Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-10-06
HUGHES CRAFT HUNT
Grand Jury Will Probe Scan
 dals, Says Jerome.
cor S2,6OO,OOO IN COMMISSIONS.
Mutual Life's Attorney Tells of S2,5Oo In Cash Given to Congressional Campaign Chairman as
 Contribution.

NEW YORK, Oct. 6.-That the as- founding total of $2,6o0,OO0 has been paid as commissions by the Mutual Life Insurance company to two mem bers of the family of Richard A. Mo Curdy, president of the company, and the promise of District Attorney Je- rome that the insurance scandals cer- tainly will be submitted later to an ex- traordinary grand jury were the sen sational developments in the insurance situation.
 It was brought out by testimony be- fore the legislative insurance commit tee that Robert H. McCurdy, son of Richard A. McCurdy, has received as commissions on foreign business ST. 163,S29 and on domestic business $541,- S52 and that Louis A. Thfbaud son-in- law of Richard A. McCurdy, has re- ceived an aggregate of s920,113 in commissions from the company. It was also brought out that Robert H. McCurdy expected his income this year would be about $110,000.
 Previous to this testimony W. F. Thummel, an attorney of the Mutual Life Insurance company, testified that he had paid to the chairman of the Re- publican congressional campaign com mittee the sum of $2, 300 in cash as campaign contribution.
 Mir. Jerome in announcing in court that the scandals will be submitted to all extraordinary grand jury said the inquiry by the legislative committee had shown greater moral obliquity and moral obtuseness on the part of persons important in the business world than did the shocking revela- tions In regard to the Equitable Life"
 Another incident of the days devel- opments was the publication of letter from Charles E. Hughes, counsel to the legislative committee, to Samuel Un- termyer, counsel for James H. Hyde, the former controlling stockholder of the Equitable Life Assurance society, in which Mir. Hughes said the commit tee would make no discrimination in favor of Mr. Hyde in his examination before the committee.
 In lieu of an appearance in person James Hagen Hyde, through his coun- sel, has offered to the committee his tes- timony before Superintendent Francis P. Hendricks. It is not likely that Mir. Hyde's new offer will be accepted. Whether the committee will resort to the extreme measure of attempting to have MT. Hyde indicted and extradited remains to be seen, but 1t is fact that the committee has considered it. W. F. Thummel, the attorney who was associated with Judge Andrew Hamilton in looking after legislation for the New York Life. the Equitable Life and the Mutual Life Insurance companies in the so called legislative pool that was exposed last week, testi- fled before the committee that he was now employed as an attorney for the Mutual Life Insurance company at a salary of $7,200 year.
 Mfr. Thummel said that he personally placed in the hands of the chairman of the Republican congressional cam paign committee $2,5O0 In cash which had been given the witness for that purpose by Vice President Robert A. Grannlss of the Mutual Life Insurance company.
 Witness said the contribution had been suggested by the danger of q Democratic house. that would result In tsriff and other legislation of char acter to upset business and affect pol icy holders. He said other companies had been asked to contribute, but he did not know how many did. Mir. Thummel denied paying any money to any legislator for the purpose of infiu- encIng legislation or to any other per son for that purpose.
 Thummel in addition to describing in detail how the big insurance compa- nles combine to defeat undesirable legislation throughout the United States told of the Mutuals contribution of $2,5O0 to the last Republican national congressional committee and said he supposed the other big companies con- tributed an equal amount