Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-10-23
CRIMINAL ACTION LIKELY IN IN
SURANCE PROBE.
Lad of 18 Years Failed to Recognize
SIGNATURE on Check as His and May
Be Arrested-McCurdy's Lawyer
Wants Chance for "Explanations"
One Wanted Man Missing.

New York, Oct. 19.-The district at
torney's office was called upon yester-
day by the insurance investigating
committee because of the testimony OF
one witness, and the question of an
arrest for perjury is now being con-
sidered by Assistant District Attorney
Rand The witness in question is
George ]. Plunkitt, an 18-year-old tele-
phone operator in the employ of the
stationary firm of L. w. Lawrence e
Co. from whom the Mutual Life Insur-
ance company purchased great deal
of it's supplies of this nature 1t was
brought out in Tuesdays testimony
that among the vouchers for money
charged to legal expenses was one for
1901 signed by George J. Plunkitt
His identity was not disclosed until
yesterday, when Plunkitt was called to
the stand. When shown the voucher
he denied that he had ever signed it.
He further denied that he had ever
received that amount of money from
the Mutual Life or that he had rem
dered the company any service. At
torney Hughes asked Plunkitt 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
District Attorney Rand was sent for
and the matter placed in his hands.
No Chance to "ExpIain."
Another feature OF the day was a
passage at arms between Chairman
Armstrong, Counsel Hughes and James
M. Beck, counsel for President Nc
Curdy. Beck accused Hughes of mis-
leading the public by not following out
his lines of Interrogation to the end,
and asserted that he dropped a subject
before the witness stand was allowed
TO explain. Armstrong said the work
OF the committee must not be obstrurt-
ed. The committee. he said, wanted
all the information it could get that
would be helpful, and the witness had
placed himself in the position in which
ne found himself by his continual eva
sive answers. Armstrong said further
that every witness will be treated with
all possible courtesy. Hughes said
that II he had erred it was by showing
courtesies when the circumstances ius-
titled an entirely different course, add
Ing that evasion would be held 'up to
the contempt 1t has always received
mere was a spontaneous outburst of
applause when Hughes had concluded.
which was stopped only by a threat TO
clean the room.
William M. Carpenter, clerk In the
supply department Of the Mutual Life
who was under the direction of A. G.
F1elds, superintendent of this depart
ment, and was very close to Fields in
MS Legislative supervision" at Albany.
told OF how a house had been main
ta1ned in Albany for several years at
the expense of the Mutual life
F1elds occupied it only during the leg
lslat1ve session, and on several COCA
s1ons two members of the insurance
committee of the legislature lived at
the house with Fields. CARPENTER
leased the house and paid for servants
and supplies with money furnished
by the Mutual Life
One Wanted Man "Lost."
An attempt was made by Mr.. Hughes
yesterday to get trace of Thomas D.
Jordan, former controller of the Eouit-
able Life. Frank B. Jordan was called
under subpoena and he said he saw
MS father last labor day. He did not
know then that he was going away
snd did not know where he was now.
Edgar w. Rogers, clerk for L. w. law.
renee G Co., was called. Rogers is
also president of the Globe Printing
company. He was shown the Plunkitt
voucher and said he was of the opin-
ion that the signature on the voucher
and that written by Plunkitt on the
stand were Identical. He could not
recognize either of them definitely as
the signature Of Plunkitt. The vouch-
er drawn in December, 1902, for
$1,667.50 and signed by Rogers, was
charged to the legal services of the
Mutual Life, burt Rogers could not re-
member the circumstances of trans
action so far back He acknowledged
that it bore his signature and that he
must have received the money, but for
what it was disbursed he could not re-