The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-02-08
STATE LIFE
SCANDAL AIRED
Sensational Testimony Pro
duced Which Involves
Two Directors.
$4,000 IS INVOLVED
W. E. Mick Reluctantly Testifes
That Andrew Sweeney and Sam
uel Quinn Gave Amount.

indianapolis, Ind, Feb. s-when
James Noel, special counsel for Iob,
Billheimer, auditor of state. drew fror,
". r. Mick, a local real estate agar,
the reluctant admission that Andrav,
Sweeney, president of the State re-
insurance company and Samuel Quinn
the vice president and agency manaear
or the company. each received s26 O0o
for their votes as directors 81 the com
pany In consummating the sale of tha
old Stevenson, now the state Tifa
building. he reached part of the milk
OF the ooca-nut that has been SO long
IN the opening
W. T. Mick. who was the real estate
agent In the deal whereby the million
dollar building was taken over bv the
insurance company said that he smoke
whereof he knew. He was on the stand
practically all afternoon. yesterday.
ana his evidence IVES very direct ana
very conclusive as to these two direc-
tors having received side gifts. which
We're paid ultimately out of the mon
eys OF the poiicyholders OF the state
Lie At the close OF the hearing.
both Mr.. Sweeney and Mr.. Quinn denied
that they had received the amounts
that Mick said they had.
Testimony 10 the Point.
The testimony that Mick gave was
not involved. Stripped of its verbos-
itys. 1t was 10 the effect that the state
Life. as a company paid the church.
man heirs, former owners OF the Stav-
enson building, the sum of Ss50.ooo for
the building the company now calls
after its name. The money was paid
out Of the assets OF the company.
e., the policyholders.
OF this money the Churchman heirs.
six in all got $4,000 directly and $780,
600 was TO be accounted for. OF this
latter amount. Mick said that Quinn
and Sweeney told him Churchman gave
them $4,000 apiece. lie, Mick. got
$4,000 for himself and son. one of the
Churchman's got 10000 and the re-
naming $4,000 went to pay some Of
the debts OF the Churohman estate
In other words. according to the
witness understanding, the building,
itself cost $4,000; Sweeney and Quinn
picked up $4,000; and the other s3O,-
600 was divided between one of the
Church mans and the two Micks.
Judging from the look on the face
Of w. S. Wynn, another Of the State
Life directors. this was the first in
formation he had Of the $50, 600 trans
action that occurred four years ago.
1t seems that he, one OF the directors
had not known all OF this time that
two Of his fellow directors, were al
legged to have taken $500 and put
it in their pockets. He set there, in
tent on the testimony, head bent for
ward. hand up to his ear drinking in
all of this that was presumably new
, to him The story told by Mick re-
cited how Sweeney and Quinn entered
= into a secret agreement with Mick
one unknown to Wynn, who did not
want a real estate man to be a party
to the purchase. In order to prevent
Wynn from making negotiations di-
? rect, the two seemingly opposed the
/ projected purchase with bitterness, and
! not till the plan was al ready did they
g fan in with Wynn's idea to purchase
: the buiIding-and then it was done
= through an agent.
Coffin Fails TO Confused Mick.
o Charles F. Coffin, the general coun.
e sci for the State Life, was not men
toned as having any knowledge o.
the transactions either. 1t seemed tina
: Yesterday afternoon was the first h
y knew or heard this story. too. lie mad.
. some feeble attempts to confuse Mick
but to little purpose; he was gropinl
in the dark.
? There is some talk that the the stat
auditor will demand the return OF tn
. $50. 600 that Mick alleged had been oil
verted from the company. If the stor'
lis proven substantially as 1t was given
Z he will make this demand undoubtedly
!. Meantime he is not saying anything
= lust keeping his ear close down I
: the ground Of the investigation.
= For months. the state, which ha
some intimation that certain transac
lions should be explained, has bee
leading up to this point Time aft
time something has come up to della
T. the game. but it looks now as If Il
alleged misdeeds would see the ngf
af 6av