New-York tribune., 1905-11-17
MORE DUMMY" LOANS.


Ex-Governor odel1 yesterday contributed =
new phase to the issue of personal veracity
raised by the conflicting testimony Of e H
Hartman and James Hazen Hyde before the
legislative insurance investigation So far as
the former Governors testimony related to
points of conflict between the two witnesses it
was entirely corroborative of Mr.. Harriman's
statements and contradictory those Of Mr..
Hyde. Mr.. Oders denial of the Hyde ehsrgs
that he had used the Amber bill a club to
force a settlement of his suit against the Mer-
camille Trust Company was impressive In it's
earnestness
There is no truth in the statement. so help
me God he said with deliberate and measured
solemnity A moment before he had character
lied the charge 'the base calurDny Mr.. Hyds
uttered here
Mr.. OdelI's testimony went far deeper into the
legislative tange. however. Mr.. Hyde had testi-
fed that Mr.. Hartman had warned him Of the
of this bill as a club Mr.. OdeH testified that
not only he responsible fot the suppression
of the bill, but that he had personally assured
Mr.. Hyde that he need fear no repetition of it
in the next legislature. The suppression Of the
Amber BILL Mr.. OdeH testified, was due to his
fear lest there might be some apparent basis
for the charge actually preferred by Mr. Hyds
the other day.
Dates throwing significant light on the con-
troversy supplied by Mr.. OdelI. with def
inteness that did not mark the hyde testimony.
Mr.. Hyde left it in doubt as to whether or not
the OdeI settlement had occurred while the
legislature in which the Amber bill was intro
duced yet I'm session. Mr.. odelrs testimony
indicated that the sequence of his personal at
fairs and of the legislative incidents this.
On March 9. 1904. he parted with his Shipbuild-
ing stock On March 81. after consultation with
him and with his approval Senator Amber In
troduced the Amber bill. Shortly after that the
attitude of the press toward this bill. so the
Governor testified. convinced him that his rela-
ton to the shipbuilding AFFAIR made it unwise
Ito press the Amber bill. and he advised the
Senator to drop it. Three weeks after its in
PRODUCTION, on April %. the legislature ad-
journed
The following August. Ex-Governor odel,
through his counsel. Edward Lauterback. began
his suit against the Mercantile Trust Company
In November. after election. with no legislature
in session. he had his first talk with Hyde. Mr..
Hyde had said this talk was brought about
through Mr.. Harriman's recommendation and
arrangement MFR. Odell confirmed Mr.. Harri-
mans testimony that Hyde and his counsel. Mr.
Colby, sought the interview. At this interview
Mr.. Odel1 declared that. so far from threatening
legislative reprisal. he assured Mr.. Hyde on his
personal Judgment that ne had nothing to fear
from this The following month. just before
he ceased to be Governor. the suit settled.
he said. but not until after other suits. notably
the Kavaraugh case. of similar character had
been settled
In this fashion Mr. oden met Mr. Hyde's
charges One other, date was fixed in this test
mony namely the time when Mr. Odell wrote
to the President indorsing Mr.. Hyde's candidacy
for Ambassador to France This was several
weeks before the final settlement of rne odeil
suit
There were other points of interest, though OF
less relative significance. Mr.. Odell declared that
in one talk Mr.. Hyde had referred to the Eaui-
tables campaign contributions and to fsncied
hostility on the part of the state organization
under Mr.. OdelI Thereupon, Mr.. Odell testified.
he told Mr. Hyde that between his political In
terests and his business interests there was no
connection Moreover. he indicated that the col
lection of campaign funds had been entirely in
Senator Platt's hands. and he had never received
a cent from any insurance company This lsst
point it is believed. will result in the appear
ance of Senator Platt in the witness chair.
One more point Mr.. Odell supplied. This fol
lowed a repetition of Wednesdays scene pro-
duced by Samuel Untermyer. Mr.. Hydes coun-
sci. who demanded the right to oss-exaTnine
witnesses When this was denied and his svehe-
ment protests sienced Mr. Untern1yer dlrected
several questions through Mr. Hughes One OF
these resulted in the development OF the fact
that before the settlement OF his suit ex-Goy-
ernor OdeII together with Senator Edgar T.
Bracket counsel in the Kavannaugh case. had
- a stormy interview with Charles NJ, SchEab.
i'm which they had both declared to Schwab that
they believed there was room for criminal
growing out of the Shipbuilding az
fair Mr. OdeIl added that in this he had applied
To District Attorney Jerome. calling his atten-
lion 10 the ShipbuiIding deal. Mr.. Jeromes
paUIv 0r odeii testified that there vas M
sro,ind for such action Mr.. Schwab may be
asked to testify this point, as weil as Senator
Brackett. -,
rrrio,1s deals between the Equitable and clerks
NJ Kubn Loeb & co. we're shown by these
The Fnuitable Company made dummy icahe
s,.s,,,,,ttre 20 $4,000 600 un collateral to re-
1uce the amount OF cash on hand ar the el'd
IF the year. while no actual loan was inhnV.
md the money and collateral never chahget
.s,.<,s the transaction being promptly reversed
1fter January l. SmilaT peculiar fastnoaS
rara disclosed in real estate trars'is,t ions sIa
he monopoly OF Equitable mortsassd pr9pFI-5
ire insurance was shown to rest VIII ffanh
! Jordan. son OF the former Equitabie con-
roller Thomas B. Jordan
fNSUyERS TT.E9P