Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-03-16
HAMILTON THROWS
INSURANCE BOMB
NEW YORK LIFE LAWYER TELLS HIS STORY
His Face Flushed and Voice Trembling With Passion Accused
Man Denounces New York Life officers Calling Them
Ours and Traitors-Addresses Investigating Committee
BY Associated Press.


ALBANY. N. Y, March 15.-Andrew
Hamilton appeared before the insur-
ance investigating committee this af-
ternoon and broke the silence which
he has maintained, except for his
statement brought from Paris by John
G. Mccall, ever since his name was
first mentioned in connection with the
great sums of money shown to have
been paid to him during the past ten
years on account of his legal and leg
islative work for the New York Life
and other insurance companies.
1t would be difficult to exaggerate
the sensation produced by his unex-
pected appearance, and by the speech
which he made or 'the intensely dra-
matte character of the whole episode.
His face flushed and his voice trem-
bling with passion, his arms upraised
and his fists clenched. Judge Hamilton
poured forth a flood of denunciation
and invective upon the members of the
board of trustees of the New York Life
Insurance company, several of whom
were present, designated them ours
and traitors and paying special atten-
ton to one unnamed whom he de-
scrbed as 1.-The Pecksniff of three ad-
ministrations, the ,confidante of the
Beers scandal, and author of the Beers
pension-who rotates through one ad-
ministration and another and thinks
that he is going to be an Indispensable
member of yet another"
"And do you Think he demanded,
"that the man who held the same re-
lation to Mr.. Beers that / did to Mr..
Mccall could sit for the thirteen years
since and not know how the expendi-
lures that were made were to be and
were disbursed? Yet he and such like
him sit, not judging me as Beers, but
Judging me as conquerors talking
about yellow dogs"
Judge Hamiltons attack upon the
trustees, of the New York Life Insur-
ance company was made only the more
dramatic by the fact that he imme-
diately followed ]. H. Mcintosh. gen.
eral solicitor of that company, who
had been eulogizing the members of
that board and challenging any man
to give reasons why they should be re-
moved from office as contemplated by
the pending legislation.
Mccall a Victim
The only name he mentioned was
that of the late President Mccall in
the reference to whom and to whose
death he displayed marked emotion.
He spoke of Mr.. Mccall as a victim,
as having been shouldered with the
blame-"the only one, the dead man..
killed, that they drove to his grave
and deserted and declared that the
memory Of this man had appealed to
him Ito come down here and say some
thing for him, and just word Tor
myself"
He declared unequivocally that every
payment to himself by the New York
Life was made by the knowledge and
approval of the trustees. especially of
the finance and auditing committees.
He pointed out if there had been
anything the matter with his vouchers
for this payment 1t was their duty to
bring him to book for it, yet he said,
month after month, and year after
year, for ten years, they passed them,
and then when the cry at last comes
out they say: well, we did not know
anything about it; this is the fellow,
this Is the man that has done 1t all"
When they say they did not know
what was going on it excites my laugh
ter and derision
He declared again and again that the
payments were proper and legitimate
and that he had no apology to make
for himself or for President Mccall.
Patted on the Back
One of his most interesting state
ments was that in spite of reports to
the contrary, the so-called paris ac-
count" was actually reported and ap-
proved by the auditing committee.
The first applause of the big crowd
that quickly filled the great assembly
chamber as soon as the fact of Judge
Hamilton's presence became known
about the building, broke out with
roar of laughter after his reference to
the enthusiasm with which he said his
victories for the New York Life were
received by the officials of the COM
pany.
"They would come and pat me on
the back" he said with a bitter sneer
"These men who would not know me
now, they would come in and pat me
on the back and say, Now you did
it,"
A storm of applause followed his
scathing reference to the "yellow dog"