Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-10-25
INQUIRY BRINGS
PERJURY CHARGE
CRIMINAL ACTION LIKELY IN IN
sURANcE PROBE.
AFTER ELEVATOR BOY
Lad of 10 Years Failed to Recognize
Signature on CHECK rs 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 J. Plunhtt, an 1syear-old tele-
phone operator in the employ Of the
stationary firm of L. w. Lawrence &
Co. from whom the Mutual Life Insur-
ance company purchased a great deal
of its supplies of this nature It 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
ltbe stand. When shown the voucher
he denied that he had ever signed it.
nc AAA AItE QtLANu tiidt AiG ltdtl CNEi
| received that amount of money from
the Mutual Life or that he had rem
dered the company any service. At
torney Hughes asked Plundtt 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 IF the committee
District Attorney Rand was sent for
and the matter placed in his hands.
No Chance to "EHpiain."
! Another feature of the day was
. passage at arms betweea Chairman
Armstrong, Counsel Hughes and James
! M. Beck counsel for President Nc
Curdy. Beck accused Hughes of mis-
leading the public by not following our
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 ohstrurt-
/ ed The co umittee. he said, wanted
ali the inform alton 1t could get that
would be- helpful, and the witness had
placed himself n the position in which
he founl Himself by his continual eva,
sive answers. Armstrong said further
that every Witness will be treated with
all possible courtesy. Hughes said
that If he had erred it was by showing
courtesies when the circumstances Jus
tilted an entirely different course. add
ing that evasion would be held up to
the contempt 1t HIS always received
/ There was a spontaneous outburst of
applause when Hughes had concluded
which was stopped only by a threat to
clean the room.
William NJ. Carpenter, clerk In the
supply department of the Mutual Life
who was under the direction of A. c.
Fields, superintendent of this DEPART
ment, and was very close to Fields in
his legislative supervision" at Albany.
told of how house had been main.
tanned in Albany for several years at
the expense of the Mutual Life
Fields occupied it only during the leg.
isiative session. and on several occa.
sions two members of the insurance
committee of the legislature lived af
the house with Fields. CARPENTER
leased the house and paid for servants
and supplies with money furnished
bl Inc Mutual life