Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-02
NJ CALL
DENIES SHARE IN
BUCKLEY'S CRAFT
Member of New York Supreme
Court Makes Statement
to Investigators
GOV. ROOSEVELT DECEIVED
Promoter Tells of Plan Used to
Conceal Character of --
New Corporation
IAssociated PressI

\ EW YORK, April 1.-Justice Ed
ward e. Mccall Of the state su-
preme court explained today his
financial transactions with William H.
Buckley legislative agent for the fire
insurance companies.
After the days hearing ustice Mccall
met Superintendent Hotchkiss of the
state insurance department and gave
him a statement that satisfied Mr.
Hotchkiss that political friendship ac-
counted sufficiently for the question:
able aspect certain incidents had
seemed to wear
After todays hearing Justice Mccall
was found In the books of the Phenix
Fire Insurance company Of Brooklyn
which induced Mr.. Hotchkiss to say 1t
looked as If Justice Mccall had been a
party to an attempt to deceive the in
surance department.
BUCKLEY BORROWs ssb 600
Mr.. Buckley. according to Justice
Mccall, induced the Phenix to loan
$4,000 to him on the collateral held by
the North American company. There
was due a balance, which with interest
amounted to $2751. This amount JUS
tice Mccall, who was then q practicing
lawyer, advanced.
AS Buckley had to leave town, he ar
ranged that Mr.. Mccall should receive
the $4,000 from the Phenix and take
up the loan. Mr. Mccall accordingly
deposited the $4,000 check to Buckley's
order in his bank, drew his own check
for $37, 731 to the North American COM
pany, paid the loan and obtained the
securities, which he turned over to the
Phenix as security for the new loan of
$35 900.
Justice Mccall then takes UP the
matter Of the $4,000 check. Buckley
had borrowed $4,000 from the Phenix
on February 16, 1899, and $4,000 on Jan
uary 10, 1901, but Justice Mccall said
he has no knowledge of either of these
loans. Buckley went to him in De-
cember, 1900, and asked him for $346 to
pay interest due on a loan. He got the
money. on January IA, 1901, Buckley
again went to Mccall, this time for S12,-
$685. and again got the money.
my only interest in the entire sub
ject," says the Justice, was that a
friend was in need of money. / had
1t, and on his request 1 loaned 1t to
him. On January 29, 1901, Mr.. Buckley
paid me back $4,000 of those advances
by giving me the check Of the Phenix
Fire Insurance company. I beg to ad-
wise you that l never in my life had
any connection with the Phenix Fire
Insurance company"
ROOSEVELT DECEIVED
Mr.. Browne, who called himself a
"woodshed lawyer"-that is. a lawyer
of knowledge, but with no right to
practice-made no attempt to conceal
that he and Justice Mccall Ohen a
practicing lawyer) had drawn up the
bill TO incorporate the American Bond
and Mortgage Guarantee company, the
parent of the International, in q way
designed to conceal from the legisla-
ture, Governor Roosevelt and the peo-
pie the true purpose of the bill.
He conceded that heavy charges for
furniture" on the books of the COM
pany covered other expenditures not
explained; that the company's directors
were frankly dummies, some of them
named to give the bill '1ocal color" at
Albany, and that he even owned some
of the stock that stood in these direct--
ors names.