Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-12-12
RYAN TOLD ALL
Says Hartman Threat ened Him.
COULDN'T BLUFF HIM
The Great Financier Says That His Talk With Hartman Was of a Strenuous Nature--Sena-
 tor Dryden Called

New York, Dec 12.-Thomas F.
 Ryan, who purchased the Hyde stock of the Equitable Life Assurance soci ety, was the first witness before the insurance Investigating committee to. day. He said to Mir Hughes, counsel for the committee, that he had meant
 no disrespect by his declination to tel what E. H. Hartman had said to him
 at the time that Mir Hartman sought
 to obtain share in MT Ryan's pur-
 chase of the Hyde stock.
 Mir Ryan said: T did not mean any disrespect to the committee. I wish to preserve harmony. I did not wish to answer the question until was sat isfied that I was obliged to answer it. The district attorney had determined that shall answer the question and I shall give my best recollection of the conversation.
 What did Mir Hartman say to you about sharing the Hyde stock?" asked Mir Hughes.
 Immediately after my purchase of the stock said MT Ryan, "Mr Harri- man called on me. We had several conversations. MT Hartman said that I should not have come into the situa- tion without consulting him and Nat ought to let him have an equal share ill the Hyde stock. I declined. He oh jected to the trustees and wanted to name two of them. He said he did not think I could carry out my plan with out his aid. I said intended to divest myself of control of the Equitable and I regretted very much to have his op- position, but was going to carry out my plan whether I had his opposition or not"
 The purchase of the Hyde stock, Mr Ryan said, was made on Friday, June 9. Mir Ryan first heard from Mir Har- riman on that day. Mir Hartman, said the witness, suspected that he, Ryan. was in on the deal and had a talk with him on that day. Mir Hartman saw him again on the following Monday or Tuesday, in company with Elihu Root and Paul Cravath. Most of the things said were said at this second interview. Mir Ryan told Mir Harri- man who the trustees were to be. Hartman then said that he had given much time to straighten out the Equitable. The witness said that Har- riman gave no other reason than that for demanding share in the purchase of the Hyde stock.
 For what reason did Mir Hartman want half the stock?" asked Mr Hughes.
 For the reason that he had been in the Equitable as a director and was not satisfied that the stock should be in my hands," replied Mir Ryan. "He said his whole influence would be against me. He said his political ill- fuence would be against me, but he did not mention any names. He said the legislature would probably take action. but I don't think he mentioned an investigation. think he said leg gislative action would probably result and that his influence would be impor. tant Mir Hartman did not say any. thing about legislative action in the event that I acceded to his request He did not say how his actions in the matter would be important"
 In reply to questions by Mir Hughes Mir Ryan said that Mir Hartman did not say in so many words that his po- litical influence would be against Ryan, but the witness understood Har riman to mean his entire influence whether political, financial or other wise. The witness understood thIs to include the possibility of legislative ac-, tion. The witness was not willing 10 allow Mir Hartman to name two tuIs- tees because he did not want anybody as a partner in the enterprise The witness talked with Mir Hartman owe. the telephone and finally Mir Ryan said to Mr Hartman that there was no use