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Show BUCKLEY EASILY Investigation of Legislativc-InWrance Legislativc-InWrance Graft af Albany is Still Interesting. COULD LEARN DECISION OF COURTS IN ADVANCE Story of Lawyer's Influence Is Fully Revealed in Letters Written by Himself. NEW YORK. March 24. Bit by bit. there was unfolded at the llro Insurance Inquiry today the story of the career of William II. Buckley, the Albany lawyer, who for years was legislative agent for the flre Insurance companies. On thy face of documentary evidence produced, Buckley was well-nigh Invincible Invin-cible nt Albany. If letters, entered on the records, contained statements of fact and for the most part they were letters exchanged between Buckley and the late George P. Sheldon, who was president of tho Phoenix Fire Insurance company of Brooklyn Buckley's power with the legislators was well worth thc money he admits he received. Buckley's lnlluence at Albany went even further, according to his own words. lie was able to learn in advance a decision of the court of appeals, ho said, and would keep Sheldon Informed as to what was coming off In court. Must Pay "the Boys," Miles M. Dawson, a consulting actuary actu-ary of New York, said under oath Buck-lev Buck-lev had Informed him he could not get favorable action on a bill in which he was Interested unless ho paid some money to "tho hoys." "When evidence was produced showing E E. McCall now a state supreme court Justice, had written Buckley's name above his own on a check for ?r.F.,000, which was one of the threo loans made bv the Phoenix Flre Insurance company of Brooklyn through Sheldon. McCall knew nothing at all of the transaction and had merely talked In thc mutter at his request. He had admitted he had not Indorsed the check and Idcntltlcd the handwriting In which his name was written writ-ten as that of Justice McCall. Mr. HotchklBS said he would bo glad lo have the matter cleared up by the Justice, Jus-tice, but did not say he would ask him to appear as a witness. When seen this aitcrnoon. Justice McCall Mc-Call said he did not care to discuss the 'Insurance Inquiry except to say he never had anv relations or transactions whatever what-ever with Mr. Sheldon, with his com-nanv com-nanv or with any flre lnsurnncc company except thc Munich. Ho snld he was for omc three years the retained counsel for thc Munich company. Significant Lotters. The letters relative to wie i-oun oi appeals were read later In thc afternoon. There were two of them. Tho first dated April 29, 1003, was from Sheldon to Buckley- It read In part: "I nolo thc court of appeals has decided de-cided tho franchise tax law Is constitutional. constitu-tional. 1 wish I could hnvo got on to this enrly enough, for 1 am satisfied this is one of the things which have been hanging over thc market, and if I could have learned previously what tho decision was likely to be. there would hayo been money In this for all of us. Whenever anything like this Is pending In Albany. It will alwnys pay you to advise .mc, If you can. of the probable outcome. Buckley replied the next day as fol- '"?:am sorry I did not know It would ho nt nnv interest to you to hnvo lnforma- L ak !! franchise decision. I told somo of our friends two weeks ago what It would be, but I was advised rrom very mportant quarters that as long as thc derision would bo that, the law was con-NMtlutlonal. con-NMtlutlonal. it would not have much effect o c "market, and I did not think t ndvlsablo to say much about it. If It had been the other way. you would have been advised, because I knew of your lnt reals In 'big gaf-' In the future I will k0fiVn-UEiiM?re.Wcnt of the Continental Conti-nental Flro Insurance company, was on the stand today long enough to say he rontrll ut"d 52SO0 l n fund Sheldon raised In lOO'i " to defeat legislation udversc to tho companies. |