The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-12
now THg CASH cor 70 YIELDS
s1eg Ssg \ VEtR fAROe an Ptg.
DeD HfIIs ~ IfWRgNfG a ~
~ vtessSvpuepat 0alsssssw n twsesss
~ TsFssty asa 1aerppy asy Nesw1t n
HWst9y nWgwteaea n rms taa ~
Nsswsht slaWFs ~ esafuat WhNrssa

puFct - ard SIMPLY dsfastEvers NJ ~
Mutual fifa fnusvancS, C,mraHy. aud
fswmu~ q 20 ths %satiou~rs VIM ~
s,~cisi favors frrn ths Mu'uai, wss rfrs
dpe~d Yesterday i,stors thu sp-cipl urtni
Ibty that 10 Investigating insonhcs ~as.t
Tho witnesses wsrr ~ Walter " OiHe'',.
vim was Interpretations NJ ~ MI'ud
undrr M F1eid. resims. and iuiu. D.
fIeyr. vim va q hpokkeep~r In tn supply
dspa rtmenf.
iteye testified b.forp m. Truasitls
COMMITTEES which Investigated 'hs afiirs
NJ tho Mutual. hu, his Testimony va ~,
msdr public m r'f"rrcd 10 In any gr't:
extent In the committee rcporta.
The Grand Jury has lrl rnrd ina, how
Flslds worked with Iawrcnc, \ Go IL
IL supposed chat much ~ it, Information
was furnished nv Edgar ". Rogers, w,
Ia n member ~ tswrenc, \ 60 4 god
deal ~ 4, has also come from the booze
Of the Mutual. TIE method employed by
Fields was quite simple.
When he wanted money he would 20 70
Lawrence 4 Co. and put In n cash clip.
There was never any record kept on tho
books OF the ~stationers. The supply de-
partmsnt Of the Mutual would order-say
rs 900 envelopes. Some 1000 envelopes
or any number small enough to make O
difference sufficient to cover the money
that Yields had obtained from the stationers
would be delivered 10 the Mutual. On
the books Of the Mutual and the ststioners
there would be nothing to show that the
transaction was not a perfectly legitimate
one. The bills submitted by the stationers
would be so padded that money paid to
Fields would be included in many bills,
small amounts being added to each bill
in order to make up the total.
In most instances the bill would go to
Walter r. Gillette, who would o. X. 1t.
Then it would go to the expenditures COM
mittee, OF which Robert Olyphant was chair
man. As the voucher had been o. I'D
it would b pissed by the committee and
sent to the cashier. In that way the money
advanced to Fields would be paid back TO
Lawrence d Co.
The books examined by the Grand Jury
and District Attorney Jerome show that
about 80 per cent. Of the bills rendered to
the Mutual by Lawrence q Co. were legiti-
mate. The rest, and this made up about a
sum of 500 900 yearly, went to Fields, That
sort of thing is said to have gone on for
eighteen years, although Fields was only
at the head Of the Mutual supply depart
ment for about ten years.
There was never any private record OF
these transactions in account books kept
by either Lawrence or Fields that showed
Just how much money Fields got and when
no got 1t. When the bills had been padded
TO cover the amount OF money paid 10
Fields the -oash" slips which he had turned
in TO the company were destroyed. 1t is
now said that many Of the books OF Law
renee & Co. are missing.
II is possible, however, from the books
now in the possession of the District Attor-
ney, to get a good line on the relations
between the Mutual's supply department.
and Lawrence 4 Co. 1t was said yesterday
that the books Of the Mutual did not show
any falsihc1tion of records because the
trans, lotions we're entered TO follow out the
bills presented by Lawrence & Co. 1t is
perfectly plain to the Investigators that the
employees Of the supply department OF tho
Mutual, from Fields down. n n number OF
the Lawrence employees must have known
what was going on.
In order to get at the officers Of the Mutual
it will he necessary to determine whether
they had guilty knowledge of the operations
of Fields. II they consented to the PADDING
and sanctioned the payment OF these bills
it is possible that charges of forgery ard
larceny may be brought against them. 1t
Is not expected that Fields will shoulder
the entire blame, and it was said yesterday
49, 10 he ~rae apar rall apnn0h IN anNpuF
before the Grand Jury Che is a very sick
mani he may explain what the understand
ing was in the Mutual about the payment
OF these bills.
DR.. Gillette was asked yesterday by tie
Grand Jury about some of the vouchers he
O.K.'d. The money went to the purchase
and supply department.
Heye was also questioned about the
purchase and supply department, He was
questioned about some of the testimony lie
gave before the Truesdale committee.
Heye was a ~bookkeeper in the supply de-
partment for about twenty-five years and
knew all the inside workings Of it. He
did not appear as a witness before the Arm
strong committee, and 1t was only at the
request OF the Truesdale committee that
he returned from New Jersey. He ex-
planned uat the reason ne OlCn Z WANT 70
testify was because he had palpitation of
the heart and didn't think he could stand
the strain.
He said that many important books
which he had left behind W hen he went
away we're missing, In 1904, he said, the
supply department started a new system
OF bookkeeping. He didn't know why
that was done, but he had the trial balances,
which would show what had been done
in previous years. He showed a letter
written by William P. Sands, cashier Of
the company, to Frederic Cromwell, then
treasurer, In which Mr.. Sands said he had
advised Heye TO tell everything he knew
about the missing books and other affairs
Of the supply department. The missing
books included account books and the
ledger.
When Heye said that he didn't appear
before the Armstrong committee because
he had p~alpitation Of the heart he was
asked by Chairman Truesdale if that was
the only reason.
There was another reason said Mr.;
Heye. There were some things which l had
been directed to do which l didn't like to tell
about althouph H. wasn't any Of nv wrong