of about ten years in Albany under
these conditions, but always in the
same street. Later in the day, when
Mr.. McCurdy was recalled, the presi-
dent said he did not know that the
Mutual Life funds had been maintain
ing this house, although he did know
that Mr.. Fields had rented a house TO
escape the risk of illness in hotels. He
said that Mr.. Fields paid $500 rent.
Mr.. Carpenter said the entire expense
of running the house was about 81,
500.
An attempt was made by Mr..
Hughes today to get trace of ThOs. ID.
Jordan, former controller of the Equi-
table Life Assurance society. Frank
=. jordan was called under a subpoe-
nae and he said he saw his father last
on Labor day. He did not know then
IIldI hS NdS gums away anu III oiNA
not know where he was now. Under
persistent questioning by Mr.. Hughes
young Jordan said that no mail was
forwarded to his father and that he
did not know whether his father or
his mother We're living or dead.
Edgar w. Rogers, a clerk for L. w.
Lawrence & company, was called and
was represented by John 3. Stanch-
field. Rogers is also president of the
Globe Printing company. He was
shown the PIunkitt voucher and said
he was of the opinion that the sigma
ture on the voucher and that written
by Plunkitt on the stand were iden-