The Irish standard., 1906-03-31
PERKINS ARRESTED
ON LARCENY CHARGE
PROCEEDINGS BEGUN TO TEST
LEGALITY OF POLITICAL
CONTRIBUTIONS.

61V~6GO4N0O 060VN ~ VG8V
LEGALITY OF POLITICAL
CONTRIBUTIONS.
CASE TAKEN DIRECT
TO SUPREME COURT
Highest State Body Will Pass ON
Question Through Issuance of Ha-
beas Corpus Writ -. Arguments
Postponed.
New York. March 29.-George w.
Perkins, member of che firm of ]. p.
Morgan & Co., and formerly vice pres
ident of the New York Life Insurance
company, was technically placed I'M
der arrest Wednesday on warrant
charging grand larceny in the first de-
gree in the proceedings which District
Attorney Jerome has begun to test the
legality of political contributions by
insurance companies. The warrant
was issued upon information presented
to Police Magistrate Moss, and the al
legation upon which 1T was based is
the transfer of $4S.7O2 Of the funds of
the New York Life Insurance company
to Cornelius N. Bliss, treasurer of the
Republican national committee in
1904, in which it is charged that Mr..
Perkins received the money from the
insurance company and paid it over to
Mr.. Bliss. Immediately after his ar
rest Mr.. Perkins. through his counsel.
Lewis A. Delafield, secured writ Of
habeas corpus from Justice Green
baum. Of the supreme court, by which
Mr.. Perkins was released from GUS
tody and the case was taken direct to
the supreme court. Argument on this
writ was adjourned until Friday next.
Charge Is Technical.
Mr.. Perkins was taken into custody
while in the Office of his attorney by q
detective from the ONCE of District At
torney Jerome. He did not appear
before Police Magistrate Moss. who
had issued the warrant, but went d.
rectly before Justice Greenbaum.
There the district attorney recited the
legal steps that had been taken, but
did not go into the charges against
Mr.. Perkins. Mr.. Delatield. however,
declared that the offense charged
against Mr.. Perkins was purely tech
meal and asked for postponement of
the case: He described the payment of
the $4S,702 by Mr.. Perkins to Mr.. Bliss
in 1904 and said that the payment had
been authorized by John A. Mccall.
the former president of the New York
Life Insurance company. The, arrest
of Mr.. Perkins and the subsequent is-
suance of the writ of habeas corpus
will have the effect Of having the high
est courts. of the state pass upon the
legality of campaign contributions by
insurance companies. Much attention
was directed to this matter at the re-
cent legislative insurance investiga-
ton. and it was shown that several of
the larger companies on more than
one occasion had contributed to such
funds.
Mr.. Perkins in his own testimony
before the Legislative investigation
committee testified as follows concern
ing check signed by Treasurer Ran
dolph, of the New York Life Insurance
company, calling for the payment of
$4S,702 to J. P. Morgan & Co.:
Agreed to Pay $4,000.
"That. was money" said Mr.. Per-
kins, paid to Cornelius N. Bliss on
account of the Republican national
committee campaign fund of last year.
We had agreed to pay him $4,000
as much as that-Mr. Mccall had-if he
wished it. That was all he finally
called for, and it was paid in that way
as cash to him. Mr.. Bliss made vari-
GUS calls from time to time for
amounts which paid myself, and
when the accounts were made up
toward the end of the year this
amount was the amount found to be
due, and that amount was paid back
to me. 1t was not paid to j. p. Nor
gan & Co., but to ME. had person.
ally advanced the money. This check
for the campaign, drawn to the order
of ]. p. Morgan & Co., has no signifi-
canoe whatever. The money was or
iered paid by the president"
In his argument before Justice
Greenbaum ON the writ Of habeas cor
pus Mr.. Delafield declared. that the by
laws of the New York Life Insurance
company permitted President Mccall
to make the political contribution al
legged, and that he submitted it to the
finance committee of the company,
which approved of 1t.
IF any ofrense has been commit
ter by Mr.. Perkins," said Mr.. Delafeld.
''then the honored names of the men
who composed that committee are
equally involved with that of my
client" The attorney also stated that
Mr.. Perkins had made full statement
Of the entire matter to District At
torney> Jenome,. and supplied him with
the testimony he needed" Mr.. Perkins
was par0led In custody of his counsel
Jealousy Causes Murder.
Chicago, March 20. Aroused by
Jealousy at the sight OF his rival, Al
bert Roberts. 30 years old. employed
by Hubbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co.,
attacked William Walker. an smploye
of the Chicago Athletic club, Wednes-
day, as the latter was leaving his room
at 1886 Indiana street. After q des-
perate struggle, Roberts was shot twice
and killed.