The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-31
MR. RYAN AS VIEWED BY
 JOHN SHELTON WILLIAMS

dently, MT. Hartman was not and Is not pleased with his part of the perform ance. With the naiyete of gentleman with chin whskers from the rural dis tricts who has invested his surplus In a beautiful and glitterlng gold brick, Mir Hartman tells the investigating com mittee that he regarded Mir Ryans 8 course with the Equitable "a breach of faith Then he threatened to invoke the police in the shape of the legislature and government of the state of New York.
 "I imagine that MT. Ryan has a cer- tain Saturnine and sardonic humor. Re- fiecting that he had the swag and safely stored, he must have laughed, and then strengthening his features with solemn sanctlty, gone to the front to bow to the public and say that he had done the whole thing to prevent panic O and to make @ name for himself
 "Ie is right about that part of it. think he has established and perpetu- ated for himself several names-of the kind usually preceded by double 'd among the profane, by such words as infamous despicabe among the more moderate and invariably resented by the self-respecting and the sensitive.
 Invites Libel Suit.
 You need not be afraid to print that One of MT. Ryans merits is that he knows himself and underst lands his status pretty well. He never has sued anybody for libel. I wish he would see me-or you with tho understanding that 1 am to pay the costs and verdict and be allowed to sustain my allegations by evidence in mitigation of damages.
 He doesn't believe in himself and he is not quite fool enough to really expect the public to believe him. For instance I suppose he had not the faintest Idea that anybody would believe his assertion that his purpose in acquiring the Equt- able was to avert a panic. and more than it was believed that his purpose In acquir- ing the Seaboard Cor trying 10 acquire it) was to conserve the interests of tho property and aid John L. Williams & Sons and Middendorf S. Co. On former occasions l have compared him to Mephistopheles. He follows instinotiyely, ,and without knowledge of the part, the methods of Mephistopheles, while lack ing his breadth, strength and dignity. He does the vilest things imaginable. draws over them q veil of pretense which de- ceives nobody, and so stands in the lime light, shameless, but inwardly rejoic- ing In the belief that he has the loot. So character may depart and care may go hang He has the loot
 A Horrible Example.
 
 Young man, for your own good, take warning from Thomas F. Ryan. Mark what l tell you when I predict that he will live to be laughed at, as he has made laughter and forced his more phiosophlc victims 10 laugh at them selves. On general principles, 1 assume that he cannot go on indefinitely deceiy- ing and betrayng. Some of those who believed and trusted his solemn assur- a11p ara hearted and ruined Poor old Henry Hart of the Third Avenue Railway com pany of New York fell beneath his cruel and artful manlpulations and soon went to his grave. Mir. Hendricks of the Net ional Union bank, which MT Ryan ab- sorbed and combined with the National Bank of Commerce. is another instance MT. Hendricks was sent off on a long desired and abundantiy earned vacation to Palestine, and while he was there happily and innocently fulfilling some of him harmless life dreams, he was delib- erately undermined and virtually assas- slnated.
 T am getting into tragedy, but it only helghtens, however, sombre the back ground the hnmor of Mir Ryan as a philanthropist. I had never done him any special harm. except to successfully de- fend my rights and the rights of those associated with me against Mr. Ryan's attacks In 1899 and 1900 and to speak my mind of and to him freely when occasion required. and, so far as I have observed of him, he shares the characteristics of some of the lower races In being as de- void of resentment as he Is destitute of gratitude and regardless of obligation Yet he did allr he dared do to ruin me and mine. E and those who had joined in hls conSNacy used bonus stock which they .x-eiflifed the railway to issue to thex with bonds. to flood the market syA depreciate easoard securities. in