The sun., 1908-04-30
TACKLE JEROME ON PERKINS
AND JEROME HIMSELF HELPS
OUT THE PROSECUTORS

ny Reading Documents IN the Case and As
Suming Entire Responsibility for Man.
ner In which Perkins Was Arrested
Explains Delay IN Insurance Trials.
Evidence was taken yesterday before
Commissioner Hand on the charge made
by the King committee that District At
torney Jerome mlsoonducted the case
against George W Perkins which resulted
In 4 to decision by the Court Of Appeals
that Mr.. Perkins had not committed a
crime.
The King committee charges that Mr..
Jerome purposely kept this case from the
Grand Jury, although II had been in-
struoted by the Court to investigate, and
that the papers on which the test case
, In the police court was based we're faulty
and did not contain all the evidence.
lawyer Franklin Pierce gave briefly
! some Of the disclosures OF the Armstrong
! insurance investigation and told Of the
failure Of two Grand JurieH TO act.
'On March 27, lOO0,' continued MIR.
Pierce, mir. Jerome placed before Magis-
trate Moss an AFFIDAVIT Of Darwin P Kings
ley, vice e-presldent Of the New York Life;
an afidavit Of Z. d. Randolph, treasurer.
and letter ot that date written by George
| W. Perkins, the defendant, who had paid
upward Of $4,000 Of the polcyholders
money to Cornelius n. Bliss. Upon this
evidence only a warrant was issued for
Mr. Perkins's arrest; a writ Of habeas
corpus and a writ Of certorari we're at
once issued, and Mr.. Perkins was brought
before Justice Greenbsum to determine
the sufiloienoy Of the papers on which the
arrest was made
Mr.. Pierce said that the Perkins letter,
which was included in the papers, was un-
yer flied. II explained the campaign con-
trbution transaction from Mr.. Perknss
side.
Thus Mr.. Jerome said Mr. Pierce.
made the foundation Of his right TO arrest
Perkins the statements Of Perkins himself,
and these were what we're considered by
the Court Of Appeals later when four out
Of seven justices decided that no crime
had been committed
Mr. Pierce read Mr.. Perkins's testimony
before the Armstrong committee that he
and President John A. Mccall we're alone
responsible for the contribution, and the
statements Of Mr.. Mccall himself that the
anybody but himself. Against these state
ments Mr.. Pierce set the statements pre-
sented In the Kingsley, Randolph and Per-
kins papers In the case against Mr.. Perkins,
In which ii was said that the payment Of
the $4,000 was regularly passed on by the
finance committee. II is Mr.. Pierce's con-
tention that Mr.. Jerome ought 70 have re-
garded these statements before the Arm
strong committee In prosecuting the case.
Fn - a " tnlnn
up by Mr. Pierce in reading into the records
the different documents that are already a
matter OF public record At one stage
Mr. Pierce's voice became so tired that the
District Attorney himself volunteered to
read the documents for him Mr.. Pierce
accepted. The document that the District
Attorney tackled was Judge O'Sullivan's
reply TO the hypothetical questions which
Mr.. Jerome presented when the first Grand
Jury was in session. At the end Of the
reply Mr. Jerome, reading from his own
minutes. went on TO give a colloquy be- |
tween himself and Judge O'Sulivan.
One Of Mr.. JeTome's assistants told him
that that was not part Of the record that
Mr. Pierce had and Mr.. Jerome stopped. !
Mr.. Pierce. however, had pricked uplhis |
ears and he wanted the District Attorney |
to 20 on. Mr.. Jerome declined and Mr. |
Pierce ask ed for the loan Of his minutes |
This also Mr.. Jerome felt constrained TO |
refuse and MIR. Pierce then called him TO |
the witness chair Whereupon he asked |
him kindly to read the conversation,
This Mr.. Jerome did II was merely |
Mr.. Jerome's opinion Of the answer which |
Judge 0'Sullivan had made to the hypo- |
thetical questions and embodied request |
that Judge 0'Sullivan sit as a magistrate |
and pass on the evidence in the Perkins
case.
Mr. Pierce ask ed Mr. Jerome why there |
hadn't been greater expedition in the trial |
Of the life insurance cases, that OF former |
Vice-President Granniss Of the Mutual, |
for example.
Mr. Jerome replied that one OF the rea-
sons was Justice Dowling's decision in |
the forgery case against John X. Hege-
man, president Of the Metropolitan Life
Insurance Company An appeal had been
taken from that decision, which dismissed |
the Hegeman indictment, and il Justice |
Dowling's decision was found to be good |
law MIR. jerome very much feared that the /
cases against Granniss Mr.. Perkins and !
Charles s. FarChild also would have to be
dismissed.
Another reason why the insurance cases
hadn't been tried quicker was that Mr..
Jerome desired TO have his strongest cases I
on first, and also he and his assistants
had decided that il was best not to begin
Investigations into the different companies
were completed,
MFR. Pierce wanted the District Attorney
to present the minutes Of the special Grand
Jury which indicted Granniss and Robert
A. Gillette Of the Mutual life. This MIR.
Jerome declined TO do without an order
OF the Court, because cases against these
men we're still pending.
Mr. Pierce called Edward Reardon, one
Of Mr.. Jerome's detectives and began to
question him about the arrest Of Mr.. Per-
kins Mr.. Jerome interrupted.
Il think Mr. Commissioner, that ]
can simplify this Mr.. Perkins went 10
Mr. Delafields office, where he was placed
under arrest By my directions he was
kept there until the habeas corpus writ
was obtained. II was all done by my
direction. | assume the entire respon-
sibity for every act, great or minute.
connected with it,
That was satisfactory to Mr. Pierce.
Toward the close Of the hearing Mr..
Pierce took up the sixth charge against
Mr. Jerome. which relates to his alleged
failure to prosecute Mr.. Perkins on the
$40 900 Nyllo transaction brought out in the
Armstrong committee proceedings. This
charge will be gone into to-day.