The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-15

This loan was renewed from time to time and the rate of interest was advanced later to per cent. The loan was paid off January l5, 1904 by check of Kuhn,
 Loeb & Co., MT. Hartman had refused to pay the advanced rate of interest MT. Hyde had suggested the advance in the rate of interest
 The suit of former Governor Odell against the Mercantile Trust company to recover on shipbuildng bonds was then
 taken up. MT. Hyde said he had had
 talk with MT. Hartman about settle- ment of this suit but not in MT. Harri-
 mans capacity as director of the Equi- table because the Equitable had nothing
 to do with this matter. MT. Hyde said his talk with MT. Hartman was in his
 capacity as director of the Mercantile
 Trust company. Witness did not know the amount of Mr. Odell's claim, but
 thought 1t about s75,OOO as that amount
 was paid Odell out of the funds of the
 Mercantile Trust company on advice of counsel Hr. Hyde said MT. Hartman suggested there was a great deal of ru-
 nor in the newspapers that an effort
 would be made to repeal the charter of
 the Mercantile Trust company and the fact that the Equitable Life had a great interest in that company had great deal to do with the advisability of settling the suit
 Hartman Feared Retaliation.
 MT. Hyde and MT. Hartman seemed to
 fear retaliatory measures upon the trust company unless the suit was settled Mir Hyde did not know of any actual steps
 then taken to revoke the charter what he , knew was simply the rumors. MT. Hyde
 understood that S75,000 was only a part of the Odell claim. The bonds of the United States Shipbuilding company he was to recover, where retained by the Mercantile Trust company. These subsequently, &C., quired some value in the market and the $75,oo0 was over and above the bonds.
 Samuel Untermyer, supplying the infor- nation for the witness, said he thought
 the original claim was for slS0,0O0 and that about 50 cents on the dollar was subse- quently realized on the bonds. MT. Hughes
 went into the origin of the Mercantile and It's charter but the organization of
 the company antedated MT. Hydes con nection with 1t by about twenty years and he was only able to say that he had heard
 the charter was special one.
 MT. Hughes then said:
 T want you to state specifically and
 understanding the importance that the
 statement should be accurate and deh- nite, just what MT Hartman said upon
 that point" and Mir. Hyde In reply, said
 He suggested the advlsability of
 settlement in view of this powerful in-
 terest in Albany that was antagonistic to the Mercantile Trust company. I have
 thought 1t over carefully and that Is as
 clear and succinct as I can make it." MT. Hyde in reply to further question ing, said that MT. Hartman said there was a possibility of the repeal of the charter of the Mercantile Trust com pany. and that he had already made some investigation. Witness did not know that any bill was introduced for this purpose. , This conversation with MT. Hartman was had shortly before the settlement of the suit which was made last fall. Concerning French Ambassadorship. The French ambassadorship and the i reported aspirations of MT Hyde to that post, were taken up, and he said it was i suggested to him by MT. Prick first about year and half ago. He said he never ! suggested 1t himself, nor thought of 1t, though naturally he would have been pleased had he gotten it. Later Mir Prick suggested the matter again. MT. Hyde added in q sarcastic manner: "I think their reasons for taking this extraordi-