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Vol. 18. No; 929.
LIFE INSURANCE GRAFT
. t--t, .... ' ' '
Suits Against McCurdy of the Mutual
For $8,000,000 New President to
Resign The Plot Deepens.
Newr York Charles A, Peabody,
president of the . Mutual Life Insur
ance company, has informed one of
his most intimate friends that he in
tends to resign the presidency just
as soon as he can sufficiently put the
company's affairs in order so as to
turn his office over to his successor.
His resignation may occur at any
time. At the furthest it will take ef
fect before June 1.
These facts came to light this morn
ing. It also was learned that Presi
dent Peabody's desire to resign was
occasioned by the suits which have
been brought against Richard A. Mc
Curdy. , '
McCurdy To , Tell Secrets
- President McCurdy informed the
Truesdale committee before the suite
were begun that if he, were sued for
restitution he would tell all he knew
about the company and would spare
no one. It is known that he will
charge that, only a small portion of
the enormous commissions paid to
Raymond & Co. went into the pockets
of the members of that firm, and
that in reality the firm was run for
the purpose of enriching the trustees.
He will allege that whenever a trus
tee securefl a policyholder for the Mu
tual he received the full commission
and the renewal commissions like
wise, but that on the books of the
company it appears as having been
paid to Raymond & Co.
: Mr. McCurdy will return from Eu
rope to be present In person when
th suits are tried in court. He is
in close touch with Andrew Fields,
the Mutuai's former legislative agent.
Fields is a stanch adherent of Mr.
McCurdy and is said to have placed
at his disposal all the information he
possesses.
Jail Yawns For Some
Said a member of the McCurdy fam
ily today: "People have thought An
drew Hamilton has told a great deal.
Well, we'll begin where Andrew Ham
ilton left off. It's no longer a question
of who among the trustees are not
at fault, but of who will keep out of
jail." .
It was said today by a prominent
insurance man that the Mutual trus
tees would have refrained from bring
ing the McCurdy suits at all if they
had dared brave public opinion
. It is freely prophesied in Wall street
that there is bound to be a big ex
plosion soon. It is frankly said that
President Peabody . is not a strong
enough man to keep the warring 'ele
ments in order. He is being found
fault with by. all factions. This is
another reason which . has strength
ened President Peabody In his deter
mination to . resign. - ''-...; .
More Suits Up to $3,000,000 ,
It developed that new. suits which
are to be brought against the Mc-
A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO
POLITICS;- AGRICULTURE AND HOME
Lincoln, Nebraska,
Curdys by the Mutual company will
seek to recover an aggregate sum of
over $8,000,000 from the family.
PERKINS IS ARRESTED
He Contributed Life Insurance Money
to Republican Campaign' Fund
Partner of J. P. Morgan
New York. On a charge that his
connection with the contribution of
$48,702.50 from the funds of the New
York Life Insurance company, to Cor
nelius N. Bliss, treasurer of the re
publican national committee in the
campaign of 1904 constituted grand
larceny in the first degree, George
W. Perkins, a member of the firm of
J. P. Morgan & Co., and until recent
ly vice president of the New York
Life Insurance company, was today
arrested on a warrant Issued by City
Magistrate Moss.
When a detective went to serve
the warrant upon Mr. Perkins he
found that a writ of habeas corpus
had already been obtained from Jus
tice Greenbaum, of the state supreme
court, and the matter was immediate
ly taken out of the magistrate's
hands. . Mr. Perkins appeared before
Justice Greenbaum, 'and at the re
quest of his, counsel,' , the , hearing in
the case was adjourned until Friday.
Mr. Perkins was paroled in the cus
tody of his personal attorney, Lewis
A. Delafield. The warrant for Mr.
Perkins' arrest was applied for yes
terday by District Attorney Jerome.
Magistrate Moss would not act, how
ever, until affidavits were filed. These
were presented to him today. They
were signed by Darwin P. Kingsley,
vice president of the New York Life,
Edmund D. Randolph, treasurer of the
company, and by Thomas A. Buckner,
also a vice president.
The affidavits on which Magistrate
Moss acted in issuing the warrant for
Mr. Perkins's arrest were forwarded
to the supreme court tonight on a
writ of certiorari. The statement
sworn to by Vice President Kingsley
gives some of the details of the meet
ing of the New York Life's finance
committee in December, 1904, when
President McCall appeared and stated
that Mr. Perkins had advanced cer
tain large sums of money to Corne
lius N. Bliss, treasurer of the repub
lican national committee, pursuant to
Mr. McCall's agreement to contribute
$50,000 for use in the presidential
campaign of. 1904.
. District Attorney erome made pub
lic correspondence between himself
and Mr. Perkins which showed that
upon the district attorney's request
for information and without promise
of any immunity whatsoever, Mr.
Perkins had supplied Mr. erome with
all the facts connected with the 1904
campaign contribution.
DOCTOR IS KILLED BY THE CARS
Attempts to Board Moving Train With
Fatal Results.
O'Neill, Neb. Dr. S. F. Hunt of
Stuart was instantly killed in the
railroad yards here at 4:40 on the
25th hist, while attempting to board
freight train No. 63. The doctor was
here as a witness in the Irwin mur
der tril and went io the depot, to
take the freight for his home at
.March 29, 1906
Stuart. The train had started when
he ret iied ihe depot and he made a
grab for the front end of the caboose,
slipping on the icy ground and falling
under the wheels. The rear ' trucks
passed over his body just below the
arms, instantly crushing out his life.
. Coroner Flynn soon arrived upon
the scene, impaneled a jury and af
ter viewing the remains adjourned
until 4 o'clock tomorrow afternoon.
The remains were sent to his home
at Stuart at 10:40 tonight. Dr. Hunt
was one of the most popular physicians
in this county and had practiced med
icine at, Stuart for nearly twenty
twenty years. He leaves a wife and
three children.
OMAHA'S MAYOR DEAD
Frank Moores Succumbs After Long
Illness.
Omaha Neb. Frank E. Moores,
mayor of Omaha, died at his home on
the afternoon of the 23d inst. He
had been ill for several months with
throat trouble and a general break
ing down. Mayor Moores was sixty
six years of age. He was serving the
last term of his third term as mayor
and had long been prominent in the
republican party of this city and state.
President Zimman of the city council
will act as mayor during the remainder
of the term.
Mayor Moores served as district
clerk of Douglas county for several
terms and was a colonel upon the
staff of Governor E. P. Savage. He
served with the union army during
the Civil war and was a prisoner in
Libby prison.
MULLER REGRETS SHOOTING
Insists He Acted Entirely fn Self
Defense. - Norfolk, Neb. Tears came into the
eyes of August Mueller, the Stanton
county farmer triple assailant, when
hanging was suggested to him on the
23d. He was being taken from Pen
der to Stanton. , '..
"I shot in self-defense," he said. "I
went to the house to make up the
quarrel with my wife,' and after
Hohneke had shot me 1 turned back
and fired. I did not intend to shoot
my wife or. mother-in-law. I am sorry
I shot anybody. If I had another
chance I would not shoot. I was kind
to my wife." The victims were alive
at last reports.
Oil King Still Fears Subpoena
Philadelphia Fear of a subpoena
from the federal court in this city,
which commands John D. Rockefeller
to appear to testify in that tribunal
in the oil rebate case brought by
Fenaille & Depeaux, a French refining
company against the Pennsylvania
raliroad company is said to be the
real motive for the oil magnate keep
ing in seclusion. The process was is
sued April 2. The case has been in
the courts for seventeen years.
Send $1.00 for a year's subscription
to The Independent and receive Mr.
Berge's book, "The Free Pass Bribery
System1," free as a premium. This
offer applies to full paid advance sub
scriptions only,
LIFE
Subscription $1.00
DISCORD IN CONGRESS
Lack of Harmony Between Leaders of
"the, Two Houses Responsible for
, Failure ' of Many Bills.
Wa fib in Pi On D ' MflpAh . 07
(Special) -The best way to describe
the situation here is by saying that
the relations of everybody to every
thing seems somewhat strained? To
say that, harmony prevails anywhere,
or in the breast of anyone here would
be to say more than there is warrant
for. If all grows out or an anomalous
political situation, wherein the presi
dent speaks for the , people, voices
their demands and the congress which
is overwhelmingly republican in both
branches represents railroads , and
corporations. The president has pre
sented to congress measures repre
senting the people and has therefore
set the republican voters of the coun
try onto their members of congress
and they are putting on pressure.
With pressure from the people on one
side and pressure from the corpora
tions on the other the .members of
both houses of congress find them
selves in a trying and disagreeable
situation in no wise conductive to
harmonous relations between them
and either of the forces that are at
this time threatening their "future.
It is openly and freely conceded here
by all that the chhnces favor an over
whelming victory for the democrats
in the coming congressional eletcion.
Republican political sages express
great fear that democrats - will elect
the governors and legislatures of
several northern states also.
President Roosevelt's partisanship
has always been such that it would
be relied upon to influence him at a
critical juncture. It is well known
that every member or the cabinet are
opposed to his railroad policy and
that if the republican members of
the house and senate dared express
their true sentiments it would de
velop that the president has not a
dozen sympathizers in 'his own party
in both branches of congress. There
fore when we say that the railroad in
fluences in the republican party have
been "bringing all the pressure possi
ble to bear upon the president to in
duce hi mto modify nis demands for
railroad legislation, the interest of
harmony in the republican party it
is apparent that the pressure is very
great. No one up to this time can
positively predict the final outcome
in view of the president's well known
intence and almost violent partisan-'
ship.
Predictions are made here by some
astute politicians that the president
has modified his partisan feelings
considerably of late because of the'
cordial support his railroad policy is
receiving at the hands of the demo
crats in the senate whom he has
learned to recognize as the only ac
tual sympathizers in that body with
the purpose of the rate bill, the out
come of which will go far in deter
mining the presidents future popu
larity. Senator Bailey who is recognized as