The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-11-10
Soothed by Mr.. Tompkins,
Adjourn to Charlotte.
GROVER GETS NO PAY
Says Mr.. Tompkins, Neither Does He
No Way of Ceiling Names Of State
Holders. The Rich Reporter With
a Policy. Secretary's Noes
Lack Color.

When the hour for the meeting OF
the North Carolina hNders of policies
in the Equitable Life Aussurance So
ciety came yesterday there gathered
a few gentlemen in the room of Gen
Il. NJ. Nelson. President of the Bank
of Ellington, at whose instigation the
holders met and who had been him
self spurred to the course by a letter
received by him from Trustee Cleve-
land.
General Nelson occupied the chair
ana III the midst sat Director Thomp-
kins, of Charlotte.
occupying a prominent seat next
to the bed was Insurance Commits
sioner James r. Young-not as In
surance Commissioner. but as a policy
holder. AT table sat Professor With
ers. paper at his elbow, pen in hand.
Some few others sat about as audi
ence. putting in few words, noW~Hs> Il
again.
Big things were evidently about to
stir in room SeVenty-one! Newspaper
men, sharpening their pencils, gath
cred to the scene. not of an inveStiga
ton but the cloud that preceded it,
tuning their harps for the translation
of fiery utterance, searching their Vo-
cabularies for descriptive words.
Newspaper Men Not Wanted.
A knock at the door and the pleas
ant scene within looked more like a
social smoker than the boarding of
the lion of HaZen Hyde! From his seat
by the bed the Insurance Commits
sioncr raised interrogative eyebrows
and impaired the information that
1.-THE secretary would give it all out af-
To- no
and polite but coldly positive-"scatn'
Here was d how-de-do! Newspaper
men are we'll acquainted with secre-
taries. They are accurate, but I'M
imaginative. A caucus may tumble
over Itself like a kennel at the en-
trance OF a Tom Cat and your Secre-
tary will put it down: "Other gentle
men made remarks"
And here were these North Caro-
linIans laying tneIr pipe lines anu tie
press on the outside! 1t was to weep:
The afternoon man came down win
signs almost wet enough to make the
colorS run together in the carpets. In
size there was that provocative 81
Icnce which can be translated into d
gentle murmur. Behind the murmur,
Inere were visions of a strangled
Board of Trustees, of Cleveland lard
ing in his fat, of Hyde dressed in ring
;l-Tounu-a-rosy clothes!
The Reporter With Policy.
Then came the rich reporter, with
a finger TO his brow, studying the con-
tents of his safe. His eye flashed! His
was the open sesame! He vamoOSaG
i'm a cloud of legs. He returned pant
ing. tie knocked upon the door with
authority. Behold, he pulled from his
pocket parchment. On it, magic
words were Policy and Equitable!
me door opened and the reporter
was swallowed up, with the trail OF his
mists of pride behind him.
He. too. like Mr.. Young, could be
two things at once, with this differ
ence, that Mr.. Young was Policy
HolAar-and insurance commissioner;
while the newspaper man was Re-
porter-and a policy holder.
1t was under these circumstances
that without policy, the writer gave
a timid knock, and half-entered the
room. The eyebrows of Policy Hold
or Young went up and there was Il
murmur of dissent, particularly from
the other newspaper man with que
policy, who unable to restrain him.
self. shouted I'm a policy holder.
But then it was that General Nell
son came to the rescue, having two
nolicies. and out of the sense of d
square deal made the out-cast proxy
as to one, where-upon he sat down
with gratitude.
a Gentle Calm.
Nothing much was doing and that
which was soon stopped 1t was all
over. but the calm existing showed
that il had not gone gone far after ii
began, Director Tompkins sat quietly
looking the Director. Asked as TO
whether he knew or had means OF
knowing VINO the policy holders in
did not and had no way of telflng, tnat
he might go 90 the trustees and flnd
out. but he didn't know.
In some way inadequate to diagnose,
Director TOmpkins looked bored. he
impressed one as man VINO mas
been explaining a simple proposition
to a child. The others in the room
had the appearance of one who has
seen a great light-which did not re-
main. Only General Nelson and Mr..
Young seemed quite certain of 1t all;
the one because he is an optimist, the
other doubtless because he under
stands insurance. The rest of us
policy holders were quite frank in our
minds that we didn't.
After the meeting was over Cen
eral Nelson, who settled in Ellington
tor reasons of climate after a life
spent in the rigors of war, the bar.
banking during the 1893 panic and
financiering in Mexico, gave some
light on what had taken place which
the secretary did not put down.
No Salaries to Trustees.
Several things he stated were of
interest, not hitherto published in
fact:
First-That Messrs. Cleveland,
Westinghouse and O'Brien, trustees.
are serving absolutely without COM
pensation.
Second-That none of the directors
including Mr.. Tompkins-draw any
salary except ten dollars a day and
expenses when attending meetings.
Third-That Director Tompkins did
not say that the Equitable muddle
involved only "unintentional irregu-
larities;" that he had merely not
taken the trouble to deny thing
which had got started.
All these things were said by Mr..
Tompkins, said General Nelson.
incidentally, it came out that sew
eral of those present had expressed
tAeir displeasure that the trustees and