The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-19
DIDN'T SIGN
 THE VOUCHER So SWears Young George
 J. Plunkitt. PERJURY MAY BE CHARGED W. M. Carpenter Good Wit ness for Committee. House at Albany Rented and Furnished by tthe Mutual Occupied by
 Member. of the New
 York Legislature.
PERJURY MAY BE CHARGED

the legislative Insurance investigation committee because of the testimony of one witness, and the question of an arrest for perjury Is now being consid- cred by Assistant District Attorney Rand.
 The witness in question is George J. Plunkitt, an 1s-year-old telephone op- orator in the employ of the stationery firm of L.. w. Lawrence & Company. from whom the Mutual Life Insurance Company purchased great deal of its supplies.
 It was brought out in yesterdays tes- timony that among the vouchers for money charged to legal expenses was one for ss01 signed by George J. Punk itt His identity was not disclosed un- til today, when Plunkitt was called to the stand. He testified as to his em- ployment, and when shown the voucher denied that he had ever signed 1t. He further denied that he had ever re- ceived that amount Of money from the Mutual Life Insurance Company, or that he had rendered the company any service.
 Mir. Hughes asked Piunkitt 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 called to the attention of the committee,
  geant-at Arms wGs sent to communi- cate with the District Attorneys Office, and soon Mir. Rand appeared. He was escorted to seat beside Chairman Armstrong, and when the chairman was questioned, he said the matter was now cut of the hands of the committee and was up to the District Attorneys Off, fice."
 Another feature of the day.s hearing was the passage at arms between Chairmaa Armstrong;, Counsel Hughes and James NJ. Beck, the counsel for President n. NJ. McCurdy. Mir. Beck accused MT. Hughes of misleading the public by not following out his iines of Interrogation to the end, and as- serted that he dropped q subject before the witness was allowed to explain. Chairman Armstrong then said that the work of the committee must not be obstructed. The committed. he said, want ed all the information 1t could get that wouli be helpful, and the witness Tad placed himself in the position he found himself by his continual evasive answers.
 Mir. Armstrong said further that ev- cry witness will he treated with all pos sihle courtesy.
 MT. Hughes then said if he had erred it was by showing courtesies when cfr- cumstances justified an entirely differ ent course. adding that evasion would be held up to the contempt 1t has ai- ways received.
 There was a spontaneous outburst of applause when Mir. Hughes had con cluded. which was stopped only by a threat to clear the room.
 William N. Carpenter, clerk in the supply department of the Mutual Life Insurance Company, made an excellent witness for the committee by his frank manner and apparent desire to give whatever information he could upon the matter before the committee Mir. Carpenter was under the direction of A. c. Fields, the superintendent of this department, and was very close to Mir. Fields in his Legislative super vision" at Albany.
 Mir. Carpenter tcld of how a house has been maintained In Albany for sew eral years at the expense of the Mutual Life. Mir. Fields occupied 1t only dur ing the legislative session and on sew eral occasions two members of the in- surance committee of the Legislature lived at the house with MT. Fields. Mr. Carpenter leased the house and paid for the servants and supplies with money furnished him 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 MT. Fields No &C., count was kept of these expenditures. A house has been maintained for a period of about ten years in Albany under these conditions, but not always on the same street
 Later in the day, when Mir McCurdy was recalled, the President said he did not know that the Mutual Life's In "a tnfn n although he did know that Mir Fields had rented a house to escape the risk of illness in hotels.
 An attempt was made by Mr. Hughes today to get trace of Thomas D. Jor- dan. former controller of the Equitable Life Assurance Society. Frank B. Jor- dan was called under a subpoenae, and he said he saw his father last Labor Day. He did not know then he was going away and did not know where ha was now. Under persistent ques- tioning by Mir. Hughes, young Jordan said no mail was forwarded to his fa- ther and that he did not know whether his father or his mother were living or dead.
 Edgar w. Rogers. clerk for L. w Iawrence as Co.,, was called and was represented by John B. Stancheld. Rog- ara la also the President of the Globe Printing Company. he was shoWh the PIunkitt voucher. and said he was of inc opinion that the signature on the voucher and that written by Plunkitt on tbe stand were identical.
 Towards the close of the days ses- s,or Mr McCurdy was being inter- rogated oon the trust companies with ,yhicb the Mutual Life Insurance Com ~anS, is connected, and the subsidiary romnanies of the Mutual Life. and was % stiii on the stand when adjournment was taen. x.,A,
 Nsr McCurdy's replies to some of the ,,,nat,ons were spoken in so low tone as to he inaudible at the newspaper Ill sanoas any of your company inelud- ,rs, yourself. have any commissions on hmsiness written as well as the agentT asked Mir. Hughes.
 No oornr,Jss,on or foreign business?"
 No, sir; not cent:
 "or of your son-in-law's commits sions?"
 you may have seen statements in