The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-04-07
Fields of Mutual VIII Tell the
 Whole Truth
NEVER GAVE BRIBE IN LIFE
Former Legislative Agent Says Mutual Trustees Shall Not Blast His Rep utation to Further Their
 Own Private Ends.

l New York. April 6.-charges similar to those recently made against the diree- tors of the New York Life Insurance l company by Andrew Hamilton were made today against the trustees of the Mutual Life Insurance company by Andrew c. Fields
 The former legislative agent of the Mutual is now in seclusion at his home | at Dobbs Ferry. He Is said to be seri- ously Ill and has denied himself to all i callers The charges against the Mutual trustees were made In a formal state ment which Fields issued through his physician. and In which he declared that the Mutual trustees well knew the nature of his duties while he was employed by tho company as legislative agent and also said he had charge of It's supply de- l partment. He says that he had come ] home "prepared to tell the truth. no matr 1 ter whom 1t hurts, be his position high or l low"
 Saved Company Many Thousands.
 He denies that he ever gave a bribe to any one, declares the story of the so- called house of mirth at Albany to be
 malicious libel and claims that while acting for the Mutual he saved the com pany many hundreds of thousands of dollars He says that the records of the Mutual supply department which had been reported as missing, are within easy reach. and that they will be forthcoming whenever the trustees want them He promises to make a full and complete
 dan ttrt,t tnf. was paid 10 him by the expenditure com mittee and how 1t was disbursed, and to
 show that every payment was ias'iy au- thori2ed. MT. Fields says that in ali siA career al Albany. he never hai *ps rer-
 sonal dealings with Andrew Hamilton, the legislative agent for the New York Life Insurance company.
 The statement in which MT. Fields say agely arraigned the officials of the Mu- i tual with whom he had dealings follows;
 Never Gave Bribe to Anyone.
 ''rn the first place never gave q brihe l to any one in the whole course Of my l career 1 have come home prepared 10 l vlndicate myself completely In doing so, I shall let the truth which ] snail speak, l fall upon whom 1t may All of those trus- tees of the Mutual who are now pointing ! of all l was doing in connection with legislative work for the Mutual ana when they say they were ignorant or the character of my work. they say what Is untrue
 l "T am here to challenge them in every i such statement they may make, or have l made. | am not an old man like Richard 1 A McCurdy whose age Is so great that 1 he could not defend himself. While my | bodily strength is not what 1t might be, 1 I am as strong as ever was, and 1 am determined to vindicate myself in ] the eyes of the public, l have to laugh when I read the statements of the trus- 1 tees to the effect that a portion Of the records of the supply department of the Mutual is missing, or was destroyed. will say now that it is absurd to say that q single book or record in the supply | department-of which I was head-has been taken from the eompanys onice ! The story simply amuses me, rotning more These trustees will have all the records of the supply department when they want them. They are not missing
 Payment Fully Authorized. "As to the payments by Robert Oly- pnant, chairman of the expenditure com nittee Of amounts ranging from S25,eee upward and aggregating in all about s6Oo. .O0o paid to me, I will say that l can l furnish full. complete eNpidnhhoH ot | exactly what was done with this money and can show that every payment was l fully authorized I saved for the slutual l Life by my work at Albany hundreds or l thousands of dollars, and in doing so. 1 never committed a dishonest act. l do l not propose that the men associated with me in the Mutual shall destroy my repu- 1 tation to further their own private ends l The story about the so-called house of mirth in Albany was gross libel Noth- ing ever took place fin that house which was simply my Albany residence, ot | which I or any other God-fearing man need be ashamed. I am prepared to tell the truth, no matter whom 1t may hurt. be his position high or low"
 Suffering From incurabIe Disease.
 pr. Judson said that MT. Fields would 1 not be able to see any one for two weeks at least. His patient Is suffering from an incurable disease. he said, but by care- ful treatment his life may be prolonged l for years.
 tual internal Investigating committee, said today:
 | 'at would not be proper for to state that Fields will be called upon to l make statement to this committee. | That such d course Is likely. however. l Is d probability There is no power vested l in our committee that could be exercised 1 to compel Fields to give 1t explana- | ton. and any that he does make, will l be purely voluntary.
 Whitecappers Released on Bond.