The Morris County chronicle., 1905-10-24
RAND WAS SUMMONED
Startling Admissions Regarding
MutuaI's Transactions Before
Insurance Committee.
COMPANY HOUSED SENATORS

once Boy Of Paper Company swore He
Never Signed Voucher or Received
Money aFor Legal Expenses"-ApPli-
cant For Policy Was Referred by
Home Office to an Agent.
New York, Oct. 19.--Assistant Dis
frict Attorney Rand was summoned
.hurriedly to the insurance inquiry. It
was after the mysterious George Plum
kett had been produced-he is only
twenty and telephone operator-and
Plunkett had sworn that he never sign
ed a Mutual Life voucher for $90l.15
s.for legal services"
Plunkett works for the Globe Print
ing company and L. w. Lawrence &
Co, which is allied with the Mutual.
He was asked to write his signature
IN the presence of the committee. The
signatures were so decidedly alike that
the committee men were puzzled. Plum
kett insisted that he had never signed
the voucher or received the money.
In explaining the heavy expenditures
he had made for travelling expenses in
1903 Robert FL. McCurdy testified that
on one of the trips he had taken his
father, mother and wife In private
car as far as Los Angeles, stopping at
various places to inspect the general
agencies of the company. That trip
cost the policy holders, according to
the books of the company, $1,376.76.
Another trip cost $500, Mr.. Nc
Curdy's wife and a maid accompany
ing him. The expenses of Mrs Nc
Curdy and the maid, he said, were de-
frayed by him individually and not
charged up against the company.
The House In Albany.
william NJ. Carpenter who testified
he had been paid by the Mutual for
securing house in Albany for Fields
In 1903, said Messrs. McClelland and
Graney, then senators, had stopped"
there for awhile. M
Mr.. Carpenter told the committee
that he might have seen Eugene Wood,
the lobbyist, and Moe Dinkelspiel at.
the Mutual's house, but he was not
quite sure about it He was certain
that in the ten years in which he was
familiar with the Albany place no gem
eral entertainment had been given to
legislators there The expenses, in
cluding the payment of the caretaker,
butler and cook, We're charged up to
the Mutual's legal expense account, ac-
cording to many vouchers which were
introduced In evidence.
Mr.. Carpenter said that he had seen
A. G. Fields as recently as the 1st Of
October. Mr.. Fields was then living at
Kingston, N Y. He believed that
Fields was now In southern California.
Edgar W. Rogers, president Of the
Globe company, also nonpIused the
committee by swearing that he could
not remember what services he had
given in return for a Mutual voucher
for legal services" amounting to ST.
66750. He is not a lawyer
Beck tried with great energy to ex-
clude a letter written to a Brooklyn
man who applied by mail for insur
ance. But Mr.. Hughes calmly read the
Mutual letter into evidence
That communication from the home
Office of the company advised the ap-
plicant to see @. H. Raymond & Co.,
the agency out of which Son-in-Iaw
Thebaud takes three-quarters of the
profits.
Mccurdy Was Angry.
Asked why the home office should
force itself thus to pay commissions.
Mr.. McCurdy entered into a devious
explanation of great length to the ef-
feet that there was good reason for
distinguishing between applicants by
letter and applicants in person and
that the former class should be sent to
an agency.
McCurdy admitted repeatedly his ig-
norance Of the affairs of the company's
departments. Finally, when Hughes
asked him to tell what he did know
about the business of the company to
justify him in drawing a salary Of
$150,000 a year, McCurdy became ex-
ceedingly angry and said:
'You are trying to prove / am
fool"
Hughes led up to the employment of
William Barnes, Sr., Of Albany to fight
Lue euOrtS OF o6HALOF. BFucKetI TO re-
peal section 56 of the general insur-
ance law in this state He said Barnes
received $1,000 from the Mutual and
$1,000 from the New York Life Barnes
Is the father of William Barnes. Jr.,
chairman Of the executive committee
of the Republican state committee. The
correspondence produced showed the
elder Barnes had made three argu-
ments before committees in Albany.
It also disclosed the promise of
similar retainer by the New York Life
for Barnes services in defeating
Brackett's repeater.
McCurdy admitted that James r.
Pierce, former superintendent OF insur-
ance in this state, had been paid
lawyer for the Mutual Life. McCurdy
could not say what services Pierce per-
formed. A voucher showed Pierce's
retainer was $500.
Insurance Men VIII Explain.
Chicago. Oct "a. Officials of the I'LL
nois Life Insurance company who have
been called upon by the state insurance