Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-11-21
NICHOLS TELLS0
STRANGE LETTERS
Author of Famous
Depew Epistles
Testifies
SENATOR PLATT ON THE STAND
Committee Learns That Insur-
ance Companies Gave to
Campaign Funds.

New York, Nov 21..--John A. Mich
OILS, lawyer and quarantine commits
sioner OF the port of New York from
1880 10 1892, who wrote several let
ters to Senator Depew in behalf of
his friends who usually get around
az this time OF the year." and who. he
wrote, We're getting "rambunctious
and needed help, was the first witness
before the Insurance Investigating
Committee today.
Much interest had been aroused by
the reading Of Nichols letters to De-
pew on Friday afternoon. The Senator
was not able to remember who Mich.
Iols' friends were.
Received Retainers.
AS shown by vouchers under oh.
servation by the committee on Friday,
Nichols received retainers from the
Equitable | fe Assurance Society.
When he w 1t before the committee
today he testified he had been EN-.
ployed by the Equitable for twenty or
twenty-five years under an annual re.
tainer of $1,000.
Recently he had been employed by
the Mutual Life. He said he was con-
suited by the officers of the Equitable,
but not connected with the legisla-
ton in 1904 One of the matters en-
trusted to him was that of W. S.
Manning, of Albany
The witness said Manning, who had
been actuary for the company, was
employed by certain persons to bring
charges against the Equitable, that
the, reserve was not so large as 1t
should be. Manning was paid $3.50,
Nichols said, and he promised to be
good. The witness later said that this
was paid to keep Manning from being
employed against the company.
He thought these payments had been
made to a man named Kedd, cores
Ipondent of New York paper. Kerr
he said, had died some time ago. Ir
|regard to the letter which confused
lDepew the witness said 1t referred
to Manning.
Gave to Campaign Funds.
Senator Platt followed Nichols on
the stand. He said the Equitable So
ciety contributed $4,000 a year to the
Republican state campaign fund. 1t
was frequently paid, but not as regu-
lar thing, as he could remember years
when no contribution was received.
The New York Life, he said, also con-
tributed, but not nearly so much. No
other insurance company contributed.
so far as he could remember.
Senator Platt also said he had fre-
uuently received contributions of
$40 900 from the Mutual Life Insur-
ance Company.
Always for State.
During the. testimony Platt said he
had never received contributions from
the insurance companies for national
campaigns but always for state cam
paigns
He said he did not know Andrew
Hamilton, to whom the New York
Life had paid large sums for legal ex-
penses, nor did he know anything
about his work at Albany. He knew
| A. C. Fields, who had charge OF the
house, maintained by the Mutual al
Albany, but he did not know anything
about his services at Albany, or about
any money paid by the Insurance COM
panies to Field
Asked No Favors.
| Asked what the insurance conpa-
nies had done in regard to shaping
legislation in the state, Platt replied,
he did not know anything they Lad
done. He had never been asked for
any favor in behalf of the insurance
companies, by reason of their contri-
bu ions and declared he had never
done favor because of them.