Omaha daily bee., 1905-11-16
HARTMAN DISPUTES HYDE
PreIidsnt of Union Pacific Says Equitable
0fioil Asked bis Aid
DIFFERENT VERSION OF THE oOtu SUIT
Mr.. Hyde Takes the stand Again and
Reiterates FORMER statements
MIR. Odeu VIII Tes-
tify.

Union Pacific railroad formerly member
of the board of directors of the Equitable
Life Assurance society. the former friend of
James Hazen Hyde, against whom the latter
charged acts OF an unfriendly nature in
his testimony yesterday was one Of the
chief witnesses before the Armstrong COM
mittee on insurance investigation today.
Mr.. Hartman was called Immediately be-
fore recess and his testimony was 4 series
of denials of the charges made by Mr.
Hyde. Contrary to Mr.. Hydes statement
Mr. Hartman said Mr.. Hyde came to him
about year or so ago and asked him to
use his influence to have him appointed
ambassador TO France. Mr.. Hartman said
he would speak to President Roosevelt
when he saw him. but added that he did
not recommend Mr.. Hyde for the post
Upon Mr.. Hydes testimony relative to
the settlement of the Odell suit being
read to him Mr.. Hartman denied that he
suggested to Mr.. Hyde any danger OF the
repeal of the charter of the Mercantile
Trust company, directly or indirectly, and
stated that Mr.. Hyde came to him and
asked him to use his influence with Mr.
Odell, toward a settlement of the suit.
Mr.. Hartman explained that I've wanted
Mr.. Hyde's Individual signature to the
syndicate agreement for the $50,0OOcOO Union
Pacific pool because no syndicate wanted
corporation as a member He justified
this because It was difficult to guard con-
fidences when more than one individual
represented the same interest lie denied
that he ever advised Mr. Hyde to sell his
stock until after the report of the Frick
committee, and said he had offered to sub
! scribe S5OO.00O to assist Mr.. Hyde in retain
ing his stock.
UnwnrrantRble transactions.
Mr.. Hartman said the Prick report never
| mentioned the Union Pacific deal specifi-
cally, but included it under the general
statement that Mr.. Hyde had committed
the society in unwarrantable transactions
without the knowledge of the committee.
Mr. Hartman thought it perfectly proper
! for the Equitable to buy Union Pacific
! under an agreement to hold it for five
| years. He did not know that It was Mr..
! Hyde's personal money in this deal and
! always supposed it was that OF the Equita-
| BILE Witness denied that he had requested
| that the executive committee be not in
! formed of this deal. and when Mr.. Hydes
testimony on this point was read to him,
he replied that 'he did not remember"
Mr.. Hartman said that early in the
| Equitable troubles he had defended MIR.
| Hyde from attacks and had advised him
| to move the adoption of the Prick report,
| telling him that he would stand by him
| through thick and thin.
| Mr.. Hyde was the. first witness Of the
day. He told of four offers for his stock,
besides that Of MIR. Ryan TO whom he sold.
! These offers were made by Mr. Prick and
Mr.. Hartman, by George Gould. by Gage
z. Tarbell, representing a syndicate, and
by George w. Young The largest offer
was made by Mr.. Young, former president
+ of the United States Mortgage and Trust
company. who offered S7.OOO,O0O Mr.. Hyde
said he declined all these offers, because
he did not think 1t to the best interest of
the society to accept any of them. Mr..
Ryan then made the only offer for the
stock after the Frick report. Hyde was
excused while George II. Squire, jr., a
stock broker and. son of the former fnan-
cial manager Of the Equitable Life, was
called to explain some transactions OF his
father. He told how his firm sold stock of
the Lawyers Title Insurance and Trust
company for his fathers account to the
| American Deposit and Loan company.
George II. Jenkins. formerly president of
this company. was called and said that
George II. Squire requested that all OF
this stock offered by his sons firm be
purchased This was done from time to
| time and subsequently sold to the Equi-
table Life at an advance, the profits going
to Mr.. Squire.
Hyde Reiterates Statements.
Mr.. Hyde was again called and said this
was the first he had heard of these trans
actions He said in answer to Senator
Armstrong that his powers of attorney
were destroyed when he returned from
Europe, but that II an obligation should
turn up now purporting to have been made
while he was abroad the situation would
be very embarrassing.
After Mr. Hartman had testified Mr.
HYDE was called again and asked II he
heard Mr.. Hartman testify. He replied
that he had. He reaffirmed his previous
testimony and supplied data about several
questions concerning which Mr. Hartman
was uncertain.
Samuel Untermeyer, counsel for Mr..
Hyde attempted to cross-eXamine Mr..
Hartman. but the committee after con-
! sultation refused permission wheyeupon
Mr. Untermeyer asserted the examination
had been conducted in a dsorderly man
ner.
With today's session the examination Of
both Mr. Hyde and Mr.. Hartman was COM
pleted and the next witness who is awaited
with much interest Is Mr.. Odell, who has
requested to be examined.
MIR. Jordan Is the Auditor.
Michael Murray, cashier for the Equitable
Life said he did not know OF the J. w.
Alexander No. account until June OF this
year. For years he received checks from
Thomas d. Jordan, drawn to Murray's order
by the Mercantile Trust company and de-
posted as cash to the credit Of the Equit-
able Life. Mr.. Murray also detailed the
manner in which Mr.. Jordan would ask for
cash, thousands of dollars al a time. and
put ticket as a memorandum IN the
drawer. Mr.. Jordan would then give a
check and the cash ticket was returned tn
Mr.. Jordan. The check was considered MS
so much cash, but no other entry was made
| anywhere of this transaction.
Mr. Murray said that prior to June, 1905,
there was a memorandum account OF per-
haps $4,000 that was taken up by check.
This account had been carried in the Nde-
partment ever since Mr.. Murrays oonnec-
ton with Il in the early '9Os This account
was cash memorandum book; there was
no indication in the book as to who got the
$4,000 or OF the times at which it was
taken. This book was In place of a ticket
in the drawer and was treated as cash on
hand. Mr., Murray was asked what the
auditing committee did when it came across
this book and created much amusement
when he replied that Mr.. Jordan was the
auditor.